BABYLON 5 BOOK #1: VOICES

by John Vornholt

Published: March 1995
ISBN: ?
Pages: ?

Back cover: Mind games of the deadly kind: Telepaths to the left of them, telepaths to the right of them. And danger is all around Commander Susan Ivanova and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi when a Psi Corps Convention is held on Babylon 5. Someone will turn this meeting of mind readers into a real blast... as a bomb makes Babylon 5 a death trap. The prime suspect is resident telepath Talia Winters. With Talia's old foes, thought-cops Bester and Gray, calling for her head, Ivanova and Garibaldi can't openly help her. Now she's running for her life through a perilous universe, and her psychic talent is her only weapon when her path is blocked by staggering intergalactic horrors: psi-cops closing in... and a killer waiting.

My review:
The plot isn't that bad, but the characterization is really off. There are also some small inconsistencies with the series, such as Talia's background (the book suggests that she is still rather close to her family even though "Spider in the Web" establishes that she hardly even knew her parents before joining the Corps). Nothing major, but put together with the out-of-character characters, it makes you think that there has been a lack of communication between the writer and JMS.

Notes:

• Non-canon
• Set in early 2259 (the 'Historian's note' at the beginning of the book puts it between "Points of Departure" and "A Race through Dark Places".)

BABYLON 5 BOOK #2: ACCUSATIONS

by Lois Tilton

Published: 1995
ISBN: ?
Pages: ?

Back cover: -

My review:
A rather standard tie-in. Nothing to write home about, but not nearly as bad as some of the other Dell books (such as Personal Agendas or The Touch of...

Notes:

• Non-canon
• Set in April 2259 (presumably between "The Coming of Shadows" and "GROPOS")

BABYLON 5 BOOK #3: BLOOD OATH

by John Vornholt

Published: October 1995
ISBN: ?
Pages: ?

Back cover: -

My review:
Slightly worse than Voices, but not quite as bad as The Touch of.... Like in Voices (which was also written by Vornholt) the characters are slightly off, but what really bothers me in this book is something that is actually a common fallacy in scifi - the alien cultures are supposed to be alien to the human characters even though they are quite obviously borrowed from real life human cultures.

And what was the thing with Al Vernon? He's probably the most clumsily written plot device I have ever encountered in any book.

Notes:

• Non-canon
• Set in early 2259 (the 'Historians Note' puts it before "The Coming of Shadows".)
• Narns, who master interstellar travel (albeit stolen), still living in caves? I don't think so.
• Garibaldi a fan of Mark Twain? I don't think so.

BABYLON 5 BOOK #4: CLARK'S LAW

by Jim Mortimore

Published:February 1996
ISBN: 0-440-22229-X
Pages: 279

"-- everyone knew that politics really was like the mythical dinosaur. Slow to change, with most of its brain in its arse."

Back cover: The Tuchanq, a newly discovered humanoid species, can be an important ally for the Earth Aliance commanded by President Clark. So Captain John Sheridan welcomes their ambassadors to Babylon 5, not knowing that among them is D'arc - a mass murderer on the run hoping to escape into teh unsuspecting worlds of the galaxy...

But the unforgiving rules of space have a different fate in store for D'arc. A terrifying accident wipes away D'arc's identity and his evil... leaving behind a loving, innocent being witha child's mind - a being that must die because President Clark, a leader with his own secret agenda, orders his immediate execution. Now, as babylon 5 physician Dr. Stephen Franklin begs SHeridan to defy Clark's Law, the captain faces the greatest test of his command - and a far greater test of his manhood, which may end his career in shame or become a shining reminder of what being human truly means...

My review:
Most readable of the non-canon books, but still not particulary good. A dark and disturbing little tale that comes disappointingly close of being a good B5 book, but eventually falls victim to its own cleverness. The characters are believable, but there is something off with the universe this book is set in, something that makes not quite the B5-universe we know. Jim Mortimore is a good writer, however, and the book is worth a read for the very B5-like themes it deals with if nothing else.

Notes:

• Non-canon
• Set in Mid-December 2259 (between "Comes the Inquisitor" and "The Fall of Night")

Read also: A longer review of the book

BABYLON 5 BOOK #5: THE TOUCH OF YOUR SHADOW, THE WHISPER OF YOUR NAME

by Neil barret Jr

Published: April 1996
ISBN: 0-440-22230-3
Pages: 248

"Hiking up his loin cloth, pleased with himself, Lennier marched on, looking for more technicians to fight."

Back cover: Babylon 5, designed to be a place of peace in a troubled universe, has erupted with riots as visiting cultures clash and passions explode. Security chief Garibaldi must use all his skills to quell the violence between races. But the troubles escalate as terrifying nightmares plague everyone on boards from Captain Sheridan to Vorlon Ambassador Kosh. It seems as if some "force" is touching them all...

