B5 Novels & Graphic Novels by Mongoose?

[nitflegal]

We'll make a big announcement of this later. However, as a sneak peek to the forthcoming novel range, I have just spent the afternoon discussing plot lines with one of the novelists - a certain Miss Claudia Christian. We have a cracking story from her planned and I, for one, can't wait to see it in print!




Sounds interesting to me but the only thing most other fans will care is continuity of the B5 timeline.

Not sure what your plans are but, if it's an Ivanova novel, I'd dearly like to know what she was up to during the 5th season. Even better for Crusade, of course, but since JMS hasn't fleshed that period out the possible later canon contradictions are just frightening. . .

Matt

 

[lastbesthope]

Please tell me there will be a luanch with the author in attendance! Or signed copies available!

Actually, I think I can do better than that. Keep your diary free late February/early March.

Right, I am now e-mailing all my friends in relationships to tell them not to get married until after Easter :lol:

LBH
(You all only think I'm joking :shock: )

 

[Greg Smith]

No, we don't.

In fact, I'm suprised you are not telling them never to get married. :twisted:

 

[Satai Delenn]

Not sure what your plans are but, if it's an Ivanova novel, I'd dearly like to know what she was up to during the 5th season. Even better for Crusade, of course, but since JMS hasn't fleshed that period out the possible later canon contradictions are just frightening. . .

You obviously didn't read or understand my post so I will try again .I will try and get a hold of said book when it comes out but being on the wrong side of the pond and not mention shipping fees will determine in the final anaylis on whether I got it.Having a book shipped from another country can be expensive .I am glad to be seeing a novel in the b5 universe and I am as curious as anyone to what Ivanova was doing during season five .But my point was some other fans ,not me will only care about whether it is cannon to the show or is approved by JMS.It's more than a little silly but half the fanbase won't buy it for that reason .Frankly and this just my opinion I don't give a care whether JMS approves it,writes it or is based an online .And if the book is tied in anyway to Crusade ah well thats just more gravy and even better reason to buy it.

 

[nitflegal]

Not sure what your plans are but, if it's an Ivanova novel, I'd dearly like to know what she was up to during the 5th season. Even better for Crusade, of course, but since JMS hasn't fleshed that period out the possible later canon contradictions are just frightening. . .

You obviously didn't read or understand my post so I will try again .I will try and get a hold of said book when it comes out but being on the wrong side of the pond and not mention shipping fees will determine in the final anaylis on whether I got it.Having a book shipped from another country can be expensive .I am glad to be seeing a novel in the b5 universe and I am as curious as anyone to what Ivanova was doing during season five .But my point was some other fans ,not me will only care about whether it is cannon to the show or is approved by JMS.It's more than a little silly but half the fanbase won't buy it for that reason .Frankly and this just my opinion I don't give a care whether JMS approves it,writes it or is based an online .And if the book is tied in anyway to Crusade ah well thats just more gravy and even better reason to buy it.

Apologies, was this in response to my post (the quoted one)? If so, I'm not following your reply. I responded to the "official" post that CC would be doing a B5 novel.

FWIW, to me whether JMS approves it is immaterial from a canon standpoint. He didn't approve many of the novels, the comics, and even the game products are generally not reviewed by JMS personally. Thus, if it comes out under the B5 license and doesn't contradict established sources, I consider it canon until JMS either explicitly refutes it or a JMS influenced piece contradicts it. Since, in all honesty, I think there's a pretty microscopic chance that we'll see anything from JMS on B5 again, I don't really worry about his official stamp. For all intents and purposes, JMS has passed the B5 torch on to his licensees so they are the ones who will flesh out the B5 universe. Since I have total faith that Mongoose will keep to the established canon, including their game products, for these novels I'm not worried.

Matt

 

[MongooseMatt]

Not sure what your plans are but, if it's an Ivanova novel, I'd dearly like to know what she was up to during the 5th season. Even better for Crusade, of course, but since JMS hasn't fleshed that period out the possible later canon contradictions are just frightening. . .

Matt

That is exactly what it is going to be about - what Ivanova was up to during 2262.

As for the canon implications, we'll be making an announcement about that very soon. . .

 

[lastbesthope]

He didn't approve many of the novels, the comics, and even the game products are generally not reviewed by JMS personally.

Well he approved about half (slightly more perhaps if we include the TV movie novels but I'm unsure of those) of the novels, which is a fair chunk of them, even Lucas and Whedon only say it's canon until they say otherwise (in general).

LBH

 

[Brother Theo]

Not sure what your plans are but, if it's an Ivanova novel, I'd dearly like to know what she was up to during the 5th season. Even better for Crusade, of course, but since JMS hasn't fleshed that period out the possible later canon contradictions are just frightening. . .

