The Passing of the Techno-Mages (Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages, #1-3) by Jeanne Cavelos

The Passing of the Techno-Mages (Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages, #1-3) Reviews

• 
  Alex

  Fabulous:) Forgotten how much I missed the B5 universe!
• 
  Jennifer Baratta

  A must read for fans of Babylon 5 and Crusade we learn more about the Technomages and a bit more about Matthew Gideon.
• 
  Chuck

  Jeanne Cavelos far surpasses her effort from the prior "prequel" novel, The Shadow Within. The 1st book, Casting Shadows, is a fully conceived and well-paced novel on the culture, customs and lore of B5's Techno-Mages. Densely packed with detail, the story, which takes place in the year 2258, concerns the initiation of Galen into the circle of Mages, the leadership and guidance of his master, Elric (B5-Season 2: The Geometry of Shadows) and the revelation of the galactic reawakening of the Shadow race.
  
  The second volume, Summoning Light, slowly intensifies the drama over the course of the book, building to climactic pay-offs in the closing chapters. As the techno-mages hatch a desperate plan to elude confrontation with the Shadows, the story splits to follow both Elric and Galen in their parallel and separate agendas to save their order. The author does a skillful sleight-of-hand weaving scenes from the B5 episode "The Geometry of Shadows" into a larger, more calculated gambit Elric and his colleagues are enacting behind-the-scenes. Galen meanwhile heads for the galactic rim on a covert mission in pursuit of his enemies. There he will discover the Big Secret the mage leadership have closely guarded for a millennium. The Vorlon Kosh, Anna Sheridan, and a deliciously sadistic telepath contribute key points of view to the story. Summoning Light maintains the narrative pace established in Casting Shadows, spanning a few months in the year 2259.
  
  The concluding novel, Invoking Darkness, brings Cavelos' trilogy to its tumultuous conclusion, corresponding with the end of the Shadow War. Concurrent story threads are once again a primary structural device. Galen's, of course, remains the centerpiece thread; his inner turmoil over the purpose and control of his mage-powers matches his external tug-of-war with the Shadows and their agents. A parallel plotline follows Anna Sheridan in the months and days leading up to the B5 episodes, "Shadow Dancing" and "Z'ha'dum", bringing her story full-circle from where it began in Carvelos' prequel novel. Anna serves as our window into Shadow beliefs and culture. The underground Shadow city we glimpse in "Z'ha'dum" gets a generous amount of descriptive detail as Galen pursues a final confrontation with his enemies. All threads intersect at that pivotal moment in the B5 series with the nuclear bombing of Z'ha'dum.
  
  I was surprised by the relatively short span of time (3-1/2 years) covered by the three books. With Galen as the principal protagonist I was expecting the trilogy to have a longer trajectory, into and beyond the Crusade timeline, expanding on the arc of that short-lived series. There is the one big reveal regarding the source of the Mage powers that would likely have been a major plot element in an extended Crusade series.
  
  Grave consequences abound for several primary characters, driving home the deadly seriousness of the mounting Shadow conflict. It also contains much wisdom, as Galen discovers the path to giving up control, seeking a life of questions over answers. Of the three B5 trilogies, this one is the best-written.
• 
  Randall

  Wonderful read, exploring the development and life of technmages, and specifically Galan (the mysterious character of the Crusades series).