reviewed by
I confess, this review isn't entirely about Angel-Seeker, the newest in Sharon Shinn's Samaria series; it's more about the entire series.
I discovered the series when Jovah's Angel (book two; 1997) hit shelves. The cover artwork by John Jude Palencar of a lone, contemplative angel in front of a desolate skyscape, sucked me right in. I sought out Archangel (book one; 1996) and was lucky that there wasn't a long wait before The Alleluia Files (book three; 1998) arrived.
The Samaria series is a perfect blend of science-fiction, fantasy, and romance. Reviewers who believe that a fantasy/romance blend didn't exist until the new Luna line from Harlequin just aren't looking.
Shinn has created the world of Samaria, a place where humans and angels live together. Angels are able to sing to the god to change the weather, bring medicines, and in general keep the planet in good working order. If the angels don't sing at certain times, there is fear the god might strike them down.
What is the god and why are the angels alone able to speak with it? It's a mystery that plagues some mortals in the series. The god reveals itself to one mortal in due time, burdening her with a truth that may alter the world forever.
The way Shinn staggered the first three books, there are large gaps of time; one hundred and fifty years pass between book one and two, and one hundred more years between book two and three. With Angelica, Shinn goes back to a time before Archangel, and with Angel-Seeker, picks up where Archangel left off. There is much territory yet to be explored. I hunger for Hagar's tale.
Angel-Seeker is again the perfect blend of these genres, bringing a little something for everyone. In Archangel, we learned of women called angel-seekers, those who covet an angel's most intimate attentions, those who long to bear angel children. In Angel-Seeker, we meet Elizabeth who is one such seeker. She comes to Cedar Hills in a way she never imagined, and lives among angel kind, discovering them to be nothing like what she imagined. Likewise, we meet Rebekah, a Jansai girl who finds a wounded angel near her village. She defies all she knows to care for him.
The old saying is that we should be careful what we wish for, and so too for Elizabeth and Rebekah. But I won't be too careful in wishing for another volume next year in this enchanting series. With its blend of genres, vibrant characters, and engaging stories, it fulfills all my fiction wants.
