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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Babylon 5 Novel Thread

Discussion in 'Literature' started by The2ndQuest , Sep 3, 2002.

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  1. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    G'Kar was most likely referencing his time spent with Lyta after they departed from Babylon 5 together at the end of Season 5.


    Anyone know if that Marcus/Ivanova short story JMS wrote is considered canon?
     
  2. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    Anyone know if that Marcus/Ivanova short story JMS wrote is considered canon?

    Which short story?

    And if jms wrote it, doesn't that MAKE it canon? :)
     
  3. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    The story where Marcus is revived several hundred years later and clones Ivanova.

    Normally I'd say it was canon, but I think I've read somewhere that it was only supposed to be a what-if type deal, wasn't sure though.
     
  4. dp4m

    dp4m Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    Wow. THAT'S cool. :)

    Where can I find that story? :)
     
  5. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    It was published in, I think, the old B5 magazine.

    JMS, I believe, has asked that people not transfer the story over the net however. Although, if you look, you might find it. It's called "Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic ".
     
  6. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    If I may make an OT-request, does anyone have a copy of the season 1 episode "and the sky full of stars" on VHS? I'm planning to lend my season1 tapes of the essential episodes to a cousin to get him into the show, but I only have half of this episode recorded due to a power failure, and scifi won't be reairing it for another couple months. So if anyone has a copy (preferably widescreen but i'll take fullscreen ) they'd be willing to lend me, PM me.
     
  7. I-poodoo

    I-poodoo Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 1, 2001
    what a coincidence. I find this thread, and they're showing B5 Legend of the Rangers again on the Sci Fi channel in a few minutes.
     
  8. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
  9. Grey1

    Grey1 Host: 181st Imperial Discussion Group star 4 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2000
    Not sure if that's clear by now, but The Shadow within was the first novel by Jeanne Cavelos. Quite good, if somewhat "off-topic" regarding the main focus of B5, but hey, that's what the books are for. Her Technomage trilogy builds on this book a lot, with lots of appearances of Anna Sheridan, Morden, and Kosh. It made me frown sometimes, for it stressed the fact that she had written another book too much. The re-release (which I learned about just now) is a logical step. I guess they'll do the same with City of Sorrows and diss all the other ones.
    The others were, well, like Trek books, I think that's quite accurate. Clark's Law was a bit more ambitious and is a good read, but doesn't fit that well with the series although it uses many elements right (eg Franklin's addiction). Like with some of the Trek books, it shows things that are too big to not affect the TV series but is ignored anyway. Too ambitious.
    One of the books, #8, Personal Agendas, was an insult in this regard. It interferes with the G'Kar on Centauri story from season 4(which was one of the most intense plots I've seen on TV) by suggesting Ivanova, Garibaldi and Franklin are running to Centauri to rescue him. With bald heads. What did they use afterwards, wigs? This was no good.
    BTW, I only read the older books because I got them at reduced prices. I was pretty unsure about them, but say what, they make a good dessert between two real books.

    The newer trilogies are way better, Legions of Fire being my favourite. All of these are quite intense and really make you want to read the follow-up books. I'd only wish they'd do another trilogy of books, maybe one chronicling events from the never finished Crusade. It's nice that it's been mentioned from time to time, but I'm sure they can do better than that. Or maybe the telepath war, finally. I do not believe there's a chance for another B5 movie, with every spin-off attempt being crushed to the ground, let alone a theatrical one.
     
  10. RabidWolfe

    RabidWolfe Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 1999
    According to JMS himself, all the old numbered books are more or less canon - monor details may be wrong, but the overall stories are canon.

    Even the horrid Personal Agendas - which was based on a JMS outline. However, after it came out, JMS said "Well, the events happened, just not in the way that the author presented it."

    DEL REY has bought the rights to all teh numbered books and will be reprinting them all at some point.

    Clark's Law was actually very good. The best of the first six.

    Personal Agendas, of course, was horrid.
     
  11. Jedi_Suzuran

    Jedi_Suzuran Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    May 22, 2002
    Legions of Fire is excellent. Vir's character is shown with more complexity than in the show, and I liked that.

    I haven't even gotten the Technomages trilogy yet, though I'm thinking of doing so. She wrote the Shadow Within, which is my favorite out of all the books. I loved the way she dealt with Morden's character.

    Most of the other books, except 2 are forgettable. Clark's Law was great, and there's another one that I can't recall the title of, which was pretty nice too.

    The others...

    *shrug*

    Like I said, forgettable. [face_plain]
     
  12. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    >>It made me frown sometimes, for it stressed the fact that she had written another book too much.<<

    I wouldn't say that- I finished the first technomage book recently, and I didn't get that impression. But then, I hadn't realized it was the same author as The Shadow Within (especially since I haven't read it yet).

    >> I'd only wish they'd do another trilogy of books, maybe one chronicling events from the never finished Crusade. It's nice that it's been mentioned from time to time, but I'm sure they can do better than that.<<

    I think JMS is still holding out on that, in the hopes a B5 spinoff someday can pick up those leftover plot threads (for example, had Legend of the Rangers become a series, the show's second or third season would have overlapped with the timeframe of Crusade, and since Rangers were the ones supplying the Excaliber with planet scouting reports, a crossover or two would have been very likely).

    >>Or maybe the telepath war, finally. I do not believe there's a chance for another B5 movie, with every spin-off attempt being crushed to the ground, let alone a theatrical one.<<

    Well, keep in mind, JMS had said he'd like to do a theatrical film after all the Star Wars films are done, long before he ever intended there to be any B5 spinoff shows (originally, it was gonna start and end with the 5-year arc of B5, plus a theatrical film). So the fates of Crusade and LOTR would have no bearing on a B5 theatrical film- especially since if there was one, Scifi Channel and TNT would have no involvement in the production beyond cable airing rights for the former. Warner Bros would be heading up the film's release.

    Sometimes I wonder just what the hell is wrong with the sci-fi channel, with it's changing focus and all. If scifi had been the channel it was a year ago, we'd have a Legend of the Rangers series this season, and a possible Crusade revival next year, along with the promised fifth season of Farscape and (7th?) season of SG-1. What do we get instead? The Dead Zone, Crossing Over... and a new Quantum Leap ::\
     
  13. Jedi_Suzuran

    Jedi_Suzuran Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    May 22, 2002
    When they started showing Crossing Over, I kind of lost interest in the Sci-Fi channel.

    Crossing Over is...um, yeah. [face_plain]
     
  14. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    I don't mind the show being on, but it's played like all the time, we don't need back to back episodes four times a day- it just gets annoying then.
     
  15. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    bump bump bump, bump your B5


    The Shadow Within came out a few months back- I picked it up, but haven't read it yet (still plan to finish the Technomage trilogy first).
     
  16. Master Chbel

    Master Chbel Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 6, 2000
    I believe the Teep war was over by the time of Crusade. There were a whole new set of rules for telepaths by then--and teeps could now serve in Earth Force.

    I keep hoping the rumors of a Valen novel (or better, trilogy) come true...


    I really enjoyed the Centauri Prime trilogy, because it filled in the holes of In the Beginning, and War Without End. The novelization of ItB is good too. (And by the same guy who wrote the C.P. trilogy--and really is part of that story too.)
     
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