When a Stargate malfunction throws Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lt. Colonel Sam Carter, and Teal'c back in time, they only have minutes to live.
But their rescue, by an unlikely duo - Major General Jack O'Neill and Vala Mal Doran - is only the beginning of their problems. Ordered to rescue an Asgard also marooned in 1947, SG-1 find themselves at the mercy of history. While Jack, Daniel, Sam and Teal'c become embroiled in the Roswell aliens conspiracy, Cam and Vala are stranded in another timeline, desperately searching for a way home. As the effects of their interference ripple through time, the consequences for the future are catastrophic.
Trapped in the past, SG-1 can only watch as their world is overrun by a terrible invader...
If you liked 1969,Moebius, or 2010 you'll love Roswell.
Before I get to Roswell, here's a tangent about my Stargate history:
The 1994 Stargate movie has always been one of my top ten movies and is what triggered my deep love for all things space and science fiction. However, despite watching the movie hundreds of times over the past 25 years (don't judge, it's great), I never watched the TV shows as they were initially airing. I was aware of them, I knew they existed, but for whatever reason I didn't watch them. I don't know why--I was watching The X-Files, Star Trek, and Quantum Leap in the late 90s so I would have certainly enjoyed SG-1.
A few years ago after seeing a couple reruns of SG-1 on TV, I decided to do a "Great Big Stargate Watch Through". Ten season of SG-1, five seasons of Atlantis, two seasons of Universe, two TV movies, and, more recently, the Origins web series.
I fell in love.
Stargate is everything I needed. I'm actually not even finished yet (I have five episodes of Universe left and Origins), but even so, I've already rewatched episodes from Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis an embarrassing number of times.
I craved more. I needed more. Moving onto the books was only natural.
What I loved about Stargate SG-1: Roswell
Some of my favourite Stargate episodes involve time travel so I decided to see if any of the books involve my favourite trope. Score! If I'm being honest though, it's the unimpressed looking Asgard on the cover that sold me.
Roswell is only the second Stargate novel I've read and I'm glad to see the quality of the show translated into the books. The standout characters were definitely Teal'c and Vala. I could picture the two of them saying all their dialog.
Teal'c as the Roswell conspiracy expert was perfect (of course the actual alien would be the alien conspiracist!) If only Jonas were around and the two of them could have geeked out.
I've heard that the novels are a bit edgier than the TV series and while Roswell is fairly light hearted, dark themes seep through. We get good Daniel Jackson whump, Cam actually gets shot in the goods (It's okay, his bits got better), the violence is ramped up a bit, and there's lots of Cameron Mitchell angst. I'm a sucker for SG-Angst!
What didn't work:
The book came out while season ten was still airing. Naturally, a few continuity errors appear, but I didn't get hung up on the details. If I had a good time reading a book then it has done its job.
It was fairly confusing in places. I reread a few passages several times (but hey, time travel can be a timey wimey mess). In another book I probably would have lowered the rating, but this story was such a blast. You just have to go with the ride and have fun but you definitely need to suspend disbelief in places.
I did also crave more from Cam and Vala's story during their time in early 1900s Egypt (the 2016 ITV series Tutankhamun is still fresh in my mind so it was a nice surprise to see Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon feature briefly). Despite a few chapters focusing on their struggles, large gaps are left largely unexplored and could have added more emotional weight to the story.
Overall good fun!
A fast paced ride filled with some great twists. Enjoy it!
I was a big fan of the Stargate series. Big fan of the characters. And it's been awhile (and there's only so many rewatches you can do) and I thought... why not? Maybe I can get back into touch with these characters in a new adventure!
THE CHARACTERS
These are kind of like the studio rebooted the series, with the same characters but different actors playing them. In other words, the authors didn't get the characters right.
