The character line-up was impressive. No-nonsense Captain Matthew Gideon at the helm, telepath John Matheson by his side, stalwart Dr. Sarah Chambers in the medical bay, despicably likable Max Eilerson, good-hearted thief Dureena Nafeel and the mysterious and enigmatic Technomage Galen crewed the Excalibur. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The series ended after a mere 13 episode run on TNT. Although picked up years later by the Sci-Fi network, no new episodes have ever been commissioned.

With all this in mind, Sandy Van Densen and Loriann DeGiacomo present The Babylon 5: Crusade Episode Guide: An Unofficial, Independent Guide with Critiques. It's a very well thought-out piece of work as far as unofficial guides go. With no pictures or graphics available they rely heavily on the written word, giving a brief review of each episode then an in-depth review, as well as giving some history and accounts that the series itself was rife with problems.

Spin-offs are never easy and this one proved no different. There was a lack of promotion from TNT, carry-over member Captain Elizabeth Lochley from Babylon 5's final season only appeared in three episodes and then there was the episodes air order debacle, a problem that has never been completely sorted out.

Van Densen and DeGiacomo are indeed fans of the series as well as sci-fi in general, having written several independent guides to Farscape, Angel and Red Dwarf to name a few. As far as Crusade goes one of the writers is "a huge fan, while the other merely tolerates the show" as the forward states. Regardless they are both well versed in the mythology of the series and their love for Straczynski's world is evident. The writers REALLY like the Technomage Trilogy by Jeanne Cavelos, having mentioned it several time throughout the book.

A lot of what the writers say does border on the nit-picking, with continuity flaws and opinions of character decisions. They may seem harsh with some of their comments, but their strict grading scale is something that the sci-fi realm could stand to see more of on television.

This book is definitely for the true Babylon 5 fan, a casual reader will not get to much out of it besides a lot of spoilers. But as the series hasn't been released on video or DVD, it might be the only way to experience the episodes. There's so little Crusade literature out there, it is refreshing to be able to look at what little there is of this fabulous series with some new perspectives.