Best Stargate Series
1 STARGATE ATLANTIS: Homecoming (Book one in the Legacy series) (Stargate Atlantis: Legacy series 1)
The team members have dispersed and are beginning new lives far from the dangers of the Pegasus galaxy. With the help of General Jack O’Neill, Atlantis rises once more — and the former members of the expedition must decide whether to return with her to Pegasus or to remain safely on Earth in the new lives they enjoy... These all new adventures take the Atlantis team back to the Pegasus galaxy where a terrible new enemy has emerged, an enemy that threatens their lives, their friendships — and the future of Earth itself. Thrusters fired again, tilting the city slightly, increasing the drag. They were wrapping around the world in a high polar sweep, bleeding speed as they went. The planet’s largest landmass was embedded beneath the polar ice cap.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"As a fan of all the Stargate TV series, I was glad to finally come across the Atlantis continuation after the unfortunate end of the series."
"The positives are good characterization, the beginnings of a great story arc, and most importantly a fantastic answer to the question, What happens next? The series finale of Atlantis was a satisfying wrap-up of the storylines (don't you hate it when a beloved series ends with major plot lines unresolved? There's also a great new character: Eva Robinson, a psychologist with the Ancient gene. (Personally, I always shipped John/Elizabeth, but that ship sailed when Weir was written off the series.)."
"The formatting (or lack thereof of) in the kindle version made it confusing to figure out when the story had skipped to follow another person or event, but it didn't take too long to figure it out as you kept reading."
"I rather enjoyed reading sensible and involved character histories that made logical sense and held my interest. These things are suppose to be such a great power source, and yet continuously the "Atlantis" story calls for an unbelievable draining of the ZPM's. Planning and deciding to fight at a stargate against incoming Wraith made no sense. There must be a hundred very obvious alternates every reading could imagine when reading that portion."
"When I see a typo of a word it just stops me in my tracks and takes away from the enjoyment of reading the ebook."
Blurb for SGA: Unascended. Front strap line: The journey home starts from within. Subheading: Lost and Found... In the fragile peace following Queen Death’s defeat, Dr. Daniel Jackson arrives in Atlantis to indulge in some real archaeology. No one believes him, but when rumors reach Atlantis of a woman with no memory who calls herself ‘Elizabeth’, Rodney is determined to track her down. "We’ve just met an entirely new intelligent species, and we’re about to make first contact by shooting them," Daniel said. Ronon grabbed the back of Rodney's jacket, thrusting him forward faster.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Daniel Jackson: "I don't want to give you too much hope--". Rodney McKay: "You know what, excessive optimism has never been a problem of mine." It's the actors and their timing, particularly Joe Flannigan and David Hewlitt, that brought the writers' humor to life. It was particularly fun having our characters talk about not being able to have any closure at a funeral when the person who just died might (in Carson's words) "turn up as a clone or a robot or an amnesia victim next week". I can see where there isn't enough blow 'em up action--there is some--to suit the run-and-gun enthusiasts, but this worked in every way for me, with the slight exception that they did make Daniel Jackson a bit more asinine than he's been in many years."
"Early in this book Team Sheppard confronts sentient predatory ostriches on a seemingly uninhabited planet. Much of the book portrays Weir's amnesia, with numerous flash backs as she began to remember her past. It was good to see Teyla leading the Go Team as Sheppard had to stay in the floating city. Daniel Jackson was a nice addition, if irritatingly obtuse in the wraith-worshipper scene."
"This is a great follow-up to the first six books in the series."
"There were a lot of flash back moments as Elizabeth began to remember her past - which will please her fans immensely."
"As far as I could tell (I only watched the series sporadically), everyone is in exactly and wonderfully in character except . Seemed as if the authors, to move the plot forward, needed Daniel to be the Daniel from Season One of SG1, stumbling around and asking questions at the wrong time, instead of the older, wiser Daniel of the time this book portrays."
