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Stargate SG-1 #1
Trial by Fire
On a hidden world...
Tyros – an ancient society teetering on the brink of war. A pious people, the Tyreans are devoted to the Canaanite deity, Meleq. When their spiritual leader is savagely murdered during a mission of peace, they beg SG-1 for help against their sworn enemies, the Phrygians.
Initially reluctant to get involved, the team have no choice when Colonel Jack O’Neill is abducted. O’Neill soon discovers his only hope of escape is to join the ruthless Phrygians – if he can survive their barbaric initiation rite.
As Dr Daniel Jackson, Major Samantha Carter and Teal’c race to his rescue, they find themselves embroiled in a war of shifting allegiances, where truth has many shades and nothing is as it seems.
And, unbeknownst to them all, an old enemy is hiding in the shadows…
Tyros – an ancient society teetering on the brink of war. A pious people, the Tyreans are devoted to the Canaanite deity, Meleq. When their spiritual leader is savagely murdered during a mission of peace, they beg SG-1 for help against their sworn enemies, the Phrygians.
Initially reluctant to get involved, the team have no choice when Colonel Jack O’Neill is abducted. O’Neill soon discovers his only hope of escape is to join the ruthless Phrygians – if he can survive their barbaric initiation rite.
As Dr Daniel Jackson, Major Samantha Carter and Teal’c race to his rescue, they find themselves embroiled in a war of shifting allegiances, where truth has many shades and nothing is as it seems.
And, unbeknownst to them all, an old enemy is hiding in the shadows…
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2004
107 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
January 3, 2017
An archaeological discovery on Earth leads the SG-1 team to a new planet in Sabine C. Bauer’s Trial by Fire. This novel is set in the Stargate universe. Colonel Jack O’Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Major Samantha Carter, and Teal’c become drawn into a conflict between the Tyreans and the Phrygians, especially when O’Neill and their archaeologist guest are kidnapped. The sarcasm found throughout the novel was entertaining. As someone who has studied ancient cultures, I loved seeing the rites of Mithras as well as all the Latin. O’Neill’s growth is particularly poignant, especially as he confronts what happened to him by the Goa’uld Ba’al. The downside to this novel was the rapidly changing point of views, which sometimes left me confused by who was telling the story at any particular moment. That said, I did enjoy Trial by Fire by Sabine C. Bauer and feel that Stargate SG-1 fans will enjoy reading about some of our favorite characters.
September 21, 2007
The plot didn't catch my attention, even the attempt at post-Ba'al torture angst. 'A Matter of Honor' did a better job expanding on that element. The only reason I even remember this novel is Jack's brief inner scolding: "Don't think about Carter's anatomy!"
January 16, 2016
The story was alright, but mostly, I took issue with the storytelling itself.
First, the way the story was written made it hard to follow. The writer kept switching perspectives within the same chapter, and it wasn't always clear which character was 'narrating'. The writer also had a tendency to skip forward a bit and then backtrack in order to fill in the blanks. This is annoying, especially when used constantly.
Secondly, I found out only after I started reading this book that the series was published in the U.K., and it soon became very apparent that the author herself is British. Call me an arrogant American, but I prefer published works (i.e., books or fan fictions) about an American show to actually feel as if they've been written by an American (even if they actually aren't).
And finally, as many others have already pointed out, Professor Kelly was a rather unnecessary, not to mention annoying, character whose only purpose seemed to be to act superior to everyone else while calling them 'Duckie'.
Bottom line: I'm done with this book series, and would not recommend this book to anyone in this galaxy.
First, the way the story was written made it hard to follow. The writer kept switching perspectives within the same chapter, and it wasn't always clear which character was 'narrating'. The writer also had a tendency to skip forward a bit and then backtrack in order to fill in the blanks. This is annoying, especially when used constantly.
Secondly, I found out only after I started reading this book that the series was published in the U.K., and it soon became very apparent that the author herself is British. Call me an arrogant American, but I prefer published works (i.e., books or fan fictions) about an American show to actually feel as if they've been written by an American (even if they actually aren't).
And finally, as many others have already pointed out, Professor Kelly was a rather unnecessary, not to mention annoying, character whose only purpose seemed to be to act superior to everyone else while calling them 'Duckie'.
Bottom line: I'm done with this book series, and would not recommend this book to anyone in this galaxy.
June 6, 2015
A fun read that doesn't take itself too seriously, just like the TV series.
