REVIEW: Archangel by Sharon Shinn

Archangel by Sharon Shinn
Book 1 of the Samaria trilogy
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Voyager; (18 Nov 1996)
ISBN-10: 0006482570
ISBN-13: 978-0006482574
Reviewer: Cara
Copy: Bought secondhand

From the back of the book:
The great god Jovah has overseen peace on Samaria for five hundred years. Each year, a member of every clan and every race must attend the 'Gloria' to sing praise to the heavens in a show of forced unity. Every twenty years, a new Archangel is appointed to lead the peoples of Samaria - a figurehead to revere, an example to everyone.

That, at least, is the idea. The cynic, some might say atheist, Raphael faces the end of his reign: now it's Gabriel's turn. But first he must find his bride, his Angelica, allotted to him by Jovah.

But Raphael is contemplating the unthinkable, and Rachel, the slavegirl destined to become Angelica, has absolutely no intention of marrying a snobbish arrogant angel like Gabriel. And if the Gloria isn't sung, Jovah's anger will know no bounds...

Although marketed as a fantasy romance, there is a lot more to Archangel than the difficult relationship between Rachel and Gabriel. Firstly, there is a science fiction element: the Oracle is a high-tech link (computer interface?) to an orbiting armed spaceship. Secondly, there is a strong religious theme: not in a moralistic sense, but more a basis for the society and culture of Samaria. And thirdly there is an exploration of the discrimination against the Edori, a travelling people who do not conform to the religious beliefs and have their own traditions. Being the first in a trilogy, Archangel raises more questions than it answers, leaving the reader eager to find out more in the subsequent books. At least, this is how I was left feeling when I finished the novel.

On the surface, Archangel is the story of the relationship between Gabriel and Rachel. At the beginning of the book, he is to assume the role of Archangel in six months time and needs to find his ‘Angelica’, a wife/partner selected for him by the Oracle which is supposedly the voice of Jovah, the god of Samaria. Rachel is the chosen one, but Gabriel has to find her and make the connection before the six months are up and the ‘Gloria’ is to be sung. She is resistant to accepting the role of Raphael’s Angelica. The purpose of the Gloria is to present a unified and peaceful Samaria to Jovah. But things are not as straightforward as they seem… Rachel is no longer in the location specified by the Oracle so Raphael first has to find her and then win her over; there are undercurrents of dissent within the tribes of Samaria, centred around the Janisai, which threatens the peaceful unity and risks the wrath of Jovah; and the current Archangel, Gabriel, is reluctant to give up his position of power and his belief in Jovah is foundering. These strands all combine to produce a well written and fascinating novel, which can be read as a standalone, but really creates a world that demands further exploration.

While I enjoyed the story of Gabriel and Rachel, I was more impressed by the land of Samaria and how, culturally, it was shaped by the religious aspect. The angels are at the top of the hierarchy but the cities have their own elite. Political intrigue and corruption feature in the novel, and there is also a heretical element, in that some of Samarian society resent the control imposed by the Jovan religion. I was also curious to know why there was a heavily armed warship orbiting the planet that was linked to the people via the Oracle. In addition, everyone in Samaria had an acorn-sized crystal high-tech implant.

“Like almost every child born on Samaria, he had been dedicated to the god when he was only a few days old… The Kiss of the God was embedded in Gabriel’s flesh, grafted to the bone, to remain there until he died, and to be buried with him. It was through the Kiss that Jovah acknowledged the existence of all his children, tracked them through their lives, knew if they were ill or unhappy or dying.”

I expect more of this high-tech aspect and it’s link to the worship of Jovah will be revealed in subsequent novels, and certainly I am keen to discover how Samarian society developed and where it originated from. I suspect this will draw from the more familiar planet colonisation tropes in science fiction.

Another theme in Archangel was one of difference and the discrimination faced by those who do not conform to society’s norms. In this case, the tribe of Edori - a nomadic people broadly analogous to Romanies or Gypsies in Europe - are persecuted and despised by the settled communities, both urban and rural. They do not adhere completely to the religion of Jovah and have their own culture, beliefs and traditions. Yet they may hold the knowledge of the history of Samaria and of the purpose of the orbiting spaceship. I think we shall see more of the Edori in future books, when their role within Samaria could become more clear.

I first read Archangel several years ago, but after finding the next two books of the Samaria trilogy in a secondhand bookshop, I decided to re-read it before starting on Jovah’s Angel, the second in the sequence. I hope that the questions I have about the world of Samaria are answered, especially regarding the orbiting spaceship… that has really got me curious about it’s purpose and I wonder what the history of Samaria really is. Overall, Archangel is a good start to a promising trilogy (and there are now 2 further books set in the same world) and I look forward to reading more of Sharon Shinn’s imaginative and intriguing fiction.

Plot: 8
Characters: 7
Style: 8

Rating: 8/10