Customer Reviews

First Amendment (Stargate SG-1, Book 3)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

'The First Amendment' is a much better read than its risible predecessor 'The Price you Pay', but that said it still has some problems. The storyline is implausible at best, and again it fails to feel like an episode of the TV show should. The characters feel more accurate this time around though and the banter sounds right, at least most of the time . As mentioned by previous reviewers the aliens don't work, they sound corny and so much so that even the characters in the book pointed it out! Some of the situations didn't ring true, especially in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and SGC, I find it hard to believe that these people are that stupid. Also, the preview of the next book, 'The Morpheus Mandate' served only to put me off buying it, it really was poor. It's quite possible that this author either has little respect for, or scant grasp of, what makes Stargate SG-1 such a great concept and TV show. Maybe another author should step in and show her how it's done...

This was the first Stargate SG-1 novel I read, and I must say I was hesitant as the series was new and I wasn`t sure what the novel would be like as Stargate is very different to other series. My hesitation was well-founded in this book. Although the premise was good, a reported, Senator Kinsey`s son no less, infiltrating the SGC and threatening to expose the program, it just didn`t do the premise justice. It was slow starting out and when they finally reached the action (if you can call it that) I found myself getting slightly lost in the descriptions, which seemed a bit contradictory at times. The inter-character relationships were all wrong, even for the 1st season. O`Neill`s dry humour was about the closest to canon character in the book. The aliens themselves seemed a bit more Fantasy than Sci-fi and not really fitting for Stargate. I must say, after reading this book and the reviews of otherws, I`m very hesitant about buying any more of Ashley McConnell`s books. And after recently hearing they`ve discontinued the Stargate SG-1 novel project, I can`t really say I`m surprised. If they started it up with another author, one who knows SG-1 and can capably write it, then I would be alot more likely to buy Stargate novels. But until then, I`ll stick to watching my sizeable collection of Stargate episodes.

Having read the other Stargate novels by Ashley McConnell I expected an action packed story, and although it did not immediately throw you into the plot, I was not disappointed. What would the stargate team do if the Stargate was discovered by a journalist?, What would they do if it was the son of the senator that tried to shut them down before? How would they stop him from telling all? The only fault I found with it was the lack of drama at the beginning of the novel. It took a couple of chapters to get going, but by the end it became an adventure that would test O'Neill and his team. I am looking forward to the next Stargate novel, called The Morpheus Mandate.

The characters are and their personalities are captured good, but the story isnt the best. The Author Ashley McConnell does better in the Pilot story and the second book:The Price to Pay. The story isnt as much of a stargate story as the other few of her books, the whole big moths and the triangular head robots was kinda rediculous. I expected better imagination and better story and character line because the first 2 books were better, So i give this one a 3.

After reading The Price You Pay, the first of the Stargate SG-1 books, and wading through the horrid errors and conflicts with the tv series that plauged it, I was rather weary of reading this second story from the same author. However, as soon as I began reading, it became apparent that Ms McConnell did learn from her first effort, and is trying not to make the same mistake twice. This book is much more firmly placed in the mythology of the show, and the various allusions to past events were right on the money. The storyline, involving a journalist stumbling on the Stargate program and the search for a missing SG team, is much faster paced than that of the last book, and in my opinion, much more interesting. This is an outstanding story that has totally renewed my faith in the SG-1 novels, and I'm greatly looking forward to book 3.

Book #3 is The First Amendment. Official blurb: "From the very
beginning, the success of the Stargate project has demanded absolute secrecy. But it won't be secret for long.... A hotshot reporter has been brought into the most restricted area of the StarGate base. He's witnessed the Stargate in action, and wants answers. But he'll get more than a headline when Col. Jack O'Neill and his team decide to show him exactly how dangerous the universe can be...."

I did like the first half. The author had obviously done some research; the first chapter of the book is from Hammond's POV has he goes through his morning routine, and I found it mildly interesting. There's also - as the title suggests - a political element that felt like it could have been inspired by 'Secrets'. However, there seemed to be an overabundance of original characters -- too much of them and not enough of SG-1 in a book that's only 198 pages. And - and I'm not exactly sure how else to describe this - it didn't FEEL like Stargate.
There just wasn't that sense of familiarity. The resolution was cliched. And there was also the seemingly inevitable mistakes with Sam's rank <g> This one wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

This book was a real disappointment. There were several scenes throughout the book that were not realistic and others that were incredibly boring, such as the entire first chapter which focused on Hammond's trip to the SGC. Do we really need to know Hammond's history? There were also some blatant mistakes such as Carter being referred to as a Captain and a Major in the same chapter. I hope that they find a new author to continue this book series because McConnell is not doing the show justice.

I am a HUGE fan of the Stargate Sg-1 TV series so I eagerly await the new novels but I feel that although Miss McConnell seems a very capable writer and does her research, she does NOT capture the characters of the TV show well at all. They all seem a little too different to me. She focuses on one little thing that is popular about each character and repeats it over and over. I agree with one of the other reviewers that they should get someone else who KNOWS and understands the characters better to pen the Stargate books!

I learned things I've never known about NORAD and I really liked seeing how the fictional SGC worked in conjunction with what I assume is real info about NORAD. McConnell's clearly done her research. The characters, as with all of her SG books, ring true, but the late-story action comes off as second banana. The aliens this time are Bug-eyed Monsters reminicent of 1950s s-f and the final event feels a bit contrived. McConnell's writing is smooth--as is her speculation about what could happen if the Gate was exposed felt realistic. If you adjust your expectations, it's well worth the read.

The First Ammendment is good it's about a reporter that get's into the SGC facillity and goes through the Stargate. While it is good it is not as good as the Price you pay. Neither of the books read like a television show. And some of the characters personalities are not exactly correct.