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Stargate Atlantis #5
Exogenesis
The eye of the beholder…
When Dr. Carson Beckett disturbs the rest of two longdead Ancients, he unleashes devastating consequences of global proportions.
With the very existence of Lantea at risk, Colonel John Sheppard leads his team on a desperate search for the long lost Ancient device that could save Atlantis. While Teyla Emmagan and Dr. Elizabeth Weir battle the ecological meltdown consuming their world, Colonel Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay and Dr. Zelenka travel to a world created by the Ancients themselves. There they discover a human experiment that could mean their salvation…
But the truth is never as simple as it seems, and the team’s prejudices lead them to make a fatal error — an error that could slaughter thousands, including their own Dr. McKay.
EXOGENESIS
“The Ancestors do not want us here, Teyla,” Halling said by way of greeting. “We are being punished.”
Teyla felt compelled to deny his words, and yet he had uttered Ea’s very sentiments. “As children we idealize our parents. It is only when we grow older that we come to understand that they are both fl awed and fallible.”
Halling went to speak, but she motioned for him to let her finish. “That does not diminish our love and respect for them. Indeed, our greater understanding allows us to judge their shortcomings, and our own, less harshly.”
“Then should we no longer aspire to be worthy of them?”
Gently clasping his arm, Teyla looked up into his troubled eyes. “Not all of the Ancestors were as pure in spirit as we once believed. We should aspire to be worthy of those who were. But perhaps more importantly, we should aspire to be worthy of each other.”
Taking a step towards the jumper, she added, “Come. The Daedalus will be arriving soon to evacuate everyone.”
When Halling did not respond, she turned to see him staring bleakly up at the mountains. For his next question, she could provide no answer.
“I wonder how Jinto is faring.”
When Dr. Carson Beckett disturbs the rest of two longdead Ancients, he unleashes devastating consequences of global proportions.
With the very existence of Lantea at risk, Colonel John Sheppard leads his team on a desperate search for the long lost Ancient device that could save Atlantis. While Teyla Emmagan and Dr. Elizabeth Weir battle the ecological meltdown consuming their world, Colonel Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay and Dr. Zelenka travel to a world created by the Ancients themselves. There they discover a human experiment that could mean their salvation…
But the truth is never as simple as it seems, and the team’s prejudices lead them to make a fatal error — an error that could slaughter thousands, including their own Dr. McKay.
EXOGENESIS
“The Ancestors do not want us here, Teyla,” Halling said by way of greeting. “We are being punished.”
Teyla felt compelled to deny his words, and yet he had uttered Ea’s very sentiments. “As children we idealize our parents. It is only when we grow older that we come to understand that they are both fl awed and fallible.”
Halling went to speak, but she motioned for him to let her finish. “That does not diminish our love and respect for them. Indeed, our greater understanding allows us to judge their shortcomings, and our own, less harshly.”
“Then should we no longer aspire to be worthy of them?”
Gently clasping his arm, Teyla looked up into his troubled eyes. “Not all of the Ancestors were as pure in spirit as we once believed. We should aspire to be worthy of those who were. But perhaps more importantly, we should aspire to be worthy of each other.”
Taking a step towards the jumper, she added, “Come. The Daedalus will be arriving soon to evacuate everyone.”
When Halling did not respond, she turned to see him staring bleakly up at the mountains. For his next question, she could provide no answer.
“I wonder how Jinto is faring.”
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2006
26 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 23, 2026
Exogenesis is simply a wonderful book for fans of Stargate Atlantis. The story is huge and layered, with each member of the cast having great moments. There is excitement and drama, loads of action, and fun interactions. Yet Exogenesis retains the human element so prevalent in Stargate Atlantis, in both its humor and its warmth. The characters are pitch-perfect in this big but fast-flowing narrative, each personality exactly as we came to know them through the five seasons — far too few for fans. Also present is the Ancients and the mythology of that. And the Wraith…maybe…
Exogenesis is a sprawling story, with pockets of characters in different locations, working toward a single goal, which is to save Atlantis and another world from a device that comes into play when two Ancients are discovered beneath Atlantis’s new home. In essence, this was like a tremendously well-written entry in the actual series, so big and emotional, so action packed that it surely would have been a two-parter — perhaps even a three episode arc. Because of all it entails, Exogenesis most certainly would have been one of the most remembered story-lines in the series had it been filmed.
