Babylon 5 paperback Novels

[bakana]

A fun book not yet mentioned here:

Dining on Babylon 5 by Steve Smith.
A B5 cookbook with recipes for Minbari flarn, Centauri hot jala, Jovian Sunspots, and other foods mentioned on the show.

Dining on "Babylon 5"
ISBN 0752211439
Price
Stock Special Order
Title Dining on "Babylon 5"
Author Smith, Steve
Publisher Boxtree
Type Paperback
Year 1998

The book is out of print and the only mention I saw on Amazon was:

Auctions and zShops sellers and our other stores recommend:

DINING ON BABYLON 5 (Price: $77.00)

I had a copy. It was beautifully done and the recipes are excellent.
BTW, the Publisher is British.
I made the mistake of loaning it to a friend (she's a gourmet chef).
3 years later, I still haven't gotten it back. <Sob>

I should be fair, though. It's as much my fault as anyone's. I've moved twice since I loaned it to her and am over 1000 miles away at the moment.

I have GOT to send her an E-mail asking if she's still got my B-5 cookbook....

[Dr Maturin]

<<And I always cringed (and still do) at how much shelf space of the SF/fantasy section is taken by Star Wars and Star Trek books, so I originally planned to stay away from any B5 tie-in books.>>

When I was a kid, I bought the excellent "Thrawn Trilogy" of Star Wars. I thought that all SW books thereafter would be on the same level of quality. Well, they weren't. Probably 5% or less of the SW novels are excellent, but they were worth reading alone.

The drawback is that you must avoid the other books as they will rub you the wrong way, and turn you off from all of them. Something about the characters being inconsistent. My mother bought me a book that came out over the summer called The Cestus Deception. It was a hardcover and she'd spent money on it, so I decided I'd try it. I had to put it down after the first thirty pages. The reason? Droids that use the Force. I think the well has run dry.

This is why I want to avoid the original B5 novels. I can tell by reading the synopses in the A-Z Guide that they are bad. But the "big three" trilogies more than make up for them.

[Capt.Montoya]

Re: Babylon 5 paperback Novels

And I always cringed (and still do) at how much shelf space of the SF/fantasy section is taken by Star Wars and Star Trek books, so I originally planned to stay away from any B5 tie-in books.

But I purchased "The Shadow Within" and "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" in their original first printing, after the Lurker's Guide convinced me that those two were canon and worth reading, it also convinced me of my low expectations for the rest...

B5 remains the only fictional universe for which I'll buy tie-in novels (even in print I don't, I've avoided the Positronic Robot novels not written by Asimov, even if he approved the idea originally. I've avoided the Man-Kzin war stories, even if I enjoy Niven's work and he has even supervised those tie-in works).

Originally posted by Michael Malloy
Frankly, I would love a JMS's or JMS approved complete B5 novel in several volumes. Leave nothing out, fill in the blanks that couldn't be shot for TV. Tell the whole story in words.

For me, this isn't stuff to read once and toss in the trash. Perhaps I've spent too many years working in university libraries. I have strong feelings and instincts about preservation of books.

I did enjoy the trio of trilogies, had I known they were in hardback from the Science Fiction Book Club I might have joined just to have them (I kid you not). I checked their website and apparently they are out of print. I love my SF books and keep my paperbacks, but like Michael Malloy I worry about their future preservation and I'd rather have them in hardback (softcover at least!) with acid free paper.

The only TV movie novelization I've bought was "In The Beginning." And that was only because when B5 started its run on TNT I didn't have cable so I missed it (but later I got cable and I catched up with all the fifth season of B5 during/after the big mid season break due to basketball).

I've also always thought that a novelization of the whole B5 saga would be great.

Actually another idea (which amounts to nothing but daydreaming) on those lines would be a novelization of "the alternate original B5" one where the story starts with Takashima staying and revealed to be the traitor by the end of season 1, leading to the promotion of Susan Ivanova to her post. One story where Lyta Alexander remains the station's resident telepath, and slowly becomes under Vorlon influence, where Ivanova stays after the liberation of Earth and revives Marcus. Even though we know the surprises along the way it could be nice to read that other vision of B5.

