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See also, The Wings of Pegasus - Omnibus Edition of To Ride Pegasus and Pegasus in Flight.

To Ride Pegasus
To Ride Pegasus
The cover of To Ride Pegasus
The Talent Series
Author Anne McCaffrey
Cover artist Bruce Jensen
Genre(s) Science Fiction
Publisher Ballatine Books
Publication date August 1973
Media type Print (paperback, hardcover); ebook; audiobook
Pages 243
ISBN Number 978-0-345-33603-3
OCLC Number 21408466
Proceeded by None
Followed by Pegasus in Flight

To Ride Pegasus, is the first novel in the Pegasus Trilogy and in The Talents Universe, the main protagonist is Henry Darrow a precog who foresaw his accident, but did not prevent it due to a meeting of fate with Molly Mahony, a nurse who's healing talent goes beyond that of any nurse.

Chapters of the book were originally printed as short stories, later assembled into the full novel.

  • "A Womanly Talent" was first published in Analog magazine in 1969
  • "Apple" was first published in Crime Prevention in the 30th Century in 1969
  • "A Bridle for Pegasus" was first published in Analog magazine in 1973


Summary[]

Omnibus Edition Summary

It began with a preordained encounter-between Henry Darrow, who could foresee the future, and Molly Mahony, a nurse whose healing powers went far beyond her training. Together they proved that certain people were born with remarkable psi abilities that could be used to benefit society. And together they founded the Center, a gathering, living, and training place for their fellow Talents.

The Center's precogs, telepaths, empathsm and telekinetics shared their gifts freelym helping to prevent crimes, to avert tragedies and disasters; too often their efforts were met with suspicion and fear. Recognizing that the Talents would need protection when the exercise of their powers aroused the antagonism of frightened or disbelieving people, Henry and Molly had spearheaded legislation to insure the legal rights of paranormals. Yet legal rights and human rights were not the same, as the Talents who inherited Darrow and Mahony's legacy of ideal's discovered:

Daffyd op Owen, the second leader of the center-a highly gifted telepath who was ready to use every trick at his command to ensure the survival of his people. Amalda, an empath capable of bending thousands to her will with her projections, yet terrified of one man-a man who was determined to gain power of his own...

Plot[]

To Ride Pegasus...5[]

Henry Darrow has a vision about a terrible car accident he will be in, due to his precongnitve ability, but he chooses to let it happen since it will alter the future and later on make Talents like himself very valuable to human society. After Henry's accident he meets a nurse Molly Mahony, who will later become his wife and is a Talented healer. Molly watches over Henry and monitors his brain patterns on the Goosegg, which are very high for the normal patient. Just as Henry has a vision about the future, the goosegg spikes very high and Molly asks the doctor in attendance, Dr. Sherman to take a look at the readings. Dr. Sherman asks if he should call up Dr. Whalman, Molly says not to bother, and then Sherman orders her to let him know when Henry wakes up. Just as Henry wakes up, he grabs Molly's arm and tells her she is going to be his wife, Molly then questions him if he just had a vision, he jokingly says yes. Molly then sets out on a quest to gather evidence, while starting to believe that the parapyschic talent exists. She informs Dr. Whalman, of her findings of both her EEG chart when using her healing power and Henry's when he had his vision of them married. Dr. Whalman doesn't know what to make of it and explains reasons why the goosegg would spike.

Soon after Henry's recovery, he and Molly do marry just as predicted and she shows him her findings as well. Henry happily explains how they can use the goosegg to prove Talents exist and not just people who rip others off for money. Henry, determined to prove Talents exist, as well as get a center going for them as well as legal protection; uses the white winged flying horse Pegasus as a symbol for the Talented. Henry first rounds up talents to prove they exist first, and among these talents are: Ralph, Jerry, Patsy Tucker, Terry Cle, Charity McGillucuddy, and his wife Molly Mahony. Henry uses Ralph as a lab rat as his prove to a room filled with 12 scientists and businessmen. Ralph is a telekentic who uses his ability to make 2 cups of coffee for the businessmen, one with cream and the other black, all at the same time telekentically playing a guitar and using a hammer and nails to nail boards to a wall; leaving The Waldoes and everyone in the room shocked. At first Dr. Abbey was skeptical, but Henry tells him he has foreseen the doctor get a good answer and informs him that he is iinvestigating a problem with 3 other doctors, Abbey is surprised and satisfied. After the demonstration, Henry requests, that society be in formed that Talents have left the tea room and are now in the lab being tested. Later on when Henry tries to renew his 14 year leasce, he is told he can no longer, and suspects, the people are afraid of him and want him gone. Henry calls his long time friend and landlord, Frank Hummel out on it. Once Frank admits the truth, Henry thanks him and tells him he knew for a month now that his lease would be revoked and he already has a place already leased on the other side of town, he just wanted to hear it from Frank's own lips. Before leaving Henry asks Frank to bet all his money on the 18th of next month in the fourth race at Belmont, on the horse named Mimbi; When Mimbi wins, Frank must remember that Talent is useful.

