Peter David and JMS: Wow (long)
JBONETATI
I just finished the last of the Centauri Prime books and I'm stunned. Really,
you'd think I'd get used to it by now, wouldn't you? How many times has JMS
repeated that it's the journey that counts even though you already know the
destination; and we've seen that characters do grow and change in the B5
universe. And if anybody ever doubted that 'somebody' was paying attention to
all of the questions and nits picked about the series this last book should
certainly teach them better.
I'll never know exactly what pieces of the trilogy were completely JMS' and
which were Peter's but it matters not at all. Peter has definitely grasped the
characters 'voices' correctly and managed to show an amazing growth believably
and touchingly. As another poster noted, even knowing exactly what happened in
the throne room, what I was reading was still new. That's some good writing
there.
Once again I read what I can only think of as a roller-coaster style of writing
and I've gotten off the ride weak at the knees. Book one was interesting and
laid a lot of groundwork; you could tell that the coaster was being pulled up,
sometimes more slowly than the reader wanted and you had to have faith in the
ride; even so, you know that it was something new and different. Book two gave
some swoops and loops and built up momentum; you started to feel like it was
time to hang on and hope you didn't regret getting on because things were
about to drop out from under you. In book three you not only got the huge drop
that left your stomach behind, you went through a few tunnels and took a few
bumps that left you breathless. Even though you'd seen the big drop and knew
about the tunnel before you got on, the experience was other than you expected.
Then, all too suddenly, the ride was over and you immediately wanted to get
back on again and do it some more. Now the wait begins again. C'mon February!
I feel sorry for the vocal ones who've said that they'll no longer buy the B5
books because they were disappointed before. Of course they were *looking* for
things to dislike and that's an easy wish to fulfill. Even so, both the Psi
Corp/Bester trilogy and the Centauri/Londo/Vir trilogy have woven whole new
panels in the tapestry of the B5 universe. The original story was no less
satisfying before they were written but they certainly help ease the hunger for
more stories. And whet my appetite for still more.
JMS, Peter (and Gregory and Jeanne and Fiona), thanks.
Jan
(metaphor generator off, now <g>)
Jms at B5
in a way that moved people. I'm happy they did.
The next volume of the techno-mage trilogy should arrive in my hands in draft
form probably in another week or so. I'm very much looking forward to reading
it.
jms
(jms...@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2000 by
synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
to reprint specifically denied to
SFX Magazine)
Mac Breck
news:20001107001201...@ng-mg1.aol.com...
> Thanks. I really wanted these books to fill in the gaps and broaden the
story
> in a way that moved people. I'm happy they did.
>
> The next volume of the techno-mage trilogy
The next volume? Vol.2 ?
> should arrive in my hands in draft
> form probably in another week or so.
> I'm very much looking forward to reading it.
You're definitely not alone here!! Right now, the Feb. 2001 release of
Vol.1 feels about a million years away.
Mac
Tammy Smith
Btw, I thought the technomages introduced in the Centauri trilogy were
interesting. Will they appear in the Technomage books, JMS?
Tammy
lisa_c...@my-deja.com
I have to agree with what Tammy and everyone has said. Book 3 was
stunning. Even though I'd seen WWE numerous times it added so much,
without detracting from the B5 story. I'd also lend my voice to those
who would counsel that even if you've been dissapointed in the previous
novels, this trilogy is a must for a B5 fan.
Along with Tammy's question, jms, I know you said sales would determine
the potential future of more books. From what I've seen, this one is
really selling. Any hope there will be more beyond the Technomage set?
Lisa Coulter
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Jms at B5
>the potential future of more books. From what I've seen, this one is
>really selling. Any hope there will be more beyond the Technomage set?
That's entirely up to Del Rey.
Jon Green
> Lisa wrote:
>
> >Along with Tammy's question, jms, I know you said sales would determine
> >the potential future of more books. From what I've seen, this one is
> >really selling. Any hope there will be more beyond the Technomage set?
>
> That's entirely up to Del Rey.
If they decide not to publish further, what are the contingencies?
Could the rights be taken to anothe publisher, or are they sunk at DR?
Jon
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ArsenicMan
average)
ArsenicMan
==================================================
It's our last best hope for peace? We're *so* screwed.
"Jms at B5" <jms...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20001107233339...@ng-fa1.aol.com...
> >Along with Tammy's question, jms, I know you said sales would determine
> >the potential future of more books. From what I've seen, this one is
> >really selling. Any hope there will be more beyond the Technomage set?
>
> That's entirely up to Del Rey.
