Reliquary

Stargate Atlantis #2

by Martha Wells

While exploring the unused sections of the Ancient city of Atlantis, Major John Sheppard and Dr Rodney McKay stumble on a recording device that reveals a mysterious new Stargate address. Believing that the address may lead them to a vast repository of Ancient knowledge, the team embarks on a mission to this uncharted world.

There they discover a ruined city, full of whispered secrets and dark shadows. As tempers fray and trust breaks down, the team uncovers the truth at the heart of the city. A truth that spells their destruction.

With half their people compromised, it falls to Major John Sheppard and Dr. Rodney McKay to risk everything in a deadly game of bluff with the enemy. To fail would mean the fall of Atlantis itself - and, for Sheppard, the annihilation of his very humanity...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Adventure, Space, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

223 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 15, 2006

About the author

Martha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King (Tordotcom, 2023). She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, Locus Awards, and a Dragon Award, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the British Science Fiction Association Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, the Sunday Times Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-five languages.

She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't seen the show this is based on. It fell a little flat at first, as I had a hard time figuring out who the characters were and what their relationships with one another and their positions in the organization. I also felt like Wells had a little trouble at first writing in a style not her own, but as she warmed up to it and the characters developed more individual voices I sorted them out. I think Wells also asserted more of her own style as she went along, since the jokes got less television-obvious and the writing a bit more literary.

The plot was a good mix of adventure, creepiness, mystery, and science-fictional description of alien cultures and technology. I can see why this series appealed to Wells, as it seems to have a lot of setting elements that she returns to in her original works, especially the long-gone civilizations with their lingering half-broken, dimly understood technology. As always, she is excellent at describing the exploration of new and strange places.

An a physical object, this book was not particularly pleasing. The cover is pretty lame, the paper feels cheap, and the print runs too close to the binding so that one has to hold open more forcefully than usual. After a reading it definitely looks used. However, I wouldn't expect a high-quality publication for a book with such a limited audience.

Overall, I was quite pleased with Reliquary. It even kind of made me want to try the show, although the dim expressions of the actors on the cover leads me to expect little from their thespian talents. I will read Entanglement if I can find it inexpensively, however.

[Chrystopher’s Archive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaaaaaaa this was so much fun! I could so clearly hear the characters’ voices in my head, it was great xD I haven’t read a tie-in this good since the last Una McCormack Star Trek book. Can’t wait to read the other Atlantis book Wells wrote.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

Oh my wow, this should have been an episode!!!

I can't believe how awesome this was. The characterization of everyone was spot on, the action was perfect, and I just love those episodes when they're trapped in Atlantis. Having John transforming was super cool, and kind of funny because this kind of stuff always happens to him, and I'm now really interesting in the Koan.

I really loved the callbacks to previous episodes and how those episodes effected the characters, especially the episode The Defiant One. That is one of my favourite episodes and I always wish they'd been some follow-up with that - I mean it was pretty traumatic for John and Rodney. My prayers were answered in this book. We got to see how John struggled with having scientists on mission, in that he was always worried he couldn't keep them safe because he couldn't during The Defiant One, and then we got a beautiful moment where Rodney is utterly afraid to give John (who is very sick at this moment) a gun because last time that happened the person killed themselves. Finally getting to have those discussions was amazing and I love how real those moments felt.

I gotta put it out there that the main thing I loved about this book was all the John and Rodney content, they are my favourite characters (and yes, I ship them, hard) so seeing them interact with each other and have their moments to shine was amazing.

The writing was so well done, I was hooked the entire time. But I will say there were some moments when I wasn't totally sure what happened, like how they discovered who the bad guy was and how they figured out the bad guys motivation - I was confused about that the whole time. Still enjoyed the hell out of this.

This honestly would have gotten a 5 star if it didn't have one glaring mistake. YOU CANNOT MANUALLY DIAL PEGASUS STARGATES!!!!! THERE IS NO SPINNING RING THAT YOU CAN TURN!!!! I was so mad about this. Obviously the whole book is referring to the SG1 episode The Torment of Tantalus in which SG1 needs to manually dial the gate... but that literally cannot happen in Pegasus because the gates are a newer version and are digital. Like I'm honestly so mad about this one thing, but how did no one pick up on this????

Anyways, I adored this book and I'm probably going to re-read it in the future because it should have been an episode. I'm also going to pick up other books by this author because the writing was great, and I'm excited for the next Stargate Atlantis novel.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reliquary is my favorite Stargate tie-novel. The book is short, but not from lack of a good story to tell. Clues like breadcrumbs lead from one moment of intense action to the next. The characters speak their minds about events without slowing down the story.

