Casting Shadows

Casting Shadows by Jeanne Cavelos



I was so pleasantly surprised by this novel! On several occasions I laughed out loud or proclaimed, "Oh no!" And I don't think I can give a novel any higher praise than that.

I stumbled across Casting Shadows while doing a search on Amazon for the Babylon 5 spin-off Crusade. I was looking for reviews after watching Crusade because it was so terrible; I was curious if others thought it as bad as I did. While reading those reviews I saw an ad for this book.

Though I didn't like the series, I was intrigued with the idea of the Techno-Mages while watching Crusade. In fact Galen and the Techno-Mages were the only thing I really enjoyed about the series, and so my curiosity was piqued. When I also saw how many good reviews had been posted for this book, I reluctantly decided to give it a try.

The book was a quick, easy read, and well written. In fact, I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed all the characters, and fans of Babylon 5 will find the Babylon 5 universe faithfully reproduced.

Casting Shadows tells the story of Techno-Mages leading up to the Shadow War. Those familiar with Crusade will recognize the main character Galen right away. The novel follows him as he completes his training and becomes a Techno-Mage in his own right.

My only disappointment as I write this is that the next novel in the series hasn't arrived yet in the mail. Sadly these books are out of print and so I've had to order them used. I don't mind ordering used books at all, but book dealers seem to recognize that they can squeeze the fans for a little extra cash here. I paid about $10 a piece for the 1st and 3rd book. For the second book I shelled out $25.

I think Babylon 5 fans will love this book; I highly recommend it. I don't know if those unfamiliar with the Babylon 5 story will enjoy it quite as much, though I do think it stands on it's own and is a good read regardless.

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