One example I'll give is that Jack O'Neill, erstwhile lead of the team. In the series Jack likes to play dumb, making witty remarks to avoid seeming intelligent. He would even pretend to not understand some principle which he would, later, make use of. And he was called on that, by a couple of characters. He's actually pretty smart, just not technically-oriented. He's a very intelligent man who, like most of us, isn't a scientist. In the novel, however, this character is played as not understanding things, period. He's a really good soldier. And there are enough of those in the book.
It was disappointing, every few pages. (not just Jack, I mean different characters, constantly). For the record, Daniel isn't such a helpless emotional child. They play him like he never had to deal with sacrifice, even though by this time in the series he had dealt with the loss of entire peoples and had ascended to a superior realm on two occasions and (despite it being a goal of his), on both occasions chose to return to physical form to help his friends.
To be fair, I believe that T'ealc was mostly portrayed properly... though minimally.
THE STORY
Not really like an episode, even though it borrowed (and referenced) actual episodes. What it most felt like was someone who thought they would get only one chance to tell a Stargate story and wanted to be sure to cram every damn idea into it in one breathless, running monster of a story. Time travel, the Ancients, the Goa'uld, the very first Stargate bad guy, (straight out of the movie where Kurt Russell played Jack O'Neill) alien invasion and conquest of Earth, Area 51, a few famous historical figures, and more!
Ultimately, the adventure itself was not so much a terrible thing, but my ability to stick with it and enjoy it was hampered by---
THE PHYSICAL BOOK...
...is atrocious. I mean horrible. Capital "H" Horrible. It was line-edited by monkeys who were not given the benefit of infinities. Constantly, every single page. I am not exaggerating. From spelling errors to simple grammatical slips...
...to a few cases where it took me a moment to realize the line had been edited, but the original line was still there. They had added the new words, but failed to delete the others. I can't be bothered to find one of them, but here is an example (made up) of what I mean: 1st DRAFT: "The truck drove around the corner." 2nd DRAFT: "The truck turned the corner." ACTUAL PRINT: "The truck drove turned around the corner."
It really, seriously detracted from enjoyment to be frequently pulled out of the story to figure out what they meant. Or just coming out of the story because WTF?
(EDIT ON 04/04/2019: In retrospect, I stand by my comments, but failed to admit that the authors did manage enough true character moments to make the "movie" stick in my memory. So... if you're jonesing for new SG-1 stories, this will suffice)
Convoluted, full of plot holes and time travel paradoxes that make no sense whatsoever, absurd situations and coincidental historical references, and SO MUCH FRICKIN' FUN. Just like a good episode of the show! Glad to know not all of the SG-1 novels are horrible, like that last one I read (Stargate SG-1: Sunrise). Unfortunately I have now exhausted the Pima County Public Library's supply of Stargate novels, which means I'm on my own w/ the Kindle app on my phone to read the rest. (There's a "Moebius" sequel that I'm all over, just FYI.)
A totally unjustifiable four stars!
(Minor quibble, just becuase I'm always sensitive to Jack/Sam things: this book makes out like Jack and Sam aren't together yet, as Jack is confused about future Sam's behavior, even though it takes place mid-season 10. They are TOTALLY together by then. I know we don't really get 'confirmation' until S4 of Atlantis when Sam tells Keller she has someone back home, but come on. It totally happened right after "Moebius". Who are y'all kidding?)
É, sem dúvida, a minha série de ficção científica preferida de sempre! Vi e revi inúmeras vezes a série completa. No entanto este foi o primeiro livro que li e foi uma sensação gira poder dar um rosto às personagens ao ler um livro. Li no original, o que de início foi um pouco difícil, porque já não lia em inglês há bastante tempo, mas depois de “engrenar” foi ficando cada vez mais fácil e difícil de largar o livro.
Mais uma aventura da minha equipa favorita, desta vez com viagens no tempo e uma interpretação muito própria dos acontecimentos de 1947, em Roswell, muitas referências a situações e personagens reais, como por exemplo Lady Almina e o castelo de Castelo Highclere! ;) E com situações (como sempre) quase hilariantes à mistura. :D
E sempre presente tudo aquilo que gosto nesta equipa: O “Um por todos, todos por um”, a camaradagem, a amizade…
Gostei de “rever” Jack O´Neill (com dois ll), Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter, Teal´c e também o “novato” (na equipa) Cameron Mitchel e a Vala Mal Doran. Quem conhece a série sabe de quem falo. Os fãs de ficção científica e principalmente os fãs da série irão certamente gostar de mais esta aventura.
