Sometimes going down an internet rabbit’s hole can lead you to an author you had never thought to read before.  This is the scenario with Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey.  Every time I go to my local used bookstore here in San Antonio, I see many of the McCaffrey books in the science fiction and fantasy section.  I will admit that the dragon covers from her famed Pern Series never interested me.  I don’t read fantasy novels for dragons.  Sorry, epic fantasy readers.

However, I read several internet articles recently about the influence McCaffrey had on the genre and each article said the Crystal Singer Trilogy were her best non-Pern books. I took a chance and bought a copy of Crystal Singer.

Killashandra Ree is a world-class singer and spends most of her life preparing for a musical career.  She gets rejected during her final exam to become a lead singer.  She is devastated and leaves her home planet in order to heal.  Killashandra meets a man named Carrik who is connected to the mysterious crystals from the planet Ballybran.  She develops feelings for Carrik and sets on a course that will change her life forever.

On Ballybran, Killashandra works her way up the ladder and discovers that she has what it takes to become a Crystal Singer.  There is a high price that she pays for reaching that kind of status.  I must write that I thought the novel would be a lot more fantastic than scientific.  McCaffrey does an excellent job of world building and laying out how the crystals affect each singer.

This is the first book of the trilogy.  But I thought McCaffrey did a solid job with creating an interesting protagonist that made me care about her as reader despite the subject of crystals.  I’m glad that I fed my curiosity and read an author I never would have before.  Anne McCaffrey is gateway author for many readers and after reading Crystal Singer I can see why.  If you are looking for a solid escape read for a few days, then Crystal Singer could fit the bill.