Then an alien presence appears. A long, twisting band of green light nine million miles long stretches out against the darkness of space on a collision course with babylon 5. Since it remains invisible to computer sensors, some are calling it an illusion, others are calling it an evil life force. Still others are calling it God. Now it's up to Captain Sheridan and Garibaldi to find out, risking their lives, and perhaps their souls, to venture forth among the stars to meet the unknown...

My review:
A fairly good idea ruined by a bad writer. The book is filled with inconsistencies and the characters are mere shadows of themselves (no pun intended). Too much (poorly written) action and funny aliens and not enough plot.

Notes:

• Non-canon
• Set in early 2260, before "A Day in the Strife" (at least according to the author, although there are some inconsistencies with this)
• The plot is suspiciously similar to Thirdspace - and that can never be a good thing.

Read also: A longer review of the book

BABYLON 5 BOOK #7: THE SHADOW WITHIN

by Jeanne Cavelos

Published: April 1997
ISBN: 0-440-22348-2
Pages: 259

"Had he saved all of these useless people, only to let her die?"

Back cover: Anna Sheridan has two passions--her husband, John, and the mystery surrounding some intriguing artifacts found during a mission to a distant planet called Z'Ha'dum. Now she gets orders to become the science officer on the follow-up mission scheduled for the spaceship Icarus. Happy, young, beloved, and brilliant, never has a woman had so much to live for. Or so much to lose. While John, recently promoted to the rank of captain, struggles with his new command on the Agamemnon, Anna begins to assemble her science crew...and makes a first mistake. She signs on Dr. Morden, a highly credentialed translator whose heart hides a weakness that can cost Anna her life or her soul. Her second mistake is to underestimate the danger of Z'Ha'dum. What is awaiting the Icarus near the rim of known destiny...and a dark future that can crush her husband's dreams and a terror that can come back to haunt us all.

My review:
A great book, definitely better than most of the other Dell books. Jeanne Cavelos can really write and is true to JMS's vision even though a couple of mistakes have managed to fall through the cracks. The Anna-half of the book is great, but the John-plot (which reportedly is not quite canon) is weaker.

Notes:

• Mainly canon. The Anna POV is canon, but some of the events in the John POV are not.
• The events take place between late 2256 and early 2257 (before "The Gathering")
• Jeanne Cavelos has worked as an editor for some of the other B5 books (e.g. Clark's Law). She has also written the Techno-mage trilogy for Del Rey.

BABYLON 5 BOOK #8: PERSONAL AGENDAS

by Al Sarrantonio

Published: May 1997
ISBN: 0-440-22351-2
Pages: 212

"Delenn giggled. 'I Cant help it,' she said. 'I feel silly.'"

Back cover: G'Kar, once the Narn ambassador to Babylon 5, is a warrior's warrior. Now, with his homeworld enslaved by the centauri, he is a prisoner on his enemy's planet. Despite the chains that bind him, he keeps the one freedom that fate allows - to choose to live, to die with courage. But a secret alliance with his nemesis, the Centauri Londo, will test his terngth to teh limit.

The agreement is simple: G'Kar will help kill teh mad emperor Cartagia. In exchange, Londo will end the Centauri rule of the Narn world. No-one forsees a deadly complication - a band of fierce Narns, determined to rescue G'Kar, takes Londo hostage. Suddenly Londo's life and teh liberation of the Narn homewrold rest on a razor's edge. It will take a hero to convince the Narns that G'Kar must stay in prison... to rescue Londo... to help the Nerns escape. It will take...Vir? With all their hopes pinned on Londo's meek, nervous assistant, Londo and G'Kar have something else in common... a snowball's chance in hell.

My review:
Without a doubt the worst of the batch. Poor characterization, poor writing, unfunny jokes and no plot. This book is nothing more than a bad joke.

Notes:

• Non-canon
• Set between "The Summoning" and "Falling Towards Apotheosis" (or at least that's what the 'Historian's note' claims)

Read also: A longer review of the book

BABYLON 5 BOOK #9: TO DREAM IN THE CITY OF SORROWS

by Kathryn Drennan

Published: 1997
ISBN: ?
Pages: ?

Back cover: -

My review: A well-written book that gives quite a lot of backstory for the show very much in the style of Shadow Within. One of the better B5 tie-ins (100 per cent canon according to JMS), although I personally found it a bit too slow-paced.

Notes:

• 100 per cent canon
• Set during the second season between Sinclair's re-assignment (in "Chrysalis"/"Points of Departure") and Marcus's arrival to Babylon 5 (in "Matter's of Honour")
• Kahryn Drennan is married to JMS. She has also written the first season episode "By Any Means Necessary".