sholio | Mirror, Mirror (SGA tie-in novel)

This is the first tie-in since "Reliquary" that I've thoroughly enjoyed.

It's the sort of fic I've been craving, really -- very science-fictiony, very twisty, kept me guessing from the first page. Well, more fiction than science, really (I am pretty sure that the entire premise made no sense at all, especially once you figure out what's going on and start trying to work out the details) but it was fast-paced and fun, and kept surprising me, which is something that neither the show nor fic does very often.

I loved encountering all the AU worlds and seeing what the characters had been up to in their various timelines. If I had a niggle about that (well, aside from Rodney apparently having an AU version who had lived in the Pegasus Galaxy all his life -- DON'T THINK ABOUT THE SCIENCE, SELF), it's that most of them didn't get to interact with each other very much, but I liked how the whole book was all of them searching for each other, through all of the realities, slowly putting the team back together again.

I was also very relieved not to have a total "reset button" ending; they fixed things, but still had their memories of the AU scenarios intact. And this is one deus ex machina (Ikaros ex machina) ending that I really didn't mind, because it'd gotten to the point where they really couldn't have fixed it themselves -- they'd practically killed themselves just getting all together again -- and after watching them all suffer for most of the book, I was happy enough to let someone else do the heavy lifting at the end.

(Also, John as Icarus? Hee!)

Sabine Bauer can write more tie-ins anytime, as far as I'm concerned. :D

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Argh! I can't read this post...I only got the book today!! But I do intend to have a mega-reading session tomorrow...'cos once I get started it's hard for me to stop reading a SGA book or fic!!! I'll come back once I've read it!

(Hmm, tomorrow the net might not see much of me!!)

Hee! Yes, do! I'm curious to see what you think of it.

I really enjoyed the plot and the idea behind this book - even though I'm not sure Sheppard and co would really think this was a good idea!

I liked Ikarus and all the AUs that we went to - and liked the way everyone was looking for everyone else. I also love Major Sheppard's reaction to Colonel Sheppard's surprise at seeing his doppelganger - "Please don't tell me I always look that stupid when I'm surprised" - and also the "Drinkthisallofit" drink (!!) - but for me there wasn't enough Rodney for most of the book for me to really enjoy it!

I know, I know, it was good for Teyla, Elizabeth and Ronon to get bigger parts than they do in some books (especially Elizabeth) - and when we did see Rodney I was very happy with what we were given (poor Rodney)- but I'm a Rodney-centric person at the end of the day so it only really got exciting for me when Teyla and Ronon got to his world and started planning his rescue. From then on, the book suddenly came alive for me!

So, yes, I'm biased, but there's not much I can do about it! It was a very well written book and I'm sure non-Rodney-centric fans will be very happy with it - as for me, I enjoyed it to a certain extent but not as much as I could have.

Still, I hope she writes more SGA tie-ins - I just hope if she does they're a bit more team-orientated - i.e. that they're together and Rodney isn't pushed to the sidelines for much of the book! It was certainly better plotted and written than some of the books - though I enjoyed some of the less well written ones more than this one (perversely) because of Rodney-content (what can I say? I'm a Rodney-whore!!).

Except for 'The Chosen' - as far as enjoyment goes, that is the worst one so far, for me. Too complex and even taking into account that it is Season 1 Rodney, he seemed a bit out of character in places; too harsh, too judgmental.

So, there you have it, the thoughts of a rabid McKayite! Liked the book, recognised it was better written then some of them, didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Still think the best books are 'Reliquary', 'Entanglement', 'Halycon' - and even 'Casualties of War', despite some naivety in the plot and the dreaded 'they're dead' start followed by going back to the start of the story earlier (ugh) that I rarely like in fanfic (which is how I view these books)!

I did miss Rodney in the early part of the book, but felt that his later parts more than made up for it (herding pigs! hypothermic and hurt and being cared for by Ronon!). Also, two injured Sheppards make up for a lot. :D

But, of course, to each their own - it happens that this is what I've been craving lately: plot-themed fic with a lot of surprises.

And I hear you on the jumping-back-in-time technique. I really dislike that. Either start in the middle of the action and *stay* there, or lead us slowly into it, but I resent the feeling that the author is using the action lead-in as a cheap manipulative technique.

Ohh, want to comment (as I'd really like to discuss these books at times), but I have to close my eyes on the spoilers because it's still sitting on my bookshelf at the moment. Although it sounds like maybe I should bump it up to the top of my list, Entanglement really isn't engaging me all that much.

ETA: Want to comment on the book I mean... man, I need to ban myself from attempting communication until after at least two cups of coffee.

*laughs* I knew what you meant. I don't even remember "Entanglement" off the top of my head - need to look at my bookshelf when I get home.

Oooh! Interesting. Thanks for the rec (Because I really needed more books I want to read! orz)

You can't have too many books! (Well, no, you probably can. But as long as I can still see some part of my walls and floor, I don't have too many yet!)

Doc! She wrote a SGA? Sweet!

Ha, I was just looking to see if she'd written any fanfic, because the book did have a fanfic-writer sort of vibe to it. Looks like it's all been taken down, though ... at least I can't find it anywhere. I was curious if she'd done any for SGA other than the novel.

I don't know if she ever wrote SGA fanfics. I think her online things were taken down shortly after her first book was published. To my knowledge they haven't been up since.

That's too bad! And that sort of thing is basically why I keep my fanfic writer persona separate from my real identity, because I've seen quite a few fanfic writers end up taking down their fic when they became published. In some cases, I know that taking down all of their fanfic was a necessary condition for their book deal. I don't want to find myself in a similar situation.

That's probably what happened in her case, being asked to take them down, because they approached her due to her fanfics. Her stuff was very detailed and just terrific (man, the way she'd write Janet). So if that's the case, it's easy to see why they'd approach her, and why she'd need to remove her stuff as a result. No idea how long that's for, or if she'll ever put it back up.

Hmm... I might have to read this even if there is not enough Rodney becuase it sounds like what Rodney there is, is good. But I am, above almost all else, a Rodney fan. Sheppard, not so much. At least, not by himself.

Uh oh... Gotta find time to go to the bookstore and hide out!

Mirror, Mirror (SGA tie-in novel)

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