Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great sequal to the movie..., June 16, 2003
While there are some flaws (and mistakes)the book has a lot to offer. The characters of Jackson and O'Neil seem to be in-character and many of the new characters, such as Hathor and Walter Draven, are very interesting. For example, Walter Draven, of the UMC, is both greedy and forward, yet knows how far he can push people. Hathor wants power, but is realistic about what she can and can not do.
The book allows you a peek at Ra's decaying empire and the reality of having a Stargate to another world. The language barrier is still a problem, no short-cuts here, and Bill McCay does not plan to make it easy for any of the characters. Both Earth and Hathor wish to exploit the planet of Abydos, whose natives just want to be left alone.
The book does give hints and flashbacks of past events to help fill in the setting and give background on some of the 'evil' characters BUT not too much.
The best part is while the book can stand alone, it is the first of a five book series. If you overlook the small flaws the story is very solid.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I hope this would have made a better film..., March 25, 2003
I was quite intrigued to see where Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich had intended to go had further Stargate films been made. They have said on several occasions that the series (SG-1) has gone in an entirely different direction than their planned sequels would have. As a big fan of both the original film and the series, I was curious to see what was lost. (It has been stated that McCay worked from Devlin and Emmerich's "sequel" ideas to create this series of books.) I can only hope that Devlin and Emmerich would have made a better film than this first book indicates. McCay seems to have little interest in character development, at least among those on Abydos. What he does do in that department results in some major changes to already established characters. O'Neil (and the rest of his men from the film) have changed from Air Force officers to Marines. Kawalsky has been demoted from Lieutenant Colonel to a mere Lieutenant, and poor Feretti has been bumped from Lieutenant all the way down to Corporal. Daniel Jackson, whose sense of wonder and awkward charm made him such a memorable character, has been reduced to little more than an interpreter and English teacher. And the values and motivations of almost everyone who travels to Abydos via the Stargate are picked out in stark black and white, without much personality or humanity. On the other hand, the goddess Hathor and her fellow would-be godlings are much more interesting. Their infighting and petty bickering in the face of Ra's mysterious disappearance are much more intriguing than the utterly predictable Earth-exploits-the-natives plot back on Abydos. On Tuat, McCay gives us a glimpse of Ra's empire, or at least the leadership thereof. We see some of it's former glory and the current decay, the result of centuries of apathy or decadence. (One must wonder what Ra and his underlings have been doing all these years, if not conquering new worlds to expand the empire.) McCay suffers from a very telling lack of military knowledge, which is most apparent during his description of the climatic battle. In many places, he glosses over entire engagements with a few words, leaving the reader begging for more. His lack of military terminology does not seem to be a problem when describing Ra's fictional technology; but when dealing with the Earth forces, it's a bit difficult for someone with some military background to take. All in all, this is not a bad story. If this is where Devlin and Emmerich were planning to take us with their sequels, it would have been an enjoyable journey. It's unfortunate that McCay seems just a bit lacking in his ability to translate that to print.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fine continuation of an exciting film., August 7, 1997
By A Customer
The reintroduction of the key figures from Stargate are welcome.The Colonel, Daniel, Feretti et all, are there and several new characters are introduced. The book captures the action/adventure feel of the film and at times has you gripped (so much so that this reviewer stayed up way to late one night to finish the book!). The new threat to Abydos and its people , in the shape of Hathor, is a worthy successor to Ra. She is evil and wicked and everything that a good enemy should be. The final confrontation between her and the powers of Abydos and Earth is a match that I look forward to with eagerness. I sincerely hope that the original cast of the film Stargate read this book themselves and decide that there should be a Stargate 2.
A great book which will make your imagination soar. Thoroughly recommended
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