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Crystal Singer (1982)

by Anne McCaffrey

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,457463,679 (3.92)114
Fiction. Science Fiction. Thriller. HTML:??No dragons, but [Crystal Singer] has all of [Anne] McCaffrey's gifts for world-building and characterization . . . an excellent book.???Chicago Sun-Times
Her 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.
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 acce
… (more)
  1. 30
    Crystal Line by Anne McCaffrey (Cymro17)
    Cymro17: An enjoyable read, all the books in this series.
  2. 30
    Killashandra by Anne McCaffrey (Cymro17)
    Cymro17: A good read as are the other books in the series.
  3. 00
    A Thousand Words for Stranger by Julie E. Czerneda (Konran)
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» See also 114 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 46 (next | show all)
In my quest to read every book I own, I picked this one up that has been in a TBR pile since I was a kid. I had high hopes for it. Those hopes did not hold up.

Killashandra is an unlikable protagonist. She is arrogant and conceited, which can work for characters, but she's also a hypocrite. She constantly judged another female character for certain thoughts and actions while having those thoughts and wanting to do those same things. Also, I recognize that this story was written in the 1980s, but I got 20% of the way through the book and realized that Killashandra had not had any shown conversations with another named female character, which was very jarring.

Killashandra was a bit of a Mary Sue, a comment I hate to make but fits exceptionally well in this case. ( )
  BarnesBookshelf | Jan 31, 2024 |
Another from my uncle's box of paperbacks, this is my first Anne McCaffrey (I know) and it was an oddly compulsive read yet also weirdly dull.

The novel starts with Killashandra, a young musician in her late twenties, being turfed from the music school she has been studying at for the past decade. Her pitch is perfect but her higher register isn't good enough. She meets a Crystal Singer and basically decides this is how she's going to spend her life, cutting crystal for an obscure guild on a remote planet. The rest of the novel is Killashandra going to the planet, joining the guild, being trained and cutting crystal. Once.

Killashandra is a strange character. She's driven, but she's also not quite sure what she's driving towards. There's virtually no romance, yet she sleeps with pretty much every second guy she meets. There's a nebulous quality to her character that actually makes her quite compelling.

I enjoyed McCaffrey's writing style enough to try more, though I do hope her other novels have a little more happening than just a woman learning a trade. ( )
  xaverie | Apr 3, 2023 |
Killashandra Ree is an inspiring opera singer who gets diverted into a secretive and very exclusive guild when her Opterian teacher finds an "unacceptable" burr in her voice. However, a whole new world is now open to her, albeit with some quirky restrictions. Must read all three books in the series! ( )
  Windyone1 | May 10, 2022 |
An interesting universe with the main driver of technology being crystal, particularly from a single planet.
MC is a female power fantasy (which is fine, plenty of male power fantasies out there, like peter hamilton)
only downside is there is no real challenge for the MC to overcome.
I have the omnibus that has all three stories, the trend continues, with only minor challenges given the the main character.
After reading some of the other reviews that mention the musical knowledge comes from the authors personal history, it does seem to me a self insert.

Characters arent particular memorable, and worlds are lacking a bit of description, with some side characters having more flavour than the main cast.

i don't regret reading the series but i wouldn't say it's a must read. ( )
  GorgeousKurt | May 4, 2022 |
Chapter 1: Main character can't be #1 in her field, rage-quits after 10 years of training despite infinite other career possibilities in the field

Chapter 2: Main character physically restrained by stranger, thinks it's not yet time to call for help despite help being readily available because she's apparently somehow not technically in "personal-liberty infringement" zone yet

Me: Nope ( )
  hissingpotatoes | Dec 28, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 46 (next | show all)
Anne Mc Caffrey nous emmène avec talent dans un nouvel univers futuriste, passionnant et coloré. Son héroïne, fière et égoïste, est pourtant singulièrement attachante. Nous découvrons avec elle la mystérieuse Ballybranet la non moins mystérieuse Ligue Heptite, et vibrons à l'unisson de ses aventures. Sans conteste mon cycle préféré de cet auteur après "La Ballade de Pern" !
 

» Add other authors (9 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Anne McCaffreyprimary authorall editionscalculated
Alstrom/Peña DesignCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Arvan, JohnCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Barbeau, AdrienneNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brooks, EmilieAbridgersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Graue, MarcProduceersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Viner, MichaelExecutive producersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Weeks, KimProduction coordinatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Whelan, MichaelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To Kate and Alec and their children
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Killashandra listened, the words like cold bombs dropping with leaden fatality into her frozen belly.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Fiction. Science Fiction. Thriller. HTML:??No dragons, but [Crystal Singer] has all of [Anne] McCaffrey's gifts for world-building and characterization . . . an excellent book.???Chicago Sun-Times
Her 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.
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 acce

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