Great sense of humor, I really dug the sarcastic writing style. The problem was that all characters sounded alike, there was not much distinction in narrative voice. Which led to me being sometimes confused in whose POV I was when starting a scene - it didn't help that most of the time it took the author several paragraphs, sometimes a page or two to name the POV character. Better editing would have eliminated the constant "he" that starts almost all scenes. Why not start with a name to keep me oriented?
Apart from that, nice storyline with lots of turns (none too surprising), I could brush up my Latin and there where some priceless Hammond moments.
I could've done without Dr. Kelly. She was a nuisance and did nothing to further the plot, she wasn't even a help in finding out what was going on. While being cynical and using a lot of British slang, I wouldn't have missed her at all.
Despite my criticism I was very well entertained and found myself chuckling throughout the whole book. And I really liked the peek into the head of O'Neill after his encounter with Baal.
Great sense of humor, I really dug the sarcastic writing style. The problem was that all characters sounded alike, there was not much distinction in narrative voice. Which led to me being sometimes confused in whose POV I was when starting a scene - it didn't help that most of the time it took the author several paragraphs, sometimes a page or two to name the POV character. Better editing would have eliminated the constant "he" that starts almost all scenes. Why not start with a name to keep me oriented?
Apart from that, nice storyline with lots of turns (none too surprising), I could brush up my Latin and there where some priceless Hammond moments.
I could've done without Dr. Kelly. She was a nuisance and did nothing to further the plot, she wasn't even a help in finding out what was going on. While being cynical and using a lot of British slang, I wouldn't have missed her at all.
Despite my criticism I was very well entertained and found myself chuckling throughout the whole book. And I really liked the peek into the head of O'Neill after his encounter with Baal.
July 18, 2015
Set shortly after Daniel returns from ascension for the first time, the book never quite finds the right tone. The team is accompanied by a rather annoying, although sometimes funny, older archaeologist Dr. Kelly. Her antics/smart mouth are a poor attempt to lighten the mood of some fairly dark topics, including Jack and the aftermath of his capture/torture by Ba'al. Unfortunately, Jack is the most out-of-character, sharing his emotional traumas with strangers for starters while doubting his team. The other team members are off their game as well, although I suppose that was by design, as the author was trying to show a team struggling to find itself again, but it didn't quite work for me.
On the plus side, there are some interesting "thoughts" from both Sam and Jack. My favorite being Sam regretting missing Jack running around in just his boxers. Which is about as much as cannon permits given the timeframe of the story and their complicated relationship.
On the plus side, there are some interesting "thoughts" from both Sam and Jack. My favorite being Sam regretting missing Jack running around in just his boxers. Which is about as much as cannon permits given the timeframe of the story and their complicated relationship.
January 15, 2024
Hmm. I was so excited to start reading these books but I couldn't get into this one.
The writing uses a lot of unusual words in place of simpler ones which is taxing to read and actually muddies the clarity of the plot and the action. It comes off as trying to impress. It's also full of archeological details that made the story drag on and on.
Also the plot was just plain boring (and also unexpectedly gory). I thought it was because I couldn't follow it but according to other reviewers, it's boring even when you can follow it. As far as I can tell, they find a gate address and they take along some professor who has no purpose whatsoever.
So yeah, moving on.
The writing uses a lot of unusual words in place of simpler ones which is taxing to read and actually muddies the clarity of the plot and the action. It comes off as trying to impress. It's also full of archeological details that made the story drag on and on.
Also the plot was just plain boring (and also unexpectedly gory). I thought it was because I couldn't follow it but according to other reviewers, it's boring even when you can follow it. As far as I can tell, they find a gate address and they take along some professor who has no purpose whatsoever.
So yeah, moving on.
May 29, 2020
I had previously read the Ashley McConnell books and very much enjoyed them, so I thought I would give the Fandemonium ones a go! I think, judging from the reviews, this is a bit of a marmite book - you either love it or hate it! I must admit I really did enjoy the humour in the book, and loved the additional character of Siobhan Kelly, which I thought really antagonised O'Neill's character. The story was a bit slow, and I imagine this would struggle to fit into an hour long episode, so my attention did wain at times.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, however, I don't think all Stargate fans will, it might be best to start with another in the Fandemonium series.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, however, I don't think all Stargate fans will, it might be best to start with another in the Fandemonium series.
December 18, 2019
The story wasn't interesting, the characterization was not good and all the characters sounded the same. The writer kept switching perspectives within the same chapter, and it wasn't clear which character was speaking at any given time. Professor Kelly was also an annoying and unnecessary character. The only reason I kept reading this book was because the story was taking place in the Stargate universe with characters I know and love.
