Dead End

Stargate Atlantis #12

by Chris Wraight

Deep freezeTrapped on a planet being consumed by a runaway ice age, Colonel Sheppard and his team discover a people — and a mystery — long disregarded by the Ancients. With the Stargate inoperable and their Puddle Jumper damaged, there is no way for Sheppard’s team to escape the killing cold. Death seems inevitable until they are rescued by the Forgotten, a people abandoned by those who once protected them — and now condemned to witness the slow death of their world. But something terrifying haunts their tunnel homes. When Teyla disappears and Ronon goes missing on the deadly ice plains, Sheppard and McKay risk losing their only chance of getting home in a desperate bid to find their friends and save the Forgotten from extinction...DEAD END“This isn’t good,” Sheppard growled. “Oh, this is really not good...”The HUD ran with strange figures. The Jumper lurched sideways, scraping along the edge of the wormhole limits. McKay was thrown roughly against Ronon as the Jumper listed crazily. “What is happening?” Teyla yelled.“Ask McKay!” Sheppard snapped, battling for control of the Jumper.“What? This isn’t my fault!” McKay protested, heart thumping with alarm. “This didn’t happen to the MALP!”Unbuckling himself with fumbling fingers, McKay stumbled over to a control panel in the rear of the Jumper — and was nearly hurled straight into it by a fresh yaw sideways. “Keep this thing on the road, will you?”“You wanna fly?” Sheppard looked like he was struggling to maintain control.“We’ve got massive power loss,” shouted McKay, desperately flicking a series of controls. “We’ll need to use the Jumper’s own supply to get us out.”Teyla gave him a sharp look. “Can you do it?”“If I can’t, we’re beyond screwed!”

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

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2009

About the author

Chris Wraight is a British author of fantasy and science fiction.

His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.

He is based in the south-west of England.

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stargate Atlantis team explores an ice planet that might have some Ancient knowledge hidden on it. But when they get there, they crash their jumper and all they find is snow and ice. They try to get back to Atlantis, but the Stargate’s not working. So they’re stuck there. Their situation seems hopeless. But then they come across a group of local people who call themselves the Forgotten. And with the help of the Forgotten, they try to not only find a way off the planet, but also unravel all its secrets.


One can tell this was written by a professional writer. The setting is so cool, and it feels very inspired by prehistoric cave dwellers living in an ice age. The hunting of the white buffalo in particular feels very reminiscent of prehistoric humans hunting mammoths. This book has a very strong and well crafted plot where all the characters get their moment to shine. Ronon goes hunting with the Forgotten. McKay tries to fix the crashed jumper. Zelenka tries to fix the problem with the Stargate. But then Teyla gets taken. So it’s up to Sheppard to find her and make sure they can all make it back home. All the while, Teyla finds herself stuck in a whole new place. But no matter how bad things look, she never gives up hope and she never stops looking for a way out.


One can also tell that the writer is not a big fan of the show though. Mostly because he got some essential things wrong about the world building of the show. Like flying the puddle jumper while still inside the wormhole of the Stargate for example. But these are all small details. And because everything else is so on point, it didn’t bother me too much.


Sheppard and McKay feel like the people we know and love from the show, with some witty banter added to really make them come to life. The other main characters can occasionally feel a bit superficial. But the core of their characters is present here, so it’s not too distracting.


Overall, a fun Stargate Atlantis adventure on an ice planet with a cool twist.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

They discover an address almost at the edge of the gate range that the ancients were experimenting with and decide to investigate. They get stuck on a freezing icy planet and only survive because there are people who have managed to survive the harsh conditions. So try to save the people from the worsening weather and get home in one piece. [return][return]Ouch. This is one of the poorer SGA contributions. I really have to question whether this author knew anything about Atlantis. I think he may have seen some SG 1 and figured he could write Atlantis too. He frequently refers to the team as Tauri, a term used only in SG 1. The characterizations are terrible. Sheppard sounds sounds more like Cameron Mitchell than himself, saying things like reckon and ain't. There is none of the usual team banter just McKay complaining and John telling him to get it done. In fact it comes across like they can’t stand each other, when we know they are really friends. Teyla is almost pompous. Weir is abrupt. The storyline is full of holes. They are constantly trudging through the snow and almost have hypothermia and then they can keep going without ill effects. They have a dead jumper and a dead gate and still manage to make it home. Yes the team does manage to pull it out at the last second a lot of the time, but still a story can have only so many unlikely survivals before I stop believing it. If you are looking for a book that feels like watching an episode this is not gonna do it.

[Linda Kaban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the adventure very much.....even though it was terrifying.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book about our favourite group of SG. Well for me anyway. I am a Stargate Atlantis guy... well was since it ended a couple of years back... unfortunally.

