STARGATE SG-1 City of the Gods

by Sonny Whitelaw

Book Overview

My enemy's enemy...

When a Crystal Skull is discovered beneath the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, it ignites a cataclysmic chain of events that maroons SG-1 on a dying world.

Xal tcan is a brutal society, steeped in death and sacrifice, where the bloody gods of the Aztecs demand tribute from a fearful and superstitious population. But that's the least of Colonel Jack O'Neill's problems. With Xal tcan on the brink of catastrophe, Dr Daniel Jackson...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B001VEYESS
• ISBN13: 9780954734336
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Fandemonium Books
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.6" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Good read if you can handle the gore

This book takes us to a moon called Xalotcan, an Aztec society like the ancient roots of the civilizations on Tollan and Orban, using the crystal skulls that Daniel Jackson's father, Nick, discovered. The skulls are actually part of a transportation network in the smae vein as the stargate network. The moon is self-destructing, and SG1 is determined to relocate the local population, but first they have to convince the natives to trust them. To do this, SG1 actually impersonates Aztec gods, which is a method I don't recall them using on any other mission...they are usually very clear about explaining that they are not gods, just humans like the locals. There is a lot of detailed description about the Aztec culture, which harkened me back to a vacation in Mexico where we toured many sacrificial temples. The story line is very cohesive, the dialog is practically perfect. The author makes references to the TV show, but also refers to the storyline of "Sacrifice Moon" (book 2 of this series) so if you haven't read that you may be lost for a few paragraphs. So if you can get past the gore this is a fun read.

Stargate Fan

When I first read the book it brought up some parts of the groups past that didn't make too much sense till you read the other stories and then saw on the show that it all clicks in. One of those facts were from some of the key parts in the series were from seasons 1,2, & 3 episodes Fire and Water, Need, the information on Carter's episode as a host and the symbiote' memories, their encounter with the quantum mirror and the Crystal Skull which bring up a lot of information and the type of traumas that they all have to deal with as a group like losing a friend and a team-mate, but the back story of Daniel's past and bringing in his grandfather wasn't really necessary. I liked the idea that they focused most of this on Carter since nearly all of the books were focused on either O'Neill or Daniel and it was time that they gave Carter center stage this time around. But I have to admit that the issue with Daniel's former teacher brought back another good piece of background like his rivalry with another archeologist from the Season 4 episode " The Curse" was pretty interesting as well. Another issue that they brought up was O'neill and Carter's relationship even though neither wanted to admit it that they loved each other, but that was a nice piece in it-self as well. The diary that they put in there from Daniel's knowledge was a nice touch since it gave information on a previous planet that they went to and then the issue with dealing with the loss of a few allies like the mention of Narim and that ambassador that was killed a few weeks earlier was a nice touch as well. All in all I recommend this one to any who like the show.

Exactly what I was looking for

I'm actually extremely pleased with this novel, and found myself immensely entertained. I suspect this is in good part because I am both prepared and capable of distinguishing history from science fiction. As a student of meso-American culture, I can state that no culture remains fixed throughout time. The Aztec culture exists today in a totally different way than it existed in the tenth century. Once one then takes this culture into a purely fictional framework, off to another planet, and twisted it to suit the machinations of a Go'auld that itself was considered an atrocious creature even by Ra's standards, it is most certainly going to be gruesome and differ from the Aztecs of past that some textbooks portray in an idealized light. As to the chocolate, of course it was never produced as candy bars, but I chuckled at the way it cleverly connected Quetzalcoatl to O'Neill. The author has taken genuine research, married it to mythology and come up with an excellent and original plot. I automatically suspend my disbelief when I read novels like these. They are a fun detour from the real world, and I see them purely for their entertainment value. Since the series itself takes us all on an excursion from reality every week, I would have personally been disappointed if this book had attempted to foster upon us something else. Equally, I am pleased that the author did not over-simply an intriguing story. Whether one could possibly stand so close to volcanoes without being cooked - based on the extraordinary images on her website, it appears the author had no trouble with such encounters in real life! As to characterizations, I was gratified to note that the author dealt with them in a mature and insightful manner. I enjoyed the way each team member was presented - more so in this novel than in others from this particular series. I would liked to have seen a longer story, as I feel the end was somewhat short and that some scenes could have been fleshed out more, but again, this was in keeping with the series which is of course subject to the restrictions of time. No doubt the publisher must have an upper word limit for similar reasons as the show's producers have a time limit. I understand that MGM approves of each novel and therefore, feel quite comfortable in reading it as canon. Having said that, as with everything else about this novel, it has remained very faithful to the series. For all of those reasons, I'm giving it five stars and would highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to this author's treatment of the spinoff Atlantis series.

A superb roller-coaster ride!

Adventure - check Action - check Drama - check Characterisation - check Humour - check Fandemonium's fourth outing into the Stargate SG-1 universe is a compelling tale that pushes imagination beyond the boundaries of the show. Firmly and expertly rooted in Aztec mythology, City of the Gods takes the reader to places that would explode even the most extravagant TV budget and realises vistas and scenarios the show's producers could only dream of. Monumental cities and temple precincts on a world in cataclysm - feel the tremors and sneeze at the brimstone - provide the backdrop for desperate, ferocious rites and a truly galactic showdown that features more hair's breadth escapes than you can shake a stick at. But for all its relentless action the book never loses sight of the characters. Daniel Jackson's learning, passion, and ingenuity are equally as well portrayed as Teal'c's quiet intelligence and occasional sense of displacement or the subliminal emotional minefields Jack O'Neill and Sam Carter find themselves navigating. An additional bonus comes in the shape of seamless ties into previous episodes - including the very welcome, superbly tongue-in-cheek reappearance of Daniel's grandfather, Nick Ballard - and the references to Fandemonium's earlier novel, Sacrifice Moon. In short, this is a true homage to the show's intelligence, imagination, and humour and a rollicking good read to boot.

Furlings - at last! Absolutely the best story!

Man, this was fantastic! Fans of the show absolutely must read this book. It's set near the end of Season 5, and follows up one of my all time favorite Season 3 episodes, Crystal Skull. I'd always wanted to know more about the skull and what happened between Daniel's grandfather Nick Ballard, and Quetzelcoatl but I never expected to have this huge story that includes an entire Aztec civilization. It was amazing! I mean, the author must know a lot about the Aztecs because the really incredible thing was that he tied it altogether exactly with the Goa'uld, the Mayan City of the Gods in Mexico, Teotihuacan, crystal skulls and Daniel's theory about aliens building the Egyptian pyramids. In between all that we had page turning drama and action, lots of angst between the team members, and a humongous volcanic eruption that makes the Last Day of Pompeii look teeny. I especially loved the characterizations. The author nailed Jack O'Neill, and Daniel, and the banter between them was exactly like the show. Sam Carter wasn't just standing around mouthing off scientific stuff, either. Instead we really got some insights into how she thought and felt. I liked the scene between her and Janet Fraiser. Really, a very mature and logical approach to the whole shipper versus non-shipper argument. At the same time, the science that Sam explained made complete sense. And Tea'lc, wow, look for a really insightful conversation between him and Daniel Jackson! I thought the `Daniel Jackson's diary' at the end of the book was a really neat touch. I've read a lot of behind the scenes books, but this explained the origins and interesting stuff about crystal skulls, Mayans and Aztecs. It was like an archeological paper written for real, but as if the Stargate and Goa'uld were for real. Seriously, if you only ever read one Stargate book, make it this one! It's real homage to the show.