Rating: 
Summary: Better than the last...
Review: 'The First Amendment' is a much better read than its risible predecessor 'The Price you Pay', but that said it still has some problems. The storyline is implausible at best, and again it fails to feel like an episode of the TV show should. The characters feel more accurate this time around though and the banter sounds right, at least most of the time . As mentioned by previous reviewers the aliens don't work, they sound corny and so much so that even the characters in the book pointed it out! Some of the situations didn't ring true, especially in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and SGC, I find it hard to believe that these people are that stupid. Also, the preview of the next book, 'The Morpheus Mandate' served only to put me off buying it, it really was poor. It's quite possible that this author either has little respect for, or scant grasp of, what makes Stargate SG-1 such a great concept and TV show. Maybe another author should step in and show her how it's done...
Rating:
Summary: 1st Amendment OK
Review: 1st Amendment was OK. Not terrific for science fiction and I really think the creatures at the end of the book were too silly. The beginning of the book had promise, but it fell rather flat. However, as an SG1 fan, I'd recommend it to another SG1 fan who isn't craving for very technical scifi. The cover was great.
Rating: 
Summary: A outstanding second effort in the SG-1 book series
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Uninspired and pedestrian
Review: Although I'm a big fan of the Stargate TV series, if the show was like this book it probably wouldn't have lasted a half season. First Amendment isn't a bad book exactly, but it's not very good on a number of counts. The plot is very thin and unsatisfactory and pacing slow for a book so short. The main characters were pretty much relegated to walk-ons, with almost none of the interaction fans of the show have come to expect. The story is uninspired (a reporter gets into Cheyenne Mountain) and the resolution very predictable. Like a couple of other reviewers have mentioned, it might be a good move for the publishers to find another writer for the books. I think Mark Ellis who writes the Outlanders series under the James Axler name would be a good choice, since SG-! and Outlanders have a lot in common. I'd like for the SG-1 book series to continue, but I have my doubts about its survival after reading this latest one.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a must read book!
Review: Ashley McConnell's Stargate SG-1: The First Amendment is a great book! It is about a reporter by the name of Frank Kinsey, who gets smuggled into the secret base of SG-C (Stargate Command) and has seen the Stargate, a dimensional transporter that uses wormholes, in action. Now he wants more answers about the secrecy surrounding the Stargate program and to get to the bottom of the truth by using the First Amendment of the Constitution. But instead of just getting information from SG-C (Stargate Command) about the Stargate program, he got more than what he bargained for. General George Hammond, the commander of SG-C and Colonel Jack O'Neill, a highly decorated and respected SG team leader, decide to take Kinsey on a real mission to show him what the Stargate program is all about and how dangerous the universe can be! The beginning of this book starts out kind of slow in my opinion because they mainly talked about everyone's jobs at SG-C, but it quickly changes as you read on with lots of action throughout the book. I was used to this pattern because the same thing happens on the T.V show which I watch often. I think the middle of the book is my least favorite part because they use crude language and mainly dealt with preparations for the mission and it did not have much action. The end of the book is my favorite because it is where all the action is, like when the team fights giant moths and tubenecks (a praying mantis type of creature). The action was very intense, it kept me on the edge of my seat and I would not put the book down. The book is also humorous because O'Neill is always making jokes. It is also a bit confusing sometimes like when someone named Major Dave Morley was telling a story about when his team was attacked and did not mentioned any details about the event. I've read two of Ashley McConnell's books, both of them are based on the same characters and T.V. series Stargate SG-1and I've enjoyed both of them tremendously. I think Ashley McConnell did a very good job on this book (The First Amendment). I recommend this book to everyone because it has a good story, it is funny, it has intense action, and it has a final conclusion without a "to be continued" at the end. If you are looking for a book with some humor, intense action and a good story line, then this book is for you!
By: Christopher Chou
5th grade - Pocopson Elementary
Rating:
Summary: Could be worse
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Could be worse
Review: 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 <g> This one wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
Rating:
Summary: The First Amendment, of the book, no need to re-do
Review: Having read the other Stargate novels by Ashley McConnell I expected an action packed story, and although it did not immediately throw you into the plot, I was not disappointed. What would the stargate team do if the Stargate was discovered by a journalist?, What would they do if it was the son of the senator that tried to shut them down before? How would they stop him from telling all? The only fault I found with it was the lack of drama at the beginning of the novel. It took a couple of chapters to get going, but by the end it became an adventure that would test O'Neill and his team. I am looking forward to the next Stargate novel, called The Morpheus Mandate.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat disappointed
Review: I am a HUGE fan of the Stargate Sg-1 TV series so I eagerly await the new novels but I feel that although Miss McConnell seems a very capable writer and does her research, she does NOT capture the characters of the TV show well at all. They all seem a little too different to me. She focuses on one little thing that is popular about each character and repeats it over and over. I agree with one of the other reviewers that they should get someone else who KNOWS and understands the characters better to pen the Stargate books!
Rating:
Summary: A much needed dose of Stargate
Review: I enjoyed this book for the most part. I feel the trip throught the Stargate could have been better developed but it was enjoyable to see an inside view of the workings of the "mountain". The main characters were all there, participating in the problem solving. There was a writers view of the teamwork seen in each episode, and some food for thought added in as well. Is the world really ready for the idea that we are part of a bigger universe out there? I don't know but this book presents some interesting questions. I await the next book in the series.
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