“No dragons, but [Crystal Singer] has all of [Anne] McCaffrey’s gifts for world-building and characterization . . . an excellent book.”—Chicago Sun-TimesHer name was Killashandra Ree; and after ten grueling years of musical training she was young, beautiful—and still without prospects. Then she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild on the planet Ballybran, where the fabled Black Crystal was found. where the fabled Black Crystal was found.
For those qualified, the Guild was said to provide careers, security, and the chance for wealth beyond imagining. The problem was, few people who landed on Ballybran ever left.
To Killashandra the risks were acceptable . . .
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I’ve read this book at least 3 times now. I love Killashandra because she’s a flawed character. She’s not perfect, in fact she can be vain and quite selfish but I enjoyed her journey from opera singer to crystal singer. The world building is fantastic, McCaffrey did a great job. I love the series as a whole and it’s definitely one of my top …
Anne McCaffrey was the first author I ever read in SF/F. I flew through her entire catalog the summer after 6th grade, and decided I wanted to write books. I still love her writing all these years later. I reread her Dragonriders of Pern every few years, but I hadn’t reread Crystal Singer in a long time. As it turns out, it holds up very well. …
I grew up reading Anne McCaffrey, and this book, the first in a trilogy, was one of the books from my childhood. This is straight up science fiction in the best way possible. Intriguing premise with singers needing to use their voices to tune their crystal cutters to extract the best crystal possible. Great world-building (one expects no less from …
On promotion now…I read this years ago and loved it! Science fiction blended with opera and classical singing..it really doesn’t get better than this for me! AM is an ace at creating new worlds and this was a completely unique idea. I have read some reviews saying it doesn’t hold up and the main character is unlikable…but that is because AM …
In some ways, this didn’t age well. Tropes abound. BUT this book is still awesome, especially for 70s/80s sci-fi. Great world building. Interesting premise of the crystals, the parasite/symbiote, and a musical ear (auto tune wasn’t invented yet) needed to mine, cut, tune, and refine the crystals needed to power galactic travel, communication, and …
Love all the books in this series about an ambitious young woman who takes a different path in life when she finds out she won’t reach the highest echelon in her chosen profession of singing. Instead she goes to a planet where she will cut crystal from certain parts of the planet. This is a lucrative profession but also dangerous.
She has to …
Sometimes going down an internet rabbit’s hole can lead you to an author you had never thought to read before. This is the scenario with Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey. Every time I go to my local used bookstore here in San Antonio, I see many of the McCaffrey books in the science fiction and fantasy section. I will admit that the dragon …
The series is a must have for science fiction readers.
I love this author. This book and the sequel are my favorite, after the pern series. I’ve read it several times and just seeing a picture of it makes me think it’s time to read it again.
I loved this book when I first bought and read it sometime in the eighties, and have stilled loved it every time I’ve re-read it. And yes, I am very “mature!”
The titled character is complex, driven and singular. And Anne McCaffrey has created an unusual and treacherous world for these characters to live and work, in danger of the very crystal …
Really wonderful premise!
What would you do if you spent your entire life practicing your heart out to become an incomparable singer – only to be told in the end you just didn’t have what it took?
This is where The Crystal Singer takes off!
I’d hate to give too much more away than I already have because this is an action packed series with this …
As with other books by Anne, well written and engaging.
I was an avid fan of McCaffrey when she was alive. since I love Fantasy I am sure I have read all of her books.
The book brings up a whole different way of looking at the future. This story is extremely unique and therefore intriguing. It’s got some sad parts to it, but also has its inspiring points as well. This coverage of so many emotions definitely brings the characters a little bit closer to life.
I love Ann McCaffrey books she has great charactors and stories.
Anne McCaffrey’s imagination seems boundless – just when I think the protagonist has used up the story line, Ms. McCaffrey takes me off into a new realm, even more astounding and engaging than the one that almost ran out …
Great quality
I began reading Anne McCaffrey when she first emerged as a writer and I couldn’t wait for the next new book to appear in paperback. The Crystal Singer in my opinion was one of her best.
I enjoyed this story and look forward to the next story and have purchased it. A story of a young woman who has to reinvent herself when her music career flat lines on another planet.
I’ve loved other books by this author, but I couldn’t plow my way through this one. I quit pretty early on.