Customer Reviews

Stargate SG-1: Alliances: SG1-8

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought "Alliances" thinking it was the first in the new SG-1 series, since according to the product details, this book was published January 2006, prior to the other novels. However, the book itself is stamped with #8... and in the back are ads for the first seven books. Much to my relief, however, the book stood alone -- it did not matter that I hadn't read the rest of the series, it was still completely enjoyable.

For anyone wanting to read them in order:
#1. "Trial By Fire" by Sabine C. Bauer
#2. "Sacrifice Moon" by Julie Fortune
#3. "A Matter of Honor" (part 1 of 2) by Sally Mslcolm
#4. "City of the Gods" by Sonny Whitelaw
#5. "The Cost of Honor" (part 2 of 2) by Sally Malcolm
#6. "Siren Song" by Holly Scott and Jaimie Duncan
#7. "Survival of the Fittest" by Sabine C. Bauer
#8. "Alliances" by Karen Miller

The novel started out slow, and I found the initial plot setup rather contrived. The event that sets everything else in motion did not seem realistic to me. The characters were out of character, so to speak, and there were some inconsistencies. But, I realize that the author needed some way to have it necessary for SG-1 to be out of the way for a while.

In the beginning, there were many little things that drove me crazy... Like Jack calling Daniel's artifacts "doodads" *seven* times just in the first three pages. Or Daniel saying that Sam was "making love to the naquadah generator" with Jack soon confirming that she "was indeed making love to the naquadah generator"... a cute expression, except that they gave no indications that this was just a figure of speech, and Jack's saying, "No accounting for taste..." made it seem disturbingly literal. Plus, there were a few places where things contradicted themselves, usually on the same page or within a few pages, but these were mild and not critical issues.

Because of the uneven beginning, I was expecting to have to endure the rest of the novel, but happily, once the Tok'ra got involved, the plot started picking up. And when the undercover mission began, I was seriously hooked. I read the entire novel in about three hours! The author did an excellent job of capturing the characters' personalities, mannerisms, and interactions with each other. The storyline had plenty of variety to keep things interesting, with enough peace in-between disasters for you to catch your breath.

It is obvious that the book was written by a British author, even though she took pains to Americanize it. Every so often, a strange expression would appear, a word I'd never heard of, or a strangely spelled word. It happens often enough to remind you of the book's orgin, but the story itself is good enough that it shouldn't distract too much.

Overall, I was very pleased with the book. *Much* better than the original Stargate SG-1 novel by Ashley McConnell. I'm glad they decided to start over and release a new series! I give Four Stars only because of the trouble in the beginning, otherwise it's great! I am now looking forward to ordering the rest of the series.

The back cover of the book says, "All SG-1 wanted was technology to save Earth from the Goa'uld, but the mission to Euronda was a terrible failure. Now the dogs of Washington are baying for Jack O'Neill's blood - and Senator Robert Kinsey is leading the pack. When Jacob Carter asks General Hammond for SG-1's participation in a mission for the Tok'ra, it seems like the answer to O'Neill's dilemma. The secretive Tok'ra are running out of hosts, and Jacob believes he's found the answer - but it means O'Neill and his team must risk their lives infiltrating a Goa'uld slave breeding farm to recruit humans willing to join the Tok'ra. It's a risky proposition, especially since the fallout from Euronda has strained the team's bonds almost to breaking. If they can't find a way to put their differences behind them, they might not make it home alive..."

I found this book to be pretty fast paced, and the characterizations to be relatively good (certainly not perfect!). It was nice to read a story that includes Jacob Carter and also Martouf in addition to SG-1. You really do have to have seen the season four episode "The Other Side" to fully understand the angst that is explored by Daniel and Jack, and Daniel and Sam. This book takes place immediately after that episode. Other episode's events are referenced too, such as season three "Jolinar's Memories" and "The Devil You Know", so this book probably doesn't stand on its own very well. The mission is classic SG-1, so that aspect is very enjoyable. I enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down.

This book is a great pick up from what might have happened after the Euronda fiasco. It combines many threads from other episodes and ties them together neatly. The writer captures the personalities of the characters well, so well that you do not miss a beat in thinking this is the way O'Neill or Jackson or any of the other SG people would react to the events happening around them. You hate Kinsey,you have mixed feelings for the Tok'ra, horror at the existance of the slave farms and what SG-1 has to go through to in order to accomplish their mission. Its great read and I highly recommend it to Stargate fans!

Great author, great book!
The group dynamics are captured very good and it even made me laugh a few times. The storyline sounds plausible and it picks up with previous episodes. I really recommend this book as it's one of the best.

I wish the writers of SG1 tv ver. would get off there ego trip and start using the
[for the most part] good SG1 books. Since now and then a book that has real potencial to be great, such as this is written.

I love the the way Karen captures the characters as they were in the Star Gate series. She has just became my new favorite author. I am waiting for more books from Karen in the Star Gate saga. Please write more soon.

I've only had experience with some Ashley McConnell Stargate SG-1 novels, and I can safely say that this series is much better. The dynamics between the characters are very close and there was really nothing wrong with this book in my view, it reads like an SG-1 double episode.
Made my daily bus rides to college a whole lot more enjoyable.
P.S.: watch the season 4 episode The Other Side before reading this book, so you know exactly what's going on.

After watching the episode that this book was based on. I had been wondering about what the follow-up was going to be for months after and after reading this one, I've got to admit that I'm impressed with the story. You can almost hear the characters thoughts of what that previous mission had done to their friend-ship especially between O'neill and Daniel. But if there was one major flaw in this story and the show then it would be with the Tok'ra. I say that the only problem with this one is with the Tok'ra: since after asking for help, they suddenly decide to pull out and leave the team to fend for them-selves. I also thought that to bring one or two previous episodes such as the season 2 episode" Need " and episode " Politics" was a good subtext in it-self. All in all, I recommend this to any who like the series.

There is no such thing as a Stargate book worse than this one. In fact, I don't think there's any such thing as a book worse then this one. Okay, so that's untrue. But the first part is rather definitely not. I wish I could give this book zero stars.
This book has the worst characterizations I have ever seen. I'm honestly surprised she didn't have Teal'c use contractions. Bad characterization for every single character. Really, really, REALLY bad characterizations.
Absolutely terrible, completely illogical plot. Serious gaps. Strange ideas about the characters. Unengaging and uninteresting. Some silly and slightly disturbing ideas.
The dialouge had rare moments. I laughed occasionally, but most of the time, I was throughly unimpressed.
And another thing; every Stargate book seems to feel the need to dig into why the characters are what they are, search for deeper meanings, things that we already knew, but that the show trusted us to get without them spelling it out.
All in all, whatever you do, don't waste your money on this book.

I found the plot promising. The characterization of Jack and Jacob were spot on, but I found Daniel's character way off (especially, in Chapter 19). I also kept wondering if this was a team story, where was Teal'c? Teal'c doesn't come into the story until the end.

For a Stargate story, it's fair. Better than the last novel 'Survival of the Fittest'.