F/SF

I read the first book in the series more than a decade ago, and I remember absolutely loving it. So when I picked up the sequel, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the book just didn’t grab me. Oh, there was nothing wrong with it, really… it was a perfectly pleasant read. And maybe that was the problem. These days, I don’t have the patience for “perfectly fine”, or even for “pleasant”. I want something that’s going to grab me and refuse to let go, and unfortunately I found it much too easy to put Jovah’s Angel down and not pick it up again. When I was actually reading it I was mildly entertained, but ultimately I had no interest in finding out what would happen to the characters and I eventually put the book down for good. ( )

One hundred and fifty years have passed since the events of ARCHANGEL and Samaria is undergoing something of an industrial revolution. They are also enduring very difficult weather conditions and Jovah seemingly isn't hearing angelic requests for weather interventions.

Worst of all, the current Archangel Delilah and her escort are caught in a terrible storm which kills a number of them and damages Delilah's wing so that she can no longer fly. Alleluia, a quiet scholarly angel, is named by Jovah to be the new Archangel. She feels vastly underqualified for her new position.

When the final music player fails, she begins to hunt for an engineer to see if it can be repaired. She finds Caleb Augustus who is a man of science and who has lost his faith in Jovah as the result of an experiment with electricity the killed his father and damaged the Kiss embedded in his right arm at his birth which dedicated him to Jovah.

Meanwhile, Alleluia has to search for the man who will be her angelico and perform at the upcoming Gloria. The only problem is that the oracles are getting very vague answers when they query Jovah about him. All they are told is that he is a son of Jeremiah which isn't nearly enough to locate him in time. It does spur Alleluia's interest in the oracles and the way they communicate with Jovah. She learns the language needed and makes her own queries at Mount Sinai which no longer has an oracle based there.

Her enquiries lead her to being teleported to the ship orbiting Samaria where she learns that the people are being guided, not by a deity, but by a computer programmed to assist the settlers. And that computer is in need of repair which is why the angels aren't being heard when they pray to Jovah. Luckily, Caleb is able to make the repairs and learn even more of the technology that the settlers had abandoned.

But the discovery of the spaceship has thrown Alleluia into a crisis of faith that has dented her view of her world and her purpose on it.

This was an engaging story that neatly blends science and faith into a very compelling book. The characters, especially Alleluia, have many hard decisions to make. This is the second book in a five book series. I can't wait to find out what happens next on Samaria. ( )

I was all set to give this three stars, but the last third of the book more than made up for the issues I was having. On to the next! ( )

I originally read the Samaria series in publication order and felt terribly disappointed. I strongly recommend reading this story as the fourth novel ~ i.e., as the one before the last. You will still enjoy the other books since this story stands alone very well.
In this narrative, we see Samaria about 150 years after the time of Gabriel and Rachel. The archangel is Delilah, a tempestuous, strong-willed woman who is a charismatic leader and consummate politician in dealing with the various clans and their self-centred interests. More I will not reveal: read and enjoy especially if fantasy is one of your fave genres. ( )