The Babylon Project Podcast

Here we are, looking at the second to last standalone novel Personal Agendas, by Al Sarrantonio. We approached this one with cautious optimism, since it follows a very well written novel that brought us home to the Babylon 5 universe we all love so much. Turns out we weren’t let down; the book warranted our optimism. There were highs and a few lows though, but overall it was well-received.

Personal Agendas filled in some of the backstory revolving around G’Kar’s captivity on Centauri Prime under the ruthless rule of Cartagia. For those familiar with the television series, you know Sarrantonio focused this story on a very dark and heavy set of events. He does this well, and attempted to give the reader a break now and then through several other light-hearted, if not cute, side stories. This worked with mixed results. At the center of the story, G’Kar and Londo form a secret alliance. G’Kar is going to suffer and place himself at great personal risk to assist in the killing of Emperor Cartagia. This could cost him his life. Meanwhile, in exchange, Londo will work to end the Centauri rule over the Narn Homeworld. Things get a little sideways when Londo is captured by a squad of well-intentioned Narn, intending to free G’Kar. They work in ignorance of what’s actually in play, and what they’re putting at risk in terms of liberation for the citizens of both worlds. A basic knowledge of the television series ensures you already know both of our heroes will survive, however, the main story here is told well enough that it becomes a page-turner as you’re left wondering just how this will resolve in a manner that doesn’t disconnect from the series.

Readers will either find the B-stories amusing, perhaps even funny at times, or they’ll find them annoying. Either way, they’re a welcome relief to the high-stakes drama and emotional heaviness of the main story.

In the end we enjoyed the book very much, and we think you will too. Our ratings were a 3, a 4, and a 4.5 (out of 5), giving us an overall Boom Scale rating of 3.83.

Next time we meet, we’ll discuss the ninth and final standalone novel, To Dream in the City of Sorrows, by Kathryn Drennan. If you’ve participated in the many seasons of the podcast, then you know we’ve mentioned this novel many times. We’re anticipating something great!

You can find us at http://www.BabylonProjectPodcast.wordpress.com, on Facebook at The Babylon Project Podcast or on iTunes. You can email us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

Just remember... When there’s no boom today, there’s boom tomorrow. There’s always boom tomorrow!

Next up, we read The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name, by Neil Barrett, Jr. This is the fifth of nine stand-alone novels. Given how the first four weren’t that great, we were hopeful this one might shine a little, but ultimately we were disappointed. While not as bad as Clark’s Law, this book felt like a short story crammed into a full-length novel. As a result, this made Barrett’s book just okay, at best. And that’s not a strong endorsement. There was also an issue with where the story fits in the overall timeline. The book never says, and there’s disagreement out on the web. The best estimate is provided by the Lurker’s Guide, and even that doesn’t fully address the continuity issues. The bottom line is, by the time this novel was written, the TV series was in the third season, yet it seems like the author may have never watched an episode.

We’re back to riots on the station, and they’re presented in a way that suggests this is sort of a normal thing. Balanced against the TV show, we know this isn’t the case, so the suggestion is becoming somewhat annoying now that it’s appeared in several of the novels. While not well done, the reader can assume that some of this is caused by, or enflamed by, the emergence of an alien entity that causes everyone on the station to misbehave. It’s a reasonable explanation, but somehow still falls short, primarily based on how the author unfolds the story. In the end, a giant, green worm-like creature (9 million miles long and half a million miles wide!) approaches the station. It’s somehow real, but also not real, in that while everyone can see it, it doesn’t register on sensors. No one knows what it is, where it came from, if it’s hostile or not, or where it’s going. The odd behavior of station personnel seems to increase in severity as the creature draws closer. In response, forces from Earth and B5 approach it, examine it as best they can, and even fire at it, with no real consequences. While this appeared to be a way to build drama, it didn’t. Frankly, it took too long and made the story boring.