In this tale our adventurous group goes to a planet undergonig an ice age (or the beginning of one) after discovering that something was being research there by the Ancients.

Plainly this hasn't a plot per se. They enter a world where they are rescued due to a problem in the stargate that makes the puddle jumper crash.

As McKay and Shepperd try to resolve the problem with the puddle jumper, Ronon goes hunting and Teyla tries to mingle with the population.

As the story progress they find that some people are being kidnapped from time to time never to be seen again. The ones doing are called Banshes and are impossible to resist since they emit something that makes one run with fear.

This is a fast paced book with nothing new. I didn't enjoy the Shepperd/McKay relationship because it didn't felt right. In the show everyone trusted McKay and maily Shepperd is a friend of McKay despise his arrongance. But on this tale it seemed that they hated each other or didn't had respect for one another. Oh Well...

But in the end McKay saves the day.

A point of interest is the bridge that McKay and Carter built to link the Pegasus Galaxy to the Milky Way is related with this novel. Well it explains how they were able to built it and the idea for it.

Not recommend unless you are a diehard fan.

[Dannie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed reading the SG-1 and SGA books, but in all honesty this is the worst one of the bunch.
The biggest reason for me was the characterisation of Sheppard, McKay, Teyla and Ronon, there was little interaction or for concern for each other and at times Sheppard and McKay came across as downright disliking each other there was none of the friendship which we see in the series and as this book was based in season 2/3 this friendship was established between them. Sheppard showed little concern for a missing Ronon and was completely focused on locating Teyla who has disappeared and low and behold he manages to wander off amazingly enough in the right direction and locate everyone safe and sound including Ronon who he had thought was safe somewhere else even with no radio contact for many hours......I missed seeing the back and forth between the characters.

The plot started off well but dragged as you got further in, some of it made absolutely no sense....for example the sudden rush to return home by dangerous means when realistically they could have bedded down and awaited the Deadalus....there may have been reasons for this but I just felt some of the plot was not explained well enough.

For me I like people to try a book and judge it for themselves we all have different likes and dislikes but for me this book is unfortunately a dislike.

[Miss Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

A fairly mediocre installment in the SGA series from Fansemonium, which has been hit or miss, and particularly so with the SGA series more so than the SG-1 which at least occasionally feels as if it was written about the same characters we knew in the series, whereas here and most frequently in the SGA books it feels like the characters are either people you have never met or being told by people who did not understand the characters. Personally, I'd give this one a pass as it gives you nothing of true value in terms of character interaction, fun storyline or cool ideas.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rodney finds evidence on Atlantis of a new gate address that would take them to an Ancient Outpost. It is further out than any other so far. The storyline is decent and has some nice plot points. The reason it only gets 2 stars is that a lot of the characters don't really talk like they do on TV. They are referred to as Tauri, and that never happens in Atlantis. There's a few other niggles with terminology, and I suspect that the author prefers SG1 to SGA. Carter is mentioned a lot, even though she's not in Series 3 where this is based. An ok read.

[Tiffany Smead · Rating 1 out of 5]

This writer failed to capture the essence of the characters which is crucial in writing for a series where the fans know the characters inside and out, hanging on every joke, quirk, and so on. I had to reread the first chapter 5 times because I couldn't get into it, would put it down, and then forget everything about it. Once I got a several chapters in, I was still unimpressed with the story arc.

I'd definitely skip this read.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

While attempting to investigate an Ancient experiment, Shepherd and his team end up stranded on an ice planet with a busted jumper, no way to call home and no way to return to Atlantis. An okay storyline with decent character voices - Not one of the better SGA books, but made for an entertaining enough read.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a team story, and I thought I'd like it. It is good to see Teyla and Ronon get their due 'screen time' but if you're a Sheppard fan, you won't care for this book much, as the author apparently doesn't care much for Sheppard. Shame.

[A M H]

I didn't get far in the story at all. Honestly, I didn't even finish the first chapter, which is why I'm not actually going to 'rate it', but as you can tell, I was disappointed.

I just got the feeling that the author didn't actually like any of the people he was writing. It just came across as if they were all a nuisance, by how he characterized the cast. It felt like they were dialed up way to hard. Again, I really didn't read much, but for what little I did read, everyone is a jerk, McKay is portrayed horribly, and from what I've read of the reviews, when I was deciding whether or not to actual try continuing, a lot of people brought this up, so the portrayals must not have gotten any better.

I also mainly disliked the few way unnecessary shady remarks he threw at the cast, again as if he was projecting how much disdain he had to the characters. The main line that began to make me quit was an example near the beginning where Weir considers McKay a "pompous windbag" out of nowhere. Dude, what's your problem?