>
Jms at B5
>Could the rights be taken to anothe publisher, or are they sunk at DR?
>
>
No, another publisher definitely has the possibility of going in and licensing
the right to do more books once Del Rey's license expires.
Mac Breck
From: "ArsenicMan" <Arseni...@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 4:00 PM
Subject: Re: Peter David and JMS: Wow (long)
> Question: About how many words long are each of the Del Rey books? (on
> average)
Rough estimates below:
Book#1 Voices, 0-440-22057-2, Dell ~95694 words
Book#2 Accusations, 0-440-22058-0, Dell, ~85068 words
Book#3 Blood Oath, 0-440-22059-9, Dell, ~80442 words
Book#4 Clark's Law, 0-440-22229-X, Dell, ~101835 words
Book#5 The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name, 0-440-22230-3,
Dell, ~57288 words
Book#6 Betrayals, 0-440-22234-6, Dell, ~106020 words
Book#7 The Shadow Within, 0-440-22348-2, Dell, ~79772 words
Book#8 Personal Agendas, 0-440-22351-2, Dell, 51304 words
Book#9 To Dream in the City of Sorrows, 0-440-22354-7, Dell, ~115254 words
Dark Genesis - The Birth of the Psi Corps, 0-345-42715-7, Del Rey, ~108669
words
Deadly Relations - Bester Ascendant, 0-345-42716-5, Del Rey, ~113316 words
Final Reckoning - The Fate of Bester, 0-345-42717-3, Del Rey, ~100230 words
Legions of Fire - Book I - The Long Night of Centauri Prime, 0-345-42718-1,
Del Rey, ~92960 words
Legions of Fire - Book II - Armies of Light and Dark, 0-345-42719-X, Del
Rey, ~95880 words
Legions of Fire - Book III - Out of the Darkness, 0-345-42720-3, Del Rey,
~102570 words
Mac
Seti Alpha
Each book published is, roughly, a page and a half of typewritten material,
assuming you're using the Courier font or another equivalent. So if a book
is 300 pages in published form, it would be, I'm thinking, something right
around 400 pages in typewritten form.
"Mac Breck" <macb...@access995.com> wrote in message
news:008601c04a5e$f11d89c0$49d2...@cobweb.net...
Mac Breck
From: "Seti Alpha" <seti...@home.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2000 4:36 PM
Subject: Re: Peter David and JMS: Wow (long)
> Another way of looking at the length of a book is this:
>
> Each book published is, roughly, a page and a half of typewritten
material,
> assuming you're using the Courier font or another equivalent. So if a
book
> is 300 pages in published form, it would be, I'm thinking, something right
> around 400 pages in typewritten form.
In the B5 books listed below, there differences in font, spacing between the
letters of the words, lines per full page, and number of full pages. I
counted sample full pages in each of the bocks, to arrive at the estimates.
While they are only "estimates" they were all calculated in the same
fashion, and so should be a fairly decent comparison *between* the books on
wordcount.
Mac
Matt Ion
>I'll never know exactly what pieces of the trilogy were completely JMS' and
>which were Peter's but it matters not at all. Peter has definitely grasped the
>characters 'voices' correctly and managed to show an amazing growth believably
>and touchingly. As another poster noted, even knowing exactly what happened in
>the throne room, what I was reading was still new. That's some good writing
>there.
Agreed!
It's been a long time since I took time to pick up and read through a novel
(probably not seriously since about grade 6 or 7, when I think I read through
the school library's entire Hardy Boys collection in about a month), but
following discussions here of the third book of this trilogy, I decided to
check out the whole set. Unfortunately, Chapters doesn't have #3 in yet and
can't tell me when it will be available in Canada...
So, I've just finished "The Long Night of Centauri Prime", and I have to
concur with your analysis of the character growth, and Peter David's handling
of them. For every character I've come to know and love, I can easily
picture their voices, movements and mannerisms. Well done, Peter!
Well... on to book #2!
----------------------------------------------
Your friend and mine,
Matt
"Reality is in alpha test on prototype hardware."
ArsenicMan
When I first looked at them, I went "Estimates?" It makes much more sense
with the explanation.
--
ArsenicMan
==================================================
It's our last best hope for peace? We're *so* screwed.
"Mac Breck" <macb...@access995.com> wrote in message
news:00c501c04aa0$7f9b97a0$bfd2...@cobweb.net...
Mac Breck
Mac
Max Peck
unto the masses:
>Unfortunately, Chapters doesn't have #3 in yet and
>can't tell me when it will be available in Canada...
