Babylon 5, a space station from 2057, was once the galaxy's last, best hope for peace. It failed, but along the way, it offered science fiction fans of the past a chance to imagine a future directed by Vorlons and Shadows and inhabited by humans, Cantauri, Narn, and Minbari (as well as almost countless minor races). Over five seasons, J. Michael Straczynski introduced us to this future galaxy, whose races and inhabitants struggled with many of the issues hotly contested, even today, on the continents of planet Earth. He also allowed us to fall--just a little--in love with characters such as hapless Vir (a Centauri), passionate G'Kar (a Narn), devoted Lennier (a Minbari) and a lot of humans.

The Long Night of Centauri Prime is set at the very end of the Babylon 5 television series (obviously excluding the Season 5 finale), primarily on the Centauri homeworld. Readers of this novel have a front-row glimpse into the life of Londo Mollari, whose rising status on the Centauri homeworld and acquaintance with some troublesome associates gives him at once ultimate power and complete helplessness. Alone in the midst of his people, Londo must fight demons he never imagined existed, and watch as his world hovers between destruction and slavery.

Having seen the entire televison series on which this novel is based, I can't speak for its suitability for non-sci-fi geeks or those who haven't yet entered the world of space stations where aliens and humans can mingle and come to understand one another more fully. For a fan of the series, however, this book (and the two that follow) provide a fitting epitaph and patch up several of the holes left unfilled in the final episodes from Straczynski's universe. There are spots in which the dialogue seems weak, and moments in which the plot runs ahead of the literary elements, but, all in all, this is an enjoyable read, and well worth the time spent savoring a few last glimpses of characters and places I'd seen on camera for five short seasons.

(First published at: legereinterlitteras.blogspot.com/2011/06/short-fun-geek-read-peter-davids-long.html) ( )

Babylon 5's universe is fat with untold tales. Some appear in a string of books that followed the original TV series by a variety of authors. Oddly, given that the greatest fan service usually comes from filling in a story and characters already well-known, the best of them tend to be those unencumbered by too many specific events from the series leaving the writer is free to explore; the worst tend to be those with so much baggage that the strait jacket shows. The three book Legion of Fire series dealing with Londo's reign as emperor of the Centauri Republic probably has the biggest challenge of all because of the span of that reign covered in the televised story. Can this book series meet that challenge? On the strength of the first book, The Long Night of Centauri Prime, the answer is no, it cannot. We have the story lurch from necessary plot point A (that we saw on TV) to necessary plot point B (that we saw on TV) with little in between to enrich the story or the setting. What is there is clumsy and contrived. Londo's moment of revelation at the end of the story is something he learned in the first few chapters, for example, which makes him seem uncharacteristically dense. There's a sequence where the story needs Londo to drop obscure clues to Vir about something. It's so badly done that Vir looks both a fool and a staggering genius in how he figures it out whilst Londo's watchers seem to be taking the night off, contrary to everything we've learned about their watchfulness. The Legion of Fire series may get better but this first book is disappointing. There was nothing new or fresh and at this point, I feel I know no more about Centauri Prime or Londo Mollari than I knew going in. ( )

It's been a while since I've read a truly awful book. Maybe this does not fully qualify, but it's pretty close. It's obvious from the book itself that it is based on an outline, with the bits in between interpolated in write-by-the-numbers style. Probably best read to pick up the major plot points and imagine your own story in between. Recommended for die hard B5 fans only. ( )

In my mind, Peter David has always been good at creating intricate, emotionally stirring stories with estalished characters from different fandoms. Here is no different. He portrays Londo, and other characters with such a deft hand that I can hear the actors speaking his written dialogue. His original character of Durla is suffuciently annoying and the suspense is perfectly paced. It is a very good lead in to what is a stellar post B5 trilogy. ( )