B5 Novels & Graphic Novels by Mongoose?

[cornholio1980]

Just saw the message on the newsgroup and wanted to post it here too, but now I see it has already been done.

Well, what can I say. I certainly understand that Mongoose Publishing is a rather small publisher and that, certainly, turnover, profit etc. are a huge concern. I also think it's great to come forward, set the record straight and openly offering JMS to open negotiations again. Definitely a nice move, that shows that Mongoose are really interested in this property and try to make the novels as interesting as possible for the fans.

Still, I can only hope that the negotiations will work out, because even this nice move cannot change the fact that I would have great concerns buying a B5 novel which was not approved by JMS, especially after the bad experience with the first six Dell novels. From a business point of view, it would definitely be in the interest of BOTH to make sure that this works out - because an approval by JMS will definitely sell more copies of the novel, which would in return ensure that Babylon 5 will live on...

 

[Traveller-61]

Matt: thanks for letting us know your side of things here.

I really hope that Mongoose and JMS can come to an arrangement as I always have room for more B5 in my collection! :lol:

DW

 

[Satai Delenn]

Babylon 5 does live on in the many books and fleet sets that Mongoose has already released and very well done by the writer .They are as good if not better than anything JMS could have written himself.Yes they are all just RPG books .Babylon 5 will endure .

 

[lastbesthope]

lastbesthope,

My point in my post is that some fans are not going to be RPG fans and may or maynot care on what was put in the RPG books they will only be looking for what's in the novels and that;s what counts .

My apologies Satai, I misread your post as implying that upcoming Mongoose novels had been ruled non canon. My apologies for the misunderstanding.

@ Matthew's post. I suspected something of the like, this could rapidly have become another discussion of simlar ilk to the one about CC leaving B5 in season 5. The fact that you are a small company and would not be licensed to sell the novels in the US ties your hands a little. Sometimes these things just don't get to happen.

I can't give you a definitive answer but I think you have published more B5 materiual than any other publisher. My collection of B5 material is very large, limited to mainly Uk releases, but the only publisher who I can think of that might challenge Mongoose for the title would be Titan publishing who did the magazine and some books and Graphic Novels for B5. (Although the GNs were reproints of the comics.

Thanks for your side of the story, rumour control is important.

LBH

 

[Aramanthus]

I guess those of us over here in the states are going to have monitor the ovel situation to decide what we are going to do about it.

 

[Tanit Ironwolf]

cornholio1980 thanks for posting your source for the JMS comment.
msprange thanks for posting mongooses postion on this subject. I don't think anyone expects JMS to work for free. Even if its a labor of love and his baby. Yet I expect Mongoose to do what is going to be best for their company. Only thing us fans can do is hope the two different sides meet some where in the middle and we get what we want from both parties.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Only thing us fans can do is hope the two different sides meet some where in the middle and we get what we want from both parties.

Well, we are trying again, so we'll see what happens.

Either way, you'll be getting the best researched B5 novels ever produced

 

[Tanit Ironwolf]

I also have to add that some of the DelRay books were a step above fan fiction found on the net. I say a step above fan fiction because the authors were paid for their work. One of the books considered canon was written by JMS's wife. The Technomage, Centauri & Psi Corp series were based off outlines from JMS. These were good and did fill in blanks from the show. Yet what I was hoping for from Mongoose was novels on new characters set in the B5 universe. Not a rehash of filler stories of what the tv show characters did between episodes!!!! I mean how many more stories of Sheridan doing something really great between episode number 10 - 11 of season 2??? I want to read about new characters and different places. That really have nothing to do with the B5 station itself. With that thought I don't really see why JMS has to approve these story lines or put his stamp of canon on them. As long as they are true to the B5 universe and don't change plot lines of the tv show. I think they would be very good stories to read. Just my two cents on this subject.

 

[Greg Smith]

I've just started reading book 8, 'Personal Agendas' and it states it is based on an idea by JMS, yet it is not canon. The other novels and comics were considered official when the show was airing, yet now they're not canon, despite at least one (Sinclair and Garibaldi seeing the Shadow ship on Mars) being part of show continuity.

Personally, it is more important to me that it is well written.

 

[B_Steele]

Here's to hoping the public thinks so too...

*clink*

-Bry

 

[Night Marshal]

This good news. And I have to say its cool that Mr. Sprange is willing to go onto the B5 newsgroup to express his point of view. my respect for Mongoose has never been higher.

 

[Lyta]

Yeah, the telepath war would be really interesting.

I think the Psi Corps trilogy is the best of all the B5 books. The Centauri trilogy was not really good, the technomages were okay and To Dream in the City of Sorrows was not really my favourite, but it's okay - and it's most approved by JMS, of course.

B5 books are better if the characters from the series are only slightly involved since you always have your certain imagination of the characters in the series and most of the authors can't really give you back the feeling you have when you actually SEE Londo, G'Kar etc.

What I'm looking for is more about the Remember Byron people, the telepath war - more down-to-Earth things actually. ;-) I like the worlds and what happens there more than any inter-racial conflicts etc. I would also be interested in more stuff about the Grey Council and what could be very interesting is things about Mars and more Earth colonies.

There is enough stuff to write about since the universe is huge and lives on, even when the main characters from the series are dead.

 

[Satai Delenn]

I too would like to see a book set on Minbar maybe with a new character that is outside the realm of the main B5 story or maybe one set in the league of non aligned worlds .B5 has plenty of available story possibles that don't need to be approved by JMS .

 

[Lyta]

Yes, you are absolutely right.

As others have said, I don't care about canon or no canon. Books can be canon with JMS and bad as hell. It's all in the author's power. Some of the episodes of the series weren't really good as well and I'm sure THEY were JMS-approved.

I would certainly be happy if JMS would work with Mongoose and help produce good books but if he wants more money than Mongoose can give him, we'll be better off with the best authors Mongoose can get and just don't care if JMS reads through the books or not. But if they can't work together, then the books should certainly be about other characters than those we know from the series. The authore has to love the B5 universe just as we do and he has to have a good writing style. Then -I'm sure- the novels will be great.

 

[Night Marshal]

I honestly Would like to see a Biography of Dukhat his childhood his rise to power. How he found Delen. Who he was and what it ment for him to be alive.

He a really interesting character that we know next to nothing about.

 

[Lyta]

Yeah, nice idea. See, we have a lot of ideas just waiting to be written down professionally. :wink: Nice!

I'd like the Pak'ma'ra autobiography, too! *lol*

 

[LoneStranger]

And now back to "The Ultimate Buffet Line: the history of the Pak'ma'ra" here on the History Channel. :wink:

 

[lastbesthope]

And now back to "The Ultimate Buffet Line: the history of the Pak'ma'ra" here on the History Channel. :wink:

Could be worse, could be the Pak'ma'ra porn channel :shock:

"No Max, I don;t want to watch that 'cool' new data crystal you bought!"

LBH

 

[Night Marshal]

And now back to "The Ultimate Buffet Line: the history of the Pak'ma'ra" here on the History Channel. :wink:

oOo you can get Peter Woodward to Narrate it.

 

[Tanit Ironwolf]

For me I think the best series that could be written about B5. Would be an Earth Force warship and its crew set during the centauri/narn war. I don't want a save the galaxey of the week story like star trek. I want a story of the crew going on a deployment cruise. Maybe going on shore leave at B5. Something like a modern submarine wartime story set in space! Hell if worse comes to worse. I'll try to submit my B5 stories to mongoose. Most they will do is say thank you but no thank you!