STARGATE SG-1: Sacrifice Moon [Kindle Edition]

No kidding, campers. Fall in, eyes front, and ears open.

I am extremely hard to please and highly suspicious of any media tie-in novelization. For over 30 years of fan-reading I have been disappointed by other products written by people working for a check rather than a love for and thorough knowledge of the original they dared to emulate. I'm picky, hyper-critical, demanding, and proud of it.

But fear not--this is the bomb! (I mean that in a GOOD way!)

Julie Fortune's love and respect for Stargate SG-1 and its characters shines from every page. Her execution of the story is smooth and confident, making for the kind of book you can read over and over again to find something new each time. You can hear each character in that character's voice and every word rings true. It ain't easy to do that kind of thing, but she did!

The story takes place very early in the series, while Col. O'Neill's team is still forming up and solidifying their working relationships. You absolutely can picture everything, from the first scenes as General Hammond briefs them for their next off-world assignment, to the terrors in the darkness as they face an ancient and pitiless evil. She has the speech patterns, the reactions, the humor, the quirks, and the stubborn courage of each down so tight she might well have been walking around the Cheyenne Mountain complex with a recorder, busily taking detailed notes.

The pacing is perfect, the dialogue effortless, the research flawless, the plot--hoo boy, I'm not going to give THAT away--but you may be leaving fingernail gouges in the covers, so be sure to order two copies and have an oxygen tank on standby so you can revive yourself should you forget to breathe.

Julie Fortune--you are the supreme empress among all SG-1 writers, pro and fan alike. May your reign be long, fruitful, and ever-triumphant!

For those of you living overseas who may be considering ordering, go ahead. You'll want to be in on THIS party!

More please, Ms. Fortune?

Now!

Fortune has a superb grasp of character and her dialogue is sharp. It's easy to visualize and hear our familiar heroes at work in her novel. The plot is tight and well-paced, without an over abundance of tech or cultural detail which often bogs down similiar TV-based novelisations. There's some nice use of humour and banter - inevitably mostly from Jack O'Neill.

I really enjoyed the setting too. Placing this one right at the start of the show - just days after the events of the Pilot and Enemy Within - gave the author an opportunity to work on themes of growing friendship, trust and the team learning about each other and to rely on one another. And she pulls that off marvellously well.

The only small flaw for me among all these riches was the author's inclusion of an incident referred to in the episode Emancipation. From the dialogue given in the episode itself, it's clear that this event happened on a planet and that Jack O'Neill was present. Why the author chose to rework this and not follow this canon, I have no idea. But I found it a shame that she didn't stick to the facts given by the show. It spoiled for me what had otherwise been a meticulously researched novel, perfectly in character and in sync with the show throughout.

But that was a minor disappointment in a novel that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way and filled me with the same warm feeling of spending time with SG1 that I have when I watch the show on screen. I'd recommend this one to any Stargate fan who likes adventure, team-centred stories, strong character interaction and humour.