Customer Reviews

The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name (Babylon 5, Book 5)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I liked it. The story was interesting and held my attention. It was also easy to read - I read it in one day. I think most of the people objected to it because it doesn't fit into the main story line of the TV series. I didn't have a problem with this. It's a great story, told from differing view points of the characters but mainly Security Chief Garibaldi's. It was lighter than some, but I liked that too after reading "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" which was a great book but the story was a bit heavier and took more thought. I think most people who reviewed this book have forgotten about the TV episodes which also seemed to have nothing to do with the "shadows" storyline but had almost totally separate and sometimes light-hearted adventures. Anyway, I enjoyed it and I think anyone interested in a light sci-fi adventure would too.

This book was a bit of a dissapointment for me.

The beginning offers the book to be full of either interesting opportunities or huge dissapointments. It was neither.

The plot was intriquing and the book kept you with it, but there was not enough pay off at the end, as the author fell back on old, predictable solutions and colorless writing.

A nice read but nothing is missed by not reading it either.

Although it is nominally set on Babylon 5 and uses the names of various of the characters (mostly unrecognizable from the series, or mere caricatures of themselves), this book really has no place in the Babylon 5 universe. The story is poor, it advances nothing within the B5 universe, and its "reset button" Deus ex machina ending violates the entire spirit behind Babylon 5.

Take a look at "Thirdspace" by Peter David (based on the movie by J.M.Straczynski) to see how this story should have been done.

There was a serious slip in quality control when this book made it through as an authorized B5 vehicle. If you like B5, avoid this one at all costs.

The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name is the fifth book in the original batch of tie-in novels, when you thought that that was all there would be (don't think anyone will believe that again in the history of the universe).

The station is threatened by a strange alien force that makes people go a bit crazy.

An ok B5 story this one, fans will be happy enough.


3 out of 5

The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name is the fifth of the original nine novels and most probably the least likely of the five to become B5 fans' favorite. The book is set during the early part of the third season prior to events in "A Day in the Strife."
Security Chief Michael Garibaldi returns to Babylon 5 after taking a vacation to find the station in a state of chaos and anarchy, as the inhabitants are all experiencing nightmares leading them to violent acts against one another.
Then, out of the blue, an enormous green ribbon makes its appearance and as it gets closer to B5, the populace's dreams worsen along with their behavior...
On the positive side: Neal Barrett Jr. provides for an accurate description of the Narn psyche when Ambassador G'Kar states: "I'm afraid that's impossible, Captain. Narn honor is at stake. The very presence of the Centauri in the universe is an abomination against G'Quan. They must be exterminated, now." (p.194)
On page 173, the author presents a graphic description of a fanatic's dream: "And [Reverend Bobby James Galaxy, the Leader of the Universal Church of Solar Illumination] dreamed, as the Lord had told him to dream, not of cons but of conviction, and of Minbari heads on poles, and Centauri entrails on the ground, and of Drazi dead scattered like grains of salt of the barren plain of Babylon 5, which burned from end to end with holy and righteous fire."
On the downside, the novel will fly by since it's so short, i.e. each chapter is approximately four pages long ending at the beginning or middle of the final page while the next chapter begins at the middle of the following page bringing to mind books for "young adults/readers."
Moreover, regarding the plot and the main characters' actions, Neal Barrett Jr. does not make enough, nor that good, use of existing B5 plots and subplots as much as he could have and thus the whole feeling one gets is that the story is "stale" lacking that "something" that will bring it to life and get the reader to not be able to put the novel down.
In-depth information about the main characters or the B5 universe is pretty much absent, and the characters are quite shallow, not to mention the ridiculous groups like the space bikers Fermi's Angels and the Life in Transition to name a few.
Most of these groups/factions were simply uninteresting and out-of place, while the novel's ending was rather lame. 3 Stars
In short, with the main series over, thank goodness for the novels.
More novels please...

Although I enjoyed the first four Babylon 5 novels, I found this one rather disappointing. The plot is hackneyed and the sort of thing that has happened to the U.S.S. Enterprise about a dozen times. The conclusion is of the "ambiguous" type that doesn't indicate complexity so much as a writer apparently too lazy to give answers. Unless you're a B5 completist, avoid this one.

now what happens when a station full of people start having
nightmares and start acting them out? total chaos. this was
a pretty decent book that shows you a lot about your favorite
characters from the tv show with some humor thrown in.

The story builds up tension for 99% of book, but ends with a whimper (nothing). A disappointment.

I read this book in one day.And there were some aspects about it that I liked and some i didnt. I think the only character that was portraid with some faithfullness to the show was Michael Garibaldi.I especially liked that line he had with the giraffe.If you leave out the fact that he trusted a Psi person like Martina.For example Suzan was way to serious. I dont think Delenn was very her self either although it was nice to see that someone tried to put her in a babylon 5 novel for a change. Some of the dreams were unrealistic but you just find your self reading on to see where and if there will be a logical conclusion to all of it... At the end of course there isnt one. The book has a poor plotline.Although not as bad as Voices.If you know the show dont read this book. If you want to read a good babylon 5 book I suggest you start with #9 To dream in Tuzanor or #7 the shadow within. those books I am glad to say have been able to capture the characters. Also for a tie in In the Beggining is great!!

When Garibaldi comes back from his trip he finds trouble on Babylon 5!Everyone has awful dreams and different groups are fighting eachother. When they notice a massive worm coming towards them the dreams start to effect them. Calm people go mad and want to kill everyone who isn't the same as them. Even Lennier wants to kill. How will it end? Will Babylon 5 explode with rage? Read it to find out!