I liked this book because it has a lot of action and you never know what will happen next. It makes you jumpy and sometimes gets scary. I really would recommend this book to someone else. (Trust me, You'll love it!)

it was so exciting yhay i could not put down the book.i liked the part when they were in the tunnel & they turned on the bright lights & honked the horn and scared godzilla. then these f-18's killed godzilla!

It's really interesting book.It's much better than a movie,although the movie is not bad, either.This book is going to be interesting to everybody,who loves to read science fiction.I like this book very much.

I picked this one up on a gamble (reduced price) and read it pretty quickly. I was surprised at how well it was done (although the writer made the Aliens and their technology a bit too organic to suit me). I can't think of just what I'd change but felt that some spots needed something. I do really appreciate the continuation of the story, if a sequel is ever made to the movie this is the only practical type of story to do.

I sat down, one morning, with a cup of coffee and thought I'd read a chapter or two of this little paperback I picked up. Lunch came and went without my notice.

This book is great! Stephen Molstad is an expert at drawing your right in to the events unfolding! Action packed with just a touch of romance on the side! Everybody is getting copies in their Christmas stockings this year!

Stephen Molstad keeps your nose in the pages as he unfolds the ID4 aftermath before your eyes. His use of descriptive language and involving action will keep you glued to the story right through to the end. In my opinion, this book is as good as, in fact, better than the movie! I'd love to see it made into a screenplay, it would make the perfect sequel to ID4 (does anyone know why it's called ID4 anyway?).

Anyhow, it rules. Buy it NOW.

The first chapter covered the day after the humans victory over the alien invasion armada. Excellently written descriptions of the interior of the ruined alien city destroyers and the taking of alien prisoners kept me turning the pages to see what was next. Alas, this wasn't meant to be, it was a just a lead in to a rather average tale of how Dr. Brakesh Okun became the head of the Area 51 project. Starting from the discovery of Dr. Okun's notebook in a destroyer (Which by the way was the plot device to shift the tale to Dr. Okun) the story then restarts to Okun's days in college, his recruitment and career at Area 51. The story has some high points with the "reading" of ufo reports that were very entertaining but in the end after I finished the book, I hope that there will be another book that takes off after the gripping first chapter (ID5 perhaps?)

Just as Okun says in the book--- it's most definately cool to the power of ten! This halarious story gives us the prequil to the popular 1996 film. It follows the exploits of Okun (hippie genius with a 2.7 gpa) and the old scientists from Area 51 who were there from the start with the Roswell Incident. Set in the 1970's, it's a wonderfully told tale thats funny, and whimsical as well as smart. The style of writing RULES and the images you get from reading it are stunning! This book it totally "Groovalicious" (head nodding) READ THIS ONE!

This interpretation of the Roswell incident and Area 51 according to the characters in INDEPENDENCE DAY is extremely entertaining. The story charts the progress from college to Area 51 of Dr Brackish Okun, the longhair hippie throwback scientist from the movie. As his work into alien existence becomes more classified, he discovers the link between alien abductions and the forthcoming ID4 invasion. Some of the descriptions of the alien abductions are surprisingly plausible. Although this spin-off is not as technologically advanced as Rober Doherty's AREA 51 series, it is still well worth a read.

This is a very good book. It helps you understand the movie better because it explains some of the things that were unclear in the movie. If you liked the film, you'll like the book.

The aliens are coming! The aliens are coming! Well actually they aren't, but that is the concept of the book Independence Day based on the blockbuster film of the same name. The book was written by Roland Emmerich & Dean Devlin the team who wrote the screenplay, as well as Stephen Rmolstad. The premise of the story is that on July 2, 1996 a strange phenomena begin to appear over major cities in the world. The phenomena begin to cause worldwide panic and wonder about our unknown visitors. And now the fun begins. This book has great detail and paints stunning visuals to the reader. The authors descriptions get you to believe how real this could be. When the phenonema begin appearing there is a weird disturbance in the satellite systems. Soon thereafter it is discovered that the signal is really a countdown, and when the countdown ends, you guessed it, the aliens attack. This book is fun from beginning to end. A thrill and pure enjoyment to read, I would recommend this book to any fan of the Sci-fi genre. A sort of "War Of The Worlds" for the 90's, "Independence Day" will deliver the goods in an explosive way. By Matt Crandall

If you saw the movie, the book is just as good. Reading it breaks down the whole plot and theme to the movie. I like it because I was able to focus on all problems that occured. It also makes you wonder if we really are alone in the universe. I recommend Independence Day to anyone who likes action, adventure and surprise.

