Customer Reviews

Stargate SG-1: The Cost of Honor: SG1-5 (book 2)

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4 star:		(3)
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"The Cost of Honor" by Sally Malcolm picks up where "A Matter of Honor" left off very well. The story seeds planted in the prequel have some very surprising results as well as consequences. Rather than following military protocol and asking permission first, Colonel Jack O'Neill mounts an unauthorized rescue mission of SG-10 using the stolen gravitational technology to slip through the crushing grasp of a black hole. This "breaking faith" becomes a thematic conflict for all of the characters. One by one they must come to terms with the relationship that they have broken faith with, and how, if it is possible at all, they can redeem themselves. The plot that emerges from that conflict is very well done. It makes this novel the strongest story written in the SG-1 line so far.

A simple truth is that the hardest thing in the SG-1 universe for an author to do is to get the characterizations right. Sally Malcolm did an admirable job bringing our favorite Jaffa, Teal'c, to life in the pages of this book. The mannerisms were spot on. His subtle humor was natural and effectively presented. I liked her presentation of General Hammond very much, especially in her deepening of his character through his struggles with the central theme of the story. She perfectly captured the basic weasel in Senator Kinsey's character, and kept him squirming through to the very last page.

In three places in "The Cost of Honor" the author missed the characterization mark. The peek that we get into Samantha Carter's head very early in the story is especially uncomfortable. It is one thing to wonder if she will "fall apart", but another entirely to deny the military bearing and professional demeanor that we've come to expect from her character. She is military and would focus on the mission first, there would be time to second guess decisions made along the way and mourn later. Along the same lines, Jack O'Neill is NOT a "kill or be killed" kind of guy. He is a military man and a professional. That means that he is a principled warrior. We've seen that aspect of his character consistently over the years and we've come to expect better of him than a mere "law of the jungle" player. We expect him to behave consistently on other matters too. On page 308 when Carter "dies", Jack O'Neill does nothing to her killer even though he is standing right there with a gun against the killer's (Koash) chest. Even though this "death" isn't real (an illusion because of the sheh'fet), Jack would have certainly shot Koash first - before he had the chance to injure Carter like he did, and if not, then certainly afterward. Consistency is expected of all the characters, especially from the heroic characters of Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill. The SG-1 canon has never wavered on that point. Taking liberties with the heroic nature of these four characters is -- CHEATING. Don't do it! These miscues are the only weakness that mattered to me in the story because the storyline is so strong and (otherwise) well done.

This book is definitely worth a read, even if you have to hold your nose to cross these few bad paragraphs. All the rest of the 362 pages of "The Cost of Honor" are a pleasure to read.

Pretty graphic for SG-1. It was very long and drawn out often repeating things a little to much. It also made Sam Carter out to be a little week minded which I was very uncomfortable with given her history as a soldier. The other characters were spot on(except Sam's). I enjoyed it, but felt it was long and depressing at times. I kept thinking :Man this is so depressing and I am not even half way through it. I liked the ending which was well worth the wait. Over all a good book that is sure to stay with you. If your a stargate SG-1 fan and want a dark story, then this is the book for you. I will tell others about it and suggest they buy it.

The book seller was on the ball! I received the book much faster than anticipated and a lovely thank you was even included. A thank you is a small touch, but one that is greatly appreciated.

From someone who doesn't like to read, this book really kept my interest and made reading fun.

These two books are so much better than the most recent stargate movie called "Ark of Truth" honestly just use these books for your next movie. Incredible worlds to visit- some amazing concepts and the characters were dead on! Keep writing Sally!!!!!

You definitely must read "A Matter of Honor" before you read this book so that you understand the story line at all. The author does a fantastic job of capturing the thoughts and words of the characters, including Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson, George Hammond, and Senator Kinsey. The pace is pretty fast, with lots of action and more than a few miraculous recoveries that are just at the limit of what we're accustomed to with SG-1. The book is relatively dark with detailed torture of Sam Carter on two different occassions, and ponders the idea of 'no one gets left behind'...does the sentiment apply to everyone? how much risk do you take to carry it out? A good read, overall.

With this one you have to wonder why they bothered on bringing in that arrogant senator since he has been nothing but trouble since the end of season 1. I really think that they should've of done away with him years before this one came up. But the story had a nice touch to it.All the characters were there and they had a nice line with thier off-world friends that brought up the old "don't mess with alien technology when you don't know what you're doing" cliche not to mention reference of bringing up the sarcophagus which from the issue in the season 2 episode "Need" basically made it pretty clear just how dangerous that technology could be if used to many times as well as the devices' origin in that season 7 episode. But all in all it was a really good story and I recommend this to any who like the story and the tv show.

The Cost of Honor is the conclusion to book 1(A Matter of Honor). It is once again a fast moving, non-stop action book. It is another page turner. I couldn't put this book down either, in fact i had to know what happened that I finished the book in 1 day. She keeps you wanting to read, to turn the page. Also, making sure to stay with the characters personalities(humor, trust, silent care for each other, etc). It is all there. I felt like I was there. It is a must read for all SG1 fans.

I bought this book as a gift for a relative. They loved it! (We're both avid Stargate people.) It arrived quickly for having to travel across the Atlantic Ocean, and it was in perfect brand new condition when it arrived. I highly recommend this seller to others. I rate them A++++++++++, which in my book is very, very good. Best of luck to you!