>I'm over half-way through this book, and I am totally shocked by it. It's
>very good! This is the first B5 tie-in which hasn't pissed me off in some
>way (so far <g>). In fact it could even be read as a straight science
>fiction novel.

I tend to agree that this is probably the best of the trilogies done to date.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

>I finished Casting Shadows last night, and I am still convinced this is the
>best so far.

Yeah, me too.

>* The book was longer, and so it seems that there was more space for us to
>get to know the characters. The problem with previous books was that there
>always seemed to be a constant race to get to the next episode.

That's something I was very pleased with when I saw the length of the book.
You really need to spend time with the story and the characters for the
incidents provided in the outlines to make any kind of dramatic sense or
impact.

>* There didn't seem to be any obvious padding.

None that I could see. And that's one of the things I hate most, which was one
of the reasons the River of Souls book didn't get through, as much as there
were other things to commend it.

>* We finally had it confirmed that the Techno-Mages weren't just a race
>looking like humans - there are all kinds of aliens here!
>

You may sit down now.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)