Technomage Novels

[ProfCrash]

a place to discuss the technomage Novels without spoiling folks who have not read the book yet. Spoilers Abound

[ProfCrash]

OK, I can't wait to discuss this book and I don't want to spoil it for folks so....

The book starts off in an intersting fashion, we see Anna Sheridan flying a Shadow ship and Kosh watching the Techno Mages on Soom (Galen and Elric).

As I read the book, I sort of stumbeled onto something that I find to be fascinating. The race that created the technology the Mages use died 1,000 years ago. The few survivors began to train others in how to use the tech, creating the Techno Mages.

OK, 1,000 years ago... The Technomages derive their power from advanced technology which they do not understand. This starts witht he Chrysallis phase where an implant is placed in an Apprentices neck. A Chrysallis (type of head gear) can be attached to the Apprentice, through the implant. This is how the Apprentice trains and begins to learn how to use the tech. Once the Apprentice is initiated, tech is placed in their bodies that allow them to control probes, recieve messages, and cast spells.

Once the Apprentice is initiated, the Chrysallis is used to connect the Mage to his/her ship, place of power, staff or amulet, ect... So the Chrysallis becomes a piece of living technology that all Mages use through out their life.

It strikes me that the Shadows implant technology, at the base of the neck, into beings to control the Shadow Ships. hmmmmmm Sounds familiar doesn't it?

Kosh is observing the gathering of Mages because the Vorlons are thinking about destroying the Mages, they cannot allow the power of the Mage's to ally with the Shadows and the Shadows are heavily recruiting among the Mage's.

Could it be that the race that created the tech and passed it on to others, were destroyed by the Shadows or Vorlons, 1,000 years ago because they posed a threat to the goals of either race. Could it be that the Technomages have the key to removing the implants placed in the Teeps used by the Shadows?

[ProfCrash]

OK, now on to the characters. It was intersting to see the relationship between Elric and Galen and how that relationship changes. Meeting so many of the Mage's and seeing the diversity of their personalities as well as their ideas on how the tech should be used was fascinating.

The focus is on Galen and his relationship with Elric and Isabella. I was surprised that the two of them knew each other for such a short period of time. Crusade had left me believing that they knew each other for a longer period of time. But that is minor.

Galen has lived much of his life with only Elric, who is not a bundle of warmth. He knows little of how to deal with people and has had minimal contact with people his own age. Enter Isabella. Elric is more concerned about how Galen will deal with girls then he is with the fact that Galen knows a destuctive spell. Sounds like the typical father figure. (grins)

The relationship bewteen Galen and Isabella develops nicely, I get the impression that it is a first love situation for both and they both fall hard. We also hear for the first time of the Well of Forever.

Once again we see Morden, and he is sooo Morden, disrupting plans, scheming, recruiting, and raising doubts. He is successful in dividing the Mage's, although I think the secrecy of the Circle helps a great deal in this area.

There is alot to this book. The only thing I found disturbing in it is that Morden graduates from Michigan State University (grins) Since we are introduced to so many new characters, I could not find any behavior that I thought was uncharacteristic. Elric struck me as the same person we meet in season 2. It is hard to say how closely Galen in Crusdaes ties into Galen in the book due to the time difference (close to 10 years).

This is good stuff and a nice introduction to a group allude to but rarely discussed in the series.

[Wizz]

Ok, ok Prof. I'm heading for the book store now. It must be a damn fine book...I can see you dancing in your chair as you prepare for "discussion".

[ProfCrash]

LOL can ya tell I am anxious? (grins) Don't want to spoil it in the centauri discussion

[AsIs]

I think the Shadows created the Techno-Mages and that in the great war, the Techno-Mages either broke from the Shadows and were all but killed off or the Vorlons almost killed them off and the remaining Mages choose to break from Shadow ideology.

Think about it, Galen discovers a new spell, by going back to the basics. And this new spell becomes a destructve choatic force. Methinks that the Mages of old vowed to never use that spell and dressed it up, hiding it in a sense. And Galen with his approach is the first one to really see it due to the way he processes spells.

