REVIEW: "Stargate Atlantis, Legacy 3: Allegiance," by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold
And DONE with my Geek Speak obligations for this month. Good grief, this month was insane. I had to read two books online. TWO! And I have another one to read for next month. ~sobs~ I don't like reading on the computer! ~sobs some more, deep breath~ Okay. I'm okay. The final review is for the third book in the post-series Atlantis novels, "Allegiance," by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold. I've really been enjoying this series. Still better than the majority of Season 5!
And before anyone sees the recommendation, a caveat. I do recommend this book, but, as I said it's Book Three. I'm not going to just recommend it to anyone. :D Provided you've read the first two books, then of course, it's a definite recommendation. If you haven't read the first two books, I'm going to recommend you don't even read this review. Go and buy the first three books. Marathon them. They may be written by different authors, but they flow very well together.
STARGATE ATLANTIS: ALLEGIANCE
Book Three in the Legacy Series
Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold
Published by: Fandemonium Books
Released: November, 2011
Available in ebook/print-on-demand paperback
In Short: The team struggles to overcome their latest loss, while Zelenka rushes to protect Atlantis' systems from the new threat.
Recommended: Yes, but...!
"Put me on citywide. This is Colonel Sheppard. Assume that as of now we are facing an attack by unknown hostiles who are trying to get through the Stargate. I want security teams on full alert--"
Zelenka breathed a curse in Czech, all the more alarming because his tone was hushed rather than heated. "The iris is shutting down..."
-- The city comes under attack by Wraith, who now possess dangerous information about the city
First of all, if you haven't read the first two books in the series, of course I don't recommend this book to you. I recommend the first one, and then the second, and now this. Heck, I don't even want you to read this review if you haven't read the first two novels. It's full of big spoilers. If you're even thinking of buying these books and enjoying the series, don't let me ruin the revelations and situations that crop up by this point in the series. So go read one of my reviews for other Stargate books. Transitions! That's a good book if you're feeling like reading Atlantis stuff but have read everything else. Then go and buy all three of the Legacy books and marathon them. They may be written by different authors, but that doesn't affect the flow from one book to the other in any way.
Okay, now that all the unspoiled people are gone, I can continue without worrying over spoilers. This is a hard book to discuss (and to find a quote for) without spoiling people who may be coming in late. It's like trying to discuss an episode you attended the filming of but the episode hadn't aired yet. If you're still around, that means you've read the first two novels in the series (Homecoming and The Lost) and want to know if the series is worth continuing.
To you people, my recommendation is yes! You definitely should continue the series. In the last book, the team discovered McKay was not only taken by the Wraith, but he has now been turned into one of them. Though he seems to have lost the memory of who he really is, the knowledge he possesses about the city and their security is more than alarming to those in charge. Samantha Carter, on Atlantis while the Hammond is under repair, Sam is well aware of what a genius like McKay is capable of when it comes to creating backdoors, so she teams up with Radek Zelenka to tackle the nigh-impossible task of locking Rodney out of the computer systems.
Woolsey, meanwhile, is summoned back to Earth for a meet-and-greet with the IOA representatives. Sheppard is reluctantly left in charge of the city in his absence, and Zelenka takes McKay's place on the fractured team with Teyla and Ronon, much to his dismay. As new arrivals come in on the Daedalus, and the expedition members try to find a way to move on without forgetting McKay's abduction.
On the Wraith vessel, McKay - or Quicksilver, as he's been dubbed - is suffering through bizarre dreams as his true mind rebels against the manufactured information his Wraith handlers have given him. Elizabeth Weir comes to him in dreams in a manner similar to Daniel Jackson helping Teal'c in the Stargate SG-1 episode "The Changeling," trying to help him rediscover himself. Unfortunately the implanted personality is too strong, and she only succeeds in reminding McKay how to access Atlantis' computer systems and take down their iris.
He leads the Wraith drones on an attack of the city with the goal of stealing their only remaining ZPM. Despite attempts by Sheppard and Zelenka to break through McKay's programming, he succeeds in his mission and they escape with the city's sole source of dialing Earth. Back at his hive, McKay then begins experiments that, if successful, will provide Wraith ships with energy shields that will make them even more formidable enemies.
