To Sing The Black Crystal

Imagine, if you will, letting out a single, echoing note. It doesn't matter what key it is - just a long, resounding note... and hearing it echoed back to you by itself and in thirds, ringing back from endless shales of vibrating crystal...

This is the lure of the crystal singer, also known as the crystal cutter - the most desired job of the Heptite Guild, Ballybran. The guild itself is shrouded in mystery - none who are not members of it are allowed to know its secrets, or to broach the surface of the planet Ballybran. And the guild members appear not to be talking much.

That is, until the day young Killashandra Ree, who has just been told that her aspiring career as a stellar-class musician is over, stumbles into the shuttleport on her tiny planet of Fuerte and encounters one of the rare, unusual breed of people who carry the designation of Crystal Singer.

This first book in a series of three follows Killashandra's travel to Shankill (the moonbase orbiting Ballybran, on one of the planet's three moons), and her subsequent entrance into the Heptite Guild, then follows the beginnings of her career as one of the people who use an ultrasonic cutter and the power of their perfect-pitched voice to slice through rock as though it were butter. These crystals, thus harvested, are turned into communications relays and power starships and shuttlecraft.

But the crystals also seem to have a horrible drawback. No one who enters the Heptite Guild ever quits their job, nor do they abandon their position. And with the exception for the notorious Crystal Singers, none of the other applicants to the Guild ever leave Ballybran's surface again - and even those Singers return, drawn by the insatiable lure of crystal.

The style of this book is best described as soft-core science fiction - which, of course, describes much of Anne McCaffrey's fiction efforts. It's a great beginning place for younger audiences to start their interest in science fiction, or a nice, playful romp in softcore for those who are old hands at the genre. And it, like so many other Anne McCaffrey worlds, has spawned its own series of devoted fans worldwide.

Those who anticipate some Pern-esque atmosphere, ala McCaffrey's other works, might find themselves disappointed - crystal is hardly comparable to Pern's "Thread" as far as devastation goes. And, in fact, the devastation wreaked by crystal's cries, rather than affecting a planet, only affects the person who hears it, who cuts it.

The characters are genuinely likeable, for the most part, and I recommend this book for anyone who's looking for a nice easy read - or for McCaffrey fans who're looking to branch away from dragons for at least a little while.