Oh yeah, the Shadows want the Mages on thier side.

I really really liked Isabelle *sniff* And the relationship between her and her mentor was very well done in the book.

Seeing a younger Galen is very interesting as well. I think he fits very well with the Galen we come to know in Crusade.

Excellent, Excellent job on this first book, I look forward to the second!

[Wizz]

Well...I'm up to the point where Galen and Isabell have arrived at the hotel and she's casting Cadmus' fortune. However, I'll risk being spoiled none-the-less.
Elric sure seems to be Elric from Season 2, that's for sure. His face fits the character in the book to a "T". I have a sneaky feeling, though, that Kell's apprentices and perhaps Kell himself are more involved with the Shadows than they should be, but that's just a hunch at this point. As for Galen, he sure has one hell of an Ace up his sleeve. Too bad, too. Must be the Ace of Spades, huh?

[ProfCrash]

Wizz, keep on reading. :-)

Azziz, the tech that the Mages use is too similar to what the Shadows use, so I could easily see a connection between the two. Since we know that the race that created the Mages is destroyed 1,000 years ago, and that the tech is so similar, I would lean towards the tech was developed witht he help of the Shadows but then the race decided that they did not have the same goals as the Shadows.

Look at the Technomage code, the last word is "good". There is no mention of chaos anywhere in the Code. Which makes me think that the founding race broke from the Shadows.

OK, now for the wild, but hardly surprising, wild ass guess....

The race that created the Mage's is destroyed 1,000 years ago, during the time of the Shadow war. Valen went back in time 1,000 years ago to lead the Minbari in a fight against the Shadows. The Minbari were a race that had just made it into space (much like humanity 1,000 years in the future)and where not strong enough to defeat the Shadows. Valen had to look for allies. What if the Vorlon's knew that this race was very powerful and maybe not really fully in line with the Shadow's beliefs. Valen forges an alliance with said race and that is why they are able to defeat the Shadows. The Shadows are upset with the race that they had helped to develop the advanced tech and destroy them. Only a few survive. Valen convinces said few to share their knowledge and tech with other races in order to have a strong ally in the Shadow war to come.

It is clear that the Circle knows of the Shadows and the threat that they pose. Elric and Kell both want to fight the Shadows, even if Kell goes about it in a disaterous manner. Why? Because they believe that the power they have must be used to fight chaos and help promote good. The others in the council are afriad, more then anything, and choose to retreat.

So there was enough info for the Mages to know of the Shadows and the past Shadow war. But not enough info to know what the Mages creators had done during that war or what was expected of the current Mages when the Shadows return.

This is similar to the prophecies that Valen left behind for the Minbari. There was enough info for the Minbari to act, if they choose to, but enough info was left out (ie the Humans being the race to ally with, Sinclair's actions, ect...) because if that info was known it would change the course of history and change the future.

[Wizz]

Wow. Neat story...and it's only part I of III. I wish Isabell could have lasted a bit longer, though. I have to wonder, though, if Kell was really shocked and amazed. Part of me thinks it was a bit of an act. How the hell could a mage teacher of his qualifications miss so damned much, be blinded to the fact that both his charges were moving to the "dark side"? Maybe they should limit themselves to either running the circle or sticking to one student at a time.
Wasn't the attack on the Narn outpost in quadrent 37(?) where one of the Shadow vessles got disabled, and had to be carried "piggy-back" out of the area? If so, the author may have missed a tie-in. No biggie, though. This book was rather difficult to put down. What remains to see is if Galen decides down the road to see if he can add controls to his single-term equation.

Just wish Isabell could've lasted a bit longer...

[Wizz]

Oh, yeah...Morden's statement "You are already one of us" kind of puts all the nails in that coffin. The only thing missing are the Strieb(?) hunkering over the table as the implants are installed.
The thing I missed was the "static" that Galen and Isabell picked up on their initial forage into the Drakh apartment. Ah, well...