With confirmation that McKay is definitely providing sensitive information about the city defenses, not to mention Beckett and Keller hitting a wall with their research to reverse the transformation, Sheppard is faced with the fact he may not be able to rescue his friend and team member.
In the first two books, the authors were faced with the task of tying up the loose ends left after the series finale. Now that the series is well away from the sweeping up, the authors are free to start laying the framework to explore new territory. New expedition members are introduced and, without worrying about actor contracts, there's a very real chance that these original characters could be killed off at any time. Telling the story in novel form adds a sense of peril to the attack scenes that any regular television series can't really pull off any more. If someone is in the opening credits, the viewer is pretty sure they won't be killed (unless the show is by Joss Whedon, in which case all bets are off). Characters like Mel Hocken and William Lynn have a chance to become real, distinct characters with lots of "screen time" and back stories while you're still aware that they might not come out of the next battle in one piece.
There's also a freedom of bringing in old friends without worrying about the actor's availability. I was extremely happy to see Laura Cadman has not only returned, but she received a promotion and serves aboard Sam Carter's ship. Old frenemies like Ladon Radim can come back and play pivotal roles even though the man who played him, Ryan Robbins, is currently working on three different shows (I think. There may be more. It's hard to keep up with that dude).
One thing that I don't think was a hundred percent necessary but was nevertheless a hundred percent appreciated is the fact the first few pages of the novel are dedicated to a "the story so far" recap. With the time between publications, it's easy to forget details of what came before. The prologue succinctly reminds readers of things that have come before and makes it so much easier to dive into the story than it would otherwise have been. It also does away with messy exposition, having characters spew information they all know just to catch up the reader. Elegantly done.
I've been told several times how many novels are left in the Legacy series, and I know there are going to be either five or six in total (I'm leaning toward six being more accurate), but I'm not focusing on that. The Legacy series is a unique way to revisit the characters we know and love and see what they're up to even after the series comes to an end. I know turning the page of the final book in the post-series collection will be like a second series finale, but if the authors keep up the quality work (and given their pedigree, I have no doubt they will), I know it will be a satisfying ending to the fans.
Originally written for Geek Speak Magazine
And before anyone sees the recommendation, a caveat. I do recommend this book, but, as I said it's Book Three. I'm not going to just recommend it to anyone. :D Provided you've read the first two books, then of course, it's a definite recommendation. If you haven't read the first two books, I'm going to recommend you don't even read this review. Go and buy the first three books. Marathon them. They may be written by different authors, but they flow very well together.
STARGATE ATLANTIS: ALLEGIANCE
Book Three in the Legacy Series
Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold
Published by: Fandemonium Books
Released: November, 2011
Available in ebook/print-on-demand paperback
In Short: The team struggles to overcome their latest loss, while Zelenka rushes to protect Atlantis' systems from the new threat.
Recommended: Yes, but...!
"Put me on citywide. This is Colonel Sheppard. Assume that as of now we are facing an attack by unknown hostiles who are trying to get through the Stargate. I want security teams on full alert--"
Zelenka breathed a curse in Czech, all the more alarming because his tone was hushed rather than heated. "The iris is shutting down..."
-- The city comes under attack by Wraith, who now possess dangerous information about the city
First of all, if you haven't read the first two books in the series, of course I don't recommend this book to you. I recommend the first one, and then the second, and now this. Heck, I don't even want you to read this review if you haven't read the first two novels. It's full of big spoilers. If you're even thinking of buying these books and enjoying the series, don't let me ruin the revelations and situations that crop up by this point in the series. So go read one of my reviews for other Stargate books. Transitions! That's a good book if you're feeling like reading Atlantis stuff but have read everything else. Then go and buy all three of the Legacy books and marathon them. They may be written by different authors, but that doesn't affect the flow from one book to the other in any way.
