Book Review
Copyright (c) 1994, Thomas Van Hook
All rights reserved


Pegasus In Flight By Anne McCaffery
Del Rey Books    Copyright 1990
ISBN 0-345-36897-5     LCCN 90-92901
First Hardcover Edition:  December 1990
First Mass Market Edition:  November 1991
Cover Art by Romas
Pages:  293

Have you ever read a book that has totally confused you, but has
had a story-line that is fascinating beyond belief?  If you
haven't read such a novel, this is the book for you.  Anne
McCaffery has FINALLY written a novel that has left me without a
clue as to where it was going and what meaning it had.

To be honest, this novel is not that bad.  However, it reads like
a second or third part of a series.  There are subplots in this
book that are ASSUMED that the reader knows what is going on. 
When you pick this book up, you feel as if you have wandered into
the middle of a conversation on quantum physics.  That's right,
you will get the feeling of being TOTALLY lost!  This book is not
marked on the cover OR the inside jacket as being part of a
series, which makes Miss McCaffery's writing style even more of a
mystery.

The plot of the story follows an enclave of "Talented" (folks
with paranormal kinetic abilities) located in a large metropolis
on Earth.  They are basically the work-horses of the society,
since they can do things that other humans can't.  In short, they
are indentured servants.  From this point, the story delves into
three tracks that all become intermingled and absolutely
confusing to keep track of.  The first plot-line deals with a
young lady with kinetic abilities who is hiding from the
"Talented" folk because of her fear of them.  The second
plot-line follows a young boy who is being trained in his kinetic
abilities.  Predictably, both of those characters have kinetic
abilities that go WAY beyond the scale of any of the other
kinetics.  The third plot-line deals with a space platform that
is being built in Earth's orbit.  The contractor of this platform
is the villianess of the story.  Predictably, she is shady and
very unsympathetic to the plight of the kinetics.

What Miss McCaffery has succeeded in doing one thing with this
novel.  She has totalled destroyed my faith in her abilities to
write good, focused stories along the lines of "The Lady" or "The
Dragonriders Of Pern" series.  This novel is a fine example of
what happens when a good writer doesn't think his/her plot line
completely through.  It would be best to avoid this book at all
costs, unless you are a McCaffery fan and you MUST have ALL of
her novels in your collection.

Storyline:  F
Overall Grade:  F