Customer Reviews

Stargate Atlantis: Hunt and Run: SGA-13

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

 

 

I was very excited to see a Stargate Atlantis novel focusing on the character of Ronon Dex and his early days as a Runner--until I actually read the book. This was not the story I was expecting to read.

(Beware Spoilers)

The Wraith ultimately take a backseat in this story where they should be real major players. They show up two or three times and are easily bested by Ronon and his new Runner buddies making them feel like cartoon villains instead of actual, real threats. Also, the major plot point of these Runners banding together is so contrived and full of holes (why not cut the transmitters out and be done with it?) that it was hard to take seriously. And I found myself wondering if the author actually watched the key Ronon episodes before writing this book because there were some glaring continuity errors. The biggest being that, in this story, Ronon's Wraith tracking implant is placed in his *lower* back where, in the series, it had been implanted in his *upper* back near his neck.

And the author had a great love of exclamation points!

Also, Todd the Wraith is featured on the cover and this could mislead the reader to believe that Todd plays a part in this book. He doesn't. I'm sure Todd is there to represent the Wraith in general but the cover designer should have chosen a more generic Wraith image instead of a character that played a big part in the series.

In the end, this was missed opportunity to fill in the blanks of Ronon's past with a raucus Man vs. Wraith tale. Disappointing.

I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. Though it focuses mainly on Ronon recounting his years as a Runner to Dr. Rodney McKay it is packed with action, suspense and intrigue. I found myself hurriedly turning the pages, instead of tossing the book aside after the first three chapters as I did with a couple of previous SGA titles that weren't worth the read. This one is... even if Ronon isn't your favorite character, it's incredibly interesting and it does include the other three team members, it's not strictly Ronon-only. I'm glad I took the chance and read it.
I don't feel my time or money was wasted and that's always a plus.

I waited anxiously for this book, unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. The writing was fine and the storyline was even decent (the only reason I gave it a 3), however, my main disappointment was in the fact that the author did not do his homework related to the series prior to writing this novel. You would think that prior to writing in this genre..an author would immerse themselves in watching the episodes to get a true picture of the characters. He missed the mark on several counts.

First, the character of Rodney McKay was poorly written. If you really watch the series you learn quite early that while Dr. McKay can be irritating, and is sort of an egomaniac...he is NOT a coward. I admit he is not the bravest person on the series, but when push comes to shove..he steps up to the plate. The author actually describes him as a coward early in the book. In addition, there is always banter between McKay and Sheppard, and while there was some of that, it sort of missed the mark for me, and as this novel takes place at least 5 years in..(Mr Woolsey is in charge) true fans know that Sheppard, McKay, Ronan and Teyla may argue and gritch but they are actually very close friends.
Second, Ronan's character back-story was poor. As mentioned in a previous reveiw, the tracking device is not in the lower back, it is in the upper back where a runner is unable to reach it. Another serious flaw...Ronan stated in the episode "The Shrine" that he was taught to hunt and track by his grandfather by age 6. In this book...he states he is not a hunter and is taught to hunt and track by another runner...seriously...could this guy not have watched the series? Why would you write a book about something you don't research..and if you are not a fan..why would you want to write a SGA novel...there are too many fans who know the episodes by heart that will pick you to pieces.
I did finish the novel, but admit that at one point I was so frustrated I almost quit. After finishing it, I was able to put things in perspective and overall, the story was imaginative...but true fans will find the inconsistencies frustrating and since SGA was canceled, we are all looking to get our SGA fix...and this was like eating sugar free candy when you are craving sugar.

Okay, first things first with this book: pretend it's not about STARGATE ATLANTIS. In fact, forget any established character interaction or continuity, forget the traits you most identify with certain people, forget little detals like where a Runner's tracking device is supposed to be located. Forget all of that, and you actually have a pretty decent tale of what it is to build a military unit, and a family, from disparate personalities all cast adrift by the vagaries of war.

Of the character failings: Rodney is more annoying and less respected than he should be (this takes place in Season 5; Rodney's practically beloved by this point); Sheppard uses way too many exclamation! points! (though he has his moments of the funny); and Teyla is all but a nonentity. But the worst characterisation problem is that of our main character.

Are we really to believe that the taciturn Ronon would EVER give such a vivid and detailed account of his time with this alleged band of Runners called the V'rdai? And to Rodney, no less? No. His recounting would have gone a little more like this: "There was this guy Nekai. Taught me stuff. I joined his squad. Dude went crazy. I left." Admittedly, that wouldn't have taken up the rquisite word count -- which is why the method of this story was questionable from the outset. Anyone who was familiar with Ronon (as Rosenberg, one assumes, is not) would never have had him be the main storyteller. The idea of him sitting there, sharing a long and complex campfire tale about his hidden past, all but beggars the imagination.

However, the backstory part of the novel -- as long as you pretend it's not our Ronon's backstory -- is a good read, fun and fast-paced. Guerilla warfare and the dynamics of a team; the examination of what fear and loss can do to soldiers; the us-against-them mentality and the levels of control under which we all let ourselves languish... that part is great. Yes, the ending is questionable (setting up for a sequel?), and there is some heavy-handed foreshadowing (did you know Setien loves fruit? Oh, how Setien loves fruit! I hope Setien's love of fruit doesn't get us into trouble someday!), but all in all, HUNT AND RUN is a pretty well-written and nicely rounded military sci-fi adventure.

It's just not a proper ATLANTIS adventure.

Also: what the hell is Todd doing on the cover?

I was very excited when I saw a book about how Ronan became a runner and enjoyed this book a lot. It got a bit slow at times in the middle on filling in his back ground but picks back up as the book moves along to its climax. Very entertaining.

I wanted so much for this book to be good, since SGA only gave bits and pieces of Ronon's history. Massive disappointment.

As a few others have pointed out, it seems like Rosenberg either never watched the show or just didn't bother to do any fact checking.

~ Wraith tracking devices were always implanted in the back along the spine between the shoulders so Runners couldn't get them out themselves.
~ Ronon learned how to hunt and track from his grandfather. I doubt Nekai could have taught him anything new.
~ This book is set 5th season yet Rodney apparently regressed or something since he's acting like he did back then. McKay is whiny and arrogant, yes, but by this point you couldn't classify him as a coward. He might not want to do the combat thing but he can and he will.
~ Kind of a small one, but braids are not dreadlocks. Similar but not the same.

The plot was very predictable, I wasn't surprised by anything. Dialogue was clichéd and trite. Combined with very repetitive language and too many exclamation points, I feel like I could have gotten a better and more well written story from fanfiction.net (and I *have* found better there).

I'll start by saying that I have liked every other SGA novel that I've read and most of them would get at least 4 stars. This one however is different, very different. There are glaring inconsistencies with the canon of SGA and the characters, particularly Ronan and Rodney seem very out of character. As some other reviews have mentioned, it seems like the author has never watched the series other than enough to know the characters names and nothing else. I'm surprised that anyone gave this novel descent reviews since who reads an SGA novel to not get an SGA storyline.

I bought this for my wife and she enjoyed the book very much and will read it a couple more times before adding it to her collection of STARGATE ATLANTIS books.