This is a very fast read. I loved the movie and like the book. It covers some areas that are not in the movie (would have just slowed the movie down). This book is well written for a moive spin-off. It would be a great intro book for someones entry into SciFi. A great book for the beach.

like too many novels based on movies [as opposed to movies based on novels], this rendition tries to fill in, for no apparent reason, completely irrelevant details. I hate to say it, but wow...the movie is much better! If you have access to a DVD player, watch the ENHANCED version of the movie, as it clarifies in about 9 extra minutes of footage, so many plot-idiocies of the theater and VHS release. The book is ok, but not excellent, hence, 4 *'s.

. . . and a great mind candy beach read for those lazy days on vacation, strap yourself in and prepare for impact! With scenes not in the movie(or will they be in the special edition DVD out soon?) the novelisation of the excellent alien invasion disaster epic is surprisingly well done for this type of spin-off. Stephen Molstad transposes the film characters into print very well in a cinematic style yet painting a more human picture of a cardboard character in places! This novel is also a good introduction for young adults to the world of'adult'fiction, in my view. Great if you want a good, easy-reading book with a bit of dramatic impact, also check out SILENT ZONE, an interesting prequel.

I was quite intrigued to see where Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich had intended to go had further Stargate films been made. They have said on several occasions that the series (SG-1) has gone in an entirely different direction than their planned sequels would have. As a big fan of both the original film and the series, I was curious to see what was lost. (It has been stated that McCay worked from Devlin and Emmerich's "sequel" ideas to create this series of books.)

I can only hope that Devlin and Emmerich would have made a better film than this first book indicates.

McCay seems to have little interest in character development, at least among those on Abydos. What he does do in that department results in some major changes to already established characters. O'Neil (and the rest of his men from the film) have changed from Air Force officers to Marines. Kawalsky has been demoted from Lieutenant Colonel to a mere Lieutenant, and poor Feretti has been bumped from Lieutenant all the way down to Corporal. Daniel Jackson, whose sense of wonder and awkward charm made him such a memorable character, has been reduced to little more than an interpreter and English teacher. And the values and motivations of almost everyone who travels to Abydos via the Stargate are picked out in stark black and white, without much personality or humanity.

On the other hand, the goddess Hathor and her fellow would-be godlings are much more interesting. Their infighting and petty bickering in the face of Ra's mysterious disappearance are much more intriguing than the utterly predictable Earth-exploits-the-natives plot back on Abydos. On Tuat, McCay gives us a glimpse of Ra's empire, or at least the leadership thereof. We see some of it's former glory and the current decay, the result of centuries of apathy or decadence. (One must wonder what Ra and his underlings have been doing all these years, if not conquering new worlds to expand the empire.)

McCay suffers from a very telling lack of military knowledge, which is most apparent during his description of the climatic battle. In many places, he glosses over entire engagements with a few words, leaving the reader begging for more. His lack of military terminology does not seem to be a problem when describing Ra's fictional technology; but when dealing with the Earth forces, it's a bit difficult for someone with some military background to take.

All in all, this is not a bad story. If this is where Devlin and Emmerich were planning to take us with their sequels, it would have been an enjoyable journey. It's unfortunate that McCay seems just a bit lacking in his ability to translate that to print.

While there are some flaws (and mistakes)the book has a lot to offer. The characters of Jackson and O'Neil seem to be in-character and many of the new characters, such as Hathor and Walter Draven, are very interesting. For example, Walter Draven, of the UMC, is both greedy and forward, yet knows how far he can push people. Hathor wants power, but is realistic about what she can and can not do.
The book allows you a peek at Ra's decaying empire and the reality of having a Stargate to another world. The language barrier is still a problem, no short-cuts here, and Bill McCay does not plan to make it easy for any of the characters. Both Earth and Hathor wish to exploit the planet of Abydos, whose natives just want to be left alone.
The book does give hints and flashbacks of past events to help fill in the setting and give background on some of the 'evil' characters BUT not too much.
The best part is while the book can stand alone, it is the first of a five book series. If you overlook the small flaws the story is very solid.