Finders keepers…. Reeling from the terrible events of STARGATE ATLANTIS Homecoming, the expedition team members are doing whatever it takes to find Doctor Rodney McKay — even if it means turning to their enemies for help. While Colonel Sheppard and Teyla seek information from Ladon Radim of the Genii — and pay a high price to secure his reluctant cooperation — Ronon and Doctor Keller reopen tense negotiations with their sometime-ally, Todd. But as the balance of power begins to shift among the Wraith, Ronon and Keller struggle to ensure that they remain Todd’s allies and don’t become his hostages. The ship remained in orbit around an uninhabited world while the Darts attacked New Athos. “Once to scout, once to send the message that lured us to New Athos, and once to seize… their prize.” She could not quite bring herself to say, ‘to seize Rodney.’ That was too raw. John sat up straight, his eyes meeting Woolsey’s down the table.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Excellent book with flashes of the characters that are well known to the Stargate Atlantis world."
"If you've seen at least a few episodes of the television show, you'd already have had a general idea of the grandness of Atlantis, so no real need to give that much detail of the kitchen. I also enjoyed the characterizations because it felt like the author's really had a good sense of the characters' personalities on the show and were able to translate them into written form. It was also interesting that the author's were better able to describe the problem of sexism in the Genii people because it was portrayed much more subtly on the show."
"The story continues to evolve the characters and plot creating an intriguing web of possibilities and subplot."
"I just love it every book makes feel like I am back to the show and character are very well written and action is superberg like only. Stargate could."
"They should never have suspended this series."
"These authors really honored that legacy by staying true to the original tv show. I miss my all time favorite tv show, this is how I get rid of that itch to watch a season or two."
"*. McKay is captured by the Wraith early on in this book and remains so for the entire book, which I assume is set from its release (January 2011) until the next book, which was written after SGU went off the air."
"I really don't like. to begin a long series if all the books aren't available at the time I. start. If you are a fan of the TV show and of the other books published you will. probably like this also."
Best Star Trek Series
The omnibus edition of an epic crossover trilogy uniting characters from every corner of the Star Trek universe, and revealing the shocking origin and final fate of the Federation's most dangerous enemy--the Borg. No one knows how they are slipping past Starfleet’s defenses, so Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise have to find out—and put a stop to it. Thousands of light-years away, Captain Riker and the crew of the Titan follow bizarre energy pulses to a mysterious, hidden world. At the same time, in the Gamma Quadrant, a new captain and her crew investigate the wreck of the Earth starship Columbia NX-02, missing in action for more than two centuries. The Titan’s freedom hinges on the action of fellow prisoner Erika Hernandez, commander of the long-lost Earth starship Columbia. David Mack is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Troi baby started out quite sad actually won't give any details but get a few tissues."
"The biggest complaint was the Enterprise crew having little to do in the plot, and Captain Picard not being terribly heroic for three consecutive books."
"This is a must for anyone who likes The Next Generation, or Deep Space 9 or Voyager, as it weaves together a selection of characters from these series and pits them against their most fearsome enemy."
"Mack captured the essence of characters I love, believably, but also took them through a journey that was believable for me and pulled at my concern for the characters."
"I strongly recommend this series to any and all who are fans of Star Trek in general, and of the post-TOS series in particular."
"With that being said, it is a wild ride that has kept me wanti g to keep reading til my eyes can't stay open."
"It is worth your time to read, but it is not the best among the Star Trek novels I've read."
"Some of the plot elements require you to already be familiar with the Next Generation characters and remember certain episodes of TNG."
