Scan barcode
bhnmt61's review
3.0
This book has a large cast of characters. There's Tamar, a member of a rebel sect called the Jacobites that doesn't believe in God. There's Jared, an angel with a good heart who can't quite believe that Bael, the archangel, would go so far as to murder Jacobites. There's Omar, Bael's handsome and ambitious son. There's Lucinda, an orphaned angel whose no-nonsense Aunt Gretchen took her away from Bael's stronghold when she was a child and raised her on a tiny island far out at sea. There's Reuben, an Edori sailor. And there's a supporting cast of at least a dozen more angels, Jacobites, Edori, and others.
Tamar is on the run. Jared finds himself strangely drawn to this angry, frightened young woman, but she won't trust him to help her. Lucinda visits the mainland for the first time and is entranced by all it has to offer. At the heart of the story is the quest to understand the God the Samarians worship-- is he truly an immortal being, or is "he" the computer who resides on a spaceship orbiting the planet, programmed long ago to respond to the needs of the Samarians?
If you've read any of the other Samaria books, the different factions will be familiar. If you haven't, I'm not sure how you'd keep it all straight, especially since the events of the previous book, Jovah's Angel, are an important part of the plot of this one.
This was a re-read for me. It's always been my least favorite of the three original Samaria books (the fourth and fifth were published half a dozen years later), and re-reading it this time didn't change that. The story seems less seamless, less fully imagined, than the first two. In fact, about fifty pages in, I wasn't even sure I wanted to keep going. But I did, and eventually the story pulled me in. It's just not as good as the first two. You have to wonder about a book that ends with a dozen pages describing two committee meetings to establish a new government (not kidding). And there are some (admittedly obscure) problematic elements of race that I probably didn't even notice the first time I read it. Worth reading as part of the series but probably not on its own.
Tamar is on the run. Jared finds himself strangely drawn to this angry, frightened young woman, but she won't trust him to help her. Lucinda visits the mainland for the first time and is entranced by all it has to offer. At the heart of the story is the quest to understand the God the Samarians worship-- is he truly an immortal being, or is "he" the computer who resides on a spaceship orbiting the planet, programmed long ago to respond to the needs of the Samarians?
If you've read any of the other Samaria books, the different factions will be familiar. If you haven't, I'm not sure how you'd keep it all straight, especially since the events of the previous book, Jovah's Angel, are an important part of the plot of this one.
This was a re-read for me. It's always been my least favorite of the three original Samaria books (the fourth and fifth were published half a dozen years later), and re-reading it this time didn't change that. The story seems less seamless, less fully imagined, than the first two. In fact, about fifty pages in, I wasn't even sure I wanted to keep going. But I did, and eventually the story pulled me in. It's just not as good as the first two. You have to wonder about a book that ends with a dozen pages describing two committee meetings to establish a new government (not kidding). And there are some (admittedly obscure) problematic elements of race that I probably didn't even notice the first time I read it. Worth reading as part of the series but probably not on its own.
onyxburst's review
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another great edition to this series. The Characters written here were even better. I think a pattern in the series is beginning to show, and it’s the conflict. I think the conflict is too short. Like the finally big “Oh Shit” moment happened within the last 100 pages and I would have liked to see that fleshed out a bit more, same with the first book of the series. That is not to say it is bad, it is just something I wanted to dig deeper into these series. The characters are again phenomenal, the world is so interesting, and I am excited to see where the next book takes us.
nelsonseye's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed The Alleluia Files. Jared, Tamar, Lucinda, and Reuben were great "main characters", and the secondary/supporting characters (especially Gretchen) were also quite interesting. I also really liked how the world (and beliefs) have changed over the three books of the series. I might have rated the book five stars if not for some e-book formatting issues (wrong words, misspelled words, misplaced character names. random capital letters) that pulled me out of the story and made me wonder if the gentry had even bigger secrets from the angels.
rebeccazh's review
Loved it. Really enjoyed reading the stories of Jared, Tamar and Lucinda. Also really loved following the development of the religion vs science plot that was started in Jovah's Angel.
rachel_abby_reads's review
2.0
This is a continuation of the Samaria series. Now there is a small sect that teaches that Jovah is a ship, not a deity, and they are being persecuted by the current archangel. The female romantic interest is part of the sect; the male is an angel.
