![]() ![]() Rachel has no patience for the necessities of life as the angelica, and she has even less patience for the expectations that she conform. Even more unfortunately for Gabriel, the wife-to-be has her own thoughts on the matter. Unfortunately, he has left the whole marriage thing a bit late, and now he has scramble to find the wife pre-ordained for him by Jovah. Gabriel is set to become the next Archangel of Samaria, but he must have a consort (called the angelica) to sing with him at the ceremony (called the Gloria). The novel begins with a neat narrative hook: "The angel Gabriel went to the oracle on Mount Sinai, looking for a wife" (1). That Shinn balances all of these things in one book is quite a commendable achievement. And if a love story is what you're looking for, Archangel will have you glued to every page until the not-so-bitter end. Shinn manages to deal with some heavy themes, like dominance and social justice, with a fast-paced story that captures the reader's heart quite easily. But what is the nature of love, that much maligned and misused word? Do opposites attract, or is that simply a myth (and is myth-making the essential thing anyways)? And where do gender roles, as received, fit into this picture? Sharon Shinn's excellent novel, Archangel, treats some of these questions in an innovative manner, in the context of a compelling story and vivid characters. Genre fiction often treats "love" only as a plot device - the hero gets the girl and stereotypes reign undisputed. ![]() ![]() Archangel, Sharon Shinn, Ace, 1996, 390 pp. ![]()
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