Best Star Wars Series
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this definitive novel, readers will follow Thrawn’s rise to power—uncovering the events that created one of the most iconic villains in Star Wars history. One of the most cunning and ruthless warriors in the history of the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn is also one of the most captivating characters in the Star Wars universe, from his introduction in bestselling author Timothy Zahn’s classic Heir to the Empire through his continuing adventures in Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and beyond. Thrawn’s observations and tactical thinking are utterly captivating.” —New York Daily News. Timothy Zahn is the author of more than forty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novellas, and four short-fiction collections. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels ( Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision of the Future, Survivor’s Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance,Choices of One, and Scoundrels ), with more than four million copies of his books in print.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There are familiar notes including character and ship names readers of Zahn's Legends material, new material including Thrawn's young protege, and for those who require an Imperial villain, we have Arhinda Pryce and her ruthless climb to political power that also explains a great deal about her character on Rebels and how she and Thrawn became allies of a sort. New-canon only fans may find things like the explanation of the "civilian casualties" on Batonn strange or not in keeping with the so-far almost simple-minded insistence in new canon on black and white morality, but readers familiar with Zahn's work recognize this is a design feature, not a bug."
"Timothy Zahn returns to the "Star Wars" universe with "Thrawn", a novel exploring the origin of his character, Grand Admiral Thrawn, a Chiss working with the Empire."
"Now that Disney has canonically introduced Thrawn in their Star Wars: Rebels series, I was excited to read Thrawn to see what Zahn could add for the character. His familiarity with the Star Wars universe allows him to fully immerse the reader in the story and setting in a way that honestly makes the reader feel like they are watching a Star Wars movie."
"Tim Zahn has always been one of my favorite science fiction authors, when I stumbled across The Thrawn Trilogy when I was 13 years old back in the bleak Texan midwinter of 1997-1998. Fast forward twenty years, and I find myself watching DisneyXD clips on youtube when I stumbled on the Season 3 trailer for Star Wars: Rebels when who should appear but Grand Admiral Thrawn."
Best Doctor Who Series
The Daleks and the Time Lords deploy ever more dangerous weapons in desperate attempts at victory, but there is no end in sight. A weary, angry Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against the Dalek stronghold but in the midst of the carnage, the Doctor's TARDIS crashes to a planet below: Moldox. GEORGE MANN is the author of the Newbury & Hobbes steampunk mystery series, as well as numerous other novels, short stories and original audiobooks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In the midst of this we have the War Doctor, the one between Eight and Nine, the one who ultimately ends the Time War by destroying both the Daleks and the Time Lords. The Doctor (for ease of reference, even though he’s not the same Doctor) and his TARDIS and the Time Lords and their battle TARDISes are engaging the Dalek fleet near the Tantalus Spiral, at least at this point in time. The Doctor reluctantly brings Cinder along to figure out what the Daleks are doing, and then it’s off to Gallifrey to report on the Daleks and figure out how to end this horrific war. Upon reflecting upon the story, I see not so much the transition of the Time Lords to the moral equivalents of the Daleks, but the Doctor’s realization that this transition has taken place, thus showing how he feels forced to make the repugnant decision to destroy the Daleks and the Time Lords."
"This is a much-abridged version of the complete review as it appears (http://ianwoodnovellum.blogspot.com/2015/01/doctor-who-engines-of-war-by-george-mann.html) at my blog dedicated to reading, writing (no 'rithmatic! In severe withdrawal after the Xmas Doctor Who show, I needed a good fix, and this delivered. We don't begin with his regeneration, but at a much later point - several centuries later - when he looks more like he did in the fiftieth anniversary special, and not long before he unleashed The Moment. The Doctor informs her that he has to go to the nearby city to find out what the Daleks are up to, and despite her extreme fear, she accompanies him. On Gallifrey we discover that Rassilon has been resurrected to lead the Time Lords, and he has a few dark secrets of his own. Having said that, of course, the time-lock seems to have failed dismally, since the Time-Lords were indeed tied up by it, but not, evidently, the Daleks - not in the least, given how often they've showed up in the rebooted TV series!"
"This is the first Doctor Who "book on tape" I've bought, and the purchase was based solely on the fact that Nicholas Briggs was the reader. I've been a fan of Big Finish for years, and even though this isn't one of their products, I knew that Briggs would put in the love and the work needed to bring the story alive. But to be fair I originally assumed there would be no special sounds -- just a straight reading --- so there is actually a lot there to sweeten the experience."