This is a truly a Sheppard and McKay book that does a fantastic job of looking at their friendship more in depth while keeping the story moving forward at a great clip. The other character with a good deal of page time is Kavanagh, who is strangely in character and yet not at all annoying.

There are so many zingers packed into each conversation I can’t resist giving an example. Here’s a part that had me laughing out loud for a good five minutes: “[Kavanagh] watched Rodney pace around with the life sign detector, asking sharply, ‘Anything?’. ‘Yes, there’s an entire horde of Wraith about to descend on us, I just failed to mention it because I was waiting to be asked,’ Rodney snapped.” Fans will also have some good chuckles at in jokes, such as the fact that the planet name Atlantica and the term gateship appear several times.

[Elodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book!
The story was well-conducted and suspenseful, once I got drowned into it I couldn't let go of the book, and if I had to do it (like to go to sleep) I kept thinking about the story, which is as far as I'm concerned always a good sign (showing obviously that I like what I'm reading).

Anyway, though as I said the story was great, you could wonder why the hell they didn't think twice before rushing to that planet. I guess you could always argue that at that time, they were desperately searching for ZPMs, such making unwise decisions.

I like the way Martha Wells handled the relationships between the characters, and especially all the parts with John and Rodney. I'm really fond of their relationship as friends, and I found that the author portrayed really well that side of the show.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Stargate Atlantis crew goes to another planet to find a vast repository of Ancient knowledge. Unfortunately, they find something else entirely.


A very solid plot with some creepy horror-like moments. It’s easy to read and has a steady pace. The characters of Sheppard and McKay are spot on and get a chance to really shine here.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

K 5 hviezdičkam tejto knihe chýba len zaujímavejší bad guy, inak bola kniha napísaná veľmi dobre, skvele a rýchlo sa čítala, od asi polovice som ju do noci čítala bez prestávky. Postavy sa správali ako v seriáli a je super, koľko sa ich objavilo - okrem tých najhlavnejších aj Kavanaugh (prekvapivo sa dal celkom zniesť, aj keď bol klasicky otravný), Zelenka, Beckett, Bates... Rodney je optimistický ako vždy (He heard Bates cursing and McKay telling someone, “That’s it, we’re dead.”) a nadšení asi budú hlavne fanúšikovia McShep, najviac priestoru je venovaného práve Sheppardovi a McKayovi a počas celej knihy sa doberajú.

Pár najobľúbenejších hlášok:

“You and the Major talk to each other as if you are badly-raised eight year olds. Not everyone finds that attractive.” Rodney allowed himself a restrained sneer. “The fact that our professional communications function on a level that Kavanagh doesn’t comprehend is not my problem.”

“I think you should stop exchanging facetious random babble with Ford and try to use your obviously overrated gene to make this damn thing work.”

Bates actually looked a little rattled, possibly from watching John writhe around on the floor, and for once he had forgotten to make “sir” sound like an insult.

McKay also filled him in on what the rest of the city had been up to. “Sergeant Bates had your job for a whole day, during which a petition started circulating in the science team demanding that we hold free elections for the position of acting military commander. Apparently Sergeant Stackhouse was a favored candidate. Then Lieutenant Ford was cleared for duty, so things settled down." John decided not commenting on that was best, so he just said, “So everybody missed me.” “Let’s say they prefer your slacker laissez-faire style to Bates’ ‘guilty until proven innocent’ strategy.”

[Punk · Rating 4 out of 5]

SF. This is a Stargate Atlantis tie-in novel, and it's a good one! I bought it because I like the author's fan fiction and I wasn't at all disappointed. It's set in season one and is nicely creepy, in character, suspenseful, funny, and has lots of satisfying John and Rodney, with excellent John voice and sturdy supporting characters. It's not dumbed down, a few allusions to canon go unexplained and the occasional background infodumps are brief and relevant.

If I were tagging this on Delicious it'd get: off-world, ATA, captive, d/evolve, ESP, stranded. Bonus: If you want to read it as McKay/Sheppard, there is nothing stopping you and more than a little to encourage you.

Four stars. Recommended for those who like SGA and/or SGA fanfic.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great TV tie-in.

The show had a bit of a formula, a lot of episodes go something like this: Our team of planet explorers find some reason to check out a planet, it looks safe enough for people, they visit, something/everything goes wrong, danger! danger! excitement! then the day is saved by some combination of shooting things and wild technology wizardry. This book fits right in and was a really nice way to revisit the series.

The book stays true to the characters and their quirks from the show. There was no point where the leads were acting in a way that didn’t fit their TV characterization. I couldn’t put it down.