That's odd; I just bought #3 today at a Chapters here
in Ottawa. I'd have thought it would be hitting all of
their stores at about the same time.
Max...
-------------
"Vaiyo A-o, Home Va-ya-ray, Vaiyo A-rah, Jerhume Brunnen-G!"
LK
>On 10 Nov 2000 12:30:46 -0700 "Matt Ion" <sou...@soundy.org> spake
>unto the masses:
>
>>Unfortunately, Chapters doesn't have #3 in yet and
>>can't tell me when it will be available in Canada...
>
>That's odd; I just bought #3 today at a Chapters here
>in Ottawa. I'd have thought it would be hitting all of
>their stores at about the same time.
>
>
In theory. In Seattle area, I went to a Barnes and Nobel bookstore
last weekend and asked for the book. Not on the shelves. I "held
up" the line while the clerk went back to the stockroom, found the
box, and took out a copy for me. Very good service. He said the
boxes just been unpacked yet and he knew by the date order they ought
to have arrived.
LK
Matt Ion
Well, I just stopped into another Chapters store today, and not only do they
not have it, it's not even listed in their computer as available for online
ordering. Weird. (This is in Vancouver, BC, by the way).
Dwight Williams
> On 12 Nov 2000 11:26:34 -0700, LK wrote:
> >On 10 Nov 2000 19:32:14 -0700, max...@ottawa.com (Max Peck) wrote:
> >>On 10 Nov 2000 12:30:46 -0700 "Matt Ion" <sou...@soundy.org> spake
> >>unto the masses:
> >>
> >>>Unfortunately, Chapters doesn't have #3 in yet and
> >>>can't tell me when it will be available in Canada...
> >>
> >>That's odd; I just bought #3 today at a Chapters here
> >>in Ottawa. I'd have thought it would be hitting all of
> >>their stores at about the same time.
Which Ottawa area store? Pinecrest? Gloucester? Rideau/Byward? South
Keys?
I picked mine up at Ottawa-Pinecrest, FYI, way the Hell over on the
other end of town from home(I was shopping for CAD software that day).
> >In theory. In Seattle area, I went to a Barnes and Nobel bookstore
> >last weekend and asked for the book. Not on the shelves. I "held
> >up" the line while the clerk went back to the stockroom, found the
> >box, and took out a copy for me. Very good service. He said the
> >boxes just been unpacked yet and he knew by the date order they ought
> >to have arrived.
Good fellow, that B&N staffer!
> Well, I just stopped into another Chapters store today, and not only do they
> not have it, it's not even listed in their computer as available for online
> ordering. Weird. (This is in Vancouver, BC, by the way).
Very weird.
--
Dwight Williams(ad...@freenet.carleton.ca) -- Orleans, Ontario, Canada
Maintainer/Founder - DEOList for _Chase_ Fandom
Personal Web Site: http://www.ncf.ca/~ad696/
*I* own my postings on Usenet, *not* any dot-com site!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LK
Williams) wrote:
LK wrote:
>> >In theory. In Seattle area, I went to a Barnes and Nobel bookstore
>> >last weekend and asked for the book. Not on the shelves. I "held
>> >up" the line while the clerk went back to the stockroom, found the
>> >box, and took out a copy for me. Very good service. He said the
>> >boxes just been unpacked yet and he knew by the date order they ought
>> >to have arrived.
>
>Good fellow, that B&N staffer!
Even better, I blanked out on the title and he did a search on Peter
David to find a title. Then after he found the book in the storeroom
he wasn't sure it was the right book because it said nothing about
"Centauri" on it. I almost said it was the wrong book my eyes fell on
the cover drawing and "Delenn" looked more like Julia Roberts (?) and
"Sherdian" loooked Sinclair, but I recognized their clothes and
recalled the _Legions of Fire_ title.
>
>> Well, I just stopped into another Chapters store today, and not only do they
>> not have it, it's not even listed in their computer as available for online
>> ordering. Weird. (This is in Vancouver, BC, by the way).
>
>Very weird.
The clerk couldn't find it under Babylon 5 series books, we just
lucked on it being the latest release from the author.
An aside here on forgetting; Sunday evening National Public Radio
about 4 or 5 PM PST did a short piece on "tip-of-the tongue"
forgetting words or phrases. A study determined that the human mind
tends to "classify" or store words by sounds as well as meaning and
hearing words that have similiar sounds can prompt your brain to
remember the "duh, I know the word." Plus it's not a sign of aging.
I hoped they found the brain biochemistry involved, appearently not.
I find the topic fo brain biochemistry fascinating.
LK