Exogenesis is fun and action-packed, but there is tenderness here as well. Rodney’s story-line about love and loss and beauty being in the mind of the beholder — quite literally — is poignant and moving, particularly memorable. You feel like you’ve read more than a series novel based on a television series by the final page of this one; you feel like you’ve read a terrific science fiction adventure, period.
Sonny Whitelaw and Elizabeth Christensen have written something very special in the Stargate Atlantis franchise, a book that is as memorable as it is enjoyable. Big in page count and scope, yet somehow intimate and satisfying. A lovely and nostalgic read which is highly recommended for fans.
Exogenesis is a sprawling story, with pockets of characters in different locations, working toward a single goal, which is to save Atlantis and another world from a device that comes into play when two Ancients are discovered beneath Atlantis’s new home. In essence, this was like a tremendously well-written entry in the actual series, so big and emotional, so action packed that it surely would have been a two-parter — perhaps even a three episode arc. Because of all it entails, Exogenesis most certainly would have been one of the most remembered story-lines in the series had it been filmed.
Exogenesis is fun and action-packed, but there is tenderness here as well. Rodney’s story-line about love and loss and beauty being in the mind of the beholder — quite literally — is poignant and moving, particularly memorable. You feel like you’ve read more than a series novel based on a television series by the final page of this one; you feel like you’ve read a terrific science fiction adventure, period.
Sonny Whitelaw and Elizabeth Christensen have written something very special in the Stargate Atlantis franchise, a book that is as memorable as it is enjoyable. Big in page count and scope, yet somehow intimate and satisfying. A lovely and nostalgic read which is highly recommended for fans.
May 31, 2020
Wow. I swear, some of these Atlantis and SG-1 novels should be made into movies. What a shame they can't be. Fantastic story!!
December 5, 2020
This would have made an excellent mid-season two-parter.
August 2, 2011
Absolutely fantastic. IMHO, the best of the Atlantis novels yet. All of the major characters got a fair amount of story time. I wouldn't call it a huge "team" story insomuch as they had separate plots going on, but none of the characters felt neglected. Even Teyla and Weir got decent storylines! The characterization was fantastic. Rodney had a nice, emotional story that really provided great development for him. And the storyline between Sheppard and Weir is fantastic, in a somewhat angsty, angry way. ;) Of course, the marine biology geek in me had a field day - all the descriptions of the ocean under Atlantis were all fantastic! A great all-around story, not to be missed by Atlantis fans.
October 8, 2017
This is one of the best Stargate Atlantis tie in novels so far! Each character, from Weir to Zelenka to Caldwell to Hermiod, had something and was involved in saving Atlantis. Each of the main team had challenges to face throughout, though I think Sheppard and Rodney’s own plots hit the hardest. Everybody was involved and they all felt very real to their television counterparts.
I did find the actual plot a bit difficult to follow during the novel, especially the importance of the caustic red sand, though it is all explained before the end.
I did find the actual plot a bit difficult to follow during the novel, especially the importance of the caustic red sand, though it is all explained before the end.
December 4, 2019
This is one of the best books in the Stargate Atlantis tie-in series.
There is a lot of action going on in this book. The exogenesis machine causes a process of rapid terraforming that was never meant to take place on an already habitable world. Lantea’s atmosphere becomes increasingly volatile as earthquakes cause tsunamis and hurricanes rip apart the mainland. Plus, there are nanites. But despite all of that, this is a character-driven story.
I loved how this was a full cast story. Nearly every character was challenged in some way fundamental to who they are. John faced the prospect of losing his wings; Rodney was forced to let down his emotional barriers; Teyla had to choose between the lives of her people and Atlantis; and Zelenka had to become the leader. Every character had something desperately important to accomplish, not just Sheppard’s team, but Lorne, Zelenka, Carson, Elizabeth, Halling, and Caldwell too. The characters all came alive in this book, and that’s quite an accomplishment given how many characters traded center stage.