This is a great book for those of you out there who, like myself, nearly died of curiosity at the end of Stargate. Questions like 'what about the other gods?' and even more importantly,(I thought, anyway)..'was Ra single?' ;) are answered. I was tempted to give this only 4 stars because of the absence of Ra,(an absolutely stunning villain embodied nicely by Jaye Davidson), but that wasn't really the author's fault (some jerk decided to vaporize him in the movie), so...heck, why not five?

There are a few holes here and there, such as the Stargate suddenly becoming gold instead of grey, and Barbara Shore transforming from a shy, 45 year old disaster to a blunt, prime-aged Texan man-izer (actually, that's in the second book), but all this is made up for by the introduction of a very, very cool new villain, and frequent flashbacks about things that happened among the gods (mostly Ra) back at the beginning of Egyptian civilization. Also, if you've done any research on Ancient Egypt and have a lot of background knowledge on the gods and goddesses, you'll find this book(series) especially interesting. There are a lot of references to actual Egyptian legends, and lots of other things you might find amusing. (like the fact that Hathor was actually a cow-headed goddess.)

I have to say this is one of the only series that has me sitting in the bad-guy's (or in this case, bad-girl's) cheering section. I know good always prevails over evil and everything, but I honestly hope that Hathor kicks all their heroic butts.

Just an FYI, these books are based on Stargate the movie and not Stargate SG-1 the TV series, which is much better than the movie. SG-1 expands on the different worlds that could be dialed up on the Stargate which could- and does lead to all kinds of adventures, making the TV series much more interesting especially with the excellent choice for of a cast.
This is the final book out of 5 in the series. The problem that I have is that the whole book series is very drawn out with various sub plots that could have been shortened and probably bring the series to 3 books instead of 5. I also find this series somewhat more bland then the SG-1 series because of the lack of the other characters. All in all it was still interesting reading and I am glad I did.

What some folks may not be aware of is that the SG-1 series was based on the hit movie Stargate. In my opinion, the movie was far superior to the series and the novels that continue the movie thread (not the series) also reflect this.

If you are a fan of the tv series and never saw the movie (or like the series more than the film that started it all), then stick with the SG-1 books based on the tv show because this book will not carry over some of your favorite characters from the show - except the originals that came from the film (and will carry over their characteristics, not the ones reflected in the show). If you are a fan of the movie then definitely pick up this series of books.

Unfortunately, some of the other reviews here of this book appear to be by fans of the tv series who expected this book to be a continuation of this show...and actually thought the book was based on the series. The book says right on the cover that it is based on the characters created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the writers of the movie. These two creative people are not involved in the tv series (which is too bad because I would probably watch it more if they were).

So if you want a great read that continues the story started in the movie then pick the whole series up. If you are expecting a book that is based on the show then you'll be disappointed.

This book is a rush. The story is suspenseful the whole way through. I hope there is another book but i'm glad we got five great ones continueing the stargate tradition.

McCay brings a good conclusion to the first two books in his series, while still leaving a believeability for the next two. Anyone who liked the movie would enjoy these books, note for those of you who watch the series like me, you have to think Kurt Russell to read this. It's enjoyable for anyone, not just the full-fledged stargate/stargate sg-1 junkie. :) Read them all, stargate and the stargate sg-1 books, they will hit the spot!!!!

For soft-core sci-fi, this is great stuff. A great ending to a great series. Bill McCay takes the story begun in the movie and brings it to a logical (if yet open-ended) conclusion. Only wish the TV series learned from Bill's great ideas.

I don't know about you but i found the tv show stargate sg-1 to be disappointing because it doesn't feel like stargate and those actors don't give the characters justice like the ones in the movie did. that's whats great about the books, they "feel" like stargate and you can picture the characters the way they were in the movie, they way they're supposed to be.

Well I think the author has done a good job with the characters and the first few chapters, hooking the reader easily, the end of the book is wanting. First, the ending seems rushed, second she shifts the story away from the planet M'Kwethet and their homage to the Goa'uld to the fact that M'Kwethet's Stargate had no DHD and SG-1 has to find a way to get home. Like in 'The Morpheus Factor', a book set later in the series which I red first, the natives are left with their problems which may have been made even worse by SG-1's visit.

