Author(s): Anne McCaffrey

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

"Killashandra was the most gifted Crystal Singer on Ballybran.With her partner, Lars Dahl, she held the record for cutting the terrible, fascinating, and infinitely rare black crystals - crystals that could destroy the brain of a Singer if they were not properly controlled.Killashandra and Lars Dahl together were an invincible pair. So when, on the distant planet of Opal, a new, beautiful, unfathomable manifestation was discovered, Lars and Killashandra were the team asked to explore the 'Jewel Junk'.All those who had previously encountered it had died.Only the Crystal Singers, with the immune system of Ballybran in their blood, were thought to stand a chance of survival.The 'Jewel Junk' was brilliant and mysterious, and became even more so when fed with some of Ballybran's precious crystals.But it was to be twenty-five years before the planet Opal released one of its secrets - a secret that was to prove the salvation of Ballybran and the Crystal Singers."