Stargate novels...any good?

[Warped9]

While revisiting Stargate SG-1 I've been pondering whether to try any of the Stargate published novels. My question to fellow fans: are the books any good? Inconsistent with some better than others? Mediocre? A waste of time?

I don't expect any of it to be considered official or canon or consistent with developed in the series. I'm just looking at them for entertainment value.

Opinions?

 

[Silvercrest]

There are two sets of novels: "Stargate" and "Stargate SG-1". I haven't actually read any of them, but this is how I understand them. The "Stargate" novels were authorized by Devlin and Emmerich. They are a direct follow-up to the events of the movie and do not take into account the show's revisions; i.e., Ra looked like a Roswell Grey and was one of the last members of his race, there are no small snakelike beings inhabiting any aliens, O'Neil spells his name with one L and has no sense of humor, etc. As I recall, there are only a couple of these novels.

The Stargate SG-1 novels are, of course, based on the show, but I don't know how many there are or whether they're consistent with the show or each other. The only ones I've ever seen were written around the first few seasons of the show, so I'd bet they're contradicted by later seasons in some way.

I believe the "Stargate" movie novels were published in order to jump on the show's bandwagon, but also to spite it somewhat (given that D&E didn't like what they did with the show). Reminds me a little of the two "Ghostbusters" cartoons in the 1980s.

Anyway, this doesn't really answer your questions, but I thought I should clarify in case you were more interested in one over the other. Or in case you tried to buy both at the same time!

 

[F. King Daniel]

I was wondering the same thing about SG-1 and Atlantis novels. I recently read Stargate: Rebellion, the first of the Stargate R's (books based on the movie universe, all starting in "R"), and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Although based on Emmerich's original concepts and notes (and it is different to SG-1's take on the universe) it's packed with little movie inconsistancies: O'Neil's son is called Jack Jr, they spell it "StarGate", O'Neil's a marine, Jackson's blonde, the gate somehow fits whole trucks through and they say Daniel Jackson discovered the gate himself. None of these things bothered me in the slightest, but I know continuity glitches totally ruin tie-ins for some .

The story's about the US attempting to exploit Abydos, and Hathor (a human) awakening after 5000 years to find Ra is dead and his empire in chaos.

Again, I liked it and plan on reading the other four soon.

 

[The Wormhole]

Although based on Emmerich's original concepts and notes (and it is different to SG-1's take on the universe) it's packed with little movie inconsistancies: O'Neil's son is called Jack Jr, they spell it "StarGate", O'Neil's a marine, Jackson's blonde, the gate somehow fits whole trucks through and they say Daniel Jackson discovered the gate himself. None of these things bothered me in the slightest, but I know continuity glitches totally ruin tie-ins for some .

Continuity "glitches" are okay in novels if they're just things which were contradicted in later episodes/movies, like with the Star Trek novel Federation, however tie-in novels should always be accurate to pre-established continuity. These sound sloppy and I get the impression no one involved wth the book was familiar with the movie. Jack O'Neil was very clearly wearing an Air Force uniform in the movie. How the hell could anyone think he was a Marine?

Anyway, I only tried one of Fandemonium's SG-1 novels and couldn't get through the first few chapters before giving up.

 

[bullethead]

Although based on Emmerich's original concepts and notes (and it is different to SG-1's take on the universe) it's packed with little movie inconsistancies: O'Neil's son is called Jack Jr, they spell it "StarGate", O'Neil's a marine, Jackson's blonde, the gate somehow fits whole trucks through and they say Daniel Jackson discovered the gate himself. None of these things bothered me in the slightest, but I know continuity glitches totally ruin tie-ins for some .

Continuity "glitches" are okay in novels if they're just things which were contradicted in later episodes/movies, like with the Star Trek novel Federation, however tie-in novels should always be accurate to pre-established continuity. These sound sloppy and I get the impression no one involved wth the book was familiar with the movie. Jack O'Neil was very clearly wearing an Air Force uniform in the movie. How the hell could anyone think he was a Marine?

I have the movie novelization and a few of the McCay novels, and the movie novelization definitely had the weird StarGate spelling. As for fitting trucks through the gate, I've seen various measurements of the Gate and you can fit certain vehicles through the gate (including tanks).

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

Anyway, I only tried one of Fandemonium's SG-1 novels and couldn't get through the first few chapters before giving up.

They always seemed like lame fanfiction to me. I've read better fanfiction online.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

The McCay books are interesting, and have the Sekhmet in them, which gets them points from me. I haven't read any of the SG-1 novels.

 

[cultcross]

Never been a big tie-in fiction fan, the quality of the writing is almost always mediocre at best and the SG-1 books were a particualrly bad example of the genre, imho. Didn't enjoy the ones I tried.

 

[Starbreaker]

I'm too afraid to try them. All my experience with tie-in fiction outside of Star Trek has been terrible.

 

[Joy]

I'm in the middle of the newest Fandemonium title, "Four Dragons," and I'm really enjoying it. And no, I am not being biased because the author just happens to be a professor at my university; I've never even met her. I genuinely am liking this book.