That doubt is given great weight when it appears that the new Archangel, Gabriel, will not be able to stand next to his angelica (wife) and sing the hymns to Jovah required to save Samaria. The chosen one, Rachel, does not want the honor of being angelica. The current Archangel, Gabriel, is unwilling to give up his 20-year reign. Furthermore, he is willing to gamble the existence of Samaria on his continued rule.

At the next Gloria, or festival of song, the angel Gabriel will take over the duties of archangel from old Raphael, so he asks the oracle Josiah, who Jovah has decided will be his bride. Josiah announces that Gabriel's bride shall be Rachel. But when Gabriel goes to claim her, he finds the remote village long destroyed, with no sign of Rachel. Then, quite by accident, he comes upon her in the house of a rich nobleman, where she is a slave. Though Gabriel plucks her from slavery, the two fight at once, since Rachel sides with the servants and Samaria's downtrodden folk and distrusts angels; neither will she reveal whether she can sing, a talent vital to a successful Gloria (Gabriel, of course, sings like a dream). Raphael, meanwhile, no longer believing in Jovah, refuses to watch over the people and encourages every sort of wickedness; to prevent the Gloria, he is willing to capture or even kill Rachel.

Shinn came to science fiction from fantasy. In Archangel, she segues into sci-fi in a way that does not jolt her established base of readers of fantasy. The romance between Archangel and angelica, which is a recurring theme in the Samaria series, grounds it in fantasy. However, the science fiction elements become increasingly important as the series continues. Archangel introduces the peoples of Samaria, ranging from the nomadic Edori to the aristocratic Manadavvi. It also familiarizes the reader with life in the three angel holds, the Eyrie, Montaverde and Windy Point. The rules governing how angels live, which are important to the structure if all four books, are first explained in it.

Samaria is saved. By the time of the reckoning in The Allelulia Files, it will have been settled for six and a half centuries. The development, not so coincidentally, mirrors that of industrial culture on Earth. In following the changes, both in social relationships and technology, on Samaria, we come to a better understanding of where we have been and where we are going ourselves.

Note: This entry also appeared at Silver Rights.