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The Tower and the Hive is the name of a series of novels from Anne McCaffrey. Interestingly enough, it is also the name of the fifth book in the series. The series takes place in what Anne calls the Talents Universe. This is a realm inhabited by a technologically advanced society, where psychic abilities like telepathy and telekinesis are commonplace and have been scientifically accepted and quantified.
Order of The Tower and Hive Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rowan | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Damia | 1991 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Damia's Children | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Lyon's Pride | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Tower and the Hive | 1999 | Description / Buy |
It is through the use of psychic abilities that communication across space is made possible, this along with the teleportation of spaceships, making it possible to colonize other solar systems by overcoming the light barrier. The series chronicles a conflict against a species with destructive intentions.
The first book in The Tower and the Hive Series is called The Rowan. It follows an individual that was destined to become the greatest Prime Talent human history had ever seen. And in following a telepathic plea from across the stars, she is able to avert the lonely future of servitude that awaits her.
The Tower and the Hive books do not delve as intimately into the origins of the talents and the role they play in the scientific community or the interstellar network as one might expect, primarily because those aspects of the world were explored in the To Ride Pegasus Trilogy.
Best The Tower and the Hive Books
Anne McCaffrey’s books have been accused of bringing way too many characters to the table and not enough substance. None the less, the novels are a fun and exciting time, with the best books in the series including the following:
The Rowan: In the Nine Star League, where the talents were considered elite and their varied gifts highly valued, the extremely rare Primes were something special. It was on their shoulders that entire economies and communication systems on civilized worlds rested.
The fact that Primes were so scarce presented somewhat of a problem, with new ones very rarely born. The Planet Altair was changed when a new Prime came into being; a 3-year-old girl in a small mining community that was wiped out by the giant mudslide which trapped her.
There were many mildly talented Altarians that could hear her cries but who were unable to precisely determine where she was buried. It became the purpose of every living body on the planet to find this, the new Prime, the first one born on Altair and an exceptionally powerful Prime known as The Rowan.
She would be far more talented, so much more powerful and agoraphobic, yet quite lonely, a unique entity in the Nine Star League.
This book starts out largely steeped in Science Fiction and is structured more like a coming of age story about a young girl training to master her powers and become The Rowan. Partway, it takes on more romantic aspects following the girl, now an adult, trying to navigate personal and interplanetary matters.
Damia: Damia might have been the most brilliant of the Rowan’s children, but she was also the most difficult and the loneliest, probably because she inherited the greatest portion of the Rowan’s Talent. Obviously destined to be a Prime from a young age, Damia’s only friend was Afra, who was older, wiser and talented in his own way.
As she aged, Damia’s powers grew increasingly more difficult to control, and she was soon separated from everything she knew, sent to the far off planet of Deneb where she could begin her training under her strange and gifted grandmother.
With the right tutelage, Damia could become the one Prime powerful enough to contact the minds of a hostile race of aliens approaching the Nine Star League.
This book is advertised as Damia’s story, but it is actually told through the perspective of Afra, her older, wiser friend.
Other Book Series you May Like
If The Tower and The Hive Series is your cup of tea, then you might find these series just as enticing:
The “Liaden” series is the work of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. The series covers more than one universe and explores stories taking place over thousands of years, primarily revolving around Clan Korval which is a leading house in the Liaden Society. The space opera has blends romance, intrigue, and wizardry.
Called the best-selling science fiction series of novels in history, “Dune” is written by Frank Herbert and is set tens of thousands of years in the future where humankind has developed highly advanced technology but the crafting of Artificial Intelligence has been banned.
Conflicts arise surrounding the harsh desert planet of Arrakis that is home to spice mélange which is highly valuable.
What Is The Next Book in The Tower And Hive Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Tower And Hive Series. The newest book is The Tower and the Hive and was released on January, 20th 1999.