The Stargate - X-Files - Classic paranormal author throuple no one asked for but we all needed.
As far as SG-1 novels go, this is five stars.
I go into these books knowing that they were pretty much created for quick vacation reads. Still, with my handy dandy highlighter I go and scribble away notes and annotations to my hearts content. This was no exception. I loved this book.
Did I have some grievances? Yes. 1. Mitchell is from Kansas not Tennessee. 2. This made it seem like Sam and Jack are not together yet, and Jack thinks they won’t be in the future, which causes some jealousy. But (not to be annoying) according to his picture in her belongings on Atlantis, they are very much together. 3. I never really cared for Vala and Daniel’s dynamics as a couple, and this kind of solidified that for me. They feel forced. Is it bad I wanted her to be with Cam?
That being said! 1. Loved the humor in this. Adored it even. 2. The historical cameos were very fun. 3. The very minor sprinkling of X-Files plot lines also were very fun.
Makes me wonder, if they think it’s weird Colonel Caldwell’s look alike is sleeping with Sam’s lookalike on TV and if Major Paul Davis is moonlighting as an actor.
I loved this book from beginning to end. It is fast paced and all the storylines are very compelling. I also enjoyed that, not only do you have the original lineup of SG-1, but also Cam and Vala too, not to mention a couple of Asgard thrown in for good measure *g*!
This book sums up everything that I loved about SG-1: the camaraderie, the friendship, the willingness to give up everything for each other and Earth. I think this line shows it well:
"His voice didn't betray any tension, but Daniel had sent too many years with Teal'c not to feel it."
I love the series, but this book was very weak. The author tried to put every possible plot turn in and it ended up being very confusing and ruined the story. A few less plot twists and it could have been good. All in all it reads like a amateur fanfic.
Being a fan of the show and having seen all the episodes, including the two movies; I had to read at least one Stargate SG1 novel. Since I've read dozens of another franchise that's dear to my heart, namely Star Trek. This SG1 novel is highly recommended by many, so I chose it to be my first one to read. I really enjoyed it. I could easily imagine the story being a two part episode or even a movie. It wasn't a book that was too long or short for the plot, unlike the Trek novel Uhura's Song which is excruciatingly long.
I appreciate the fact that one or both of the writers of "Roswell" seemed to be well aware of the canon. Apparently, one or both are genuine fans of the show because there was great awareness of the franchise's universe with all its history, technology, cultures and intertwining plotlines.
They also got the personalities of the characters pretty well down, even to the point of how they think, speak and the words they use. Though, when I read the use of the word "perambulator" I immediately suspected that one or both authors were from some non-American country. Probably from Britain or one of the countries historically tied to Britain because they use that word instead of "stroller" or "baby carriage." Which reminded me of a blooper reel from the TV show Fringe where the great actor John Noble accidentally used the word "torch" instead of "flashlight" and the actor Joshua Jackson had to correct Noble by pointing out that the show's story takes place in America where the people use "flashlight." It turns out the authors of Stargate: Roswell are both from Australia (like Noble).
I mention that since there apparently weren't many (or any) proofreaders because the text has many typos and things that would have been caught and corrected by a proofreader. And you can't really blame the authors because that's what proofreaders are for.
All in all I would definitely recommend this book to any diehard fan of the show. They can and will enjoy it. Whereas a non-diehard fan may not be able to understand and keep track of what's going on, given all of the overt/explicit and covert/implicit references to past SG1 missons/episodes.
It's an entertaining read, but it somehow makes less and less sense the further along you are in it. There was one point it made negative sense.
