Samaria
5 primary works
In Samaria, angels raise their beautiful voices to intercede with the god Jovah on behalf of humans. Because their ancestors fled centuries ago from the violence of a war-torn planet, harmony is prized among all people. But sometimes the divine music of the angels is not enough to prevent conflict among mortals—and sometimes the god can’t even hear the angels singing.
Book 1
Through science, faith, and force of will, the Harmonics carved out for themselves a society that they conceived as perfect. Diverse peoples held together by respect for each other. Angels to guard the mortals and mystics to guard the forbidden knowldge. Jehovah to watch over them all...
Generations later, the armed starship Jehovah still looms over the planet of Samaria, programmed to unleash its arsenal if peace is not sustained. But with the coming of an age of corruption, Samaria's only hope lies in the crowning of a new Archangel. The oracles have chosen Gabriel for this honor, and further decreed that he must first wed a mortal woman named Rachel.
It is his destiny and hers. And Gabriel is certain that she will greet the news of her betrothal with enthusiasm, and a devotion to duty equal to his own.
Rachel, however, has other ideas...
Winner of the William Crawford Award for Achievement in Fantasy
Nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Book 2
More than a hundred years after the time of Rachel and Gabriel, Samaria is in deep turmoil. Charismatic Archangel Delilah has been injured and forced to give up her position, and she has been replaced by shy, uncertain Alleluia. What’s worse, ungovernable storms are sweeping across the country, and the god never seems to hear the angels’ pleas to abate the bad weather. Unless those prayers are offered by the new Archangel...
Book 3
As the centuries have passed, some of the people of Samaria have begun to suspect that their god Jovah is really a spaceship orbiting the planet. Archangel Bael seeks to destroy the small dissident sect of Jacobites that spreads this heretic philosophy. Bael is particularly interested in arresting one of the young Jacobites named Tamar, but she falls under the protection of the angel Jared, who just might be named the next Archangel. At the same time, the angel Lucinda learns that her mother was a Jacobite—and Lucinda herself might have the key to uncovering the truth about Jovah.
Book 4
More than a hundred years before Archangel, Samaria is visited at random intervals by mysterious strangers dressed all in black. They appear and disappear, leaving behind fires of utter destruction. The Archangel Gaaron is glad that his new Edori bride, Susannah, is a calm and capable woman who can help him through this crisis, while aiding him in the impossible task of controlling his wild sister Miriam. What Gaaron doesn’t know is that Susannah, who still mourns for her former lover, has a secret connection to the god Jovah—a secret that could save the whole planet. He also doesn’t know that his runaway sister has met one of the invaders and is prepared to risk everything to keep him alive.
Book 5
Elizabeth has arrived at the new angel hold of Cedar Hills, determined to improve her lot in the world by seducing an angel and bearing his baby. To her surprise, she learns that she might be able to earn her keep instead by becoming a healer. Meanwhile, one of the Cedar Hills angels, Obadiah, has been sent by the Archangel Gabriel to try to make peace with the quarrelsome Jansai tribes. Obadiah unexpectedly meets and falls in love with a rebellious Jansai girl named Rebekah, who would be put to death if her family knew she was seeing an angel. Everything changes one fateful day when Elizabeth, Rebekah, and Obadiah all come together.