Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods: SG1-4 [Mass Market Paperback]

Sonny Whitelaw (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stargate Sg-1 | Publication Date: February 8, 2007

The team is stranded on a doomed world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

With a degree in geomorphology and anthropology, Sonny Whitelaw decided that a career in academia wouldn't be as much fun as running a dive charter yacht and adventure tourism business in the South Pacific. Photojournalism came as a natural extension to her travels, and Sonny's work has been featured in numerous international publications, including National Geographic. Sonny is also the author of The Rhesus Factor, a contemporary eco-thriller, and Ark Ship, a sci-fi drama. She currently resides in Brisbane with her two children.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Fandemonium Books; Mti edition (February 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0954734335
• ISBN-13: 978-0954734336
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Furlings - at last! Absolutely the best story!, August 17, 2005

By 

Josh "Josh" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods: SG1-4 (Mass Market Paperback)

Man, this was fantastic! Fans of the show absolutely must read this book. It's set near the end of Season 5, and follows up one of my all time favorite Season 3 episodes, Crystal Skull. I'd always wanted to know more about the skull and what happened between Daniel's grandfather Nick Ballard, and Quetzelcoatl but I never expected to have this huge story that includes an entire Aztec civilization. It was amazing! I mean, the author must know a lot about the Aztecs because the really incredible thing was that he tied it altogether exactly with the Goa'uld, the Mayan City of the Gods in Mexico, Teotihuacan, crystal skulls and Daniel's theory about aliens building the Egyptian pyramids. In between all that we had page turning drama and action, lots of angst between the team members, and a humongous volcanic eruption that makes the Last Day of Pompeii look teeny.

I especially loved the characterizations. The author nailed Jack O'Neill, and Daniel, and the banter between them was exactly like the show. Sam Carter wasn't just standing around mouthing off scientific stuff, either. Instead we really got some insights into how she thought and felt. I liked the scene between her and Janet Fraiser. Really, a very mature and logical approach to the whole shipper versus non-shipper argument. At the same time, the science that Sam explained made complete sense. And Tea'lc, wow, look for a really insightful conversation between him and Daniel Jackson!

I thought the `Daniel Jackson's diary' at the end of the book was a really neat touch. I've read a lot of behind the scenes books, but this explained the origins and interesting stuff about crystal skulls, Mayans and Aztecs. It was like an archeological paper written for real, but as if the Stargate and Goa'uld were for real.

Seriously, if you only ever read one Stargate book, make it this one! It's real homage to the show.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but has potential..., October 1, 2007

By 

Orianna (TN, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods: SG1-4 (Mass Market Paperback)

This book has many good things about it, such as an interesting story, historical context, plenty of plot, and several references to previous novels and episodes of the show. A few things seemed a bit far-fetched, such as Daniel's rival archeologist friend going off the deep end by turning cannibal and pretending to be an Aztec god. But most of the story was believable, and the main characterizations were excellent.

The one thing that I found completely unacceptable is the fact that the author never follows through with her cliffhangers. The point of a cliffhanger is to end a scene with a dramatic situation in order to hook the reader so they continue reading. But if you don't follow through and deal with the problem presented in the cliffhanger, it cheats the reader out of that resolution.

Several times the author ends a chapter with a series of climactic events; for example, while Daniel is visiting an ancient temple in Mexico it collapses, leaving him trapped inside and knocked unconscious by falling rocks. As a reader, I was eager to know what happened: how he survived, how he escaped, all of that. However, the author altogether skips the resolution of Daniel's dilemma--the next day, Daniel is suddenly back home, safe and sound! He mentions the cave-in as though it were unimportant, reminding us how he got knocked out, and gee, wasn't it lucky that Teal'c happened to be right behind him in the temple and was able to drag him out of the building before it collapsed on them both....

In "City of the Gods", the author constantly leaves cliffhangers without being properly resolved. She diminishes the import of every climactic scene, because she repeatedly skips the resolution and, instead, later gives a brief summary of what happened. Why should I bother getting worried about the characters when something bad happens if I already know that the author isn't going to show what happens? I don't want to hear second-hand that someone rescued the hero or that he managed to escape--I want to read what happens for myself.

As far as I am concerned, this is a pretty serious writing flaw: one that marks the author as an amateur. But, as I said, she has other good qualities as a writer and lots of potential. So if you're not a picky reader, go ahead and give this book a try! Hopefully, as Ms Whitelaw writes more she'll learn to follow through with her cliffhangers; when that happens I will be pleased to buy more of her books.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb roller-coaster ride!, August 17, 2005

By 

Trickster (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods: SG1-4 (Mass Market Paperback)

Adventure - check
Action - check
Drama - check
Characterisation - check
Humour - check
Fandemonium's fourth outing into the Stargate SG-1 universe is a compelling tale that pushes imagination beyond the boundaries of the show. Firmly and expertly rooted in Aztec mythology, City of the Gods takes the reader to places that would explode even the most extravagant TV budget and realises vistas and scenarios the show's producers could only dream of.

Monumental cities and temple precincts on a world in cataclysm - feel the tremors and sneeze at the brimstone - provide the backdrop for desperate, ferocious rites and a truly galactic showdown that features more hair's breadth escapes than you can shake a stick at. But for all its relentless action the book never loses sight of the characters. Daniel Jackson's learning, passion, and ingenuity are equally as well portrayed as Teal'c's quiet intelligence and occasional sense of displacement or the subliminal emotional minefields Jack O'Neill and Sam Carter find themselves navigating.

An additional bonus comes in the shape of seamless ties into previous episodes - including the very welcome, superbly tongue-in-cheek reappearance of Daniel's grandfather, Nick Ballard - and the references to Fandemonium's earlier novel, Sacrifice Moon.

In short, this is a true homage to the show's intelligence, imagination, and humour and a rollicking good read to boot.