Summoning Light is Book two of the Babylon 5 Technomage Trilogy (The Passing of the Techno-Mages). All three books of the techomage trilogy are written by Jeanne Cavelos, and are based on outlines by J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of the Babylon 5 universe. All are well written, satisfying additions to Babylon universe, and are sure to be enjoyed and appreciated by fans of the Babylon 5 TV series.
I'll provide a brief background to this trilogy, to explain why many will read the book. The TV series Babylon 5 aired for 5 years, starting with a pilot movie in February, 1993, and ending with the final episode in November 1998. Most of the series was based on the space station Babylon 5, home for a quarter million people of different races, and designed to be the place where the races could meet and work together. A short lived spinoff series, Babylon 5 - Crusade also aired in 1999 and took place shortly after the Babylon 5 series ended. The series was created by J. Michael Straczynski (JMS). JMS created a 5 year story "arc" before the series ever started, and defined much of what else happened in the Babylon 5 universe before, during and after the series. Every episode of the TV series stood on its own, but each episode was part of the 5 year "arc" and once you started to follow this 5 year arc, you were hooked. Arguably, the most interesting parts of the 5 year story arc involved the Shadow War, a war with one of the two elder races, The Shadows, who still lived in the Babylon 5 universe.
But...many of episodes referred to other parts of the Babylon 5 universe, hinting at many stories left to be told, and questions left to be answered. Many of those hooked on the series wanted to see more of these untold stories. To fill this need, JMS provided outlines for 3 trilogy's to be written, including the Technomage Trilogy discussed here. These trilogy's have become part of the "canon" of the Babylon 5 universe.
The Season 2 television episode "The Geometry of Shadows" partially revolved around a group of people called technomages, who through the use of technology, appeared as powerful mages. The technomages were aware of the coming Shadow War and were leaving the known universe to avoid being destroyed. Not much more was heard of the technomages until the spinoff series "Crusade" aired, where the technomage Galen became an important character who would help resolve some of the fallout from the Shadow War.
Books 1 and 2 of the Technomage Trilogy initially tell the story of Galen, but they also tell much of the story of technomage Elric who appeared in the "Geometry of Shadows" and fill in a lot of the other events leading up to the Shadow War. We also learn more about some of the lesser known characters from Babyon 5 and Crusade, including Mr. Morden, Anna Sheridan, Kosh, and other technomages who appeared in or were mentioned on Crusade. Some of the story even takes place on Babylon 5 itself, and you'll get to "see" a little more of the key characters from the TV show.
The Technomage Trilogy are books that any fan of Babylon 5 will want to read. The action, characters, and stories are completely consistent with the style and content of the TV series, allowing you to pick back up where you left off when the series ended. In book two, Galen's character is really filled out, as he grows from being an apprentice to one of the most important technomages. The readers will learn more about why Technomages exist and how they function. You'll also learn a little more about the Shadows, Vorlons, and the Babyon 5 universe. As is the case with many of the stories that JMS tells, there will be a few (big) surprises, that will cause you to think back about what happened in episodes of the TV series, and realize that these surprises had been hinted at before.
But if all this book provided was a Babyon 5 history lesson, we would be disappointed. A good story drives this book. The characters become real, and the "tech" becomes as believable as a jump gate. The action builds from the beginning, and becomes almost non stop at the end. There are victories and defeats. As with other parts of the shadow war, each victory for Galen and the technomages seems to have a a price, leaving you to wonder what will happen next. As the book ends, this particular story ends, satisfyingly, yet, you are left knowing there is another story to be told, forcing you to go back and make sure you have a copy of book 3 of the Technomage Trilogy.
Babylon 5 Summoning Light: The Passing of the Techno-Mages Book 2
Written by Jeanne Cavelos, based on an outline by J.Michael Straczynski
Published by DelRey
356 Pages
List price $6.99
Author's website:
http://www.sff.net/people/jcavelos/
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