The space worm finally arrives and passes through the station (or the station passes through the worm...) and everything returns to normal. We’d like to tell you there’s more to the story than that, but there really isn’t. The worm is referred to as a shadow because of the problem that it’s seen but not apparently substantive. By the way, there’s no connection between this shadow and THE Shadows we’re all familiar with from the B5 universe. Your hosts seemed to agree there were enough comedic elements here (intentional or not, like Fermi’s Angels) that this may have been better written as a light-hearted comedy novel. But it wasn’t, so some of these kinds of characters and events fell flat or just seemed silly since they weren’t a part of a real attempt at humor. There was also some agreement that the one redeeming character in the story was Martina Coles—someone who could have been better developed and even appeared in other novels. But she was unique to this story, and not a part of the TV show or subsequent books. Oh well.

Two interesting aspects of the story that we briefly discussed toward the end of the program. First, there was a real potential for a cool story about a creature (the space worm) that even the Vorlons didn’t have knowledge of. This could have been very interesting and even a little terrifying. The author toyed with this concept a bit, but in the end, let it fall on the floor. Second, this novel is in some ways comparable to the movie Thirdspace. The movie wasn’t all that great either, but there are some real similarities between the two. We leave that for your consideration.

Well, we unanimously disliked the book—sadly a developing trend. Our ratings were a 1.3, a 0.5, and a 1.5 (out of 5), giving us an overall Boom Scale rating of 1.1. Once again, based on the much higher ratings out there on the socials (GoodReads, Amazon, etc.), if any of our listeners enjoyed this, we genuinely want to hear why. Not to be critical of you, but to see if the three of us missed something in our own reading of the material. Also, keep in mind, these standalone novels are what they are, and aren’t considered canon except for the 7th and 9th books. With that in mind, it’s a little easier to manage expectations. It also means we’re drawing closer to at least two that should be pretty good. Not saying numbers six and eight aren’t good—we just don’t know yet. Then as noted during the episode, the three trilogies are all considered to be solid and definitely worth the time to read, so hang in there.

Please continue reading along and join us next time when we discuss the sixth stand-alone novel, Betrayals, by S.M. Sterling.

You can find us at http://www.BabylonProjectPodcast.wordpress.com, on Facebook at The Babylo...

This is the beginning of the end of the season in that this episode starts the real wrap up of where people are, and where they’re going. As the show opens we see Number 1 (we learn her name is Tessa) arriving on Babylon 5 to a less than warm reception. Dr. Franklin recognizes her though, and helps her ease through security. We quickly learn she’s looking for Michael on what appears to be urgent business — yes, she has her serious face on. Or is that her normal face? She’s taken to see Michael and finds him less than gracefully enjoying his very honorable and deliberate battle with detoxifying his body and breaking the addiction. Lise greets Tessa at the door and is a model of dignity and grace. The awkward situation is punctuated when Tessa reveals that there will be an assassination attempt on both Michael’s and Lise’s lives. Those behind the hit are none other than the current Board of Directors for Edgars Industry. This only emboldens Michael in his resolve to protect his wife and what has become her company. He forms a plan for how to deal with the situation once he gets to Mars.

Related, we also learn that Earth is putting a real squeeze on Mars, hoping to create an environment of real trouble through civil unrest, so that they can come in and “help” quell the problems. Politically, Earth is trying to make an unhealthy Mars so they can then be the good guys and provide the “cure.” Tessa and John work a part of the solution though by facilitating the establishment of a formal relationship between Mars and Minbar, creating a situation that will limit or even prevent Earth interference with its former colony.

G’Kar appears to be growing very impatient and even cold toward his followers, at least one of which expresses real and serious (although almost comical) discontent toward him. G’Kar, knowing he’s leaving with Lyta, maintains his professionalism though. He wants no party or celebration to honor his contributions to the Alliance, but one is set up anyway, not just for G’Kar, but also to say farewell to Mike as he moves to Mars with Lise. The more sinister side of the public celebration is to set the stage to draw the potential assassin out. Security has a plan and is waiting. Sure enough the assassin exposes himself and is caught, but in a moment of genuine surprise, the disgruntled follower of G’Kar attempts to kill him. He misses though and ends up hitting Lise.

