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August 3, 2004
Jovah's Angel, by Sharon Shinn
The second book in the Samaria Trilogy read for me much like the first one. Sharon Shinn has created quite an impressive world here with Samaria, a world far away and far in the future of our own place and time, built by its original settlers to escape from technology and with service to a loving God in mind.
What I liked about this novel (and the original one as well) is that Shinn has created characters I truly care for in Allelluia and Caleb. Although it's entirely obvious that this angela and man were meant for each other, there is something romantic about how they find this out.
What I dislike about Shinn's novels that I have written thus far, is that there is so little tension, the only conflict is that their god, Jovah, seems to be unable to hear most of the angels, except for Allelluia, and as a result, the weather patterns are pretty messed up.
There is no surprise when we find out that Jovah is a computer on a spaceship floating above the planet, Shinn has pretty much led us to this, the only conclusion, by this time. Although I feel a bit of sadness at Allelluia's sudden loss of faith at that realization, before we can have any kind of soulful self-searching, Shinn imbues the angela with a sudden belief that there must be a higher god than this.
I can best describe my feelings about reading Archangel and Jovah's Angel as spending my time riding the Teacup Ride while the Rollercoaster is being repaired.
I enjoyed the novels, but I believe Shinn could have worked a bit harder on them. I am under the impression that later novels, such as Angelica and Angel-Seeker, are substantially better.
And I can only pray that Shinn is not going to be one of the first to review my novel when I finally get it published.
You can buy Jovah's Angel by clicking here: Jovah's Angel (Samaria Trilogy, Book 2)
Posted by Bastique at August 3, 2004 9:30 AM