But anyway, as much as I like the idea of B5 as a series of written novels I doubt it will happen. It was a novel for TV, not one for the books.
And now that DVD sets are available I doubt even more that the five year saga would ever be reformated for books.

[Spoo Junky]

I recently read all three trilogies, the Shadow Within and To Dream... I hadn't really thought about getting the novels until I was looking for something to read last summer on my week off. I happened to get the first Technomage book and I was hooked! Unfortunately, the bookstores in my area really suck so I had to go into Toronto to get the rest of the books. I just about cleared off the Babylon 5 section on the shelf I'm just glad they had them all. I sure made their cash register happy.

I really wish some more books that are as good as those come out soon. I didn't bother with the other ones since the reviews didn't make them sound very good. I'm not really interested in stand-alone books anyway; I much prefer trilogies or stories that fill in the gaps of the characters that the show didn't cover.

If some Crusade books come out that take up where the show left off that would make my day. There is so much potential in the B5 universe. I want it all! More, more, more, give me more!

I know JMS hinted at maybe some more books coming out soon. That just makes waiting that much harder, not knowing how long it will take.

[KaCHING64]

__________________________________________________
[QUOTE] Originally posted by WillieStealAndHow

I also have books 7 and 9 of the original Dell novels, though the others I won't get from reading the less than flattering reviews.
__________________________________________________

That was my assessment of the numbered novels as well. The Shadow Within(#7), though not originally intended as such, actually serves as a decent prequel to the Technomage Trilogy.

It is my understanding that #9 was written by Mrs. JMS and it's a wonderful read. Great side story of Sinclair's time on Minbar.

KaCHING64

[KoshN]

Originally posted by cruiser
OMG!!!!!!!!

I have just finished The Birth Of The Psi Corps.

Bester Acendent is resting on my knee, unopened. The Fate of Bester, TLNoCP, and Casting Shadows are but ducks sitting on my bookshelf.
*wipes drool from chest and chin*

2 of my most favorite things in the universe, reading and B5, joined as one.

The best is still ahead of you. Come back after you've read the last book of each trilogy.

[cruiser]

OMG!!!!!!!!

I have just finished The Birth Of The Psi Corps.

Bester Acendent is resting on my knee, unopened. The Fate of Bester, TLNoCP, and Casting Shadows are but ducks sitting on my bookshelf.
*wipes drool from chest and chin*

2 of my most favorite things in the universe, reading and B5, joined as one.

c'ya!!!

[David Panzer]

I picked up the trilogies from Borders, either in the store or through ordering the books I couldn't get in store. I also had a great deal for the entire Babylon 5 comic book run on ebay. My winning bid was around $25 U.S.

I also have books 7 and 9 of the original Dell novels, though the others I won't get from reading the less than flattering reviews.

All of the B5 novels and almost all the B5 comics were very good reads. Issues 9 and 10 of the B5 comic series, while quite amusing didn't work well with the level of quality to the other comics, novels and of course the series as a whole.

[jahkneebee]

With much patience, I found all the novels at Amazon

[Redeem]

I picked up the Psi Corps and Centauri trilogy from Amazon 3/4 years ago from Amazon.co.uk.

Great books.

[jcbatz]

I got the Technomage Trilogy in the same fashion from the SFBC. Don't know if they still carry it, though. At the time it was the only B5 anything that they had.

[SpooRancher]

Trilogies may be in HB

I got the Psi Corps trilogy in hardback from the Science Fiction Book Club. I believe that it was only available that way there. It is possible that the other trilogies have been released that way through them as well.

[Michael Malloy]

I'm enjoying the B5 novels I own so far - about 15 plus the two guides.

Some of this would be so much nicer on real paper and in hardback. The trilogies could be combined into larger books. The other books with continuous story lines could be combined also.

Frankly, I would love a JMS's or JMS approved complete B5 novel in several volumes. Leave nothing out, fill in the blanks that couldn't be shot for TV. Tell the whole story in words.

For me, this isn't stuff to read once and toss in the trash. Perhaps I've spent too many years working in university libraries. I have strong feelings and instincts about preservation of books.

I am very grateful for the books we have. They continue the life of Babylon 5 for me in my imagination. In the well written books I truly hear the voices of the actors who brought the characters to life.

There is no greater reason to demand original actors playing the parts of established characters in any movie.