As we witness G’Kar and Sheridan saying goodbye, G’Kar shares a few final thoughts. It’s a special moment that will play into the next episode. We also learn that Lise will recover. By her side in Med Lab and in that moment, he and Michael decide not to delay their marriage any longer and become husband and wife in a bedside wedding.

In a moment that tugs the heart strings, G’Kar and Lyta depart, with Zack watching from afar. His love for Lyta hasn’t ever diminished.

Finally, after Michael and Lise arrive on Mars, we watch him surprise the Board. He has all the dirt he needs on every one of the Board members, he lets them know, then informs them they will all resign. Where did he get the dirt? Only from his replacement as the new head of Alliance Intelligence: Tessa. And as the show wraps up, what about Stephen? We’ll let’s just say as he wraps up a meal with Tessa, there’s another “oh, Stephen” moment, reminiscent of their time on Mars during the war.

You can find us at http://www.BabylonProjectPodcast.wordpress.com, on Facebook at The Babylon Project Podcast or on iTunes. You can email us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

Just remember... No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There’s always a boom tomorrow!

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Invoking Darkness was written by Jeanne Cavelos. The story takes place starting in August 2260 through 2261, covering just five months. As we discuss the third and final novel in the trilogy, it’s worth noting that the overarching story is tragic, alluded to by the collective title “Passing of the Technomages”. It’s noteworthy as well that the second novel’s title was somewhat optimistic (Summoning Light), but the story concludes with Invoking Darkness, an apparent downward turn. A good bit of this book makes direct ties into the story captured in episodes of the original Babylon 5 series. If you’ve seen the show, you’ll recognize them; if you haven’t, then when you watch the show, we trust you’ll be excited to see the hooks that were put in place then, for the events that JMS envisioned Jeanne Cavelos would capture in this set of books.

War is underway and the Shadows appear poised to win. Tied to the television show, John Sheridan appears convinced by a Shadow controlled version of his former wife (Anna) to travel to Z’ha’dum as the Shadows try to win him over to their side. This would eliminate the problem that he is to them...the “nexus”...as he is also the vessel containing what remains of the Vorlon Kosh. At the same time, Galen is assigned to depart the Technomage’s place of hiding, locate and kill three rogue members of the Technomage order. It is during and through this assignment, he ends up on Z’ha’dum while John Sheridan is there, and uses his powers in an attempt to tip the balance of the war. While chartered to kill the rogue members of the order, engaging in direct conflict with the Shadows, and especially on their homeworld, runs directly in conflict with the decision the Circle made to go into hiding. Without permission, Galen risks it all...for everyone. Storylines interweave quite a bit and we see just how events unfold to ultimately bring about the passing of the Technomages. Don’t make assumptions about what that ending for the Order looks like. The novel is definitely worth reading to see just what that looks like!

Our ratings were a 4.5, 4.5 and 4 (out of 5), giving us an overall Boom Scale rating of 4.33!

While Invoking Darkness was the final novel in the B5 universe, we do have two more episodes of content for you. There were also six short stories, most of them penned by JMS himself. We intend to cover them in the order they were published, beginning with the first three in the next episode: “Shadow of His Thought; “Genius Loci”; and “Space, Time, and the Incurable Romantic”.

Please join us next time for what will be the penultimate episode of the Babylon Project Podcast. As always, we hope you can read along with us, and join in on the conversation!

You can find us at http://www.BabylonProjectPodcast.wordpress.com, on Facebook at The Babylon Project Podcast or on iTunes. You can email us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

The third book of the Legions of Fire trilogy was phenomenal. We don’t know how the conclusion of the story, written in Out of the Darkness, could have been any better. As with the second novel, this one carried the reader into a new set of scenes, and a new set of perspectives as smoothly as a scene change in a great film. It was masterful.