Okay, now that all the unspoiled people are gone, I can continue without worrying over spoilers. This is a hard book to discuss (and to find a quote for) without spoiling people who may be coming in late. It's like trying to discuss an episode you attended the filming of but the episode hadn't aired yet. If you're still around, that means you've read the first two novels in the series (Homecoming and The Lost) and want to know if the series is worth continuing.
To you people, my recommendation is yes! You definitely should continue the series. In the last book, the team discovered McKay was not only taken by the Wraith, but he has now been turned into one of them. Though he seems to have lost the memory of who he really is, the knowledge he possesses about the city and their security is more than alarming to those in charge. Samantha Carter, on Atlantis while the Hammond is under repair, Sam is well aware of what a genius like McKay is capable of when it comes to creating backdoors, so she teams up with Radek Zelenka to tackle the nigh-impossible task of locking Rodney out of the computer systems.
Woolsey, meanwhile, is summoned back to Earth for a meet-and-greet with the IOA representatives. Sheppard is reluctantly left in charge of the city in his absence, and Zelenka takes McKay's place on the fractured team with Teyla and Ronon, much to his dismay. As new arrivals come in on the Daedalus, and the expedition members try to find a way to move on without forgetting McKay's abduction.
On the Wraith vessel, McKay - or Quicksilver, as he's been dubbed - is suffering through bizarre dreams as his true mind rebels against the manufactured information his Wraith handlers have given him. Elizabeth Weir comes to him in dreams in a manner similar to Daniel Jackson helping Teal'c in the Stargate SG-1 episode "The Changeling," trying to help him rediscover himself. Unfortunately the implanted personality is too strong, and she only succeeds in reminding McKay how to access Atlantis' computer systems and take down their iris.
He leads the Wraith drones on an attack of the city with the goal of stealing their only remaining ZPM. Despite attempts by Sheppard and Zelenka to break through McKay's programming, he succeeds in his mission and they escape with the city's sole source of dialing Earth. Back at his hive, McKay then begins experiments that, if successful, will provide Wraith ships with energy shields that will make them even more formidable enemies.
With confirmation that McKay is definitely providing sensitive information about the city defenses, not to mention Beckett and Keller hitting a wall with their research to reverse the transformation, Sheppard is faced with the fact he may not be able to rescue his friend and team member.
In the first two books, the authors were faced with the task of tying up the loose ends left after the series finale. Now that the series is well away from the sweeping up, the authors are free to start laying the framework to explore new territory. New expedition members are introduced and, without worrying about actor contracts, there's a very real chance that these original characters could be killed off at any time. Telling the story in novel form adds a sense of peril to the attack scenes that any regular television series can't really pull off any more. If someone is in the opening credits, the viewer is pretty sure they won't be killed (unless the show is by Joss Whedon, in which case all bets are off). Characters like Mel Hocken and William Lynn have a chance to become real, distinct characters with lots of "screen time" and back stories while you're still aware that they might not come out of the next battle in one piece.
There's also a freedom of bringing in old friends without worrying about the actor's availability. I was extremely happy to see Laura Cadman has not only returned, but she received a promotion and serves aboard Sam Carter's ship. Old frenemies like Ladon Radim can come back and play pivotal roles even though the man who played him, Ryan Robbins, is currently working on three different shows (I think. There may be more. It's hard to keep up with that dude).
One thing that I don't think was a hundred percent necessary but was nevertheless a hundred percent appreciated is the fact the first few pages of the novel are dedicated to a "the story so far" recap. With the time between publications, it's easy to forget details of what came before. The prologue succinctly reminds readers of things that have come before and makes it so much easier to dive into the story than it would otherwise have been. It also does away with messy exposition, having characters spew information they all know just to catch up the reader. Elegantly done.
I've been told several times how many novels are left in the Legacy series, and I know there are going to be either five or six in total (I'm leaning toward six being more accurate), but I'm not focusing on that. The Legacy series is a unique way to revisit the characters we know and love and see what they're up to even after the series comes to an end. I know turning the page of the final book in the post-series collection will be like a second series finale, but if the authors keep up the quality work (and given their pedigree, I have no doubt they will), I know it will be a satisfying ending to the fans.
Originally written for Geek Speak Magazine