Hydra

Stargate SG-1 #13

by Holly Scott, Jaimie Duncan

The faces of evil...

Rumours and accusations are reaching Stargate Command, and nothing is making sense. When SG-1 is met with fear and loathing on a peaceful world, and Master Bra'tac lays allegations of war crimes at their feet, they know they must investigate.

But the investigation leads the team into a deadly assault and it's only when a second Daniel Jackson stumbles through the Stargate, begging for help, that the truth begins to emerge. Because this Daniel Jackson is the product of a rogue N.I.D. operation that spans the reaches of the galaxy, and the tale he has to tell is truly shocking.

Facing a cunning and ruthless enemy, SG-1 must confront and triumph over their own capacity for cruelty and violence in order to save the S.G.C. -- and themselves ...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Ebooks, Fantasy, Adventure

291 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 25, 2008

Reviews

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a first, ladies and gentlemen, an SG-1 novel that ties directly into a previous episode of the show that doesn't suck! Now, maybe it's because the obvious choice to take with a follow-up was already taken by the show itself, but the author managed to take the idea, mash it with another idea from the show, and create something that was fun to read.

I'm also giving the author props for keeping the characters in-character, getting the book to flow like an episode of the show, not introducing any really obnoxious original characters, and managing to not give any members of the team lingering PTSD. It was almost refreshing.

My only real complaint is that the ending (I should probably say climax, as the book's epilogue is fine) felt both a tad rushed (just a tad, mind you) and out of place, but overall the rest of the book is good in some parts and decent in others.

I fully recommend this to fans of SG-1.

[Miss Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. It was difficult at times to keep track of the android replicates. No clear resolution by story's end. Mediocre representation of SG-1 and their personality. Too much time given over to the "clones". No character development. No personal insight into the characters really. So, what was achieved? It was interesting that Daniel was the most sadistic of the Alphas. Really, I was intrigued by the notion and I would love to know how this duo came up with that.

[BlueRose99 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Snooze fest.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

I've read roughly one-half to two-thirds of the SG-1 novels so far, and this one may be my favorite. It's rare for a story to leave me feeling not only satisfied with the journey, but also that it gave me enough food for thought to keep my brain happily whirring away for a while afterward, processing new possibilities and questions only half-formed. But, like a good episode, "Hydra" is there (...Couldn't resist, sorry/not sorry), with a brilliant premise that explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of our favorite heroes in their best and worst iterations.

For anyone else concerned about the review that said the timeline of events was confusing, I beg to differ. If you have ADHD like me and tend to skim over chapter/section headings, just take an extra few seconds to read and process the timing and location info at the start of each chapter, and it all makes sense within the narrative.

This story takes advantage of the possibilities of having multiple SG-1s interact with each other by using it to reveal or further elaborate things about each character, in ways that stay true to character. The main sub-plot also brings in a unique take on an existing element of the Stargate universe and works it out in a this-side-of-Lovecraftian way that further ups the stakes without disturbing existing canon. I can't think of anything more to say to do justice to the story (unfortunately, my software didn't come with a dictionary), so I'll just leave it at "Wow." :)

[Ida Leter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blimey, this story is a mess. Not only are there several instances of SG1 that are very poorly differentiated between each other, it also features non-linear storytelling. So while there were flashes of something interesting going on in the background, at no point could I tell who was talking, when it was taking place, and how it all fits together.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the plot and concept of variants of SG-1 with the twist of Goa'uld DNA taking them farther and farther from their humanity. It was hard to keep track of which SG-1 was in a scene, though, and the time jumps to before/after the mission didn't help. A linear story might have made it easier to follow.

[Christine (AR) · Rating 4 out of 5]

SG-1 and their duplicate robots. This was really well-done -- perfectly in character with an interesting (and complicated) storyline and lots of team focus and interaction (which is the main thing I want in any tie-in novel). It made me want to go watch the show again.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't enjoy this one much :( A little bit boring and the ending was pretty confusing. I really liked the idea of the planet they go to in the end though, but other than that this was pretty disappointing to me sadly.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many SG-1s can make for a confusing book!

[Foggygirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of the better stories.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off good, but the book went off track about half way through.

[Kasey Minnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mind-bender

A classic SG-1 trifecta: doppelgangers, sentient machines, and quantum mirror devices. This was a treat to read, engaging all the way.

[Idamus]

Putting this on hold, too many SG-1 teams to keep track off and not enough plot.

[Tagcaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uh, so what happened?

The happenings in the last few chapters didn’t make much sense. It was never resolved. Did Sam manage to shut it down or not and prevent the spread to other systems? We never find out. And the meager attempt to wrap up the beta site dealings could have been omitted. By that time who cared about Piper and the rest. What happened to the remaining thetas and gammas? And why were the gammas acting like this thetas at the end?

The whole ending of the book was unsatisfactory. It almost felt like the author reached a word count limit and just stopped, or like they planned a sequel but never wrote it.

Don’t be afraid to skip this one. You aren’t going to miss much.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike some previous Stargate tie-in novels, this one actually feels like a proper episodic adventure. But doppelgänger/mistaken identity stuff was already done to death on the show itself and the plot was a bit tired because of this.

[Damona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. The story was interesting, the writing was good, and it was nice to read another Stargate book that wasn't just a rehashing of an episode.

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable SG1 adventure that would make a good TV episode.
I did struggle in parts with all the differing SG1 variants and the lack of regular naming for them but otherwise this was a decent book.

[Puddle Jumper · Rating 4 out of 5]

got a bit confusing but still loved it.

[Robert Brennan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confusing

Too many flash backs, flash sideways and duplicates. Complicated visuals poorly described. Weird ambiguous ending
I did not enjoy this poor fan fic

[Jennifer Kronk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, but kind of hard to follow the action.

[Elliot Zath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I've been really procrastinating on writing a review because I know I won't be able to do it justice. Basically, this is the best book I've read ever in my life, I loved it so much. I cried several times. Like, there were times when my eyes welled up with tears, I put the book down and composed myself, picked it up and continued reading and then BAM on the NEXT PAGE I broke down crying AGAIN. And I was at work, guys, so people were staring. And I mean the crying thing in a good way. This book kept punching me in the heart. Just like...the things that kept happening to the team and just...the poetic way it was described. I know I'm not giving a lot of objective information for you to go off of here, but this book just really ticked all the boxes for me. Just simply exquisite on every page and I'm heartbroken that this pair didn't write more Stargate books together. These authors have a great love for the characters, you can tell. The world they created was darkly beautiful and compelling and it was a fun escape to live there for a couple of weeks. I want to write fic of this book. I think I will write fic of this book.

[Oceana2602 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know Holly Scott's oterh works, it comes as no surprise that her two Stargate books are prefectly in character, and the stories feature strong, well-told action and wonderful team interaction, with a lovely, but unobtrusive focus on the Jack/Daniel dynamic.

Absolutely recommended to any Stargate fan. God, I can't believe it's been 7 years since the show was cancelled. I was such a HUGE fan. I still love Jack and Daniel to pieces.

If I had the time, I would watch it all over again. I probably could, too, I mean, I've watched JAG three times in the last couple of years, and that has ten seasons as well, but with Sg-1, I get dragged into the fandom again, which I don't have time for. plus, it will break my heart.

But I want to, oh, how much I want to.

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whe Master Bra'tac lays accusations of war crimes at the feet of SG1 at first there is confusion then denial. they know they must investigate but they sure didn't know what they'd find or how deep it went.
It's one of the better fan-written novels. She has the characters down fairly well and its quite enjoyable. The first chapter sets the tone well and takes the reader into another place with a very strange SG1. And then another, then another. I enjoyed the book and can recommend it to all Stargate 1 fans.

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started off pretty good, but kind of went off the rails at the end. It was interesting, built up to some good action, then sort of fell apart, and I'm not quiet sure of the ending....

Spoilers below:

So is there an army of Jack Bots in some alternate reality? Or was that the warping effect tearing him apart?
And there are some surviving Gamma teams with piper?

It would have made a good episodes, dealing with the core Hydra/NID storyline, ending with the Gamma Jack's quiet sacrifice. But the end game on Gauss just was off the track of the storyline.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had elements of two episodes - Tin Man and Point of View, which made it somewhat interesting. There was considerable technobabble though what went *way* over my head. The story was good, with several SG-1 duplicates wreaking havoc (think NID) and our team trying to stop them once they found out. For the story itself I would give it four stars but all that quantum mirror stuff made me just give it three.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read. a little too busy with the plot.

[Arrietty]

Not sure if I want this book as I didn't enjoy their last one.

[Ramona Ellis]

Very sad. Well written. Quiet believable. So far the characters translate quite well.