Rating: 
Summary: The fire that burns
Review: This was the first book that I had read in a while. Galen was my favorite character in the crusade series. I wanted to know more about him. This book revealed it all. Now I see how the fire that was in his eyes and soul got started.
Rating: 
Summary: Young Galen
Review: Usually when I read television based books they come off as poorly characterized fanfiction but the opposite is true of this book. Galen's character was so on that I felt as if I was watching an episode of Crusade. Galen isn't the only character you'll find from the Babylon 5/Crusade universe; Morden, Kosh, Anna Sheridan, Isabelle, Elric, and Alwyn also appear. You don't have to be familiar with the B5/Crusade universe to enjoy this book though. This is one of the best science-fiction pieces I've ever read. It was especially interesting to learn about the order of the techno-mages and to see the start of the Shadow war from their perspective. The best part of this book though was Galen........ok I'm awfully biased because he was my favorite Crusade character but I don't care.
Rating:
Summary: Filling in the gaps
Review: While I've never written a review for [this site] before, I felt I had to throw in my 2 cents for "Casting Shadows". It was THAT good. I hate long reviews, so I'm going to keep this short...I've read all of the 'official canon' books for B5, including the Psi-Corp & Centuri trilogies. While those were good, this one is fantastic. My hat is off to Jeanne Cavelos for being able to delve into the secrets of the technomages without sacrificing a bit of the mystery. For any B5 fan, this is a must. For any Crusade fan who's familiar with Galen, "must read" doesn't even begin to describe it. I'm anxiously awaiting "Summoning Light".
Rating:
Summary: A Must for B5 Fans!
Review: WOW! What a great book! My hat goes off to Jeanne Cavelos. First off, it's the first TV tie-in novel I've read since "Star Trek: The Next Generation" books back in high school. Those were good. Pretty good. The big drawback was that they didn't really matter -- they were isolated stories, like watching an episode. And they weren't canon. That's "Baylon 5" / "Crusade" creator J. Michael Straczynski's first stroke of brilliance: B5 novels are canon! They're officially a part of the "Babylon 5" universe. Second stroke? They matter! "Casting Shadows" fills in important backstory -- interweaving it with events we've seen on the small screen -- to create a story I really want to read. I want to know what happened to Isabelle. I want to know how Galen became the man he is. I want to know why the Techno-Mages left when they did (especially considering the fact that we know from "Crusade" that there was dissenting opinion) ... and when they're coming back. "Casting Shadows" is the best TV tie-in novel I've read. The story is absolutely engaging. I don't think I've ever read a novel so fast! I'd plan on reading one chapter, and end up reading two or three or four. (I can't think of the last book I read about which I could actually say, "I couldn't put it down.") The author handles the subject matter with suberb skill, explaining much of how a Techno-Mage does what he or she does, but still retaining much of the mystery behind their order. The details were vital, and I think they came in just the right dose. Understanding the larger scope of the Shadow War is important to reading "Casting Shadows," so folks who haven't seen the television series might not follow as easily. Character descriptions are also not as detailed as in the average novel; I think the author assumes that the reader is already somewhat familiar with the characters from the TV shows. But it's still a great read. And for B5 fans, it's an absolute must.
Rating:
Summary: A Must for B5 Fans!
Review: WOW! What a great book! My hat goes off to Jeanne Cavelos. First off, it's the first TV tie-in novel I've read since "Star Trek: The Next Generation" books back in high school. Those were good. Pretty good. The big drawback was that they didn't really matter -- they were isolated stories, like watching an episode. And they weren't canon. That's "Baylon 5" / "Crusade" creator J. Michael Straczynski's first stroke of brilliance: B5 novels are canon! They're officially a part of the "Babylon 5" universe. Second stroke? They matter! "Casting Shadows" fills in important backstory -- interweaving it with events we've seen on the small screen -- to create a story I really want to read. I want to know what happened to Isabelle. I want to know how Galen became the man he is. I want to know why the Techno-Mages left when they did (especially considering the fact that we know from "Crusade" that there was dissenting opinion) ... and when they're coming back. "Casting Shadows" is the best TV tie-in novel I've read. The story is absolutely engaging. I don't think I've ever read a novel so fast! I'd plan on reading one chapter, and end up reading two or three or four. (I can't think of the last book I read about which I could actually say, "I couldn't put it down.") The author handles the subject matter with suberb skill, explaining much of how a Techno-Mage does what he or she does, but still retaining much of the mystery behind their order. The details were vital, and I think they came in just the right dose. Understanding the larger scope of the Shadow War is important to reading "Casting Shadows," so folks who haven't seen the television series might not follow as easily. Character descriptions are also not as detailed as in the average novel; I think the author assumes that the reader is already somewhat familiar with the characters from the TV shows. But it's still a great read. And for B5 fans, it's an absolute must.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Wow. This book series is one of the best series I've ever read. It's the best Babylon 5 book series, for sure. You could even read this book if you've never even heard of Babylon 5 before. this book is very good, and is hard to put down. Jeanne Cavelos is a superb writer. But one warning for anyone about to start the series: Don't get too attatched to the secondary charachters!
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