Plus, the book was written before the Unending (just barely), and it definitely doesn't fit with the canon of the series. And there are many continuity issues for things that happened prior. I'd be happy to dismiss it as AU shenanigans, and even more so in a story about AUs, but I think the intention from the writer was an attempt to write the characters from the "prime" universe, and that puts a damper on things.
I'd also would have preferred for them not to split the team into the "old" and "new".
The novel, aside from a few grammatical errors, read like an SG-1 episode. I could hear each character's voice in my head as I read the story. The editing, however, leaves much to be desired. The story should be added to SG-1's "greatest time travel hits" collection.
An enjoyable story with a series of unexpected twists. I thought I had the outcome for all the characters figured out halfway through, but I was surprised!
Good story, great characters a little complicated in places not easy to keep things straight in certain bits but riverting story throughout! Can't wait to read the rest!
Thoroughly enjoyable read. It was as the tv show was, full of ups and downs and twists and turns. It was full of enough imagination to promote your own on how things could be. I enjoyed the characters and their escapades.
I absolutely LOVED this story. All 6 SG1 characters, Asgard AND time travel. I especially love anything Asgard, wish there were more SG 1 stories with them. Fun, Fun exciting read!!
I just re-read this and I love it but I gave up on following the time line early on; I have absolutely no idea why General Carter felt all this was necessary but what the hell it's a great story. :D
I enjoyed this book very much. My son also enjoyed it. The authors grasped the characters' personalities, which made reading this feel like reading the script for an episode of Stargate SG-1.
This was one of my favourite Stargate novels so far! I don't let myself watch TV to go to bed with on a work night, which is challenging because Stargate calms me... but this sure filled the spot. 🛸
I was a little worried I wouldn't like the book when I first started. I've always been less interested in Col. Mitchell's time at the head of the team, and the book start off focused on him.
Plus . . . you are fighting a war, many of your people have been butchered, slaughtered and . . . you take every opportunity possible not actually hit your attackers with your weapons while desperately trying to get to the Stargate, and get home. Meanwhile you care a weapon that can stun people. Which you don't use. Because . . . . reasons.
If I hadn't recalled that the book was supposed to have something to do with Time Travel and the like, I probably would have tossed the book before I even began. But that awkward opening was quickly gotten passed and the book ended up being quite enjoyable.
This was a fantastic book, definitely the best of the Stargate novels so far. The characterisation for SG-1 was perfect, the pacing was great. Every aspect of time travel fit together very well too, especially the real world events that were explained as results of the team's actions trying to complete their mission. The series canon events that were explained as well were cleverly done, especially the link back to the 'gate in Antarctica. Small hints to Vala's backstory as Qetesh were good, and the alternate timeline involving her and Cameron Mitchell were brilliant subplots. I highly recommend this to any Stargate fans.
As a fan of this show for many years I can say that this was a rather weak effort. Although the authors do a pretty good job of capturing the characters they try too hard to fit everything but the kitchen sink into the overly complex plot. Granted, it does deal with time travel and the ever worrisome changing of the timeline and that by itself asks for convoluted plotting, but they never really hit the mark. If you were a big fan of this series, you'll have fun being able to hear the characters say their catch phrases, but if you are new to this series, never watched the show or read any of the other books, you will probably put this book down and wonder what all the fuss is about.
This story is a paradox. SG-1 is thrown back in time only to have one of them come from the future to have Jack and Vala go back to retrieve them. Since that person obviously was rescued, the reader knows that she will be in the story. However, it kept my interest even knowing this. First 1908, then 1947 and then 1908 again and then back to the present. If you like Stargate you will probably enjoy this.
Timey wimey business makes my brain hurt. It apparently was not made to follow the delicate intricacies of time travel.
Also, just randomly pointing this out: since this book takes place during season 10, why did Jack have to mention Pete in regards to finding out whose ring General Samantha Carter From 30 Years In The Future was wearing? Sam broke off her engagement to Pete at the end of season 8. CONTINUITY, YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.