Customer Reviews

Out of the Darkness (Babylon 5: Legions of Fire, Book 3)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With this final volume of the Centauri Prime trilogy, Peter David completes the story of Londo Mollari. I found the first two books in the series to be well-written and completely in tune with the feel of the Babylon 5 universe. But after feeling let down about the conclusion of the PsiCorps trilogy, I wondered if this book would also falter. But it does not. It fills in the gaps and takes us beyond what we've seen in stories like "War Without End" and "In the Beginning." The only negative is that this story wasn't filmed and televised.

Centauri Prime is a hot bed of activity. Prime Minister Durla has gone power mad, and with that has come paranoia. Londo still does what he can to fight the Drakh, but with the Keeper in place, there is little he can do. Vir, meanwhile, slowly builds an army of revolutionaries. But can they gain strength in time to avoid an all out war with the alliance? All bets are off when David Sheridan is implanted with his own keeper and heads to Centauri Prime.

This is the book that Babylon 5 fans have been waiting for. It finally fills in the gaps left between season 5 and "War Without End" from the third season. As with the series itself, even though we know the final outcome, getting there is half the journey. The pace never lags, and there are several surprises along the way. Once again, Mr. David has captured the characters and series perfectly. The scenes between Londo and G'Kar are some of the best anywhere, and Londo's struggle to redeem himself has never been more touching.

This book is an absolute must for Babylon 5 fans. You will love every minute of the story and leave satisfied. Non-fans will also enjoy the story and characters, but won't have the same connection. Either way, this is a wonderful book to end a highly recommended trilogy

Peter David's Centauri trilogy comes to a conclusion with a rivetting and entertaining book. To say I'd been looking forward to this one is a bit of an understatement. But I will admit I approached this book with a bit of excitment--and a bit of dread. After the superlative set-up not only by Babylon Five but also by the first two parts of this trilogy, part of me was prepare for a disappointment.

It never happened.

In a short 250 pages that literally fly by, David answers the questions raised by such superb B5 episodes as "War Without End" and "Coming of the Shadows." He brings to a close the character archs for Londo and G'Kar in satisfying ways. And even though long-time B5 fans know how it all ends, the journey there and the emotional ramifications of what we discover in the end may surprise you. I will admit they surprised me.

I would love to sit here and bring up plot points from the book, but to do so is to ruin the reading expereince. You've got to come to it with a set of fresh eyes to really enjoy what happens here. I will say this--if you watched and enjoyed Babylon Five, pick-up this trilogy. It's got the goods. And if you've got someone you are trying to hook on B5, this is a good place to start. David does a nice job of keeping the plot going while giving subtle reminders of important points to the readers. He doesn't summarize who episodes but he does give enough clues so that it will jar memories of long-time fans and let fans who might not have seen the series yet in on the fun. I will warn you this trilogy is far more satisfying if you've seen all of Babylon Five's run, but if you're a new fan or just want a good read, you can't go wrong here.

The final volume in David's "Legions of Fire" series does not disappoint, and the trilogy proves more successful as a whole than the Psi-Corp trilogy did.

Peter David knows Londo, and he knows G'Kar, and the ends of their stories are handled with dignity, passion, and a great appreciation for the characters as well as for those of us who will read this book.

I finally feel that the story of Londo Mollari, perhaps the greatest tale told by Joe Straczynski, has been settled satisfactorily. But I'd like to have heard a bit about G'Kar's years with Lyta! Not part of this particular story, I know, but it wouldn't have been an unwelcome addition.

Peter David's writing style is the best of any author used for any Babylon 5 novel. I'm happy that JMS chose David as his mouthpiece for this, his greatest story. David Sheridan comes off as a bit flat, perhaps, but that may only be because we know the other characters so well.

This book is everything I hoped it would be. Peter David includes many many humorous moments. He covers the necessary exposition without getting stuck in it. He remains true in every sense to the Babylon 5 universe. Most importantly to me he finishes the story of Londo's life.

When I watched the Babylon 5 episode "Sleeping in Light" in November 1998 I was disappointed for weeks. Why? Because it was all about Sheridan. What I wanted to see was the story behind that fateful flashforward: G'Kar and Mollari strangling each other. (Shown to us in the episode "War without End part II"). I was left asking "What happens to Londo?" Because although I knew how he died, I didn't know whether or not he died redeemed.

Finally, two years later, I have that closure. In this tale, the crisis on Centauri comes to a head. We get the details on what happens to David Sheridan. We find out HOW Vir becomes emperor. We see if Londo suceeds in his struggle for redemption. And then Peter David provides us with a rich denouement so that we can watch the ramifications of Londo's death.

I highly recommend reading (or rereading) the first two books in the series before enjoying this one so that you can watch the developments unfold in their entirety.