Henry goes on to lease The Warehouse, which acts as a temporary residence for the Talents until he can acquire permanent loggings, which he has foreseen. Days later Henry pretends to be James Marshall and is accompanied by, Jerry and Barbara Holland in order to meet with Commissioner Mailer, to prove Talents exist. When Mailer gets upset and tries to turn on the lights, Jerry uses his telekentic ability, to keep the lights turned off, shortly after hauling the goosegg in the room. The Commissioner is force to sit, while Barbra hooks herself up, and starts using her Finder ability to track down wanted criminals for Mailer. Barbara first finds Joe Blow (nicknamed "The Joy Pill Man"), he is on the street carrying a large sum of cash, Barbara determines where about he is, and Mailer sends in his best men to apprehend Joe. Mailer is stunned by the accuracy, but less when Barbara cannot find the excat details of the second guy she tries to find. When Mailer is thinking about his favorite pipe he lost, Barbara tells him its at home with his wife, since he can never find her either. His wife placed the pipe in his blue ski jacket he hardly wears, the one hanging up in the closet next to his red robe. Mailer, accuses Barbara of being a mind reader, she tells him she can only read his mind when he thinks about something or someone he has lost, she is nearly a finder. Mailer, refuses still to believe all of this, and Henry leaves stating that his time is valuable, Mailer continues to be in outrage.

Gus Molnar, the center's physician asks if Charity needs to be sedated again, and complains that the center is too cramped for people with Charity's telepathic talent. Henry agrees telling Gus, that he already has foreseen the permanent residence for the center, which eventually leads him to approach wealthy businessman George Henner, who is also a Talent as well. Henry informs George that he is a talent and has the ability to predict business mergers, transactions and when the stock market should rise and fall. George is upset and doesn't at all believe Henry even after he shows him his own EEG taken from one of George's past physicals. Henry goes on to tell Henner of his excat date of death and what he will die from, a heart attack the same as how Henry will die. Henry brings up The Beechwoods Estate and says its a perfect location for the center, he even tells him about a housing act that will be passed in 1998, stating that if the Beechwoods is a religious, educational, or medical facility, it cannot be taken away. George is skeptical since the year is 1997, and Beechwoods has been his family's home for 140+ years. Both Henry and George make a bet, stating that if George doesn't die on May 20th, 1997 from a heart attack at 9:00:30pm; then all the Talents will have to leave and find a new place to live.

A Womanly Talent...53[]

This next chapter opens with Daffyd op Owen now the Director of The East American Parapsychological Research and Training Center speaking in his tower office to Joel Andres, who is trying to get support for his bill involving Precogs. For the entire frst five pages in the chapter, both men have a heated argument regarding the bill which their main opposition, Senator Zeusman, is trying to fight. Joel, tries to get Daffyd to reconsider eliminating the precogs from the bill and use four precogs and the computer to make sure their visions are correct before sending out warnings to companies; which Joel also warns will get the center alot of lawsuits if the company owners see it touching their pocketbooks. Joel changes the subject by asking how the Center is going, and how he must leave and get back to work, Daffyd replies everything is well with the center, and minutes later he escourts Joel down the hall to the elevator. While walking down the hall, a potential Talent Ruth Horvath, accidentally bumps into Joel and him and becomes both embarrassed and nervous; she quickly apologizes and Joel becomes Smitten with her. Daffyd can sense the awkwardness and assures Ruth that he will inform her of his review of her file the next day, when Ruth gets into the elevator with Joel she tells him she is on her lunch break, and Joel says that he is as well; the doors close as Daffyd once again tells Joel that he looks ill and works too hard. Daffyd pauses for a brief moment staring at the elevator control panel, deep in thought Daffyd questions his moral and ethics as well as wonders about the future for Talents. Senator Zeusman will do everything possible to prevent the Talents from being legally protected as well as they never mention Talents on legal bills again. Daffyd quotes a religious speech from the Pope in Rome, then sees the piles of administrative files lying around in his office; he later snaps out of it and returns to business by playing Ruth's tape recording in her file. 


Apple...107[]

A Bridle for Pegasus...137[]

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