Accusations

Babylon 5 #2

by Lois Tilton

In the year 2258, space station Babylon 5 goes on line. Because it follows a mysterious history of failed space stations, its days may be numbered. This unpredictability and danger makes life even more dramatic for all the travelers and criminals who make Babylon 5 a port of call.

Genres: Babylon 5, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy, Tv, Space Opera

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book or tie-in of the scifi tv show Babylon 5 and like the previous book has nothing to do with the shows big war theme with the Shadows. In both books the issue is trouble with Earthforce or government.
This time commander Ivanova gets caught up in the claws of a special investigator who got send to B5 because of the murder of a Martian citizen on B5. Ivanova becomes a suspect in the murder and gets taken out of a job and is demoted to her role of piloting a Starfury.
Garibaldi as a chief of Security gets locked out of the investigation because of a rather dominating eartĥforce investigator that ties knots in the populaties of B5.
This is the second human dominated novel of B5 and the earth based conspiracy. And an easy read while binging the tv show itself on dvd, I have already passed into series 3.
The books adds to the pleasure of the tv show so mostly for fanboys/Girls anyhow.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the investigation in this book, though I feel that it went in more circles than it should have (I nearly lost interest a couple of times). That said, I live for any Talia/Susan content and there was just enough to make me happy. ;)

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installment to the series of books taking place during the second season of the phenomenally rich Babylon 5 TV-series. That season showed us the rise of a totalitarian state guided by xenophobia, protectionism and paranoia, and "Accusations" tackles this perfectly. The novel centers around Commander Susan Ivanova who is suspected of having anti-Earth terrorist connections and gets stripped of her command and ultimately any civil rights. Lois Tilton has constructed a well-paced and nicely layered thriller plot to support her sharp political commentary. She also works wonders with our favorite characters.

This book- as well as the whole Babylon 5 concept- is more current now than it was when it was published in the middle of the nineties. The developments in world politics and value systems during the last decade feel completely in par with what this sci-fi epic imagined. And "Accusations" is a prime example of this; if I didn't know when this novel was published, I'd be certain it's a very poorly disguised allegory of what has been going on in the western world during the early 2000's.

[Andrew McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Babylon 5. I don’t generally read novels series from the shows/movies I enjoy (I’ve read maybe two Star Trek and four Star Wars books). However, I was given a stack of Babylon 5 novels from my uncle, had them sit in a box for a few years, and now since I’m trying to clean up, I figured I’d give them a shot before getting rid of them.

I read the first (Voices) one and was not impressed.

But oh my gosh, this second novel is so much better than the first.

First off, it’s not nearly as sexist and creepy. There are moments, but hey it’s 90s sci-fi, there are going to be moments.

Second, the mystery plot is actually intriguing and there are multiple elements and threads to follow.

And finally, the characters in the book actually feel like the characters in the show!

This is what I was hoping from these novels: a decent story, in a setting I love, with characters I know. It delivered.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is number 2 of the Babylon 5 series of books - and to me a far better start to the series than its predecessor. This book reads like an episode and more, it has all the twists and turns and dead ends that you would expect and yet for me has captured perfectly the character interactions you see develop through the series. I wont give anything away but suffice to say that once it picks up you cannot put the book down. Very much looking forward to the next one - if only I knew where it was

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like an episode of the series. Felt the ending was a little rushed, some of the characterisations seemingly more in tune with season 1 than 2 especially Talia and Susan's relationship.

There is a mistake on page 252 where the author has written Sinclair instead of Sheridan, so I suspect that this was intially written with Season 1 in mind. G'kar is also on the cover but no where to be found in the book! I imagine much to the author's chagrin. But in general a good read. 👍🏻

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivanova receives a mysterious message from her old instructor JD Ortega, telling her he's arrived on B5 and wants to meet up with her. She is just a few minutes late for the rendezvous but waits two hours, seeing no one apart from a stranger who brushed past her just as she arrived.

Ortega is later found dead, poisoned, stuffed in a locker on the flight maintenance deck. An investigation team arrives from Earth because Ortega is on the wanted terrorist list and is considered to be associated with the violent 'Free Mars' faction. The team is overbearing and ruthless, locking Garibaldi out of his own security files and rounding up and interrogating anyway who has even the slightest connection to Mars. Talia Winters is roped in to ensure those being questioned are telling the truth.