Although I'm a fan of the TV series, I was skeptical that I would like the books. I doubted that the books could capture the characterizations and the feel of the TV series. I read many of the existing reviews of this book and of the other books in this series to get a better idea of the quality of the writing. When fanatics of the show write reviews, it was hard to get an objective opinion, or the opinions were not balanced. Often they give away too much of the book, which was annoying. So here are my thoughts of this book and this series. Overall, I really was surprised at how I got sucked into reading each of the books in this series. It was fascinating to see what leads to what you see in the TV show in the flash into the future. Everything seemed to be well thought out and was very consistant. If you've watched the TV series, you'll be pleased and compelled to read about these events that lead to this 3rd book in this series. It helps you see what happens to several major characters but mostly what happens to Londo and Vir. The thing that I disliked about the books in this series was how disturbing the described blood and violence was in these books. I dislike such violence, which did not prevent me from completing this series, but you should be warned about it. Books in the other trilogies are less offensive (e.g., the Psi Corps or the Techno-mage series) and are very good as well. If you decide to read this 3rd book in this series, you should read the two other books in this "Legions of Fire" book series because it helps you see how things develop and lead up to the flash forward scenes from the TV series. If you did not watch the TV series, then it is even more important for you to read from the beginning of this series of books. I truly enjoyed this particular book, and the ending was very satisfying. I liked this particular series so much that I decided to try some of the other series, which I'm very glad that I did.

Vir Cotto, Hero! Vir Cotto, Emperor! Of course, Babylon V fans knew that Vir would become Emperor after Londo. We also knew that G'Kar would kill Londo and that the capital city of Centauri Prime would be in flames. We also knew that Sheridan would be in time limbo. However, this book, which covers the years 2274-2278 tells us how we got to that point.

The Centauri, under the malevolent guidence of the Drakh, have been building their war machine and are just about ready to strike. Vir has been leading an underground that has cause minor irritation to the plans of Durla, and ultimately, the Drakh, but it didn't put an end to them. That is until Durla was at the final moment of triumph when the underground attacked Durla in his position of strength.

However, getting there, what was the trick. Along the way, there was intrigue, betrayal, and love both won and lost. This was a wonderful storyline, completely consistant with what we already knew about the Babylon V timeline. In fact, this novel fills in a lot of holes that were left in the series, especially considering that this covers the future from the perspective of the Babylon TV series, a future that we got only a glimpse of through prophecy and time distortions.

For the Babylon V fan, this entire trilogy is a must read. I will definately be reading some more Babylon V books, hoping they are as good as this series has been.

The final book of the trilogy, and it does not disappoint. Vir rises up and becomes the leader of his people before he even wears the crown. The final days of Londo are filled with mystery and intrigue, along with some excellent witty commentary between himself and his nemesis/friend G'Kar. Overall, an excellent ending to a most excellent side-story in the Babylon 5 storyline. All three books are well worth your time to pick up and read, especially if you enjoyed the sniping between Londo and G'Kar in the tv series.

I was really worried when I started reading this book. Faithful viewers of the TV series have seen many of the events depicted in this book, and the first two volumes of this trilogy were building towards something big. All I can say is that Peter David comes through with a great finish.

He manages to blend in events we've already seen with new twists brought about by the previous books. Durla proves to be a major pain, though he does not realize that his strings are being pulled by others. Vir sheds all vestiges of his former self (except when he uses them for his own purposes) and becomes a force to be reckoned with. Londo and G'Kar are a delight, especially the dialogue, which the author nails.

I've only got two quibbles. First, in an effort to show events filmed for "In the Beginning", some parts seem contrived ("Come children, the world is crumbling around us, let me tell you a story"). Second, the David Sheridan character seemed flat. His presence is critical to the story, and his life was a major source of innuendo and speculation in the TV series. But his actual place in the book seems more like scenery than anything else. If there were going to be an "Adventures of David Sheridan" series, then this would be a good introduction. But if this is all we are going to see of him, then the hype seems unwarranted.

This review really is about the trilogy, as the story is continuous. The story fills in numerous gaps in the series, and when I read this, I constantly found myself thinking "so *that's* why so and so did this!" The story even goes beyond the Babylon 5 conclusion and wraps up the war of the shadows. We also get glimpses into the Techno-mages, Drakh, Londo, and Vir. Londo is certainly one of the most tragic characters I have ever run across--his tragedy is almost Shakespearean. Vir is the most colorful character in the trilogy--we see his character transformed from the bumbling teddy bear into someone truly formidable, and Peter David does this in a very believable way. Although the story was written from JMS's outlines (hence the Shakespearean flavor), Peter's David's writing style blends the story together to make this a real page-turner. For anyone who admired the series, this trilogy really is a must-read.