July 2, 2012
Pretty boring, unfortunately. And the original character was ridiculously irritating.
December 29, 2025
"Ever since she seemed convinced that Howlin' Mad Murdock had morphed into B.A. Barracus..."
- Jack O'Neill
Stargate SG-1: Trial By Fire is the first in the Stargate franchise's new novel line, and with the reputation of the movie and the show, it has a lot to live up to. So, can it hold its own in the eyes of demanding fans? Let's find out.Prelude
Writing:
For the most part, I liked the writing. The style makes for a fast-paced read and creates a strong connection between the characters and the reader. For me, the first part of the book establishes that Bauer knows the series well and has a great grasp on the characters. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, that same connection and writing style can make for an erratic read later on. As I read along, I found that Bauer had difficulty separating the characters' inner dialogue from the author's narrative. There were too many instances where she blurred the line between what the characters expressed and what the author was telling the reader. And on occasion, the writing became downright silly when characters seemed to know exactly what others were thinking. Although I enjoyed the way Bauer speaks to the reader in a light and fun manner, I found that certain scenes demanded a more distant reflection of the characters and their story—rather than a narrative so closely tied to the characters that it became difficult to separate the narrative from their inner thoughts.
Characters:
As mentioned by many reviewers here, the main thorn in a reader's side has to be the team newbie, Dr. Kelly, who is—without a doubt—the worst aspect of the book. And everyone is right: she is annoying. Worse yet, she has nothing to offer the tale outside of being able to translate another language (one I'm sure Daniel could have handled with little effort). She is brought onto the team for her knowledge of the far-off planet's inhabitants, yet does little research once there and has no real part in solving the bigger problem the team faces. All in all, she has no genuine purpose on the team other than to call everyone "Duckie," and in the end, she takes away most of Daniel's reasons for being there, making his character feel unnecessary throughout the book. As for the rest of the team, everyone is pretty much what you would expect them to be (outside of Daniel, thanks to Kelly) and acts in line with their strengths established by the show. I did find it odd, however, that the team allowed Teal'c to take on the persona of a god's servant—or "spirit," as he's called throughout the book—given that the team usually frowns upon such roles for fear of becoming idols themselves.
Story:
The best way to describe the story without giving it away is to point out an episode it closely resembles. The book has shades of "The Broca Divide," and the people of the Light in that episode closely resemble one of the groups here. Overall, the book has little in the way of action, though there are a few decent battle scenes. For me, though, it was hardly action-packed. The story itself is decent—predictable in spots, but decent. Most of the book, however, feels like filler: lots and lots of filler.
Conclusion:
After reading the book, I walked away with little more than I had going into it. The characters were well described but offered no deeper insight than what we already get from the TV series, and the story was far from an epic tale—it stayed pretty close to the established mold of fighting a moral battle against an evil being that enslaves the innocent. Given that the book's timeline is set during the season 6-7 era, I would have liked a more outside-the-box tale. Now that I've read it, I'm surprised just how much it felt like a season 1 or 2 story. Not a horrible book, but in my opinion, it wasn't anywhere near exceptional.
3 Stars
- Jack O'Neill
Stargate SG-1: Trial By Fire is the first in the Stargate franchise's new novel line, and with the reputation of the movie and the show, it has a lot to live up to. So, can it hold its own in the eyes of demanding fans? Let's find out.Prelude
Writing:
For the most part, I liked the writing. The style makes for a fast-paced read and creates a strong connection between the characters and the reader. For me, the first part of the book establishes that Bauer knows the series well and has a great grasp on the characters. Unfortunately, as the book progresses, that same connection and writing style can make for an erratic read later on. As I read along, I found that Bauer had difficulty separating the characters' inner dialogue from the author's narrative. There were too many instances where she blurred the line between what the characters expressed and what the author was telling the reader. And on occasion, the writing became downright silly when characters seemed to know exactly what others were thinking. Although I enjoyed the way Bauer speaks to the reader in a light and fun manner, I found that certain scenes demanded a more distant reflection of the characters and their story—rather than a narrative so closely tied to the characters that it became difficult to separate the narrative from their inner thoughts.