Ivanova is suspect - since it becomes clear she was in the same area as Ortega when he died. A scrawled note to her is discovered in the place she was waiting. But it makes no sense to her. Taken off duty in the command center, she is still able to take out flight patrols to escort transport ships coming through the jump gates carrying valuable minerals from Mars. Far too many cargo ships have been attacked by raiders and, surprisingly, no one in the mining company or on earth seems interested in following up the losses. A chance meeting with an insurance agent leads Ivanova to suspect a conspiracy that has cost hundreds of lives but that, locked out of all access to relevant files by the brutal interrogation team and forced to comply with their orders by the highest Earth authority, no one on B5 has any way of investigating.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an "okay" B5 story. I think there are episodes along the same lines that are better ("Eyes," as an example). Also, I was disappointed that G'Kar was on the cover of the book, but this is almost a 100% human story. I think one of the great things about B5 is all the alien characters, who bring their own richness to any tale. So to make this primarily a Ivanova/Garibaldi focused mystery loses some of the B5 value (maybe the Narn could have been involved in weapon trading?). Also, I assume this book was written before certain revelations in the show (can I spoil the show at this point? About Susan's "true" nature), so there's an experience with Talia Winters and Susan that I don't think would ever have been allowed to happen in the show. The mystery of the story and murders did keep me going, and the space battles with raiders was actually engaging, even on the page. But the ending was both slow and fast -- I thought, "How will this get resolved?" And then one central issue doesn't get solved until literally the last page!!!! So, as I say, this is an "okay" B5 story, but not a bad one.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable work of space adventure, though it certainly has its flaws. Lois Tilton's writing is lackluster at best, but the complicated storyline is fun and twisty enough to make you forgive the one or two glaring plot holes. I was disappointed, though, that the story's high-stakes conspiracy angle ultimately gave way to simply chasing around after an alien MacGuffin.
Another annoyance is that Tilton spends way too much time recapping prior events in the story. Characters are constantly discussing and reviewing things that have already happened, as though Tilton felt that readers would be unable to stay abreast of the plot without a lot of reminders. All that rehash slows down the pacing and causes the book to drag a bit from time to time.
Still...a solid effort overall.

[PresPetunia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good B5 story that present both Garibaldi & Talia in a different light. Of course, it also surprised me with Ivanova's decision to solve the mystery. The key to the solution is so obvious. It was the first thing I thought of when the plot was established. At least the writer didn't pull a farfetched 'Murder She Wrote' solution out of the hat.
I decided to enjoy the action, mayhem and various antagonists.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

That GR blurb is not apt. A murder takes place on B5 and a top secret investigation ensues. Before long Garibaldi is being shafted and barred from looking into anything related to the case, Ivanova comes under the scrutiny of the investigation and Sheridan must assert his authority without stepping on the wrong toes. It's a classic B5 story in my opinion and as such the story leads all the way to rebellion on Mars and corruption on Earth.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that bad not that great. It would have made for a very uneven episode of the show that's for sure. The plot was stretched kind of thin. It did fit in with canon but that kind of constrained what could be done with it. No real aliens in this at all which was a disappointment it was entirely humans.

[Peter De Kinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Babylon 5 story about a mysterious murder followed by rampant paranoia. I like how it focuses on the personal lives of Garibaldi and Ivanova, and how the events affect them. No large concerns like Shadows, Vorlons, or the like. Just simple character relations.

[Illusive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fühlt sich an wie Babylon 5, gute flüssige Story, wenn auch das Endsegment zu kurz kommt.

[Jennifer Baratta · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of Susan Ivanova this Babylon 5 book is for you.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why Ambassador G'Kar is on the cover art... he had no part in the story.

[George Philibin]

I intend to read some of her works. She appears a hack writer for what many others have said, but I'll have to see for myself!

[Jill Rebryna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not actually the first time I've read this particular B5 book. That scene, with Michael in the locker and Sheridan rescuing him? That was classy. That was where it's at.

[Jerry Wayne Hart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted and repetitive.

[Alvaro Zinos-Amaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humdrum prose, repetitive & padded storytelling, convoluted plot, but a few flashes of well-crafted entertainment.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd Babylon 5 novel, focusing on Ivonova and Garibaldi. Ivanova's old flight instructor contacts the lieutenant-commander asking to meet. He is murdered and Ivonova is framed. The plot thickens when it seems that the victim had ties to the Mars resistance. An independent Earthforce investigation team come to B5 to investigate, but what are they really looking for?

This one's a decent enough thriller set in the B5 universe, using the Mars unrest and raiders as its major inspiration. For me however it didn't feel alien enough - None of the ambassadors or alien races feature, and that's what I want from a B5 novel - otherwise why not just pick up any old thriller?

For the most part the characterisation was spot on, although at the end Ivanova goes to Talia and asks her to scan her, which anyone familiar with the series knows she would NEVER EVER do.

Didn't feel this added anything to the B5 universe, but it was entertaining enough and passably written.

[Nicholas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was so-so. The plotline was a bit convoluted (and derivative, and slightly boring), which isn't bad in and of itself, but it definitely felt forced. The author had a fair grasp of Garibaldi (and Franklin, with what little he was in it), but her grasp of Ivanova was tenuous at best. It was almost like she didn't actually like the Ivanova character. So, good on the Garibaldi, bad on the Right Hand of Vengeance. She introduce a new character (at least, I don't remember Torres from the show), but never really gave her any distinct character; she existed more for pushing the plot line. That was disappointing.

So, in finale, while I didn't dislike the book, I won't be going out of my way to read anything else by this particular author. Whether or not I actively skip books by the author is a question for the future.

Still better than Andre Norton though.

[farmwifetwo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dh's

[Lech Migdal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting book, not so good (some decisions of characters don't make sense from my pov) as the #1, still worth reading.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.... As an extension of the show it is a must for B5 fans.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politics, murder, Ivanova in trouble, corporate greed, raiders, a whole lot of things in the novel. It's a pretty good one, though.