Matt

That is exactly what it is going to be about - what Ivanova was up to during 2262.

As for the canon implications, we'll be making an announcement about that very soon. . .

Matt,
Any thoughts on distributing the novels over on the US side of the pond?

 

[Tanit Ironwolf]

For me what Mongoose publishes is conan. Unless JMS comes out with something that goes totally against what Mongoose is doing. Then I'm all for it. Any chance JMS had of making more tv or movie deals with B5 have long past died. The actors and crew have moved onto other projects. They are older and it would take more money and effort to bring them all back together. The chance with crusade really didn't go any where. Legends of the rangers flopped. If it wasn't for Agents of Gaming and now Mongoose. B5 would for all purposes be history.

 

[lastbesthope]

Matt,
Any thoughts on distributing the novels over on the US side of the pond?

I think it has been mentioned before that Mongoose do not have the license to distribute in the US, perhaps even only in the UK.

For me what Mongoose publishes is conan.

So you're only interested in Conan? Why are you on the B5 threads?

:lol:

LBH
(Just kidding dude, can't let a typo like that slip by)

 

[Tanit Ironwolf]

Tanit Ironwolf wrote:
For me what Mongoose publishes is conan.


So you're only interested in Conan? Why are you on the B5 threads?


Hahahaaa... My bad....

 

[nitflegal]

He didn't approve many of the novels, the comics, and even the game products are generally not reviewed by JMS personally.

Well he approved about half (slightly more perhaps if we include the TV movie novels but I'm unsure of those) of the novels, which is a fair chunk of them, even Lucas and Whedon only say it's canon until they say otherwise (in general).

LBH

You're right. For some reason, I forget the three trilogies that he did have oversight over and think only of the initial series, of which one book is fully approved and one book is prtailly approved.

Matt

 

[Greg Smith]

You're right. For some reason, I forget the three trilogies that he did have oversight over and think only of the initial series, of which one book is fully approved and one book is prtailly approved.

Matt

I've recently read book 8 and it states that it was based on an idea by JMS yet he does not consider it canon?

The comic story that had Garibaldi and Sheridan on Mars seeing the Shadow Ship was an essential part of the continuity (and co-written by him IIRC), yet he does not consider it canon?

I think maybe he's a little egomaniacal where B5 is concerned. (Don't you hate it when you find out that your idols are only human?)

Pretty soon it will be - only the JMS episodes are canon (except where the network demanded I include stuff, those bits aren't).

 

[Traveller-61]

I've recently read book 8 and it states that it was based on an idea by JMS yet he does not consider it canon?

If you are referring to "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" then that one is certainly canon - after all his wife wrote it!

DW

 

[Greg Smith]

No, Personal Agendas. In the front it says that JMS provided the idea for the story and the title. JMS is also credited with the premise of the comic story Shadows, Past and Present and as a co-writer on the Price of Peace comic tale.

As I understood it (and I have nothing to back this up - just a vague memory of a conversation with other fans) all of the novels were approved by JMS and he had some plot relevant items inserted into the books. For example in an early novel there is a scene involving Talia Winters and an extra presence (in hindsight her hidden personality) that has no bearing on the plot but is just an additional teaser for the episode Divided Loyalties.

I assume JMS has retroactively stated that some novels are canon and some aren't.

Personally I have no problems whether they are canon or not. I am however somewhat baffled by the canon/non-canon status which seems pretty arbitary.

 

[Traveller-61]

My apologies - wrong book! :shock:

When I saw JMS at one of the Wolf359 B5 conventions at Blackpool he said that the only book he considered 100% canon was "To Dream etc"; "The Shadow Within" was about 70-90% (my memory is a bit fuzzy here).

DW

 

[Pauly_D]

Personally I have no problems whether they are canon or not. I am however somewhat baffled by the canon/non-canon status which seems pretty arbitary.

i suppose the most important thing is-does it contradict Canon

 

[lastbesthope]

Quite a few of the first 9 do contradict canon in one way or another, but i don't think "The Shadow Within" does, or if it does, then not much, and not anything too obvious or important.

LBH

 

[frobisher]

Quite a few of the first 9 do contradict canon in one way or another, but i don't think "The Shadow Within" does, or if it does, then not much, and not anything too obvious or important.

Quite a few bits are "off" but not in a way that affects the plot structure.

The stand out is the departure from Centauri Prime of the Icarus... In the show it refers to "Station Prime", which is clearly an Orion starbase and from comments that jms made is meant to be in Earth orbit.

 

[lastbesthope]

It's been too long since I read 1-9, and I have yet to read the three trilogies.

LBH