Shinns' portrays the "atheistic" cult as bitter, angry, distrustful and arrogant. They do have some of the technical facts regarding Jovah's identity right, of course, but we find that those who believe in Jovah as deity tend to be more generous, helpful, loving, courteous, etc, etc.
At the end, there is a grand conference on the general theme of "What do we do now; what specifically is our theology?" A conversation goes as follows:
"We can all believe as the Edori do, believing in one great nameless god who watches over the entire universe. . .He hears every prayer, though he does not always answer -"
"Because he does not exist!" Conran shouted. (why's he so threatened, anyway?)
"No, I believe he does," Tamar (formerly of the sect)said. . ."I have been raised to deny the existence of Jovah - of any god. And yet, when I was at my most desperate and most afraid, I prayed. . . .I think we need a god so greatly because some god has created us, and he left behind that deep desire." (p. 468)
The story here was interesting because the council was trying to decide on what the religious tradition should be going forward, and some at the council were adamant that any belief in a god was wrong and dangerous.
Being religious myself, I've never read books by avowed atheists that attempt to disprove the existence of God, although I know that there are definitely authors who strive to demonstrate that much of the evil that has arisen in the world has religion as its root. I wonder if those atheist authors would make that same point: that belief in God is actually dangerous. I wonder if they believe that people would suddenly be more generous and courteous, more peace loving and considerate, if they would only stop believing in God?
Shinns' portrays the "atheistic" cult as bitter, angry, distrustful and arrogant. They do have some of the technical facts regarding Jovah's identity right, of course, but we find that those who believe in Jovah as deity tend to be more generous, helpful, loving, courteous, etc, etc.
At the end, there is a grand conference on the general theme of "What do we do now; what specifically is our theology?" A conversation goes as follows:
"We can all believe as the Edori do, believing in one great nameless god who watches over the entire universe. . .He hears every prayer, though he does not always answer -"
"Because he does not exist!" Conran shouted. (why's he so threatened, anyway?)
"No, I believe he does," Tamar (formerly of the sect)said. . ."I have been raised to deny the existence of Jovah - of any god. And yet, when I was at my most desperate and most afraid, I prayed. . . .I think we need a god so greatly because some god has created us, and he left behind that deep desire." (p. 468)
The story here was interesting because the council was trying to decide on what the religious tradition should be going forward, and some at the council were adamant that any belief in a god was wrong and dangerous.
Being religious myself, I've never read books by avowed atheists that attempt to disprove the existence of God, although I know that there are definitely authors who strive to demonstrate that much of the evil that has arisen in the world has religion as its root. I wonder if those atheist authors would make that same point: that belief in God is actually dangerous. I wonder if they believe that people would suddenly be more generous and courteous, more peace loving and considerate, if they would only stop believing in God?
cclurejam's review
4.0
A very good third installment in the Samaria series. It really does feel like watching a society advance and try to deal with revelations.
jerefi's review
2.0
It was OK. Definitely the weakest of the five. Still enjoyed bits, don't get me wrong, but I found it painfully predictable in every way.
nelsonseye's review
4.0
I really enjoyed The Alleluia Files. Jared, Tamar, Lucinda, and Reuben were great "main characters", and the secondary/supporting characters (especially Gretchen) were also quite interesting. I also really liked how the world (and beliefs) have changed over the three books of the series. I might have rated the book five stars if not for some e-book formatting issues (wrong words, misspelled words, misplaced character names. random capital letters) that pulled me out of the story and made me wonder if the gentry had even bigger secrets from the angels.
eupomene's review
4.0
I enjoy all of Sharon Shinn's Samaria novels. She addresses the issue of technology again in this one, but not really enough. The people seem to say "what if --" but go on ahead. I suppose that's more than most would do. I'd like to see how the people's faith changes, now that everyone knows who Jovah is.
These books are just fun and thoughtful and I wish there were more.
These books are just fun and thoughtful and I wish there were more.