In the Beginning (Babylon 5) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Adapter), J. Michael Straczynski (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Battle of the Line is infamous in Earth history as the climactic campaign in a long and bloody war between Humankind and the alien Minbari race. But how did this apocalyptic conflict erupt? And how did this fateful clash of two civilizations ultimately lead to the creation of the Babylon 5 space station? Here, at last, the great space epic unfolds--in a new novel based on the first full-length Babylon 5 television movie.

Eager to expand their trade with other worlds, the people of planet Earth attempt to make contact with the mysterious Minbari, a race of proud and powerful warriors. But when communication turns to violence, Earth becomes the target of a latter-day holy war, waged by a civilization possessing vastly superior numbers and firepower.

And the Minbari will stop at nothing short of the total extermination of its enemy: the Human race . . .

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

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 255 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 6th printing edition (November 26, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345424522
• ISBN-13: 978-0345424525
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,549,503 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the movie, really loved the book, May 5, 1999

By A Customer

By far the best of the Babylon 5 movies, the book form may also be the best of its kind. The Earth-Minbari war is one of the key elements of the Babylon 5 universe, but its origins and (more importantly) implications were not fully covered in the series.

The story is full, fast-paced, and totally consistent with the B5 universe. The book adds depth and character to the already rich scenes from the screenplay. Read it. Today.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best gap filling Babylon 5 book ever written, March 28, 1999

By	Eran Mick ([e-mail]) (Herzliya, Israel) - See all my reviews

The movie "In the Beginning" has not yet been shown in my country and that is why I can not compare the book with the movie. Besides, I don't feel a good book should be compared with the movie it is based on. "In the Beginning" is a wonderful book. It keeps in line with almost everything in the Babylon 5 universe. Characters, dates, places, occurences, it all feells right. Any B5 fan, who has seen all of the show, such as myself, would feel at home. Although it is regretable that gaps in the story arc are filled in movies and books instead of in the show itself, the book is a "must read" for any one who wants to truly understand what led to the creation of the Babylon project, what really happened in the Earth-Minbari war and how it all comes together. Very important info is passed along in the book. The story itself is well written, fluent and enjoyable. I most deffinetly recommend!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant read, couldn't put it down., February 24, 1999

By A Customer

This book was an amazing read. It had some fascinating insights to the backstory and was so well-written that I really couldn't put it down. I read it during the course of a day and night and would happily read it again. From my point of view, if you take the film "In the Beginning", that really was a story for the fans as it was heavily arc-related and finally told the story that had been lying quietly in the background for five years. And so the book is the same, and I was expecting that. Overall, it was brilliantly done and I certainly don't regret buying it. Thanks JMS for coming up with such a fascinating universe, and let's hope to see more great B5 novels in the future. (I can't wait for all of the Dark Genesis Trilogy, from what I've heard, this is amazing!)