 |
|
Title: Summoning Light (Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages, Book 2)
ISBN: 034542722X
Author:
Jeanne Cavelos
Publicate Date: 2001-07-03
Publish: 2001-07-03
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Mass Market Paperback
 |
|
|
|
|
Amazon Lowest New Price: $39.95
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $32.18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: Mixed Feelings
I love how this book interweaves with the TV episode (though I don't think we needed to hear so much about the Green and Purple Drazi.) We learned about all the clever double meanings to events, and the larger picture taking place in the background. At the same time, this was much more tragic than I usually see in tv tie in books. From my perspective, too many beloved characters died needlessly. And the technomages were so nobly, tragically, self sacrificing that I wanted to kick them all in the head. It's well written with great detail, but be prepared for a lot of whams.
|
2: well written, but bizarre intertwining with tv episode
I do not know who (jms or the author) is responsible for the decision for books 2 and 3 of this series to closely interweave and usually re-write the significance of events in the tv series (in this book the season 2 ep. geometry of shadows is the main one), but I think a very good story from this theme could have been written without. so now the events in Geometry of Shadows have completely different meaning, including Sheridan knowing about the false departure tactic and aiding it, londo's apology being a trick from morden, and most annoyingly the fact sheridan saw the departure vessel explode, something WE didn't see.
I don't know why this sort of tactic for writing this story is used. 4 stars for quality of writing, negative 2 stars for the episode tie-in tactic. I posted a similar note on novel 3 in this series.
|
3: Intense, Angsty, Amazing!
Whew. I thought the first part of the Technomage trilogy was great, but the second one surpasses it easily. A word of warning: this is a model example of a book that you just can't put down once you've gotten into it. You might waste a good night's sleep reading, like I did.
Take all the angst and all the action from the first book and multiply it by ten, and it might come near this. As troubled as Galen, the nearly initiated young technomage was in the first part, here he ends up going seriously dark side. His mentor, Elric, doesn't have a nice time, either, nor do any of the other colourful personalities among the technomages that were introduced in the first book. And there are some huge revelations too, which strongly remind me of the feeling I used to get from the suprise twists in B5 episodes, before I had seen them too many times over and the surprise wore out.
The book centers around the Babylon 5 2nd season episode "Geometry of Shadows", and certainly made me watch that episode with a whole new attitude. However, as the only complaint that I have about "Summoning Light", the episode and the book do not match perfectly - the way the episode ends and the corresponding event in the book feel a bit too different to be explained simply as an omission from the episode, a thing that wasn't shown and happened off screen, as obviously we see that it just doesn't happen... Ah well. Otherwise, the author does a magnificent job, writing stuff that happens before the episode and during it but unseen, so that it really does fit, and again writes a book that is much more than just a great TV-series extra/tie-in.
|
4: The Excitment continues
In this second installment to the B5 novelization emphisizing the Techno Mage characters. We learn about the secret history of the ancient technology called the Chrystalis and where it came from. We learn about the ecstacy and agony of the Mages. Their limitations and the extent of their dedication to; 'The Code'. However, I have heard that The Techno Mages are made up of numerous different species? Yet these novels only talk about two, Centauri and Human?
|
5: When you sleep with the Boss, you can screw his creation too
Only two books out of the thousands I have read in my life so disgusted me with the blatant stupidity of the main character, that I have literally thrown the book. This was one.Spoiler Alert!
-
-
-
-
-
After rampaging through a long corridor full of Shadows and minions, Galen is stymied by the bad guy's toadie holding a weapon to the head of his Mentor? Why open the door? Remove it. Why talk to the toadie? Remove all but his weapon hand from this universe. Why talk to the bad guys? Remove them. Why step into the room? Remove all of it but the spot his mentor occupies, then fly away with his mentor's remains. His actions after clearing the hallway are stupid stupid stupid .... I was so mad I threw the book, it shattered into its seperate pages, then I burned it.
|
|
|
|
|