[Trond Gulvik Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look out for the Monty Python jokes late in the book :-)

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Summary:

A recent check on a newly discovered gate brings a city of ruins to the attention of the Atlantis crew. This city has great promise, as it seems to blend Ancient technology with technology from other civilizations. Could this be what they've been looking for this whole time?

Major John Sheppard and his team will embark on a quest to find out. In doing so, they will uncover layer after layer of secrets and danger. It won't take long before the tables turn, and the team has to fight for their lives.

My Review:

I do love a good tie-in novel. That opinion is a little contentious, as not everyone loves media tie-in novels. That said, what tipped the scale in favor of me reading Reliquary is the author – Martha Wells. Yes, that's right! The author behind The MurderBot Diaries. She wrote this and another tie-in; I fully intend to read them both.

In a way, this novel can do so much for the world. In this case, we read the adventure from multiple perspectives (mostly Sheppard and McKay). Since there's less of a show/tell issue in reading, this means we were able to learn more about their thought processes.

Reliquary is darkly fascinating, bringing a new threat to the forefront of our attention. Admittedly, that threat has some "freak of the week" vibes, but I think that works well with the Stargate Atlantis format.

I think the thing I enjoyed the most about Reliquary would be the little details dropped here and there. These things made me stop and think about the series and the events that happened previously. It added a whole new layer to the story/universe.

Highlights:
From the world of Stargate Atlantis
Science Fiction
Space Odyssey
Episodic Storytelling Style

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[Nora Sznida]

Most hogy végignéztem – újra – a sorozatot, ahogy olvasom a könyvet a fejemben minden karakter az adott színész hangján szólal meg. Ami a furcsa, hogy mindezt magyarul teszik, pedig 100%, hogy egyik színészt se hallottam még magyarul beszélni X'D Érdekes dolgokra képes az agy… Nagyon örülök, hogy kiadták ezt a néhány regényt itthon is, mert a sorozat isteni mint mindig, de egy-egy rész hamar lemegy, egy könyvnél pedig sokkal részletesebb minden, és szeretek hosszasan egy-egy történetnél időzni. Mikor megszereztem ezt a kötetet 2013-ban, akkoriban olvastam el, és azóta nagyon sok minden elhalványult, mert ahogy most újra elővettem, rá kell jönnöm, hogy semmire nem emlékszek az egészből. Szóval még szerencse, hogy megcsináltam a molyra a kihívást, mert így újra elővettem a könyveket – és a sorozatot – és kicsit újra elmerültem Atlantisz világában.
Kiegészítés:
Most hogy befejeztem, még mindig azt kell mondanom, hogy semmire nem emlékeztem belőle. Viszont, John megint átváltozott valami izévé (Iratus bogaras humanoid, most meg koan-cucc).
Rájöttem arra is, hogy Rodney-t nem kell félteni, mert ő volt az egyetlen, akinek az elméje felett nem vették át a hatalmat, nem adták be neki az átalakító vírust, és meg se halt. Ráadásul viszonylag sikeresen megvédte a félig önkívületben lévő Johnt. Mondjuk ez a szerencsének is köszönhető, de elég jól kicselezte az agymosott Kavanagh-t, meg a főmuftit. Örülök, hogy újra elolvastam, tetszett ez a könyv :)
Negatívum, ami inkább a fordításnak köszönhető, rengeteg – de tényleg rengeteg az elírás és nyelvtani hiba benne. Folyton kiestem miattuk a lendületből.

[David Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reliquary is the second book in the Stargate Atlantis series. Having really enjoyed the TV series years ago I thought it high time to review the written options open to me to relive and rekindle my love of the series.

The author certainly didn't disappoint with this one. It's probably a little darker than the TV show but certainly fits with what a fan would know and love about Atlantis.

One of the major positives about this tale is the descriptiveness of the characters and their personalities, the hidden humour and quips were spot on.

Now on to the plot. Loved it, The team go to a planet hoping to find an ancient repository but what they find couldn't be further from that and it's life of death for Sheppard.. the kind of tense build up the fans are used to.

I'm just sorry I didn't read the series when they originally came out, I'll make up for it now though.

To nit-pick ..I'd loved to have revisited the planet as we know the team weren't alone there.. would they be able to help those left behind..

Overall a cracking read for a fan of the series and I'm looking forward to reading more.

[James Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like I am on a Martha Wells kick, these days, as I have read now 4 of her books in the last couple of months.

With any book based on a series, my key to how I rate them for review purposes is how much: 1) the book is true to the series; and 2) would it have made for an episode that I would have liked to have seen.

This one is tricky in some respects. Yes, it is VERY true to the series. It references other books/episodes that were canon and the characters all behave and speak as they would have on the show.