Out of the Darkness was written by Peter David and based on a script written by JMS. Based on dates given in the novel, the story opens in 2275 (within a couple years before the end of the second novel), and carries us into 2278—just a year or so after the second novel ends, and in the last year captured in the movie “In the Beginning”.

The first novel was primarily Londo’s story; the second novel was primarily Vir’s story; and we decided the story in this novel was told in a way to be the interwoven and concluding stories of Londo; Vir; and John and Delenn. Peter David was masterful in how he wove these stories together in this book, focused on the primary characters, but also keeping the necessary cloud of other main/supporting characters in play. He showed equal mastery in how he very tightly wove all three novels in this trilogy together, as well as seamlessly place the events in the trilogy within the canonical narrative of the greater B5 universe.

With Londo’s story, we see the end that we knew was coming. He dies in office, in defiance of the Drakh and their Keeper that lives on (and in) him. He dies at the hands of G’Kar. In this exchange, G’Kar dies as well, at the hands of Londo (and his Keeper). What we didn’t know until now was how these two characters end up killing each other. This was incredible story-telling in that these two have been what amounts to lifelong enemies, colleagues and friends. The telling of the end of the story for Londo and G’Kar is emotional and frankly, respectful.

Regarding Vir’s story, we see all the work come to fruition that he’s done with the resistance, called “The Legions of Fire”, and with his allies the Technomages. He and his forces are postured to expose the secret presence of the Drakh, their full and enslaving control over Emperor Mollari and the Centauri government, and to also heal the wounds between the Republic and the Interstellar Alliance. Vir has truly grown into a powerful and mature political leader and warrior, and in spite of a few significant gaffs, an honorable man. This postures him to lead in the future, and put him on the best possible footing to gain the respect and trust needed to restore the Centauri Republic’s relationship with the IA.

Finally, we see John and Delenn—the two most powerful people in the IA. While this is true throughout the books we’ve read, we really see them here as parents. Their son David is a young man now and we get a good picture of the kind of young man he is. Smart? Sure—just look at his parents. Angsty? Definitely—he’s at that age that teen angst is a real thing. His moodiness and “know it all” attitude is probably exacerbated by just how smart he truly is, and all that he’s seen as the son of John and Delenn. Overall though, we see a sophomoric teenage boy who is striving to leave childhood behind and become a man. But this birthday is significant for a more sinister reason, foreshadowed earlier in the storyline. Emperor Mollari, under the control of his Drakh handler, hides Keeper in an Imperial Urn. During an awkward visit with John and Delenn years prior, he presents the urn to them as a gift to be given to David upon his 16th birthday. That day has come. While David is alone in his room, the Keeper emerges, attaches itself to him, and takes control. The Keeper then has David steal a shuttle and fly to Centauri Prime as an unwitting hostage for Durla to use to control and hopefully kill President Sheridan, as a critical part of the Centauri and Drakh attack the IA and Earth.

The novel concludes when the Legions of Fire brings Durla’s “Tower of Power” (secretly the headquarters and a primary operating base for the Drakh on Centauri Prime) down explosively, literally resulting in a rain of Drakh body parts falling on the streets and people of the capital city. In concert with this, Vir makes it clear to the people of Centauri Prime that the Drakh have been using their government as an instrument to prepare for and now to wage war against the IA. Londo is dead. In an attempt to grab power, Durla is killed as well, and the Drakh are exposed. Vir, already in touch with the IA, and having informed John and Delenn their son is safe, is left to pave the way for a new and friendly relationship with the IA. He does so now, not as an ambassador, but as the new Emperor of the Centauri Republic.

We can’t really do justice to this novel, or really this incredible story told across this trilogy. This set of books is truly the culmination of the entire Babylon 5 story. We can’t think of anyone who could have told that story better f...