Babylon 5: No Surrender, No Retreat (Season by Season Guides) [Paperback]

Jane Killick (Author)

Book Description

Series: Season by Season Guides | Publication Date: September 22, 1998

Now in its fifth hit season, Babylon 5--TV's hottest interstellar science fiction phenomenon--has spawned its own series of definitive episode guides! Catch up on all the action, show by show, from the very beginning with the Babylon 5: Season by Season guidebooks.

Filled with stunning revelations and explosive plot twists and turns, Babylon 5: No Surrender, No Retreat sums up the spellbinding fourth season. Culminating in some of the most dramatic events in television history, Captain Sheridan is pronounced missing and presumed dead on Z'ha'dum, while Delenn feverishly rallies support for an all-out offensive against the invading Shadow forces. Internal strife on Centauri erupts in a shocking and violent betrayal. Garibaldi resigns as Security Chief and turns to treachery, plotting against his comrades. And Earth launches a war against Babylon 5.

From "The Hour of the Wolf" through the shattering finale of "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," B5 expert Jane Killick's episode-by-episode summaries and analyses capture all the action and intrigue of Babylon 5 circa 2261--"the year everything changed."

Veteran viewers or first-time fans, relive the adventure--or find out what you've been missing--with the complete companion volumes to Babylon 5!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Through trial and error (and books I won't name) I learned a hard lesson: don't do books unless the source material is good. Books based on movies and television have to stand on their own, entertain without the benefit of a screen. Exciting characters, action, mystery, political intrigue, technology, race relations, romance--excellent fiction incorporates all of the genres. With Babylon 5, the series had been envisioned as a five-year epic, and that epic sports one helluva backstory. That backstory has held the attention of millions of viewers for five seasons--these are dedicated and constant supporters.

All well and good, but I'd been stung before. Initially, I was skeptical. It wasn't until I visited the Babylon 5 studios, met with series creator J.Michael Straczynski, watched the actors at work, that I saw the creative spirit that drove them. The hours they put in are painful to watch. I'm pretty sure Straczynski doesn't actually sleep--he wrote the lion's share of the episodes, including two that won Hugo Awards.

So I was convinced. Now we've got four million hard-core viewers to convert. At least we know the target audience.

--Steve Saffel, Senior Editor

From the Inside Flap

Now in its fifth hit season, Babylon 5--TV's hottest interstellar science fiction phenomenon--has spawned its own series of definitive episode guides! Catch up on all the action, show by show, from the very beginning with the Babylon 5: Season by Season guidebooks.

Filled with stunning revelations and explosive plot twists and turns, Babylon 5: No Surrender, No Retreat sums up the spellbinding fourth season. Culminating in some of the most dramatic events in television history, Captain Sheridan is pronounced missing and presumed dead on Z'ha'dum, while Delenn feverishly rallies support for an all-out offensive against the invading Shadow forces. Internal strife on Centauri erupts in a shocking and violent betrayal. Garibaldi resigns as Security Chief and turns to treachery, plotting against his comrades. And Earth launches a war against Babylon 5.

From "The Hour of the Wolf" through the shattering finale of "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars," B5 expert Jane Killick's episode-by-episode summaries and analyses capture all the action and intrigue of Babylon 5 circa 2261--"the year everything changed."

Veteran viewers or first-time fans, relive the adventure--or find out what you've been missing--with the complete companion volumes to Babylon 5!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (September 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345424506
• ISBN-13: 978-0345424501
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,402,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Killick made a name for herself writing magazine articles for the likes of SFX, TV Zone and Starburst where she specialised in media science fiction, especially cult television shows. It was a career that led to many exciting adventures, including causing £250 damage to a rental car on the Isle of Mann ("the stationary object came straight at me"!) and using Gerry Anderson's home toilet (yes, the Thunderbirds man!). Books naturally followed, the most famous being the Babylon 5: Season-by-Season Guides.

Meanwhile, she continued her radio career, having trained as a radio journalist. She presented the afternoon show at BBC Three Counties Radio for about a year, and can still be heard on the station reading the news.

These days, she's concentrating on writing fiction, with her science fiction novel for young adults, Perceivers, under the name J. Killick

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for any fan--serious or casual, January 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Babylon 5: No Surrender, No Retreat (Season by Season Guides) (Paperback)

All of Jane Killick's season guides are fantastic, and "No Surrender, No Retreat" is no exception. Each guide features complete episode listings; cast, guest stars, writers, directors, in other words the works. The episodes are synopisized (fully, don't read if you don't want to be spoiled) and contain interviews with the cast and crew. Killick's synopses are to the point, and bring out each storyline from the beginning, so even a casual viewer who hasn't seen key episodes can get filled in on who is after whom and which Vorlon is which. My favorite parts are the essay at the beginning of the books explaining specific pieces of the season's storyline and behind-the-scenes fun.

This book needs to be read in context with Jane Killick's other 4 episode guides.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for the B5 Viewer, November 7, 2002

By 

Jason Montgomery "Journ" (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Babylon 5: No Surrender, No Retreat (Season by Season Guides) (Paperback)

The Babylon 5: Season by Season guidebooks are an essential read for fans of the TV series. Containing photos, interviews, essays, and in-depth rundowns of each episode, each book is indispensable for B5 vets and newbies alike. Strongly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book series, but if you are new to the show..., October 24, 2001

By 

4 a.m. Reader (Southwest US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Babylon 5: No Surrender, No Retreat (Season by Season Guides) (Paperback)

This is a really good book series for B5 fans. It makes a great companion & fun reading after you have watched each show. But I would recommend it mainly for those that have seen the series & are watching it again. The reason I say that is because it is laced with spoilers all throughout the commentaries. That's fine if you've seen the whole thing already, but it stinks if you are watching it for the first time. If you don't mind that sort of thing...go for it, but this is the only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. For a good "non-spoiler" companion guide, I highly recommend The Babylon File: The Definitive Unauthorized Guide to J. Michael Straczynski's TV Series Babylon 5 by Andy Lane (Versions 1 & 2). He shows no mercy sometimes. If he does or doesn't like the show, he let's you know. But it's a blast to read.