Crystal Line

I see this book and the last two getting a lot of flack for Killa being "too melodramtic." I don't disagree that she is dramtic, but it makes her character interesting, in the same way Blanche from "Streetcar Named Desire" or Scarlett from "Gone with the Wind" are interesting. Killa had to be a vibrant, passionate character or else the loss of her personality over the last century, the loss of her memories and her mind, wouldn't be such a tragedy. She is a strong, independent, passionate, dramatic, sometimes silly, talented woman, who makes us feel for her losses even more than she becomes capable of feeling. I love the lost sense of time in this book, where there would be missing decades between pages because Killa couldn't remember show more them. Don't expect classic literature here, but it is a fun read. Especially if you liked the first one. show less

I see this book and the last two getting a lot of flack for Killa being "too melodramtic." I don't disagree that she is dramtic, but it makes her character interesting, in the same way Blanche from "Streetcar Named Desire" or Scarlett from "Gone with the Wind" are interesting. Killa had to be a vibrant, passionate character or else the loss of her personality over the last century, the loss of her memories and her mind, wouldn't be such a tragedy. She is a strong, independent, passionate, dramatic, sometimes silly, talented woman, who makes us feel for her losses even more than she becomes capable of feeling. I love the lost sense of time in this book, where there would be missing decades between pages because Killa couldn't remember show more them. Don't expect classic literature here, but it is a fun read. Especially if you liked the first one. show less

Although I gave it 5 stars , this is the weakest of the Killashandra books in my humble opinion. My biggest complaint about the storyline is that the end ties things up too well. Without giving away things with a spoiler, it seems like ,Mccaffrey sets things up for another book that was never written. Her editor must have had a publishing deadline. But be that as it may, Killashandra won't disappoint you. She is still her feisty self.

This was a fine ending to an otherwise great series. Killashandra goes through a sort of life crisis about how old she’s getting and how many memories she’s forgotten, and when her life in the guild starts to change, so goes through a full-out breakdown and cuts herself off from everyone she loves and cares about and only focuses on cutting crystal. There’s a brief side story regarding a new kind of substance found on a planet people have just started to explore, and while it comes full circle in the end, it didn’t add very much to the story overall.

I wish this story could have taken place in the middle book, because what this series has are two great books at the beginning and a mediocre book at the end that definitely wraps up show more loose ends and resolves the story overall, but it was much less interesting than the others because it was a purely internal conflict for Killashandra; it would have been much more interesting to have that breakthrough earlier in the series and then have something thrilling and exciting to end it with, but that’s just me.

Overall, it’s a fine ending. I don’t think you necessarily need it to finish the series, to be honest. But, I’m a completionist, so I truly understand if anyone hates the idea of not reading this last book. Just be prepared for mediocrity. It’s not terrible, but it’s a letdown from the rest of the series. I’m looking forward to moving on and starting another McCaffrey series, though!

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

When Killashandra Ree joined the mysterious Heptite Guild, she knew that she would be forever changed. Crystal singing brought ecstasy and pain, near-eternal life . . . and gradual loss of memory. What she hadn’t counted on was the loneliness she felt when her heart still remembered what her mind had forgotten. Fortunately, someone still cared enough to try to salvage what was left of Killashandra’s mind. But she would have to learn to open herself—to another person, and to all her unpleasant memories.

Okay, despite a few negative comments I have read about this book, I decided to read it...after all, it's the third in a series that I do enjoy and that I have reread several times.

So, on to the book...

I don't think it's on a par with the first two books, "Crystal Singer" and "Killashandra", but I enjoyed it anyway. There were some loose ends that I wish had been resolved, but I can live with that.

Worth a read? Yes. A reread? Perhaps.

Oddly for a fantasy fan, I had never read a solo Anne McCaffrey book. I happened upon this one on CD and mostly listened to it while walking to and from work. However, part of the way through the second CD I got back to my apartment and was so interested in what would happen next that I couldn't turn it off. The woman reading it did an excellent job and the story was intriguing (part fantasy, slight romance). Now that I know this is book 3, it makes sense that I was slightly confused in places; the passage of time was a bit confusing, and I was a little lost when what seemed to be well-known concepts were discussed, but was able to keep up fairly well. I'll be looking for the first two in the series.