A thoroughly enjoyable read for any fan of SG-1 but particularly new fans. One comes away from Ashley McConnell's fast-paced story hungry for more! I love how the author brings the characters to life: O'Neill's dry sense of humor, the true love for knowledge that drives Carter and Jackson. She outlines the basics of Stargate technology, the Goa'uld, and the SGC so new fans know the score but this is artfully woven into the story making it a great read for any fan. What are you waiting for...step through the Stargate and enjoy!

If a good story is more important to you than esoteric details about technology that doesn't actually exist, the errors in this book mean nothing. I didn't even notice them before they were pointed out to me, as I was too deep into O'Neill and Daniel having to evade Serpent Guards on Saqqara. Though purists will have a great deal to nitpick about in this book, I for one read a book for the story, not for Gate mechanics, and, with the exception of McKay's "Retribution," this is the best book to carry the name Stargate. Though unimportant details about how the inner workings of alien devices aren't always on target and she calls Mafdet "Mafret," if you want a good story, you want this book. It's well-told, with a twofold story and likable characters both on the planet SG-1 visits, and on the Goa'uld world that they pay tribute to. The planet M'kwethet's situation is an strange relationship with the Goa'uld: They must pay tribute to Apophis by periodically turning a group of their children over to him. The Goa'uld keep the people free of disease (Apophis wants healthy slaves, after all) but if they refuse to pay tribute, the consequences are, of course, quite unpleasant. These people don't want SG-1's help, feeling it could only lead to an attack by Apophis. At the same time, O'Neill discovers that there is no DHD with which to operate M'kwethet Gate. This may take place before The Torment of Tantalus, in which the idea of manual dialling was introduced. This is where sitting back and enjoying the show comes in: Realize that for right here, right now, no DHD means no way back, and go from there. O'Neill and Daniel figure that, since you can't go into an outgoing Gate and vice versa, and tributes still get from M'kwethet to... somewhere, the Serpent Guards who take them must have a way to make the Gate work from M'kwethet. So, O'Neill and Daniel must take a trip to the Goa'uld world Saqqara as part of the tribute, and try to figure out the key to unlocking the Gate and get back to M'kwethet without getting blasted. At the same time, on M'kwethet, Carter and Teal'c try to protect the victims of the next tribute... whether the people want that or not. And let's just say it doesn't all go as planned. To say any more would give too much away. And it has fun as well; a drunken Daniel and Carter, among other things. Very believable, with not just one, but two good stories. The only thing that could make it better would be if it had been an actual episode. No, scratch that. It'd just make the *show* better if this had been an actual episode.

Book #3 is The First Amendment. Official blurb: "From the very
beginning, the success of the Stargate project has demanded absolute secrecy. But it won't be secret for long.... A hotshot reporter has been brought into the most restricted area of the StarGate base. He's witnessed the Stargate in action, and wants answers. But he'll get more than a headline when Col. Jack O'Neill and his team decide to show him exactly how dangerous the universe can be...."

I did like the first half. The author had obviously done some research; the first chapter of the book is from Hammond's POV has he goes through his morning routine, and I found it mildly interesting. There's also - as the title suggests - a political element that felt like it could have been inspired by 'Secrets'. However, there seemed to be an overabundance of original characters -- too much of them and not enough of SG-1 in a book that's only 198 pages. And - and I'm not exactly sure how else to describe this - it didn't FEEL like Stargate.
There just wasn't that sense of familiarity. The resolution was cliched. And there was also the seemingly inevitable mistakes with Sam's rank This one wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

I have always been a massive stargate fan from the beginning, so expected this book to be something it isn't. The actually story needs time to take off and then this is ruined by the blatant flaws. Sam Carter seemed to change rank three time on the same page and you can't quite decide which team is coming through to block Morley (SG-3 or SG-9). Even the smaller characters changed rank. I think the business with NORAD sat on top of the SGC was just silly, McConnel should have done a lot more work before trying to sell us this.

After reading The Price You Pay, the first of the Stargate SG-1 books, and wading through the horrid errors and conflicts with the tv series that plauged it, I was rather weary of reading this second story from the same author. However, as soon as I began reading, it became apparent that Ms McConnell did learn from her first effort, and is trying not to make the same mistake twice. This book is much more firmly placed in the mythology of the show, and the various allusions to past events were right on the money. The storyline, involving a journalist stumbling on the Stargate program and the search for a missing SG team, is much faster paced than that of the last book, and in my opinion, much more interesting. This is an outstanding story that has totally renewed my faith in the SG-1 novels, and I'm greatly looking forward to book 3.