The Rowan is the girl who was found after a mudslide on Altair. She lost her whole family and was made ward of the state. Her talent was one of prime quality and she was educated in her responsibilities as such. This book is about her road to adulthood and her search for love.

In many ways this was a good book. I enjoyed reading it and would have no problem recommending it to others. Having said that something was missing for me in this book. "The Talents of Earth" was a much more enjoyable series for me. This is not McCaffrey at her best.

The Rowan is the girl who was found after a mudslide on Altair. She lost her whole family and was made ward of the state. Her talent was one of prime quality and she was educated in her responsibilities as such. This book is about her road to adulthood and her search for love.

In many ways this was a good book. I enjoyed reading it and would have no problem recommending it to others. Having said that something was missing for me in this book. "The Talents of Earth" was a much more enjoyable series for me. This is not McCaffrey at her best.

We are now in the universe envisaged by Henry Darrow and the first Peter Reidinger (see PEGASUS series), a world where mankind has reached beyond the stars; where inter-planetary transport and communication is achievable predominantly through the powers of the scarce and extremely valuable PRIMES, grade 1 strength telepaths/telekenetics.

Angharad Gwyn from the planet Altair is only 3 years old when her entire family, with the rest of their mining community, are killed in a mudslide. The only survivor is trapped in a hopper; cold, hungry and wanting her .....MOMMEEEEEE. Everyone planetwide even slightly talented hears her telepathic cries and the search for the child begins. This is aided by a powerful clairvoyant who predicts a long lonely road for THE ROWAN, the new name adopted by the precious child Prime.

The Rowan's life is spent training to take a Prime position on Callisto, one of Jupiter's moons. Her passage to her new station is terrifying; as like all Primes The Rowan is intensely agorophobic and unable to launch herself through space. She regards this 'Prime Trait' bitterly, understandably so considering she's capable of launching huge cargoes through the known universe and receiving telepathic messages from lightyears away.

As The Rowan resigns herself to a solitary life with no mate she receives a strong telepathic message from the distant planet of Deneb.... and it's male. Overcoming life long fears, she unites with Jeff to aid in the protection of his planet. It is here that she finally meets the destiny predicted when she was 3 years old....

Ms McCaffrey has created a wonderful universe, with solid believable characters from diverse worlds and cultures. This book is so great that I recommend you don't stop here - I strongly urge you to get the other 4 books!!!!!!