There is a lot of action going on in this book. The exogenesis machine causes a process of rapid terraforming that was never meant to take place on an already habitable world. Lantea’s atmosphere becomes increasingly volatile as earthquakes cause tsunamis and hurricanes rip apart the mainland. Plus, there are nanites. But despite all of that, this is a character-driven story.
I loved how this was a full cast story. Nearly every character was challenged in some way fundamental to who they are. John faced the prospect of losing his wings; Rodney was forced to let down his emotional barriers; Teyla had to choose between the lives of her people and Atlantis; and Zelenka had to become the leader. Every character had something desperately important to accomplish, not just Sheppard’s team, but Lorne, Zelenka, Carson, Elizabeth, Halling, and Caldwell too. The characters all came alive in this book, and that’s quite an accomplishment given how many characters traded center stage.
January 15, 2023
This is by far the best book in the series so far. As a fan of the show I would have enjoyed seeing this story told as a two part episode.
Even though we all know that the characters would be back to normal at the end of the story the stakes where still high enough to elicit worry about them from me whilst reading this book. Which is high praise in my book.
Would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of the show.
Even though we all know that the characters would be back to normal at the end of the story the stakes where still high enough to elicit worry about them from me whilst reading this book. Which is high praise in my book.
Would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of the show.
April 24, 2018
Great Story
The first chapter was a bit of a challenge to get past, but after that, the story turns into an excellent page-turner I couldn’t put down. In many instances, I couldn’t see how they were going to get out of this one intact with everyone alive. Loved it. Best so far.
The first chapter was a bit of a challenge to get past, but after that, the story turns into an excellent page-turner I couldn’t put down. In many instances, I couldn’t see how they were going to get out of this one intact with everyone alive. Loved it. Best so far.
February 22, 2022
I have the same problem with this as I did with Chosen (also written by Whitelaw and Christensen) where every chapter ended in a cliffhanger and it got really annoying after a while. Although, I will say it was more acceptable in this book because of the intense stakes.
I didn't really understand the reasoning behind the Exogenesis machine and why it was activated and how it turned catastrophic but seeing a bunch of nature-related disasters was really interesting. The off-world stuff wasn't as interesting until the last 40% where it got REALLY interesting.
Rodney and John really broke my heart in this book. They both had some really emotional moments and it was written really well. I also loved how Ronon and Teyla were really team focused as well, it really showed how the team is family. I think every characterization was done amazingly well, even the minor characters.
The only other downside (apart from the constant cliffhangers) was the dues ex machina. Lantea was literally seconds from being destroyed and then everything is turned back to normal, it was too convenient even if the characters were really great.
Still loving the SGA novels and can't wait to continue.
I didn't really understand the reasoning behind the Exogenesis machine and why it was activated and how it turned catastrophic but seeing a bunch of nature-related disasters was really interesting. The off-world stuff wasn't as interesting until the last 40% where it got REALLY interesting.
Rodney and John really broke my heart in this book. They both had some really emotional moments and it was written really well. I also loved how Ronon and Teyla were really team focused as well, it really showed how the team is family. I think every characterization was done amazingly well, even the minor characters.
The only other downside (apart from the constant cliffhangers) was the dues ex machina. Lantea was literally seconds from being destroyed and then everything is turned back to normal, it was too convenient even if the characters were really great.
Still loving the SGA novels and can't wait to continue.
June 23, 2021
This was a solid adventure read, which would have made a good episode. A story about bigotry and love. Though, I could have done without the whole . Still, that wasn't annoying enough to lose the book a star.
August 8, 2018
Loved the mix of characters and the new world! (Please see extended review of this series under my "read" book, Stargate Atlantis #2, Reliquary.)
February 13, 2020
Yas! Too good, just far too good for words!
