The Touch of Your Shadow,
the Whisper of Your Name

by Neal Barrett, Jr.

Published by Dell Publishsing

Mystery and imagination are very important for a Science Fiction story. "The Touch of Your Shadow" has that. It also is weird. These three factors: mystery, imagination and oddity make it a very good Sci-Fi novel.

The story is based on the TV series Babylon 5, but doesn't always match the series. For example, at the very start of the novel, Garibaldi is returning from a vacation. In the series, much after the events of the novel, Garibaldi says he hasn't taken a vacation in years. There are also all kinds of illogical aspects to the story, but then again, it's Sci-Fi.

I liked the descriptions of the greatest fears of the people of Babylon 5 and the many weird cults that came onboard after Kosh revealed himself as an angel. The telepath, though, was a weak part of the story and the book would have been better without her.

I recommend this book to any Science Fiction lover, even if he never saw B5. It's a very interesting novel, and only loosely based on Babylon 5.





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