Customer Reviews

Stargate SG-1: Relativity: SG1--10 (Stargate Sg-1)

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

 

 

I found this book to be the least intersting of all the Stargate SG-1 fiction books available. The plot was slow, and honestly, not that interesting. I have found fan fiction on the web that is more interesting and better written. Not to mention more intuned with the characters.

Chapter 1 started on page 7. On page 8 the author wrote, "I would doubt that this valley has ever seen vegetation of any kind, Colonel." Which would have been a fine line, if it hadn't been Teal'c speaking. I should have stopped reading right there. If Teal'c ever addressed Jack by rank alone, or anything other than O'Neill, I'll eat my zat. Add to the awful voicing of the main characters, the fact that the author avoided character development of several of his own key characters to try and build some kind of a surprise ending and you get a book full of new folks you really don't care about. Now, while NOT inventing a new foe is fine, if your story revisits a System Lord, rehashing a civilization who weren't all that interesting the first OR second time the TV show went there, made no sense. You could fly a Goa'uld mothership through the plot holes in this book, before even discussing the alternate timeline. And by the end of the book the Pack are fighting their uncharacteristically agressive foes, in space, with landing craft, forgetting that on page 31 the author gave them a PAIR of Goa'uld motherships. I'm not going to bother buying Halcyon.

This is definetly not the book you should go for if you wnat to read about Stargate. The plot dosen't really pick up until around 2/3rds of the way through. The characterizations are completely off. There several important new characters, if you like those, but none of them are really compelling. several comments that seem like plot points appear throughout the book, then vanish, never to be picked up on again. The only exuse for this novel is that it was written in a rush, and if it wasn't then it was just bad all around because of incompetence.

I have mostly given up on these Stargate books as they are for the most past not very well written and seem to focus mainly on only two characters - O'Neill, which is okay and Carter who I really don't like. Unfortunately I thought I'd give them another go because Daniel (my favourite character) is on the cover with Jack this time but once more I was disappointed as he, yet again does not have much of a part in the story. These books are okay for teenage girls who are looking for romantic pining between Carter and her CO but if you are looking for real SG1 stories it's better to stick to the episodes.

The only problem I have with these Stargate books on the Kindle (I don't know if the dead tree editions are the same) is there is no separator between sections within chapters. One paragraph can be about one group and the next about another group elsewhere and it can be confusing at first until you realized you've switched locations. I've read most of the first 10 Stargate novels (except for a few either not on the Kindle or with horrible reviews) and I thought this one well written. I enjoyed the story and subject matter as well.

i just read it, it was great. one of the best sg1 books ever. kind of hard to keep track, so much going on. but rest assured it all falls into place later in book.

I hesitated to buy this book because of the mixed reviews, but I have to admit it's one of my favorite ones from Fandemonium. I thought the author had the characters' personalities down pat and found the story to be very enjoyable to read. I had trouble putting the book down!
The story itself was very well put together. Things are revealed slowly to keep the suspense and allow the reader to develop his/her own theories. The author reveals clues appropriately and it was fun to then put all the pieces together and realize what's going on. I also loved that one of the questions asked in the book is never answered. It was a nice touch.
Two things bothered me about the book, however, but they were very minor.
As with many of these books, the author had some of the naming wrong. Within SG-1, each character has a specific name for every other character. For example, Jack does not call Daniel "Jackson", but "Daniel". Teal'c does not call Sam "Carter", but "MajorCarter", etc.
The other issue I have with the Fandemonium books is the typos and spelling errors. There were a few throughout the book, and I always cringe when I see them.
I realize not everyone has enjoyed this one, but I really did. I was a great team story (Jack/Sam/Daniel/Teal'c).

I am an avid Stagate fan and have read many of the novels. Although I did enjoy Halcyon by this author, I agree with the comment that the characters do not seem consistent. I was surpised to find that someone else thought the same thing about the Teal'c "Colonel" line. When I read that line it was very frustrating, but I wanted to give the author the benefit of the doubt as I really enjoyed his Stargate Atlantis novel. Overall this is an ok story that did have some very interesting and creative ideas it just wasn't up to the author's usual standards. A fair read.

I hope the other reviewers will not give up on James Swallow as he is really good author.

I've read most of the Stargate SG-1 novels from Fandemonium, and thought this was one of the best. It involves time travel and alternate timelines. Not to give too much away, but Jack meets an older version of himself. There are a few things in the plot that don't quite make sense, but that tends to happen when time travel is involved. For the most part, it holds together well, and includes some interesting twists that provide opportunities for plumbing the souls of the characters.

The author does a pretty good job with characterization, even though he is apparently not a Stargate fan fiction writer, like some of the other SG-1 authors used by Fandemonium. He makes a few mistakes that a fan wouldn't, such as having Jack refer to Daniel as "Jackson," but gets the essence of the characters right, and most of the details, too. I enjoyed this novel.

The story starts out a little bit slow and confusing, and takes a while to gain momentum. When everything finally clicks into place, the action is classic SG-1. I think the title of the book, "Relativity" is sort of a pun as regards to two of the characters, but I won't spoil that surprise.

TV Characters in the story are: Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter, Teal'c, Daniel Jackon, General Hammond, Dr. Warner, Dr. Lee, and Vice President Kinsey. Also playing a central role are the Re'Tu and the Aschen. Just like other Aschen-related story lines from the TV series, this one includes time travel to stop an ill-advised treaty. Most of the characters are depicted pretty well, except for Hammond who seems a little flat. Kinsey is expertly portrayed. While not the best novel in this series, it is satisfactory if you can push past the slow start.