The Stonehenge Gate by Jack Williamson

Synopsis
A dark mystery has been buried beneath the sands of the Sahara desert since the beginning of time. In a basement in New Mexico, four poker buddies find reason to believe that a startling secret is out there. . .

These four amateur adventurers are about to uncover the key that could unlock the vast reaches of the universe.

A sudden burst of curiosity propels mild-mannered English professor Will and his three friends to the Sahara to excavate a site where radar has evidently detected trilithic stones hidden beneath the sand. There they stumble upon an ancient artifact that will change their lives, and the world, forever...a gateway between planets, linking Earth to distant worlds where they will discover wonders and terrors beyond imagining.

Jack Williamson, the dean of science fiction writers, weaves an exciting tale that takes the friends to the far corners of the universe. One leads an oppressed people to freedom. Another uncovers clues that could identify a long-dormant civilization of immortal beings. Now each traveler must play a crucial role in unraveling an ancient mystery, the solution to which may reveal the true origins of the human race.

If they can just survive their journeys back to Earth . . .

My Opinon
This book was just okay. I loved the idea behind the book, but unfortunately the author seemed to get distracted and did not follow through with the plot.

The characters are poorly developed so you never make any real connection with them. The beginning of the story is interesting, but instead of taking us on the wonderful journey that could have been the author comes up short. Instead of our explorers traveling through to the many possible worlds that should be accessible through the 'gate' system they get bogged down on one and get involved in the politics of the world. That is where the story moves from a good science fiction tale to politics that have been done before and are not too terribly interesting.

The ending was a huge let down and the book all around wasn't really worth the effort for me. Maybe because I am such a huge Stargate fan and I know what could have potentially been done with this plot, I was left feeling cheated.