Characters:
As mentioned by many reviewers here, the main thorn in a reader's side has to be the team newbie, Dr. Kelly, who is—without a doubt—the worst aspect of the book. And everyone is right: she is annoying. Worse yet, she has nothing to offer the tale outside of being able to translate another language (one I'm sure Daniel could have handled with little effort). She is brought onto the team for her knowledge of the far-off planet's inhabitants, yet does little research once there and has no real part in solving the bigger problem the team faces. All in all, she has no genuine purpose on the team other than to call everyone "Duckie," and in the end, she takes away most of Daniel's reasons for being there, making his character feel unnecessary throughout the book. As for the rest of the team, everyone is pretty much what you would expect them to be (outside of Daniel, thanks to Kelly) and acts in line with their strengths established by the show. I did find it odd, however, that the team allowed Teal'c to take on the persona of a god's servant—or "spirit," as he's called throughout the book—given that the team usually frowns upon such roles for fear of becoming idols themselves.
Story:
The best way to describe the story without giving it away is to point out an episode it closely resembles. The book has shades of "The Broca Divide," and the people of the Light in that episode closely resemble one of the groups here. Overall, the book has little in the way of action, though there are a few decent battle scenes. For me, though, it was hardly action-packed. The story itself is decent—predictable in spots, but decent. Most of the book, however, feels like filler: lots and lots of filler.
Conclusion:
After reading the book, I walked away with little more than I had going into it. The characters were well described but offered no deeper insight than what we already get from the TV series, and the story was far from an epic tale—it stayed pretty close to the established mold of fighting a moral battle against an evil being that enslaves the innocent. Given that the book's timeline is set during the season 6-7 era, I would have liked a more outside-the-box tale. Now that I've read it, I'm surprised just how much it felt like a season 1 or 2 story. Not a horrible book, but in my opinion, it wasn't anywhere near exceptional.
3 Stars
August 27, 2019
I just want to know why people like to baby Jack's feelings and make him so much more angsty than he ever was in the show. I see it a lot in fanfiction with lots of characters from upbeat shows, and it just doesn't fit.
The show has serious stories, too, but they don't feel like they were written by juvenile fanfic authors who think that a character's every other waking thought is brought back to the suspected inner turmoil of another character, distracting them from the events at hand. That kind of thing is from fanfics that just want to psychoanalyze characters in such a way that it feels like the author projecting their fantasies onto them.
Anyway, as far as the actual story goes... It's pretty boring. I usually like it when the team interacts with ancient cultures (suspension of disbelief being high usually), but this felt so detached from the actual Stargate universe because the relevance of it wasn't even clear to the characters until the very end. Not that I'm expecting any book in this series to have any implication on the actual story, but it still felt utterly pointless by the end and just an excuse to place the team in an ancient Roman world just.. because.
Since I assume that the relevance of these stories to the characters is supposed to come from how they impact the characters on a personal level instead, I just hope that the next books in the series don't cause the characters to appear out of character, because then the whole thing will feel completely fake.
Finally, the original character in this story was awful. Well and truly.
2.5/5
The show has serious stories, too, but they don't feel like they were written by juvenile fanfic authors who think that a character's every other waking thought is brought back to the suspected inner turmoil of another character, distracting them from the events at hand. That kind of thing is from fanfics that just want to psychoanalyze characters in such a way that it feels like the author projecting their fantasies onto them.
Anyway, as far as the actual story goes... It's pretty boring. I usually like it when the team interacts with ancient cultures (suspension of disbelief being high usually), but this felt so detached from the actual Stargate universe because the relevance of it wasn't even clear to the characters until the very end. Not that I'm expecting any book in this series to have any implication on the actual story, but it still felt utterly pointless by the end and just an excuse to place the team in an ancient Roman world just.. because.
Since I assume that the relevance of these stories to the characters is supposed to come from how they impact the characters on a personal level instead, I just hope that the next books in the series don't cause the characters to appear out of character, because then the whole thing will feel completely fake.
Finally, the original character in this story was awful. Well and truly.
2.5/5
February 19, 2025
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
July 1, 2020
A mediocre episode of a show only lasts 44 minutes. A mediocre episode as a book...much longer. This was a rough starter to dive into the Stargate novels. The episode specific characters were awful and annoying, while the show regulars felt even flatter than their tv counterparts. The story itself was up there with a number of rather forgettable one off episodes (to be expected when the book cant really progress anything and still fit into the show's timeline). As well a bit of the dialogue felt rather dated, even for the time the book was written. Not entirely impressive, so I would probably recommend starting elsewhere in the series, only reading this one if you are a bit of a completionist. I will have to see how the rest of the books stack up.
