Invoking Darkness (Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jeanne Cavelos (Author) "They said that Kosh spent too much time among the younger races..." (more)
Key Phrases: tech echoed, electron incantation, evolution through bloodshed, John Sheridan, White Star, Anna Sheridan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Praise for Babylon 5: The Shadows Within

"Ms. Cavelos does a wonderful job of deepening the layers of the Babylon 5 universe. . . . A highly enjoyable reading experience with a powerful and chilling ending."
--The Zocalo

"The plot involves realistic political intrigue, a sparking interstellar mystery and a sense of doom so thick you can smell it on the pages. This is no by-the-numbers knockoff."
--Captain Comics, The Sunday Telegraph -- Review

Review
Praise for Babylon 5: The Shadows Within

"Ms. Cavelos does a wonderful job of deepening the layers of the Babylon 5 universe. . . . A highly enjoyable reading experience with a powerful and chilling ending."
--The Zocalo

"The plot involves realistic political intrigue, a sparking interstellar mystery and a sense of doom so thick you can smell it on the pages. This is no by-the-numbers knockoff."
--Captain Comics, The Sunday Telegraph

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (November 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345438337
• ISBN-13: 978-0345438331
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,033 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best science fiction trilogies I have read, December 11, 2001

By	Edward Alexander Gerster "miamibooks" (South Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wish I knew where Jeanne Cavelos learned to weave such wonderful tales, and I would send all potential science fiction authors to drink from the same well of wisdom. `B5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages' trilogy is probably one of the finest science fiction works I read this past year, and having it as a tie-in to the Babylon 5 universe is an added bonus. And a `tie-in' here is not just a reuse of characters created in the original series-it literally ties in to episodes that span the entire life of the series, in ways that are enlightening, entertaining and sometimes surprising.

'Invoking Darkness' picks up with the Shadow War raging, the Vorlon Kosh cut down on the B5 station, and the remaining techno-mages sequestered in their place of hiding. Seeds sown by Morden at the last techno-mage convocation several years previous have begun to come to fruition for the Shadows. Not only are Elizar and Razeel helping to wreak havoc wherever they can, some of the techno-mages at the hiding place now are beginning to think they should join the shadows as well. In an unexpected turn of events, Galen is given a mandate by the Circle to leave the hiding place and to locate and destroy the three people who threaten the techno-mages existence: Morden, Elizar, and Razeel.

Unexpected revelations are made about Anna Sheridan in her role as shadow servant, the role of "the First One" Lorian, and the fate of Wierdan-the first techno-mage. This is a tale not only of revenge, redemption and good over evil-but a wonderful examination of the human condition through each characters motivations and subsequent actions. Filled with tension, suspense and adventure, 'Invoking Darkness' gets my highest recommendation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge and science, mystery and magic, November 27, 2001

By	Bryan Clark (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Jeanne Cavelos comes through with a stunning end to her "Passing of the Technomages" trilogy. Secrets first introduced in the first two books, Casting Shadows and Summoning Light, are brought to the surface and revealed; and Galen, the principal character, undergoes an unforgettable personal transformation.

Character development has been one of the trademarks of the trilogy, and Invoking Darkness is no different. Not only are past questions about some of the characters answered, new ones are raised as a result, all with the ever-present Shadow war as a backdrop. For those who've read the first two books, Invoking Darkness is a sure must-read. If you're a newcomer to the Babylon 5 universe, this trilogy is an excellent starting point.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fills in gaps from the show's best period, December 12, 2002

By	Blake Petit "Novelist, Comixtreme.com columni... (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Most sci-fi and fantasy TV series that get translated to books -- from Star Trek to Smallville -- suffer greatly because the writer is not allowed to make any major changes or developments since the story has to fit seamlessly between episodes. With the more recent books, the Babylon 5 series has avoided that trap and told some great stories, "Invoking Darkness" being one of the best.

The reason the B5 books are working when so many others fail, I think, is because the series is over and the writers are allowed to tell real stories and not just filler. Peter David's "Legions of Fire" trilogy, for instance, showed the final fate of Londo Mollari. Jeanne Cavelos' "Passing of the Techno-Mages" trilogy, of which this is the last part, uses some of the lesser-explored but most intriguing characters in the B5 universe and journeys into the dark places the show never went.

Galen, the techno-mage, is in hiding with the rest of his order, avoiding the Shadows and, with them, their own responsibility to the outside universe. Without giving away too much of the story -- especially for those who have read the first two books but not this one -- Galen is sent back out into the galaxy to eliminate a threat to the mages, ultimately becoming wrapped up in the events of some of the best episodes in the run of the television series, but always behind the scenes.

For someone who's practically got the show memorized, as I do, this is a really great story. You know the fate of many of the characters, but there are plenty of minor characters and enough ambiguity left in the major ones to keep you anxious... you know Galen will survive since he went on to appear in the "Crusade" spin-off series, but when you realize where Cavelos is going with the story the question of HOW he's going to survive becomes just as gripping as any question of "if."

You also get to peek into the minds of characters from the show to explain why they were doing what they did -- the things that were done to Anna Sheridan, for instance, and how dark Morden's heart really was and how much was the influence of the Shadows. The book offers no easy answers, but instead leaves you asking eminently satisfying questions.

People unfamiliar with the show many not latch onto these books the way I have, but for those of you who've loved B5 since the beginning, this helps fill in some incredible gaps in an incredible epic.