STARGATE SG-1: Survival of the Fittest [Kindle Edition]

This one was a good one since the time-line took place between the season 5 episodes " The Fifth Guy, Right of Passage,The Menace, and Meridian" so they gave further information on their encounter with another system lord and the NID rep that replaced their biggest enemy in the first 3 seasons. I'd say that the only problem with this one was the need to create a further scape-goat in this one not to mention creating a six-way story line between the main characters and turning Fraiser into the victim was a good idea, but they took that one a little to far by the end of the story and it started getting annoying after a little while. But this was a very good story and I recommend it to any who like the show.

"Survival of the Fittest" is the second "Stargate SG-1" book that I've read by Sabine Bauer. The first one was "Trial by Fire", and I mention in that review that the story was dark, with detailed torture scenes, and a super annoying character. The Amazon product page for "Survival of the Fittest" doesn't have the back cover text, so here's what that says (note the British spelling, not my typos):

"Colonel Frank Simmons has never been a friend to SG-1. Working for the shadowy government organisation, the NID, he has hatched a horrifying plan to create an army as devastatingly effective as that of any Goa'uld. And he will stop at nothing to fulfil his ruthless ambition, even if that means forfeiting the life of the SGC's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Janet Fraiser. But Simmons underestimates the bond between Stargate Command's officers. When Fraiser, Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c disappear, Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson are forced to put aside personal differences to follow their trail into a world of savagery and death. In this complex story of revenge, sacrifice and betrayal, SG-1 must endure their greatest ordeal..."

Ok, a few adjectives from that blurb are correct: horrifying, savagery and death. Complex? sure, why not. But it's also boring. The complexity bogs it down and the pace just is too slow. There is a ton of detail in the scene descriptions which I often find fun b/c I can picture the book as a movie. But this storyline is just too slow as-is...it would need some massive editing to become a movie, and even then I'm not sure it would be any good.

This book apparently takes place immediately after the Season 5 episode "Menace" where Reese the human-form replicator is discovered, studied, and killed by SG-1. The death of Reese apparently caused some MAJOR angst between Daniel and Jack, but I sure don't recall seeing it in the TV show. The book chomps onto this supposed angst, stirs in a trap set by the NID to get SG-1 out of the way, adds Nirrti to compete with Frank Simmons for 'most evil bad guy', and flavors with Harry Maybourne, Bra'tak, and General Hammond going on an off-world mission together. We see into the mind/motives of Jack (take the blame in order to protect the team) and we see General Hammond struggle to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder from his tour in Viet Nam. Given that Sabine likes to write about torture (physical and mental), we get a few detailed scenes about that (Jack, Janet, and Sam), we hear language that would NEVER come out of the mouth of Jack and Hammond, and we get to see Sam run around in her undies with every man in sight drooling in sexual paralysis. Roll it all together and its just not a very enjoyable book.

I read Stargate novels for fun. Media tie-in novels are supposed to be light reading, for fun. If I want to read The Killing Fields, I'll darned well pick up a copy of The Killing Fields -- I don't expect this level of nasty, mean-spirited violence from what is supposed to be a fun read.

I don't usually have a knee-jerk reaction to violence in literature (or in any form of entertainment.) I genuinely believe that violence, even really explicit violence, can be handled successfully in literature, but it has to be written with a level of talent greater than what you find in a media tie-in novel. This was cheap and unpleasant, and extremely unexpected. It's a pity, too, because I was otherwise enjoying the read right up until it got borderline sick.