Anne McCaffrey - Crystal Singer

The first book in the Crystal Singer series, published August 12, 1982.
Genre: science fiction romance
Cover: fitting
Re-read for the fifth time



The lure of crystal…
Her name was Killashandra Ree, and after ten gruelling 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. 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...


As you might know, I am a big fan of Anne McCaffrey. And this series is old, but still good. Yes, it is science fiction, but it is not filled with scary aliens or high technology. It does have romance as well.
Killashandra Ree has her heart set on becoming a famous solo singer, but after 10 years of hard work, she finds out that she is not fit for that position after all. She lacks something, and her voice is only suited for choirwork, and especially leading a choir. But that is not what she wants, and she leaves the university to drown her sorrows alone.
And then she meets Carrik, a Crystal Singer from Ballybran, who shows her how to have a good time on her own planet, after they save the shuttleport from getting obliterated. Killashandra gets curious about Carrik and his work, and when he finds out that she also has perfect pitch, and she can sing, he knows she is suited for being a crystal singer. But he doesn't want her to, as there are some very serious drawbacks involved, which he can't tell her.
But of course, the more he warns her off, the more Killashandra wants it. And so, when Carrik gets ill, and has to be escorted back to Ballybran, Killashandra goes with him. She is very pleased with the deference shown to him, and to her as well and wants this for her self.

And so, Killashandra becomes a Crystal Singer. Living on Ballybran is not easy, it is tormented by lots of storms, and when storms are approaching, Singers has to come back to basis or they will go mad from the singing crystal. The alien spore in their bodies makes them strong, and heal them, so they have a very long life span, but they also need to leave the planet occasionally, although they never can stay away for too long… But to be able to leave, you have to sing enough valuable crystal that you can buy a ticket off planet …

Killashandra is stubborn, and prideful, but I still liked her a lot. She takes her future into her own hands, and goes for what she wants. She accepts the risks, and she is a good Crystal Singer. She even gets assignments off planet to install the crystal she has mined herself, and that brings her new adventures.

9 stars.

© 2016 Reviews by Aurian