Today’s book is one that I really would have sworn that I had already read. It happens to be a book that my family has owned for most of my life and it is by one of my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey. We don’t have all three of the books in the series though, so when I recently gained access through my library I decided to reread and then finish the series. Imagine my surprise when I open the book to start it only to discover that I had not in fact read it. The book in question is Crystal Singer, the first book in the Crystal Singer trilogy by Anne McCaffrey. This first books tells the story of how the protagonist, Killashandra, goes from promising musician to even more promising crystal singer. A bit of background about the setting before I continue. McCaffrey created this universe that is based in the future where humanity has took to the stars. In this future, humanity is part of the FSP or Federated Sentient Planets. Think the federation in Star Trek. The Crystal Singer trilogy takes place in this future. Back to the book, it opens on Killashandra returning from her final exam to be a solo vocal performer rather furious. After years of study, only now has her instructor informed her that there is a flaw in her voice that renders her incapable of being a solo performer. In her anger Killashandra decides to quit and travel for a while instead of exploring other options. At the local spaceport she runs into a crystal singer, a man who uses his perfect pitch and minor singing ability to mine crystal on the planet Ballybran. The same crystal that forms the basis of communication systems and ships engines, making it worth a fortune. She decides to accompany this singer for a while to learn more about the job of a crystal singer, ultimately setting her sights on becoming one. Before she has the chance to do so, her crystal singer companion is incapacitated by a badly tuned crystal in an a ship engine. Apparently, a singer’s increased sensitivity to crystal vibrations makes them vulnerable to certain frequencies emitted from crystal. Undeterred by this Killashandra escorts the wounded singer back to the crystal or heptite guild where she applies to join. Despite this and several other warnings about the possible side effects, and dangers, of becoming a singer she remains determined to become one of the best in the guild.
I have read a lot of books over the years and I do mean a lot but this book was one of the more unusual ones that I’ve read. There are a lot of science fiction books out there, written by a large variety of authors, but this remains the only one I’ve come across where people literally sing to cut crystal. I’ve read books where crystal is used to power communication systems or ship engines and I’ve read books about mining crystal, but those books always referenced more conventional mining methods. That right there sets it apart from others. Even if I don’t take this unique premise into account the book is still incredible, and I am not just saying that because I am a fan of the author. Much like McCaffrey’s other books, this one is characterized by the intense and vivid details used to depict the story. When discussing the various spaceports or the guild hall or even Ballybran itself with its crystal mountain ranges we are easily able to visualize what it would look like. There is also similar attention paid to the details when discussing the potential side effects and dangers of becoming a singer. However, there is only enough detail provided to explain what is happening and not necessarily how or why it happened. This is pretty typical of McCaffrey’s work as she often skimps on the technical or scientific explanations in order to keep the focus on the story’s progression. Another thing I greatly enjoyed was the depth to her characters. We see it the most in Killashandra as we learn about her motivations and ambitions, her secret fear of being a nobody, and her belief and faith in humanity that ties into her willingness to do the right thing, even when it’s dangerous to do so. I would give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This book was incredible but unfortunately probably has a pretty narrow appeal. It is classified as sci-fi, and rightly so, but it is a softer sci-fi as it focuses more on the characters than on the science. If you are looking for something similar to the harder sci-fi that you might be familiar with from things like Star Trek, than you will probably be out of luck with this story. This does not detract from the story but is something to be aware of. In terms of age range this should probably be adults or young adults only, older teens at best, as there is some borderline mature content. Nothing that is gratuitous or interferes with the main story but is there nonetheless. Either way I enjoyed reading the book, even if I really had thought I had already read it, and hope you will at least consider it. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or a story about a time when you went to read a book only to discover that you had already read it.