So finisterre told me I had to read this, and as I had nothing else to do this weekend (LIES ALL LIES), I did so.
And I'm very grateful she did.
It is seldom enough one finds a novel of this length with such strong, logical plotting and creativity, much less such a commitment to sympathetic and realistic portrayal of the characters and their reactions. They were all great (and I second Finisterre's comments about Teal'c, who was awesome--so many ficwriters forget he's an alien), but I particularly loved your Jack, who's so full of emotion and so disinclined to express it, and who keeps moving forward despite all the barriers the universe throws in his way. You've got to break Jack, you can't just stop him--Daniel's death didn't stop him, and neither would Sam's.
But the best part of this has got to be the fabulous examination of identity and memory, the reconstruction of Sam Carter out of pure energy. What's inherent in her, what's a product of her experiences, what happens when she loses access to those experiences? What if she never gets her memories back, what does that mean for her relationships? It's all the problems that the show simply papered over with Daniel's return (I've said several times that as soon as "Fallen/Homecoming" was over, it seemed as though Daniel had just gone out for a long lunch), but addressed with far more grace and intelligence, and psychological plausibility.
This is the best piece of Gateverse fiction I've read in the last year, easily. And I can well believe it took five years (even with the breaks): it flows, start to finish, well-paced and smooth. No rough edges.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-06-06 04:04 am (UTC)And I'm very grateful she did.
It is seldom enough one finds a novel of this length with such strong, logical plotting and creativity, much less such a commitment to sympathetic and realistic portrayal of the characters and their reactions. They were all great (and I second Finisterre's comments about Teal'c, who was awesome--so many ficwriters forget he's an alien), but I particularly loved your Jack, who's so full of emotion and so disinclined to express it, and who keeps moving forward despite all the barriers the universe throws in his way. You've got to break Jack, you can't just stop him--Daniel's death didn't stop him, and neither would Sam's.
But the best part of this has got to be the fabulous examination of identity and memory, the reconstruction of Sam Carter out of pure energy. What's inherent in her, what's a product of her experiences, what happens when she loses access to those experiences? What if she never gets her memories back, what does that mean for her relationships? It's all the problems that the show simply papered over with Daniel's return (I've said several times that as soon as "Fallen/Homecoming" was over, it seemed as though Daniel had just gone out for a long lunch), but addressed with far more grace and intelligence, and psychological plausibility.
This is the best piece of Gateverse fiction I've read in the last year, easily. And I can well believe it took five years (even with the breaks): it flows, start to finish, well-paced and smooth. No rough edges.
Wonderfully, wonderfully done. Bravo.