The Alleluia Files (Ace Science Fiction) [Paperback]

Sharon Shinn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ace Science Fiction | Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Sharon Shinn's first novel, The Shapechanger's Wife, was selected by Locus as the best first fantasy novel of 1995. In 1996, she won the William C. Crawford award for Outstanding New Fantasy writer, and has been twice nominated for the John W. Campbell award for Best New Writer. Now she concludes her popular and acclaimed "Samaria Trilogy" with a breathtaking novel of angels and technology, legends and lies, love and transcendance.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This stand-alone sequel follows Sharon Stinn's other "Angel" books, Archangel and Jovah's Angel in a series reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's Homecoming in tone and structure. Shinn did some interesting world-building here, and The Alleluia Files takes a close look at the history, progress, and society of Samaria.

Samaria was colonized long ago as a religious utopia. An orbiting satellite doubles as a god; people have worshipped and succored it for centuries. A class system developed due to the existence of genetically engineered "angels" who can fly and communicate with the satellite by singing, and who often lord it over the regular folks.

Tamar is the child of rebellious cultists, raised in the heretical belief that Jovah isn't a god, but merely a technical device set up by ancestors long ago to control weather and events on Samaria. The rebel group is in retreat, with the Archangel Bael on a rampage to capture and kill off as many cultists as possible. Tamar is determined to avenge her friends and family, to free Samaria from the double stranglehold of angelic power and peoples' fear of the "god." Tamar meets Jared, an open-minded angel willing to help her on her quest, and the two disparate young people form an uneasy alliance.

Likable characters, a thoroughly realized setting, and a sense of discovery make The Alleluia Files an enjoyable science fiction tale. --Bonnie Bouman--

Product Details

• Paperback: 474 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade; Ace ed edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441005055
• ISBN-13: 978-0441005055
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,141,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sharon Shinn is a journalist who works for a trade magazine. Her first novel, The Shapechanger's Wife, was selected by Locus as the best first fantasy novel of 1995. She has won the William C. Crawford Award for Outstanding New Fantasy Writer, and was twice nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has lived in the Midwest most of her life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Traditional SF in a Series Known for Romance, February 19, 1999

By 

Peter F. Delaney - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alleluia Files (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)

This book is different than the other two but just as good. It focuses more on the ways technology changes society than on the romance and "secret mysteries" of the planet. The theme change may upset some people who were hoping to read the same book over again with different characters. Pay no attention to them. It's a very well done book, written in the same clear, vivid prose that made her other two angel books so great. The characters are no more poorly developed than in a lot of other SF, and this book is clearly meant to be more traditional SF. Appreciate it on its own terms rather than comparing it to its predecessors and you will not be disappointed.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars While a fine book, no comparison to The Archangel., March 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Eau Claire, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alleluia Files (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)

I discovered Sharon Shinn's writing when I first read The Archangel - her first book dealing with the people and angles of Samaria. With that book I was truly amazed and enraptured with the world and particularly the characters which she created. The love of Gabriel and Rachel is quite honestly one of the best written stories I have ever read. Since then I have always kept an eyes out for following books by Ms. Shinn. Sadly, after staying up late to finish it, I recognize "The Alleluia Files" following more in the steps of "Jovah's Angel", the second book in this series, with it's formula of more plot action than romance and far less compelling writing of both. Ms. Shinn has chosen to concentrate of the development of the land and it's society as opposed to the things which determine whether we too care what happens - the characters. I was not convinved of Tamar or Jared's personalities as they both to severe breaks out of character late in the book with sudden, wimpish, femeninity and bold cries of love and devotion without having had any real interaction yet! She also uses a gross amount of the author's trick of jumping from storyline to storyline just at a moment of high action. This effect may be achieved with style or perhaps twice but after the third and even fourth time I was more annoyed that overjoyed at having to wait fifty more pages to find out about the characters I had been cajoled into being interested in. I above anyone wanted this book to be worthy of a good reception and to be admired and loved in the same way as Archangel, but more do I want for readers of Sharon Shinn's work to know what they will be reading. For anyone who likes this author I would still recommend this book - there are some humorous referrals to "Archangel" and the plot is written with a sure hand which makes you interested in what happens to these people even if you are not interested in themselves. And the character handling is not all bad, there are moments when you see a sparkle of the same which made "archangel" so wonderful. If anything I would ask Ms. Shinn to remember the kind of characters she created in Archangel and the tension, action, and emotion they achieved through her hand. Any book that was written with those wonderful characters in mind would be well worth the reading. If anyone would like to discuss this book further I invite them to E-Mail me. I will be happy to talk, particularly with anyone who has similar high regards for "Archangel".

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful end, January 28, 2000

By 

Mara - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Alleluia Files (Samaria, Book 3) (Paperback)

I'm writing this just moments after finishing The Allelulia Files, with that satisfied feeling still running through my veins. This was truly a good book. I love Sharon Shinn's use of strong female heroines and for those who read Archangel and enjoyed it, there is a character of almost equal caliber in this novel. This book also contained interesting themes such as the reconciliation between science and religion and harmony with the environment and technology. There are some books out there that can captivate me from beginning to end and this was one of them. I found myself smiling as I read the book, and sighing when I finished the book. It left me with that wistful, that was such a great book,I wish I could read it once more and experience that sense of freshness again. Rereading a book is never as great as the sense of wonder and enchantment that comes with reading it for the first time. It reminds me greatly of the writing of Robin Mckinely, another author I admire. It reads like a fairy tale almost but it is so much more than that. The whole setting is unique and I have not come across anything so novel in any of the other science fiction and fantasy books I have ever read. I've already introduced it to two more of my friends who don't typically read books in this genre. They love it. Personally, I still believe that the first book was the best of all, but I greatly enjoyed Alleluia files as well.