Crystal Singer
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| Author | Anne McCaffrey |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Crystal Singer series |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Released | 26 February 1982 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 304 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-32786-1 |
| Followed by | Killashandra |
Crystal Singer (1982) is the first book in the Crystal Singer series by Anne McCaffrey. The author's notes from Crystal Singer explain the story is based on four stories that were originally published in Roger Elwood's Continuum series. The 1982 version is expanded from these stories. Crystal Singer is about the trials and tribulations of Killashandra Ree in becoming a crystal singer on the planet Ballybran.
[edit] Plot summary
Killashandra has trained all her life to become a soloist, it has been all that she has hoped or cared to do but in her final examinations she is told that there is a flaw in her voice that will make solo work unattainable for her. Knowing that she cannot be the best in her career, she does not wish to continue a life in which she will be constrained to mediocre operatic roles. She meets a Crystal Singer, a kind of miner who uses the voice as part of an apparatus for mining crystals for uses in different technologies. Their acquaintance gives her a new insight into the advantages of life as a crystal singer — high pay, travel, and prestige. Killashandra decides to travel to Ballybran because all you need to sing crystal is perfect pitch and for whatever other imperfections Killashandra has, she has absolute and perfect pitch.
Becoming a singer is not easy and Ballybran is not a normal world. Habitation on the planet is restricted because of the planet’s dangers. The only persons allowed on planet are the crystal singers and the support staff for their facilities and only the singers are able to travel away from the planet, although there are physical dangers in traveling too far away for too long. Ballybran crystal has unique qualities that make it a luxury as well as a necessity for almost any machinery or communications equipment.
[edit] Later stories
The story of Killashandra continued in later volumes Killashandra (1986) and Crystal Line (1992). The original Continuum stories ended with the death of Killashandra, however the novels do not follow this same path.
