Customer Reviews

Stargate Atlantis: Casualties of War: SGA-7

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having read all the Fandemonium Stargate: Atlantis novels so far, this one definitely rates in my top three. Elizabeth Christensen builds up a complex picture of a society that is fractured seemingly beyond repair... and whose descent into chaos is precipitated by the arrival of the Atlantis team. As well as detailed world-building and credible, life-like original characters, she also brings the reader a perfectly-pitched portrayal of the Atlantis team; from the core members of Sheppard's gate team, to Drs Weir and Beckett, to recurring characters such as Major Lorne and Dr Zelenka, every "voice" is perfectly captured, both in their speech and their internal monologue and motivations. The banter between the core gate team in particular is beautifully translated from the screen onto the page and, perhaps more importantly, Christensen manages to show us another side of the characters - Weir and Sheppard in particular - and the pressures and fears they live with, without making them out of character.

The overall storyline is gripping and if I did manage to work out a couple of the twists in the tale before they were revealed, I feel that was probably the authors intent... and indeed added to the sense of frustration, and of the implacable, hopeless descent into war and chaos, as I railed helplessly at the characters on the page to work it out too! :) I found the book enjoyable and absorbing - so much so that I read it in one day! The plot was detailed and complex and tension-filled, but the joy of the book, for me, was the pitch-perfect depiction of the characters I enjoy from the TV show... and getting a glimpse inside those characters thoughts, at the fears and the doubts that we rarely get to see portrayed on the show.

Definitely a book I will want to re-read... probably several times! :)

Stargate Atlantis: 'Casualties of War', is definitely one of the best of the currently-seven Atlantis novels. Everyone gets a piece of the action; Elizabeth mediates between a planet's two races that despise each other...John, Rodney, and Radek get to don space suits and float around in space searching for a vital piece of equipment...Ronon and Teyla go missing and are presumed dead, but turn up assisting the supposed 'badguys' of the two races, (which almost ruins the peace talks)...Carson, (my favorite character) makes a discovery which turns out to be a vital piece in the lives of the planet's inhabitants... even Lorne appears, as Elizabeth's bodyguard while she mediates on the planet.

The author writes Rodney spot-on. The personality that David Hewlett gave Rodney is so much fun to watch/read. The author captures him very well! The banter between John and Rodney is so funny:

Rodney: "Oh no."

John: "You know, someday, you're going to have you're very own fable; 'The Boy Who Cried, "Oh no!"' Or, more accurately, 'The Boy Who Cried, "We're Screwed!"'"

Rodney: "You're rarely as amusing as you think you are! And what makes you so sure I didn't just notice an urgent problem, like something about to blow up?"

John: "No abject terror in your voice."

If you want to buy a Stargate Atlantis book, and are unsure about which one to buy, this one is the perfect choice. My other favorite is 'Exogenesis', which the same author co-wrote. I'll leave a review for that one the next time I have a chance!

I've read all the published SGA books so far. Of Elizabeth Christensen's, I think this one is her best so far. No repeated clichés, solid characters, good story lines ... I enjoyed this read.

I really loved this book. This author really was able to capture the nature of the relationships between the characters in an accurate way when compared with the series. It made reading it much more enjoyable. The storyline was excellent as well. She was able to pull past historical events into the storyline in a pertinent manner making it more interesting to the true fan. I would definately recommend this book.

Casualties of War is an exciting story and would have made a fantastic Atlantis episode or even a movie. The characters are well written and have captured the spirit and sound of the actors. A well-spent few hours of entertainment.

I was not to impressed by the whole laundry room opener. But it was an ok read.

The Book and service were great. Great TV Show, the books fill in the blanks.

Although when Elisabeth has written collaboration Atlantis novels with Sonny W I do not like them so much, this book was a complete surpise and bravo to Elisabeth!

I enjoyed the characters and plot, and it was fun getting to explore more Ancient ruins. The story kept me interested but didn't get so tech heavy or fight scene dense as some of the others do. It was a great balance and I loved it! I hope she writes more of her own books for the Atlantis series!

It is always a chore to imagine the in between story of an ongoing program but the writers of the Stargate Atlantis novels hit the mark every time. Casulaties of War expands on the Atlantis characters from their flaws to their appeal to their histories. The scenery gets a little bouncy for a book, but that is written action.