November 25, 2020
休暇の日、ダニエルは遺跡発掘に出かけるのですが、そこでスターゲイトのアドレスを示す記号を一つ見つけ、基地に報告をします。フェノキア人の遺跡で見つけたその記号。他の遺跡を探せばまだ見つかるかもしれない。そこでダニエルは将軍にフェノキア人やローマ人の遺跡発掘の権威であるケリー教授(女性)に相談することを提案します。ケリー教授はイギリス人。民間人で、しかも他国人である人間を最高機密に近づけることに将軍は懸念を示しますが、最終的には許可します。
ダニエルがケリーに訊ねたことで記号が揃い、SG1はケリーと共に、そのアドレスに飛んでみることにします。
フェノキア人の流れを汲む、そこの人々はとても平和で豊かそうな営みをしているのですが、敵対する部族がいることが明らかになります。さらに、メレクという神を信奉しているのですが、儀式の日に子供達を数人、神の従者として捧げる習慣があることがわかります。そして、どうもゴアウルドが絡んでいるようだと訝しむオニール。
確認しようと儀式で連れて行かれる子供達の後を追いますが、そこにケリーがついてきてしまいます。さらに、敵部族が襲ってきて、子供達が連れて行かれてしまい、その時、オニールとケリーもつかまってしまいます。カーターとダニエルとティルクはオニールとケリーを取り戻そうと奔走するのですが……
※ダニエルが高みから戻ってきた直後あたりの物語。シーズン7あたりに該当する物語ですね。オニールがバールに拷問を受けていた時のことも絡んできます。二人の友情再確認要素もあり。
ダニエルがケリーに訊ねたことで記号が揃い、SG1はケリーと共に、そのアドレスに飛んでみることにします。
フェノキア人の流れを汲む、そこの人々はとても平和で豊かそうな営みをしているのですが、敵対する部族がいることが明らかになります。さらに、メレクという神を信奉しているのですが、儀式の日に子供達を数人、神の従者として捧げる習慣があることがわかります。そして、どうもゴアウルドが絡んでいるようだと訝しむオニール。
確認しようと儀式で連れて行かれる子供達の後を追いますが、そこにケリーがついてきてしまいます。さらに、敵部族が襲ってきて、子供達が連れて行かれてしまい、その時、オニールとケリーもつかまってしまいます。カーターとダニエルとティルクはオニールとケリーを取り戻そうと奔走するのですが……
※ダニエルが高みから戻ってきた直後あたりの物語。シーズン7あたりに該当する物語ですね。オニールがバールに拷問を受けていた時のことも絡んできます。二人の友情再確認要素もあり。
November 25, 2022
Poorly written and confusing at times.
This is the first Stargate book I’ve had to slog through to finish. I only finished it because I don’t like leaving books unfinished. It kept switching between American and British spellings and phrases. I understand the author was trying to distinguish between characters, but it was annoying on top of all the switching between perspectives. It was difficult to figure out who what was going on at times. One character was totally unnecessary. Also, the SG-1 characters were a bit “off” from how they normally acted. Glad to be done with it!
This is the first Stargate book I’ve had to slog through to finish. I only finished it because I don’t like leaving books unfinished. It kept switching between American and British spellings and phrases. I understand the author was trying to distinguish between characters, but it was annoying on top of all the switching between perspectives. It was difficult to figure out who what was going on at times. One character was totally unnecessary. Also, the SG-1 characters were a bit “off” from how they normally acted. Glad to be done with it!
June 28, 2018
This was indeed a struggle to finish. Throughout the whole story, the author never really got any of the characters right. Frequently, the story went off on a literary tangent that did not make sense, and certainly did not fit with the story or any plot development. Being set post Ba'al capture, this really had rather poor torture/recovery narrative, with dismal character development. And being within the Stargate universe, I expected a read that was closer to the actual tv created universe, not original created characters with SG-1 name's plastered onto them. This one was disappointing.
December 3, 2019
The best part of this book is the plot twist with Ba’al. Unfortunately, it’s crammed into the end of the novel and rushed through. This author takes Stargate stories to very dark places. In this case, it’s child sacrifice. That could have been an interesting aspect of ancient civilizations to discuss, but it is also mostly an afterthought.
The focus of the novel is Jack’s emotional state after his torture by Ba’al. I appreciate what the author is trying to do here. There must be some emotional consequences with everything SG-1 goes through, but at the end of the day, the characters had to bounce back for the next episode of space adventures. By giving pages to the consequences, the characters have a chance to process their trauma and take readers along on that journey. I’m not sure there are enough pages in this book, though, to really work through all the trauma Jack O’Neill has suffered.