BUT...while I could see this as an episode, it is not one that I think I would have overly enjoyed watching. It abuses the characters mentally, physically and emotionally. While that happened from time to time on the show, it was not my favorite kind of episode. So for me personally, I am not sure this is one I would have liked to have seen. But could I imagine it was one of the episodes? Absolutely.

[Beenee Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome read!

The mind control aspect was really cool in this one and the fact the Sheppard was genetically messed with was also fun. I love how the books so far have integrated themselves seamlessly into the tv series without being detrimental to the story line. Which of course would be the point, but I’m really glad these exist because the different secondary characters don’t usually get a chance to shine and here they do.

I also really enjoyed the moment where Sheppard asks for a gun and McKay says no. The reference to the episode ‘The Defiant One’ gives us a place between episodes to read this book but it also spoke to their developing friendship that Sheppard would recognize and seriously consider the issue instead of just lying to make McKay feel better.

All in all, another fantastic book and I can’t wait for the next one!

[Toivo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book reads like an episode of Stargate, for better and worse. The story and action moves along nicely, though after the climax there's a lot of scrambling to narrate the aftermath.

The world of Stargate is really fascinating, and I love the concept.

What bothered me, and this may well be psychosomatic, was the lack of character development -- basically it felt like nothing really interesting can happen to either the characters or the world, and I never felt like the characters really gained depth, had interesting chemistry, or gave me reason to care for them.

This is not a bad book at all, but also not particularly good, and not up to the quality of other works I've read from Martha Wells. It also isn't really convincing me that reading the Stargate novels is for me.

[Stephanie Jo Hanauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let me say that I was a big fan of the TV series. Therefore, I was skeptical about the books. I imagined them being cheesey and having poor story quality. BUT, I was pleasantly impressed. There IS a book set that are made up of the TV shows written in book form. These are in order and should be read first. OR, it is helpful to have seen the show. The characters (not just the main, but many side characters) are portrayed as in the show -- mannerisms, style of speech, etc., only often more indepth and detailed. The humor and comraderee is just as much fun as the show, too. If you loved the show or want to try some great Sci Fi... THIS IS IT!

[Scott Gardner · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is awful

A different author from book 1 , so many things in this pissed me off

Sheppard , is the name of the main character in Atlantis , it's the surname as that is what the military use , so why does the author continually refer to him as John . Especially as McKay is always McKay , a scientist , not military

The other thing wrong with this book is the constant referral to other missions which they have done , this is book 2 , there is no other missions other than book 1 , i don't care if the series was different , this is a book series

[Annelies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can objectively acknowledge that these books aren't the best things ever written but it is SO MUCH FUN to read new adventures!!

I'm trying to compare what I'm feeling to something that might be more relatable, but it really is like rediscovering something you love after having loved it for 15 years.

This book was basically a filler book, considering my dearest Martha Wells couldn't make any changes to the canon story, so the stakes weren't that high. Still, it was a fun read :)

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt like I was watching a lost episode of SGA! Spooky, fun plot, good twists, a sprinkling of humor, and the character’s personality and dialog felt true to the show.

Beyond that, it was a very well written book. I realized after the fact that Martha Wells is the author of The Murderbot Diaries (adding to my TBR list!) and is a very accomplished author. Looking forward to checking out her other works!

[Kasey Minnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly engaging story

The best of the Stargate tie-in novels leave you feeling as though you have just watched an episode of the series. By that metric, this novel is a rousing success! Excellent canon-compliance and characterization, married with good writing and an interesting, well plotted story make this a great read.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good! So much Sheppard/McKay. The McShep was all over and I loved it all. Some things I had thought were fanon are now canon--such as the ATA gene and its effects on John. And poor John, always having his DNA altered. But still, so good

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit that it took me a good portion of the book to get into it. But as the pages went by I felt closer and closer to the characters and the overall plot was just too intriguing and amazing to stop. It also makes me miss the show so much more...

[Rex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially an episode of Stargate: Atlantis in book form. A team goes on a mission to a newly discovered gate address and find a man in a stasis chamber. Needless to say, finding people in stasis chambers never turns out well.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this likely won't impressed anyone who isn't already an SG: Atlantis fan, I loved returning to this world and its characters after so many years. Not a terribly innovative plot, but let's be honest: SG:A's main appeal was always in its characters and in that regard, this novel delivers.

[Uly Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Like anyone book of stargate is great but Stargate Atlantis books are standing them selves every book I just loved

[Marvels Of · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that I couldn't bare to put down till the end!

[Bethany Mortimore · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely awesome :D

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Lackluster adventure.

[Aude · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit longish to be honest, and reusing plot lines from the show.