Archangel

Samaria, Book 1

By: Sharon Shinn

Narrated by: Tamara Marston

A tale of the distant future by the author of The Shape-Changer's Wife brings listeners to a world in which the fate of all life rests on the voice of an angel.

©1997 Sharon Shinn (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Next in line to become archangel in the angel-led dominion of Samaria, Gabriel must lead the next chorale praising the god Jovah, which means he needs a wife - fast - to sing beside him. Guided by the local oracle and the light emanating from the Kiss of the Gods (a homing device in his wrist), he finds his Jovah-selected fiancee in a common Edori slave girl named Rachel. The marriage proves, however, anything but romantic....With place-names such as Gaza and Jordana, she tantalizingly hints at her Samaria's connection to an ancient Israeli past, and she tempers the angelic milieu with talk of her angels' technological heritage in an entertaining sf-fantasy blend that should please fans of both genres." ( Booklist)

A good read

I have owned this entire series for years and have read and re-read, enjoying it thoroughly. It is not the sort of story that would appeal to everyone, but the concept is intriguing. However -- The narrator is not great. She's not incapable. Personally, I find that American female voices just really don't have what it takes. The production value is good. She reads clearly and concisely, perhaps a bit too much so. At first I was concerned that she did not have the ability to convey the male characters. Not very far into the book I realized that it was not the male characters, nor the main female characters, that would be the problem. She read every minor female character with voice characteristics that simply made me want to reach into my MP3 player and throttle them all! Hence, I give it three stars. The reader didn't put me off the book. Even though I know how it ends, I still will listen to the finish. And I'll probably listen to the next in the series as well.

Not Theology

I generally shy away from fiction regarding theology however it was not hard to distance myself from that portion of the story. Really the only thing that was familiar from religion were the names of the characters and places.

It was a typical love story with a few fantasy features thrown in. Boy meets girl - lots of angst and misunderstanding - love and goodness prevails.

The narration was flat, colourless and great to fall asleep to. I actually fast forwarded some parts.

Having said that I will probably read the next in the series one day, as I will recall it as a harmless non thought provoking read. If I do read another I hope the narrator lifts her enthusiasm for the story. Either that or it will be another book to go to sleep with.

A unique read!

I love stories that have original settings. That’s the case with this novel (part of a series). If angels were living on earth, what would it be like? What if angels had to marry humans? This book answers those questions, but it’s not a book about that environment—it’s a very well-written love story. As a guy, I’m okay with a good love story as long as there is other “good” stuff thrown in. Shinn accomplishes this quite well with a strong heroine who the world seems set against. This book has enough to satisfy any reader. And the best part to me is that I have another 6 or so books to enjoy!

A romance in a fascinating world

I enjoy the novels of Samaria, with rich world building and believable characters. Rachel is stubborn enough to be frustrating to the reader, with her sheer mulish contrariness. Her history explains why she is that way, having lacked agency over much of her life. The story is engaging, and well worth a listen. The reader does a good job, with enough variation between character voices to help distinguish them. I did play it at 1.1x speed, but I often do that with audio books.

Fantasy book with strong romance elements

This is the first book I've read in the Samaria series, but not the first book I've read by Sharon Shinn. I've also read Troubled Waters, and I think I might like that series better, as it develops. In Archangel, Shinn takes a new angle on the angel/fantasy genre by including elements of science and technology, and structuring the story around a romance between an archangel and a human, so her approach to the story was unique. I took an interest in the characters and stuck with the book all the way through, but I wouldn't call it a favorite.

can't wait to hear the next one

Although, I knew what the ending was going to be, the drama between the first part , middle, and last kept me on the edge of the seat. I loved the book.

The female protagonist was obnoxiously selfish.

The book itself was amazingly written, but Rachel drove me nuts. I found her to be obnoxiously stubborn and self seeking, and she never really evolved and became better. Gabriel was great, too great for a shrew like Rachel.

Surprisingly strong!

I'm not sure what I was expecting but this story really held it's own! I didn't find it overly religious or dramatic. It was a smooth, well-built storyline with great characters and plot.

A great story, narrrated well

I would not listen to criticisms of the narrator. I delayed buying this book because of reviews. I know now to take those reviews with a grain of salt. The narrator reads the story with a sort of simple style as if one was reading from scripture. So it grates on some because it sounds as if she needs practice. Her voices of characters are good and if you listen, her style is perfect for the story. The story is a little Taming of the Shrew like but with the backdrop of faith. I enjoyed the story and the narration, skillfully done.

Fantastic world-building; Rachel is stranglable

Any additional comments?

There's so much to love about this book. Fantastic world building, sweeping descriptions... Archangel really transports you to another world. But much as I enjoyed the world, at a certain point, I kept wondering why it wouldn't end already. This is mostly the fault of Rachel, a stubborn, self-centered, sanctimonious woman who thinks she's right about everything and expects everyone to do what she wants them to, even when she doesn't say what she wants. Her character is well developed - just extremely unlikable. She whines and yells and complains and doesn't do anything but think about what she wants. The most ridiculous is when she complains about how the world is wrong, and yet, given the chance to change the world as the archangel's de facto queen, all she does is run away with a clan of nomads. Suffice it to say, I hate her.

But not enough to trash the entire book, because, like I said, there really is a lot to love about it. Gabriel, the soon-to-be archangel who was betrothed to Rachel by divine will, inexplicably still loves her despite all her ridiculousness. He's not entirely likable either, being arrogant and somewhat bad-tempered at times, but his noble goals with regard to the world he's about to inherit as archangel are admirable. He reminds me a bit of the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast - surly but ultimately kind-hearted. His love-hate relationship with Rachel doesn't quite work for me, since I picked up on all of the frustration and none of passion (which was supposedly there, but buried beneath layers of irritating fights).

Anyway, despite Rachel, the world-building and the side characters are enough to merit four stars, in my opinion. The universe Sharon Shinn created really is mesmerizing, and I'm tempted to read the sequels even though if I have to put up with any more of Rachel's selfishness, I might start banging my head against the wall.