This standalone book is full of characters keeping secrets from each other, so as a reader you start off a bit in the dark as well. It’s one of those sci-fi books where the science is so far in the past that it might as well come off as fantasy. The city in question is Corcannon, which is experiencing earthquakes of increasing frequency and intensity; as the seemingly unrelated characters pursue their separate goals, you slowly get the feeling that some kind of creepy “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” vibe is going on in the background. I found the ending a bit deus ex machina, but Shinn makes it work, and her character work is stellar as usual.
Tag: author-sharon shinn
Angelica, by Sharon Shinn
Shinn’s Samaria series has always had a sort of unspoken communication with the reader: savvy sci-fi readers quickly catch on that “Jovah” is an AI satellite tasked with protecting the population on the planet, said population including genetically-engineered winged “angels” able to soar into the sky and sing coded communications to Jovah asking for anything from weather intercessions to dropped deliveries of medication. But in this installment, mysterious aliens arrive on Samaria dealing random destruction and death, and the populace (not knowing what the reader knows) has no idea how to deal with the problem. Shinn takes advantage of the reader’s knowledge of sci-fi space wars without having to explain anything, letting us enjoy the characters’ journey towards understanding, while juggling love and politics as well. One thing I haven’t been gushing over enough in this series is the description of how perfect it feels to sing harmonies and accompaniments with other wonderful singers and different types of voices; it’s really beautifully described and makes me wish that I could be singing with the characters.
Jovah’s Angel, by Sharon Shinn
Set 150 years after the first book, Shinn’s Samaria now features da Vinci-esque engineers trying to figure out the secrets of flight (for non-winged non-angels) and transportation. Archangel Alleluia, raised abruptly to the position after her predecessor Delilah suffers an injury, finds herself learning more than she cares to know about the actual mechanics behind the entity they know as Jovah. Soft-spoken Alleluia and her easygoing engineer friend are a pleasure to read; their circumstances are tense but they treat one another with kindness and mutual respect, which is utterly refreshing. A very satisfying conclusion as well, though Shinn leaves the door open for further development.
Archangel, by Sharon Shinn
#1 of the Samaria series, recommended to me by E and such an amazing read. The angel Gabriel has been tapped by Jovah to be the next Archangel, and must find his angelica (spouse) before the people of Samaria gather together to sing the Gloria. Gabriel dutifully goes to the oracle, who consults Jovah (by typing at a computer terminal!) and points him to a human woman named Rachel. Gabriel is startled to find Rachel enslaved; once freed, she is less than enthusiastic about the concept of marrying him at all, much less singing the praises of a god that allowed her people to be slain and herself to be sold into slavery. Though there are tantalizing hints that the world was originally engineered by technologically advanced settlers, the heart of the story is in the characters: Gabriel is righteous and impatient, whereas Rachel is stubborn and proud, and you really feel for both of them. I loved the worldbuilding too, which features a multi-racial, multicultural landscape full of political and economic tensions, which also reflects the tension between the two main characters. I really liked the ending, which brought resolution to the relationship without compromising either character. Looking forward to the rest of the series (and also further explanation of how this world came to be).