On a half way positive note, from what little I read, I sort of agree with how he written Sheppard, though he may have over did it. However, other people might really hate it.

For awhile now, I kind of feel that Sheppard was sort of given a fantasy gloss over in the collective fan's minds. I think a lot of people seem to regard Sheppard as much nicer and a better person and hero than he really was in the show. Take that how you will. *Shrugs* It's all just opinion of course.

So all in all, yeah, disappointed. I might try to actually read this again, but I don't know.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Atlantis team discovers a vague reference to an Ancient experiment on a planet on the outer edge of the Pegasus galaxy. Conditions on the planet are harsh and travel to the planet via wormhole is dangerous. Sheppard's team is trapped there after the Stargate and jumper are both damaged. This is a plot-based action/adventure story. Characters don't always sound like themselves, but I could overlook that because the book is fun to read. Some Stargate tie-in novels try so hard to explore the characters that the book turns into a slog. This is a fast-paced book that kept me turning pages.

[Ida Leter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story itself is fine, entertaining, even. The team dynamics as they are portrayed in the novel, eh, could use some work. Whenever two characters from the main cast are in the same room together, one has to wonder how they haven't murdered each other before now, if this is how they interact in this novel. As soon as they are apart (and they are for almost all of the book), everything becomes much more tolerable.

[Ana Gutierrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story line with interesting plot twists but it's not good night to be going on my favorites list.

There were a few inconsistent moments and proofing mistakes that interrupted the flow and a few character interactions that didn't seem quite write to me.

Plus! It's out of sequence with the other Atlantis stories!

[Tagcaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book entirely ignored wormhole physics as in the Stargate Cannon. They tried a weak explanation for their ignorance, and it didn't really make sense. It would have been a decent book if not for that.

Also, the publishers of this series really needs to get a decent editor. Throughout all the books so far from Fandemonium I've read there are spelling and grammar mistakes. This book even used THERE instead of THEIR.

I guess you get what you pay for.

[Uly Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was

As far as this book I loved it it hard all the action you want and I would recommend any book of this
Series it is excitingly thrill and everything else you
Want for the book

[Stephanie Jo Hanauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, already a fan of the show. So, I really loved the world building in this one. The cast of character had depth and an original flare to them for this series. I also loved some if our hero characters inner turmoil that we don't always see in the shiw or other books. Very enjoyable!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad read but I prefer watching the TV series to reading the books.

[Beenee Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Far more suspenseful than the others as the action wasn’t non-stop as usual so a fantastic read and change of pace!

[Graisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another entertaining Atlantis book.

[Chance]

Notice an error on page 143 where Radek knew the name of the planet even do Atlantis hadn’t been apple to make connect with the away team yet by that point.

[Scott Gardner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty boring this one

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whole star off for hinky 'gate science - you can't materialize in the plasma tunnel, because there's no plasma tunnel, you disintegrate in the first gate and then reintegrate again on the other end! - and another one down for rather illogical decisions, mostly made by Sheppard. Also, the characters felt more like two-dimensional versions of themselves, especially Ronon and Teyla: Ronon the Hunter! Teyla the "let's talk about mat-weaving" Cultural Attache! It's like the author put every character in a neat box and only gave them something to do within that box, not a step outside of it. Disappointing.

[April Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

was a fan of the Stargate Atlantis series. My best friend recommended this one to me. It was a nice way to get my Atlantis fix. Was the book perfect? No -- the plot was kind of thin. But it was a lot of fun, and the characters were spot on. It read like a typical episode. Fans looking for something in-depth might be disappointed, but those looking for a fast-paced read will enjoy it. Basically, the intrepid crew of Atlantis go to a forgotten planet whose population is being threatened by an out of control and looming ice age. The ending and some of the mysteries were rather neat.

[Luci Ann Keenagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this has been my favourite SGA book so far. The characters were all very true to form, which is very important coz, man, I love those guys!! Lots of Zelenka/Rodney competitive moments, albeit over a distance, still fun. I loved the cold, snowy setting and thought the whole place was very evocatively described, I could almost feel that snow and ice. And the tension building as the situation deteriorates, I felt that too. Great story, really exciting and full of interest. Deffo my favourite

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always good to read a Stargate novel where a. the writer is a fan, b. the characterisation is decent, c. there's team (even if they do split up, which is realistic) and d. the plot is readable/understandable.

[I. S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better characterization than the last one, but still off in places. And I'm kind of getting tired of Ronon & Teyla always being the ones who need rescuing... But overall, a good story - would have liked to see this as an episode.

[Shendara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much in character, very well written and an entertaining, logical story.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who liked the Atlantis series on TV.

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, would have made for a good episode.