Crystal Singer (zine)

This article is about the Anne McCaffrey fanzine. For the Star Trek filk album, see Crystal Singer (filk).

Zine
Title:	Crystal Singer
Publisher:	FTL Press
Editor(s):	David Lubkin
Date(s):	1978-1979
Series?:
Medium:	print, non-fiction, fiction
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Anne McCaffrey & Dragonriders of Pern
Language:	English
External Links:
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covers of some issues

Crystal Singer is a gen anthology of articles and fiction about Anne McCaffrey's works.

There were fourteen issues.

The zines contain articles on dragons, the Crystal Singers and all Anne's works, some fanfiction, lots of small bits of art, personal stories, and an early version of a McCaffrey fan site.

Later, photocopies of Crystal Singer were bound into a single volume and sold as the Crystal Singer Omnibus.

Reactions and Reviews: From McCaffrey

McCaffrey was sent copies of the first two issues.

Her comments regarding an article in the first issue, one which deals with F'lar's age:

I.....have read through with interest, and a gulp for the inconsistancy [sic] of Flar's age. Todd Johnson, my son, tries to keep me right but occassionally [sic] I have goofed. Actually, F'lar is 10 Turns Lessa's senior and she is 24 when Ramoth and Mnementh mate. Todd keeps arguing that F'nor, having spent three Turns back in Southern Weyr , is subjectively now older than his half-brother but I keep saying it really doesn't matter....

Reactions and Reviews: From Fans

Crystal Singer' is primarily an Anne McCaffrey 'zine and primarily nonfictional and devoted to more than just Pern (surely you've heard of the 'Dragonriders of Pern' series? If not, where have you been?), but will contain an Alien Relations Department which will run mentions of non-McCaffrey matters. Essentially a letterzine, 'Crystal Singer' nit-picks discrepancies in the Pern series, debates different statements from the books, and generally has a good time. Editor David allows himself to mold CS into a sort of personalzine/letterzine format, which is not really a bad thing. Mimeod, unreduced, art in future and some art in these issues is electrostenciled. Could be more legibly done, but it's cheap, and a boon to McCaffrey fans. After all, who doesn't like dragons? LoCs are beginning to show up, a serious article or two, reviews, etc. The format is flexible. Try it, you may like it.

Oh!!! A bit of news found in issue 3, May 1978!!!! (I have photo copies of issues 2-6 also, cuz a friend has the originals) Anne was sent copies of the first 2 issues and the first issue deals with F'lar's age in one article. She says "I.....have read through with interest, and a gulp for the inconsistancy of Flar's age. Todd Johnson, my son, tries to keep me right but occassionally I have goofed. Actually, F'lar is 10 Turns Lessa's senior and she is 24 when Ramoth and Mnementh mate. Todd keeps arguing that F'nor, having spent three Turns back in Southern Weyr , is subjectively now older than his half-brother but I keep saying it really doesn't matter...."

Just a neat tidbit that I thought would be of interest.

In the later issues there are letters from folks giving their opinion of the zine. There is also talk of organizing 'Central Weyr' for the purpose of discussion, round-robin letters and special projects, etc. They also talk about Cons they've been to and what happened at the con. There is also some big buildup to The White Dragon being published. Kind of neat to get their anticipation of that book coming out. Especially for me, since it was the very first Anne book I ever read!

Issue 1

Crystal Singer 1 was published in March 1978 and contains 14 pages.

cover of issue #1

editorial from issue #1

• Cloudy (editorial)
• Womp Search by Baby Bobby Womp Rat (as told to C.J. Todd) (story)
• On Dragon's by Deborah Burros (article)
• Silver Thread and Golden Dragons by David Lubkin (filk)

Issue 2

cover of issue #2

Crystal Singer 2 was published in April 1978 and contains 11 pages. The cover is an illustration by Stacey Mandell which appeared in issue #1.

• Cloudy (editorial)
• One Weekend With Ur Child by Jacqueline Lichtenberg (article about her meeting Anne McCaffrey at Balticon in 1978) (This is a reprint of the con report in A Companion in Zeor #2 called, "one weekend, with orchid.")
• Field Work by C.J. Toad and Bryant Craig (story)
• Augmented Fifths (letters to the editor)

Issue 3

Crystal Singer 3 was published in May 1978 and contains 12 pages. Cover by Robert Corr.

cover of issue #3

• Cloudy (editorial)
• 1978 Hugo Nominations
• Dragonhold - a letter from Anne McCaffrey after receiving copies of the first two issues of Crystal Singer
• Augmented Fifths (letters to the editor)

Issue 4

Crystal Singer 4' was published in June 1978 and contains 12 pages. Cover by Robert Corr.

cover of issue #4

• Cloudy (editorial)
• Zines (ads for fanzines)
• The White Dragon - question for subscribers to discuss in the next newsletter
• Augmented Fifths
• Dragonhold - letter from Anne McCaffrey to subscribers
• Consciousness Zero (aka The Nerd Viewpoint) by Joe Hertzlinger (article)
• Dragon Conclave - discussion of how to divide the US into "Weyrs" according to states/population centers

Issue 5/6

Crystal Singer 5/6 was published in August 1978 and contains 22 pages.

• Editorial
• Letters to the editor
• An Experimental Talk by Samuel R Delaney
• Fanzine and filk songtape ads

Issue 7

Crystal Singer 7 was published in September 1978 and contains 12 pages. Cover by Gordon Carleton.

cover issue #7, "Look all we really want to do is use your bathroom"

• Cloudy (editorial)
• Letters to the editor
• Zine ads
• Conscousness Zero: the Nerd Viewpoint by Hertzlinger (article)

Issue 8

cover of issue #8, "Oh isn't that nice? A post card from Devil's Tower"

Crystal Singer 8 was published in October 1978 and contains 6 pages. Cover by Gordon Carleton.

• Adverts
• Cloudy (editorial)
• Letters to the editor

Issue 9

issue #9, Joni Wagner

Crystal Singer 9 was published in November 1978 and contains 6 pages. Cover by Joni Wagner.

• Cloudy (editorial)
• Letters to the editor
• Adverts

Issue 10

issue #10, Joni Wagner, also used as the cover of Warped Space #12

Crystal Singer 10 was published in December 1978 and contains 8 pages. Cover by Joni Wagner.

• Adverts
• Cloudy (editorial)
• Letters to the editor
• Pungent (introducing a pun contest)
• Who Asked Me? by Eileen Roy (article)

Issue 11

Crystal Singer 11

Issue 12

Crystal Singer 12

Issue 13

cover of issue #13

Crystal Singer 13 was published in March 1979 and contains 12 pages. Because of problems with a planned art centerfold, issues #11 and 12 were delayed. Einstein cover by Real Musgrove in honor of Einstein's centennial.

• Adverts
• Cloudy (editorial)
• Letters to the editor
• Consciousness Zero by Joe Herztlinger (article)
• Who Asked me? by Eileen Roy (article)

Issue 14

cover of issue #14

Crystal Singer 14 was published in 1979 and contains 8 pages. Cover by Kurt Erichsen. Issues #11/12 were once again promised.

• Adverts
• Cloudy (editorial)
• Letters to the editor
• Crosscuts by Kathy Esselman (article)
• Who Asked Me? by Eileen Roy