The focus of the novel is Jack’s emotional state after his torture by Ba’al. I appreciate what the author is trying to do here. There must be some emotional consequences with everything SG-1 goes through, but at the end of the day, the characters had to bounce back for the next episode of space adventures. By giving pages to the consequences, the characters have a chance to process their trauma and take readers along on that journey. I’m not sure there are enough pages in this book, though, to really work through all the trauma Jack O’Neill has suffered.
October 13, 2024
Got pretty close to dnf'ing this one a few times and more or less skimmed over the last quarter. Found the story and the planet a little boring and the original character really was just super annoying. Also the writing style didn't really work for me (so much sarcasm and a lot of jumping between perspectives). I did appreciate that the book is trying to tackle the events from Abyss and I liked the short conversation Jack and Daniel have about it. But all in all, this is one of my least favourites of the Stargate novels I've read so far.
April 3, 2018
Having only seen the original movie years ago I thought picking up the first book written around the TV show would be a good start. While not a bad tale it's not great and if like myself you've never seen the show it leaves you at a bit of a loss. Who's who, what's what..... All a mystery to me. Suppose I'll have to sit through a few episodes at least to find out what's happened since the movie ended and it moved to television.
August 30, 2018
Eh, 2.5 stars. The character voices were pretty good, and I appreciated Jack dealing with “Abyss” stuff, but Professor Kelly was annoying af, she was around (and the POV character!) way too much, and the team was split up for the majority of the book, not to mention I found some of the action scenes to be a little confusingly written. I love the SG-1 team enough to finish, but this wasn’t a fave.
July 18, 2025
1.5*
Well, it was a book.
The plot itself was good, but the internal and external dialog made me think that the author hadn't actually watched the series at times. At other times, you couldn't get more references into one sentence if you tried.... I actually skipped 75 pages in the middle and still knew exactly what was happening.
Also, in 2004 (when the book was written), I am 100% sure that the "r" word was already frowned upon, so why use it?!
Well, it was a book.
The plot itself was good, but the internal and external dialog made me think that the author hadn't actually watched the series at times. At other times, you couldn't get more references into one sentence if you tried.... I actually skipped 75 pages in the middle and still knew exactly what was happening.
Also, in 2004 (when the book was written), I am 100% sure that the "r" word was already frowned upon, so why use it?!
August 15, 2017
I’ve been missing Stargate of late, so I figured I’d tackle my rather large collection of tie-ins.
This one was only ‘meh’ for me. The story was ok, the characters were barely ok and the witty tone was over-done. Frankly, this just didn’t hit me right. Not an auspicious start to the tie-in series for me. I hope they get better- I have a lot of these.
This one was only ‘meh’ for me. The story was ok, the characters were barely ok and the witty tone was over-done. Frankly, this just didn’t hit me right. Not an auspicious start to the tie-in series for me. I hope they get better- I have a lot of these.
December 5, 2022
eh one of the weaker stargate books the beginning was intriguing but it became a slog at the end. Main enemy does not even show up to the last 50 pages or so and their presence takes up less then a full page of content. Very much a mystery without the intrigue. We know what it is the whole time but the author treats it like we do not.
March 27, 2025
Bauer Jacks #1
Stargate SG:1 #1
First book in the Stargate book series starts out interesting enough and has some good moments, but there is a character who is a right old bat and very annoying and just diminishes the story for the reader, it is in no way amusing or entertaining, and you want to give the old bat a smack in the chops!
Stargate SG:1 #1
First book in the Stargate book series starts out interesting enough and has some good moments, but there is a character who is a right old bat and very annoying and just diminishes the story for the reader, it is in no way amusing or entertaining, and you want to give the old bat a smack in the chops!
July 15, 2018
It's a fun romp. As a first book in the series it made an impression on me, that I should continue reading the series. Characters do carry a bit of an idiot-ball every once in a while, and the twists are rather predictable, but, well, I liked it well enough.
March 10, 2019
This was an enjoyable read, felt like I was watching a new episode of the show. It was relaxing to come back and visit a show that I am a fan of and had the pleasure of watching as much as I can in reruns.
February 25, 2020
While some of the characters are written much like their on-screen counterparts, I felt this was nothing more than a quickly banged out story barely a step above fan fiction. Nowhere as good as even the worst Bill McKay Stargate book.
February 5, 2020
Ok, nothing special but still enjoyable.
April 24, 2020
The author wonderfully kept the characters very cohesive with the show.
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