Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Allegiance
SGA #18
ISBN: 9781905586561
Hello once more my peeps and welcome to the first review of book 3 from the Stargate Atlantis Legacy series!
I know you’re all excited to get back to the books, but as a reminder the Kickstarter for the Stargate RPG still has a few days left if you want to support this awesome project!
And now without further ado-
‘Allegiance’ starts a few days after ‘The Lost’ ends, with Shepard having recovered from the multiple stun blasts, the Hammond docked and being repaired, and our peeps in a meeting to see what the next move is.
Finding out Rodney is a Wraith was shocking, to say the least, and the ramifications are deadly. Shepard is quick to point out that since Rodney didn’t recognize them he also probably can’t help Death invade Atlantis since his memory is gone.
This is reassuring for countless reasons, one of which is that it gives them a little time to find him again and rescue him.
However, life must go on until then and Mr. Woolsey let’s them know that for the time being they have to focus on other things too.
Cue the family drama!
Poor Teyla.
As ya’ll are aware I have issues with her apparent inability to grow in the series, but the books cut some of that away for me from book one (of Legacy) and makes me like her a little more.
I don’t know if I’ll ever actually like her, but I don’t dislike her as much and one of the reasons is that the situation with Kanaan, Torren and Shepard isn’t an easy one (at all), but she is basically forced to either grow and change or lose everything.
Exhibit A:
It’s time to pick up Torren from New Athos and settle the trade account with her people. As we all know, things have been tense between Teyla and her people for a while because she hasn’t lived among them for so long. Things come to a head here when Kanaan tells her that they had a council meeting without her and decided that it was too dangerous for their people to go to Atlantis to trade and they’d like a Lantean to come to them.
Not an unreasonable request except that he goes on to say that it would be better if someone other than Teyla was in charge of the trading from now on.
His reasoning?
The Athosian’s don’t know whose interests she’s representing in the trade deals.
On the one hand I can kind of see where they’d be coming from but Teyla would never do that. It’s not who she is, and I think that Kanaan is somewhat bitter with her still about taking Torren with to Earth for those months instead of staying in the Pegasus Galaxy. He also plainly says that since she doesn’t live among them anymore it’s his responsibility to warn them when the Wraith come and it’s a job that he never wanted.
Now, I don’t like Kanaan because in the series it’s insinuated that he and Teyla are a thing, but here in the books I don’t like him because of stuff like this.
If it was bad for him to be changed into a hybrid by Michael, it was a thousand times worse for Teyla who had no idea what had happened to her people. Kanaan was still among them, she wasn’t and his aversion to the Wraith part of himself is, quite frankly, his problem. Teyla shouldn’t have had to shoulder that responsibility herself and it kind of sounds like she did until Atlantis surfaced.
Moving on.
I do believe him when he says they don’t fit that way (remember his conversation with Rodney?) but I also believe that losing his wife and son to the Wraith makes him a little unreasonable (despite his best efforts) when the topic of Torren comes up.
Having said that, Halling also has a point when he says that they can’t always wait for Teyla to have time to come to the council meetings and the Athosian’s have to be able to continue their lives whether she is there or not.
I feel bad for Teyla because she’s tried so hard since the beginning to do what’s best for both her people and Atlantis, but the fact is, her heart has belonged to Atlantis and it’s people (one in particular and ya’ll know it!) since the start. That doesn’t mean she isn’t Athosian anymore, but it does mean she is happier on Atlantis and always will be.
Teyla sees it as an either/or situation where if she chooses Atlantis she loses her people or if she chooses her people she loses Atlantis.
And now those fears are being made manifest with Kanaan saying the council doesn’t want her trading for them anymore.
Ouch.
Just, ouch.
So, she doesn’t have some big revelation here obviously, but I wanted to mention it because a lot is coming and I respect some of her choices enough to set it up for ya’ll and to not sweep it aside with a casual ‘oh yeah and she overcame some personal stuff’ and not explain what happened.
Almost to a thousand words again and I’ve only talked about Teyla. For not being a big fan, she sure has a lot for me to talk about.
It’s continued to be suggested that she and Shepard’s relationship has become deeper and if they aren’t actually sharing quarters yet regularly, it’s due to emergencies popping up more than anything.
Have I mentioned how much I love these books?!
Before signing off this week I’ll give you a few hints for next weeks review.
Several peeps we haven’t seen in awhile are back!
Cadman and Jeannie are back on Atlantis, Mr. Woolsey is summoned by the IOA and leaves Shepard in charge, and our favorite Wraith is being sneaky in a way that is fabulous!
See ya laters!
The Dark Library 