Mmmm... Praise be to Jovah.

I can't get over the Archangel series that Sharon Shinn has written. Normally fantasy and/or sci-fi novels are filled with common cliches: the elementals, medieval mythos and monster lore, magic, etc. Very few writers have the ability to create a world devoid of all these references, and Shinn is really no exception to the rule... except that she takes something which a major portion of the world is familiar with (the bible) and uses it to create her own world. In this case, her world of Samaria.

Her characters' names are, for the most part, derived from biblical text. And she manages to use these names as inferences to the character's nature. Delilah, the former Archangel and leader of all Samaria, now sings bawdy ballads for her living, and succeeds in seducing everyone she meets with her charm. Gabriel, the newly appointed Archangel in her first book, is as stern as the same angel within the bible, complete with the power to yeild god's wrath.

Her use of biblical parallels also brings about many issues; the existance of a god being the main one. And for that matter, the proper way to worship the god. For within Samaria are those who believe the teachings of the Librera (their holy text) then there're those sprung from the first malcontents called the Edori (whose origins resemble those of the Lilan) who do not believe that only angels have the power to speak to the god.

(I'm beginning to think that the same similarities between the two estranged groups in Shinn's books had some influence on the story writers of FFX.)

Which brings another, and very unique, subject that Shinn incorporates within her books: the power of song. Samaria is a land of music where communication with the divine is sung, and no one is without some vocal skill. Angels particularily have a talent for asking the god to control the weather through their songs.

... and I've once again lost all track of where I was going with this. But still, I applaud and thank Sharon Shinn deeply for writing such an engrossing story.

(which would explain why I'm listening to Italian Renaissance vocal pieces at the moment o.0)