September 4, 2021
fun story
April 13, 2023
There is a lot going on here
January 27, 2024
A lot better than the previous one The Authors did , Nice storyline , nothing to advanced
September 12, 2025
HIGH PEAK HAD SO MUCH FUN
The characters were so well written!!!
great storyline too!!!
The characters were so well written!!!
great storyline too!!!
August 18, 2013
Mám len jedno slovo, wow! Ako sa mi náhodným výberom z tých 20 kníh podarilo siahnuť na tú najlepšiu? Teraz sa bojím toho, že pri ďalších už budem len sklamaná.
Príbeh bol úplne šialený a nič nebolo také, ako sa na začiatku zdalo a určite by z toho bola skvelá epizóda. Aj keď vymysleli plán, tak sa samozrejme niečo pokazilo a za pochodu museli prísť na niečo iné a tak dookola. Ku koncu som už vôbec nemohla knihu odložiť z rúk, nevedela som si predstaviť, ako sa z takej šlamastiky dostanú (aby to zároveň sedelo dejovo, keďže dej sa odohráva v 2. sérii).
Postavy boli dobre vystihnuté, pretože rovnako ako v seriáli ma najmenej zaujímala Teyla a najviac McKay a Sheppard. Aj keď priznávam, že McKayova línia bola miestami úplne bláznivá a ku koncu aj trochu out of character. Ale inak sa všetci podobali na svoje seriálové ja, či už správaním a aj skvelými výrokmi. Som nadšená, že sa objavili aj ďalšie postavy, Elizabeth, Carson, Lorne, Caldwell, Hermiod a hlavne Zelenka. Páči sa mi, že autori si dali tú námahu a (podľa poznámky) poprosili Davida Nykla, aby im preložil pár Zelenkových hlášok do češtiny.
Celkovo mala kniha skvelú atmosféru, čítala sa ako epizóda seriálu, veľakrát som sa nahlas rozosmiala na ich hláškach a väčšinu času som si želala čítať aspoň 100x rýchlejšie.
A pár hlášok, ktoré som si spomenula poznačiť:
Príbeh bol úplne šialený a nič nebolo také, ako sa na začiatku zdalo a určite by z toho bola skvelá epizóda. Aj keď vymysleli plán, tak sa samozrejme niečo pokazilo a za pochodu museli prísť na niečo iné a tak dookola. Ku koncu som už vôbec nemohla knihu odložiť z rúk, nevedela som si predstaviť, ako sa z takej šlamastiky dostanú (aby to zároveň sedelo dejovo, keďže dej sa odohráva v 2. sérii).
Postavy boli dobre vystihnuté, pretože rovnako ako v seriáli ma najmenej zaujímala Teyla a najviac McKay a Sheppard. Aj keď priznávam, že McKayova línia bola miestami úplne bláznivá a ku koncu aj trochu out of character. Ale inak sa všetci podobali na svoje seriálové ja, či už správaním a aj skvelými výrokmi. Som nadšená, že sa objavili aj ďalšie postavy, Elizabeth, Carson, Lorne, Caldwell, Hermiod a hlavne Zelenka. Páči sa mi, že autori si dali tú námahu a (podľa poznámky) poprosili Davida Nykla, aby im preložil pár Zelenkových hlášok do češtiny.
Celkovo mala kniha skvelú atmosféru, čítala sa ako epizóda seriálu, veľakrát som sa nahlas rozosmiala na ich hláškach a väčšinu času som si želala čítať aspoň 100x rýchlejšie.
A pár hlášok, ktoré som si spomenula poznačiť:
Caldwell arched an eyebrow. "What if we attempt to blow up the machine?" "And here we go again with the standard military solution to every problem." Rodney's bearing clearly demonstrated his impatience with the Daedalus's commander.
Studying the map for a moment, Radek nodded, satisfied. "Jo. Dobře. This will work."
At last, Radek had had enough. "Ticho, debilove! Quiet! No wonder Rodney rails at you so!"
Feeling a little more secure, he [Sheppard] commented, "You need to teach me those sometime. I've already learned all the Earth curse words I can from the rest of the expedition."
