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.

Amazing Book

This is my all time favourite book. The way Sharons words flow allows the mind to perfectly adapt imagery to her world. Beautiful story, fleshed out characters, astounding detail to the cities in her book, I really can't complain about anything.

The reader of this book, has a master skill of her voice. Able to recognize characters without hearing their names based on tone and inflection. Flow is comfortable but not slow. Easy to keep up mentally with the reader.

Would recommend this book to everyone.

Angels, intrigue, but mostly a romance.

I enjoyed this book, with just one little quibble. The heroine was just too contrary and it occasionally got annoying. Towards the end, I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop being so self-absorbed.