mindless husks of hundreds of former Singers. In addition there are far too few active Singers to keep the Guild viable, and the perils of Crystal Singing mean new applicants are few and far between. A new medic on Ballybran introduces a method of hypnotizing mindless Singers to recover coordinates where Crystal can be found. Killashandra finds this new method unethical, but it proves highly profitable, though there are still too few active Singers to fully take advantage of it. A delegation from the Federation makes a rare, dangerous journey to Ballybran's surface to inform the Guild that the Jewel Junk has grown larger and more active since Killshandra's interference, creating a political crisis: if the Junk proves sentient, it must be declared a citizen and given rights and protection; if not, it will be exploited as a natural resource. Killashandra is assigned an experiment to feed the Junk Crystal of all colors, including the powerful Black. As Killashandra lays the Black Crystal into the Jewel Junk, the Junk draws her arm into its mass and extracts centuries of accumulated sonic residue from her body, restoring her full memory. Her old personality returns as she remembers her love for Lars. The Junk is declared sentient, and its power insures no future Singers will risk losing their memory and offers hope that former Singers may be restored, promising a new era of prosperity for the Guild. Library of Congress Classification PS3563.A255 C65 1992 Omnibus editions The trilogy was published in omnibus editions The Crystal Singer Trilogy (US: Del Rey Books, 1996) and The Crystal Singer Omnibus (UK: Corgi Books, 1999). Library of Congress Classification: PS3563.A255 C73 1996 Crystal universe Beside the Crystal Singer trilogy, the Internet Speculative Fiction Database places in the "Crystal universe" (series) both The Coelura, a 1983 novella, and Nimisha's Ship, a 1998 novel. In turn, the Crystal universe is only one of several series that share the "Federated Sentient Planets" background; they are set in a universe governed by the FSP. Federation regulations and officials appear substantially in the Crystal Singer trilogy, in sharp contrast to the Dragonriders of Pern series among others. Awards The Crystal Singer placed seventh for the 1983 annual Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, voted by Locus readers. It was one of six finalists for the Balrog Award in the novel class. References Sources 1982 American novels 1982 science fiction novels