Crystal Singer Trilogy [Paperback]

Anne McCaffrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 1996

CRYSTAL SINGER
Young and beautiful, Killashandra Ree was a trained musician with no prospects . . . until 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 unimaginable wealth. But once you'd sung crystal, there was no going back . . .
KILLASHANDRA
Killashandra's first season on Ballybran was everything she had hoped for: She had sung Black Crystal, grown wealthy, and met a man who could make her forget her own sorrowful past. But then, a year later, everything had changed. She was broke, she had crystal sickness so bad she thought she'd die, and the only way she could be true to the man she loved was to leave him. . . .
CRYSTAL LINE
Crystal singing changed the singer forever, bringing ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life . . . and gradual loss of memory. Killashandra had a lot of painful memories she could afford to lose. What she hadn't counted on was the loneliness she felt when her heart still remembered what her mind had forgotten. Then she found she might have a chance to salvage what was left of her mind. But to do that, she would have to learn to open herself--to another person, and to her own unhappy past . . .
THRILL TO THE SONG OF CRYSTAL ALONG WITH KILLASHANDRA REE!
AT LAST, ALL THREE CRYSTAL SINGER NOVELS COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME!

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

CRYSTAL SINGER
Young and beautiful, Killashandra Ree was a trained musician with no prospects . . . until 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 unimaginable wealth. But once you'd sung crystal, there was no going back . . .
KILLASHANDRA
Killashandra's first season on Ballybran was everything she had hoped for: She had sung Black Crystal, grown wealthy, and met a man who could make her forget her own sorrowful past. But then, a year later, everything had changed. She was broke, she had crystal sickness so bad she thought she'd die, and the only way she could be true to the man she loved was to leave him. . . .
CRYSTAL LINE
Crystal singing changed the singer forever, bringing ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life . . . and gradual loss of memory. Killashandra had a lot of painful memories she could afford to lose. What she hadn't counted on was the loneliness she felt when her heart still remembered what her mind had forgotten. Then she found she might have a chance to salvage what was left of her mind. But to do that, she would have to learn to open herself--to another person, and to her own unhappy past . . .
THRILL TO THE SONG OF CRYSTAL ALONG WITH KILLASHANDRA REE!
AT LAST, ALL THREE CRYSTAL SINGER NOVELS COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME!

Product Details

• Paperback: 660 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (February 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345402928
• ISBN-13: 978-0345402929
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne McCaffrey, the Hugo Award-winning author of the bestselling Dragonriders of Pern® novels, is one of science fiction's most popular authors. With Elizabeth Ann Scarborough she co-authored Changelings and Maelstrom, Books One and Two of The Twins of Petaybee. McCaffrey lives in a house of her own design, Dragonhold-Underhill, in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite sci-fi series, July 6, 2010

By 

Elle (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crystal Singer Trilogy (Paperback)

I haven't read these in a few years but remember really enjoying them. All in all this has everything I look for in a series: imaginative scenes with understandable explanations and interesting, likeable characters who you care what happens to. Also, it has an end. There are so many authors who keep a series alive long after they should have wrapped it up. If you enjoy sci-fi or fantasy with female leads, then give this series a try.
The first book opens us to the lead character, Killishandra Ree, and the very imaginative and detailed world of crystal singers. Killishandra was studying to be a professional stage singer on one planet, but when that lifelong dream is blown, she meets a crystal singer and decides to try to become one herself. Broken down, singers are basically miners of crystals used all over the galaxy for numerous things such as inter-galactic communications. Why they're called singers is that they have to be able to sing in perfect pitch in order to "tune in" to the crystal frequency so that it can be cut properly. This job is fraught with danger, the first of which is surviving the organism that invades their bodies as they land on the planet where the crystals are to be cut. The organism allows them to live on the planet and allows them a long life with a much slower ageing process (hundreds of years). Unfortunately, it cannot protect them from the memory-loss that all crystal singers suffer due to crystal exposure. They do get paid a ton, but of course, like a mining community of old, the "Guild" charges singers for all their equipment and multiple fees, making it hard for them to earn enough credits to get off planet and far enough away from the crystals' negative effects. Also, different crystals are worth different prices, depending on their color, cut and potential usefulness.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
In the second book, we find Killishandra, now an established "singer", sent to another planet to install some type of crystal for producing musical sound (an enormous concert organ which is used by the planet's government in a diabolical way to control the citizenry). She's kidnapped by rebels on the planet and meets Lars Dahl, the series' primary love interest. I really don't remember all the book specifics on this one, but I remember really enjoying the book as well as the developing romance.
*** MAJOR SPOILER ALERT ***
In the last book Killishandra and Lars have been cutting crytals together for years (as in hundreds, I think). He has kept an electronic journal which reminds him of things so he can minimize the memory damage of the crystal. She has not. You think, "OMG! How sad! Oh no!", quite a bit throughout this book. It can be hokey at times, but also beautiful. I warned of spoilers, but I will not give away the ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will there ever be a sequel....?, March 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Crystal Singer Trilogy (Paperback)

I have read these 3 books many times over a span of several years, and I still enjoy them thoroughly. Killashandra is a strong character and the Crystal League provide the Sci'Fi part, but I must admit that there is a very strong romance line to the plots, so be ready to be swept away by more than just a new and future "world". The stories are fun, the plot line thickens and the final solutions develop the stories in the most convincing terms. I want more... please Anne? Do some more on Killa!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting, provacative; I dare anyone to put it down., October 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Crystal Singer Trilogy (Paperback)

This book is beyond words. Read it over and over again and you will still find new things. The imagery is exqusite, and the feelings are overwhelming. In depth and full of details, this book is a must read for anyone who has ever dreamed of adventure, no matter the interest.