Description /Buy link takes you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.
The “Crystal Singer” series by award winning and best selling author Anne McCaffrey is about a character named Killashandra Ree, who spent a decade studying music and working to become a vocal soloist. She expects to become a interstellar celebrity, but finds out (during a final test) that she has a flaw in her voice that will keep her from ever singing lead. The series is set on Ballybran, a planet that has permanent biohazard travel restriction on it. It is home to the Heptile Guild, the wealthiest and reclusive organization. There are invaluable crystals that are vital to different things and the different productions of things. The mining of which is done by singing songs, and Heptile Guild requires perfect pitch to extract them for anyone who should want to apply. Especially for mining purposes. The series is made up of five books and some stories, even though the series is referred to as a trilogy. The trilogy is the first three books, while the next two books, are a novella and a novel that was released in the late nineties. It is also set in “Federated Sentient Planets” that is featured in many of her series, but is only considered a backdrop not making all of the novels part of the same universe.
Order of Crystal Singer Trilogy Series By: Anne McCaffrey
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal Singer | 1982 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Killashandra | 1985 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Crystal Line | 1992 | Description / Buy |
Anne McCaffrey, while taking voice lessons in Germany, was told that she would be limited in singing due to a flaw in her voice. McCaffrey took voice lessons for nine years as a kid, and took it up again later on, in her twenties. She had some emotional problems after getting this news, and created the main character of this series, who suffers some of the same problems that she did.
CRYSTAL SINGER AWARDS
“Crystal Singer” took seventh place for the yearly Locus Award for best science fiction novel in 1983. The award was voted on by Locus readers. The novel was also one of six novels trying for the Balrog award in the novel section that year.
BEST CRYSTAL SINGER BOOKS
This next section is for those who would like to get into the “Crystal Singer” books by Anne McCaffrey. It will go over “Crystal Singer”, “Killashandra”, and “Crystal Line”.
Crystal Singer: This is the first novel in the “Crystal Singer” series that was released in the year 1982. After ten tough years of musical training, jobs are scarce for Killashandra Ree. So she goes to the Heptile Guild, of which not a lot is known, except that they will provide careers with security, and there will be good money for her. Problem is, most that land on Ballybran hardly ever leave, but the risks are okay because of what may be waiting for her there.
Killashandra: This is the second novel in the “Crystal Singer” series that was released in the year 1985. Things were going good for Killashandra in her quest to become a Crystal Singer, and get over her past. She grows wealthy, and a large storm turns her claim to something more useless. Killashandra quickly grows broke, and gets crystal sickness so bad that she thought it was going to kill her. The only way that she could be true to the man she loves was to leave him.
Crystal Line: This is the third novel in the “Crystal Singer” series that was released in the year 1992. Joining the Heptile Guild would change Killashandra’s life forever, she knew that. Crystal singing is not easy on someone, but causes pain, ecstasy, near-eternal life, and gradual loss of memory. Something that she did not count on, was her heart remembering what her mind had forgotten. Someone still cared enough about her to try and get back as much of her memory as possible. She would have to open up herself to someone that she did not know; even to all of her unpleasant memories.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
“Old Kingdom” series by Garth Nix. This is a fantasy young adult series that is made up of some novels and short fiction. It is written by award winning author Garth Nix and is known in North America as “Abhorsen” series. The series is set in the “Old Kingdom”. The two regions in this universe feel time in different ways.
“Mercy Thompson” series by Patricia Briggs. This series stars the main character Mercedes Athena “Mercy” Thompson. She is the child of a white teenage mother and a Blackfeet Indian. Mercy is a kind of Native American shape shifter that is not linked to the moon that are called “Walker”.
What Is The Next Book in The Crystal Singer Trilogy Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Crystal Singer Trilogy Series. The newest book is Crystal Line and was released on January, 4th 1992.
