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    #1

    SG1: Survival of the Fittest - Review (May Contain Spoilers)

    Well, I just got finished with this one and have to say that I really loved it. It was a wonderful mix of all of the elements that for me makes for a good SG1 adventure.

    I especially enjoyed that the author threw in so many 'guest stars'.
    Spoiler:
    Simmons, Hammond, Bra'tac, Maybourne, Nirrti...even Silar...
    all got their chance to shine in this book. The characterisation of
    Spoiler:
    Bra'tac
    in particular was spot on in my opinion. And the inclusion of these characters enlivened and enriched the book beautifully.

    But our team got their chance to shine, too. And I loved the moments of character relationship, in particular between Teal'c and Daniel and Daniel and Jack. Given the blurb on the book, with its talk of Daniel and Jack having to 'set aside their differences' to rescue their team-mates, I had expected this angle
    Spoiler:
    the aftermath of Jack shooting Reese and Daniel's reaction to that
    to be dealt with much more and to produce much more friction between the two of them. So I was surprised when it seemed to be an issue in a few pages at the start but then disappeared entirely. But that didn't really bother me at all - I just found it a little odd, given that it had been highlighted in the blurb as a significant issue for them.

    There were some wonderful moments of humour which had me ROTFLMAO. Among them:

    Spoiler:
    Jack silently and surreptitiously retrieving his resignation letter from Hammond's desk as Warren reported half his team had gone missing; Carter high on morphine and contemplating her CO's nice ass; the conversation between Teal'c and Daniel when Teal'c put him in charge. Even Bra'tac got in some hilarious lines.


    There were a couple of minor quibbles as I read. For instance, that it seemed important to the author to let us know that she knows the grammatical difference between Who and Whom became rather irritating when she kept using Whom in dialogue for characters who really wouldn't give a damn if they were being grammatically correct in their speech. I can't, for instance, imagine
    Spoiler:
    Harry Maybourne
    caring two hoots if he used Whom. And that did make for a jarring note whenever it came up. After a while I was clenching my teeth every time Whom appeared.

    And there were the odd times when the author was so subtle in what she was trying to convey that she lost me entirely. For example, at two points in the conversation between Jack and Daniel in the mess tent on the moon, I hadn't the faintest clue what they were on about. The author seemed to forget that working together on SG1 may have made Jack and Daniel almost telepathic when it comes to understanding what the other is saying without them actually having to say it, but her readers don't have that same ability and need a bit more of a clue!

    But these were just very minor irritations and they didn't spoil the book overmuch. Overall, this one kept me up till 3 am till I finished it. There was plenty of humour, angst, drama, action, team, character relationship, some serious Jack/Daniel/Sam whumping and even some nicely understated ship thrown in for good measure. Everyone got their day in the sun and the adventure variously had me howling with laughter and on the edge of my seat.

    What more could you ask for?

    This one gets a definite 9 out of 10 for this reader and I'm looking forward to the author's next venture should there be one.

    Albion
    Last edited by Albion; 27 July 2006, 02:52 AM.
    Listen, we had General Ryan come on and do a little cameo for us, and he's a real live four star, one of the big guys. And I had to ask him point blank, because there's a certain irreverence that I bring to the character, and denseness, but while we were doing this scene, I just looked at him and said, "Do you have guys like me in...?" and he stopped me and said, "Yes, and worse, and you're doing a fine job, son."

    Richard Dean Anderson
    Tags: None
    #2
    sounds good...I just bought this book
    sigpic
    Part 2 coming very soon!! (this is a fic btw, not the Fandemonium novel)

    Comment

      #3
      Forgot to add that the array of original characters in the book were very well done, too. In the author's first Fandemonium book - which I enjoyed, but probably rated a 5 out of 10 for me - I thought the original character of the female archeologist was too cliched. But there were no such problems for me in this one. Like the rest of the familiar characters, the originals just leapt off the pages as real people and were as enjoyable to watch as the rest.

      Albion
      Listen, we had General Ryan come on and do a little cameo for us, and he's a real live four star, one of the big guys. And I had to ask him point blank, because there's a certain irreverence that I bring to the character, and denseness, but while we were doing this scene, I just looked at him and said, "Do you have guys like me in...?" and he stopped me and said, "Yes, and worse, and you're doing a fine job, son."

      Richard Dean Anderson

      Comment

        #4
        I liked in but in a series which such a high standard already set - this was one of my least favourites. Not altogether sure why but it read more like a fan fic than the other books. Things fell in to place a wee bit too easy and I found myself making more allowances as I read it, like you do for fan fic. I think the author just doesn't suit my tastes, as well as say Sally Malcolm, who I can never fault. Similar to Sabine's last book, I felt that there was a whole heap more story that she has wanted to tell, and maybe got edited out.

        Having said that, it was still a great read and I don't regret buying it.
        Sia


        Hey Sam, did all those other realities tell you nothing?!
        Accept the inevitable.....

        Comment

          #5
          I'd absolutely agree that this read like a fanfic. But I think that was why I enjoyed it so much.

          My main disappointment with novels like these over the years has always been that they pale in comparison to fanfic and don't have the same grasp of character, depth of introspection/character relationship that fanfic does. That's also why I've been so impressed and so enjoyed the Fandemonium books so far. It's been a real joy to see published novels written by actual fans of the show, who write like fanfic and include all of the elements so prevalent in fanfic, so usually absent from novels, which I want to read about.

          I agree with you, too, on Sally Malcom's contributions to the set so far. If it wasn't for CoM/MoM, I'd have said this one by Sabine was my favourite to date. But I doubt that anything to come will ever knock Sally's two books off the top spot for me. They were just perfect for me in every way. I thought those read like fanfic, too, I have to say. <g> Which, again, was a huge part of their appeal for me.

          So far though, Sally's novels and this one are going to be the ones I return to to read over and over.

          Albion
          Listen, we had General Ryan come on and do a little cameo for us, and he's a real live four star, one of the big guys. And I had to ask him point blank, because there's a certain irreverence that I bring to the character, and denseness, but while we were doing this scene, I just looked at him and said, "Do you have guys like me in...?" and he stopped me and said, "Yes, and worse, and you're doing a fine job, son."

          Richard Dean Anderson

          Comment

            #6
            I really found this novel refeshing. Considering that most of the novels have had a S7 timeframe, this S5 setting was very welcomed. I'd love to say more but I just can't think of much at the moment.
            sigpic
            Stargate Destiny - Coming Again Soon

            Comment

              #7
              If SotF is set after Menace, shouldn't Simmons be in jail, after being arrested at the end of 48 Hours?

              Comment

                #8
                Okay! I thought SotF was a nice solid episode. It was fantastic to see some old friends again. I thought the characterisation was spot on, as should be expected from a veteran SG1 author. The original characters were alot better this time and I really enjoyed the entire plot to this. There was no real bad guys, just a complicated scheme that felt very NIDish. Congrats!
                sigpic
                Stargate Destiny - Coming Again Soon

                Comment

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