July 19, 2009
Wow, what a great book. I mean it. Exactly what I missed in the latest two tie-ins (#10 and #11) - there was team adventure and friendship, not just nonsensical action and things going boom. I loved that not just the team - John, Rodney, Ronon and Teyla - had something to do, but also Elizabeth, Zelenka, Lorne, Carson, Caldwell and Halling. Saving Atlantis was a real team effort. I admit that the solution had a bit of a "deus ex machina" feel to it, but they did mostly use techniques applied in various SG-1 and SGA episodes and that was pretty neat. I would love to read more books written by these two authors! I enjoy their portrayal of our favorite heroes.
July 27, 2011
Exogenesis was a fantastic novel, definitely the best so far. The characterisations and dialogue were perfect for the characters as you would expect them to be on television. The storyline was something new and really tested the characters and added a lot more depth to the established cannon regarding The Ancients. The main focus of the book is on Doctor Carson Beckett and Doctor Rodney MacKay, the latter being the main focus towards the end. Their character development was very well handled throughout. I highly recommend this to any Stargate fans.
Read
July 9, 2012This is one of the better TV tie-in books I've read. The plot was nice and meaty, with several twists that changed the landscape of the story significantly when they occurred, and the stakes were high enough that I found myself seriously wondering how they could possibly get the situation back to the tie-in-mandated status quo. The Atlantis characters were all written well - no one felt OOC in any major way, and they captured things like Sheppard's understated snark or Rodney and Zelenka's bickering very nicely.
March 30, 2013
Finally got this one on e-book since it is out of print. Now I know why it is out of print, it is terrible. Poor, stiff characterizations. Bad plot. I kept reading only because I wanted to know what magic rabbit they were going to pull out of their butts to save themselves. I was rewarded for sticking it out to the end with a terrible "romance" involving McKay! Ugh. Awful. There was some interesting stuff and some interesting ideas. But how many times can Sheppard get in trouble for disobeying orders? Read it if your SGA withdrawal is great, but know that this one isn't very good.
September 21, 2007
The characterization of Rodney McKay was by no means identical to the show, however he did not act ooc. He didn't trade in his laptop for a P90, suddenly obey every order given or have lunch with Dr. Kavanagh. Sonny Whitelaw took an established character and expanded on what we know. She showed a more vulnerable side to Dr. McKay, one that TPTB haven't fully explored in canon. Personally, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of the show.
January 5, 2009
Summary: Armed with Good Intentions and blinded by prejudice the team almost cause ecological disaster and genocide. Dr McKay learns that love really is blind, or something -- romantic drivel, you wouldn't like it.//
The most interesting thing about this book is that it is now out of print and is currently selling for between £80 and £100, but is it worth it? This reader doesn't think so, though it was a quite nicely paced bath time read.
The most interesting thing about this book is that it is now out of print and is currently selling for between £80 and £100, but is it worth it? This reader doesn't think so, though it was a quite nicely paced bath time read.
August 2, 2007
I usually enjoy books based on my favorite scifi series, but not this one. The story wasn't bad, but the characterization of Rodney McKay was so poor it was as if the writer had never seen the show. Bad characterization is a huge turn off.
July 11, 2013
After a slow beginning , the plot finally took off in the middle of the book. Nothing much to say. It was ok but I was never really drawn in. Though it provided some insight on Rodney and how he slowly matures throughout the ordeals.
August 10, 2013
Atlantis is threatened by an Ancient device. The only hope is another planet with more Ancient devices. This is a clever story and quite a big event story. It feels like a 2 parter for TV. All characters shine here, with perhaps Carson and Beckett being spotlighted more. A good read.
July 6, 2014
An Ancient device threatens to destroy the entire planet Atlantis is located on, prompting a race against time to save both the city and the Athosian population on the mainland... Another good read for SGA fans.
November 25, 2008
Would not recommend. I did not feel any of the characters were done realistically and the plot, well, less said, better.
June 7, 2011
very entertaining. the authors have the characters down perfectly.
April 6, 2016
A very cool SGA story. The characters were well written, and there was a great deal of action, suspense, and character development.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews