The Long Night of Centauri Prime

The year is 2262 and Londo has just become Emperor of Centauri Prime. But what might have been his best chance to help his people and make up for his past becomes an exercise in frustration for him, as he must submit to the will of the Drakh Entire. Watched over by his keeper, he is only fully able to do what they desire. Meanwhile, Vir suspects something might be wrong with his friend. But can he find out what is really happening in the palace?Peter David has done a wonderful job with this book. Londo becomes a truly sympathetic character. The climax is almost painful it's so well written and leaves the reader anxious to pick up the next book. Mr. David has captured each character exactly as they appear in the series. It's very easy to "hear" the actors deliver the lines and picture the settings from the series. He also works in references to several pivotal and obscure moments in the show, making this seem to fit perfectly in the Babylon 5 universe. The new characters are fully developed and help advance the story. Interesting, two of Londo's wives, from an episode of the show that Mr. David wrote, also play important parts in the story.There is one small detraction for fans of the series. The book plays a little loosely with the timeline of season 5. However, I find the timeline presented here to be a little more realistic and something only worth noting in passing. Fans of Babylon 5 who haven't read this book are in for a real treat. People who haven't seen the show will enjoy this book as well, but might be confused by a few things mentioned in passing. Personally, I had trouble putting this book down and can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy. A truly top notch read.

Peter David. A lot of readers know this name from the cover of Star Trek novels. It was a surprise to see he writes Babylon 5 fiction as well. At first, I picked up "Thirdspace", a tie-in to the second B5 movie and was quite disappointed as I always are with tie-ins in which the author provides the reader with the story of the film without giving any additional information. A friend recommended to read "Legions of Fire" series and told me I wouldn't regret it. He was absolutely right!The story of the first book is a continuation of the events shown in the last season of Babylon 5. Centauri Prime is virtually destroyed and must be rebuilt. Londo Mollari, the former Centauri Ambassador on Babylon 5, has become emperor. Nevertheless life isn't easy for him, and he even thinks to commit suicide. The reason for such moods is the presence of the Drakh, the servants of the Shadows, who try to conquer the galaxy. They threaten to destroy Centauri Prime if Londo doesn't agree to serve them. To control their new slave, they join the emperor with a creature known as a keeper.Londo is supposed to be the most powerful Centauri, but in fact he is the weakest. He loses his free will. Everything he does is somehow ordered by his masters, the Drakh. And as if that was not enough, there are Centauri who try to undermine his authority. One of this bunch is Minister Durla, a personage seeking greatness for himself and his species. Gradually he transforms Centauri Prime into a police state comparable to Nazi Germany (there are a lot of metaphors and comparisons throughout the book which make it more valuable from the artistic point of view), and Londo can do nothing to stop him. The emperor is utterly helpless; he only hopes that G'Kar will come soon and kill him whereas Vir, his former attaché at Babylon 5, will become emperor as was predicted.B5 ended with many questions unanswered. This book answers some of them. It presents Londo who must pay for his sins committed during the Shadow War. It's really horrible to see how he has changed since his appearance in Babylon 5. He is a broken, aging man who desperately tries to resist but can't make any difference. Passages describing him are full of tragic and sadness. I particularly liked the atmosphere of the novel. David is a great storyteller and his writing experience made all parts of the book come together and fit in like it is supposed to be in a good book. Descriptions of life in the palace on Centauri Prime were particularly enjoyable and had a realistic touch about them.Unfortunately there were negative points as well. David seems to watch a lot of TV so that certain dialogues appear as if they were stolen from several TV shows, which they probably are. Often words don't match with characters who speak them out. As usual in David's books the supportive characters are real stereotypes you get fed up with quickly (if you don't believe me, read this book and pay particular attention to Durla!) I would have given t

Am I the only one who got/ gave this book for Hanukkah/ Christmas?I *loved* Keyes' Psi Corps series and when I finished that I eagerly awaited Peter David's series about Londo & the Centauri. I hope he doesn't take as long to write/ publish these as I feel like I have waited for the New Frontier Trek series. (Hint: B5 readers, even if you've thought Trek books had nowhere else to go check out David's New Frontier. It's not your Dad's (or your) Enterprise.)Back to this book, Londo is a tragic character, like Macbeth, ruled by events outside his purview. Waiting for a stronger man to rule. This is a sad, remorse-filled book, with moments of hope and humor. Read this book. Julia Walter

After being disappointed by the last Psi Corps book and left hanging over the fate of Crusade, I was feeling a waning of my Babylon 5 obsession. This book brought it back. Anyone who has watched the show knows the final fate of Londo Mollari, the unfortunate emporer of Centauri Prime, but the questions of how and why were left in the air. This book starts with Londo being trapped into becoming the emperor by the Drakh and then watching as his homeworld becomes fascist. As the book progresses you see Londo discovering things and beginning to challenge the Drakh, both overtly and subtly. This book also shows the beginnings of Vir's transition from nervous ambassador to heir apparent. I personally found the scenes with the secondary characters extremely compelling. Vir trying to make sense of the changes in his homeworld, Senna becoming a lady of the palace (to whom Londo tells the story of the Minbari-Earth war in another chapter of this saga) and Durla the fascist Internal Affairs officer playing into the hands of the Drakh without knowledge are all intriguing. This is a great book for all Babylon 5 and general science fiction fans.

Once again Peter David enters the B5 universe in this first book dealing with the fate of Centauri Prime. It is obvious he has a good handle on Londo Mollari, and if you know what happens to him and Centauri Prime this novel tears at the heart to see the beginning of the final fall of Londo. I hope they find a way to end the trilogy on an upbeat note, but in B5 life doesnt always go how we might want.