The Long Night of Centauri Prime (Babylon 5: Legions of Fire, #1) by Peter David

The Long Night of Centauri Prime (Babylon 5: Legions of Fire, #1) Reviews

• 
  Stephen

  4.5 stars. This is a fantastic book though I will say at the outset that it may not have the same impact for someone who is not (a) a fan of Babylon 5 and (b) familiar with the character of Londo Mollari who is the central character of this story. With that preamble aside and as someone who fits squarely into both (a) and (b) above, this is an excellent book. The atmosphere that Peter David creates around Londo and turmoil he is faced to endure is incredibly well done and turns the once "great villian" into a figure that you will truly sympathize with. Without giving away any major spoliers, I will say that the "punishment" imposed upon Londo by tyhe Drakh on the Centauri throne was "haunting" and brilliantly done. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
  
  
  
  
• 
  Charles

  I really enjoyed the TV series, Babylon 5, and particularly enjoyed the exploits of Londo Mollari and Vir Cotto. This book is the first of a trilogy set right at the end and after of the TV series. It brought Londo and Vir back to life for me and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It was a bit slow in places, without a lot of action, but for me the chance to revisit the characters really made up for that.
• 
  TheHornedSkull

  I went to a little restaurant in Italy once. After an hour and a half, my food still hadn't arrived and I asked the waiter if they'd forgotten. 15 minutes later, he came stomping out of the kitchen with a whole, roasted chicken on a coffee saucer.
  
  That's what this book feels like if you're a B5-fan desperate to fill in some gaps or just reunite with the characters.
  
  When I put this book down, and it was with a slam, I was convinced I had read the worst book I could possibly get my hands on.
  The characters I had missed after going through Babylon 5's seasons, movies and spin off-series over and over were no longer present. Everyone been transformed into shadows (get it) of themselves. There's a kind of sexism that's so outdated it's bordering on funny, and it affects both men and women.
  
  Londo is the only one who seems at least a bit like himself, but it's not nearly enough.
  
  David has this curious habit of introducing characters that are only relevant for one chapter, but makes sure to include their sexual preferences, their family history and sometimes even their personal hygiene-status.
  And this only begins the childish humor and obsession with bodily functions. You wanna see Londo soil himself? It's here!
  
  I must be a glutton for punishment, because despite not having cringed so hard since I read the first book in the Twilight series, I kept going.
  
  So this is my insistent plea to anyone out there who's currently dug into the Centauri Chronicles, or who are planning on reading them:
  GET OUT NOW!
  This is somehow as good as it gets!
• 
  Eric

  I'm very impressed with the author. He got the characters exactly right. I could hear their voices as I read, which made it a very comfortable read. It was fun to get to see the rest of the story that are only seen in glimpses in the TV show. I'm glad that I've managed to find all three books, because it would have been a drag to just read this one. We'll see where it goes, but I trust
  Straczynski J. Michael's ability to write a satisfying arc. Looking forward to rereading the second, and reading the third.
• 
  Phillip

  I have been reading the "numbered" B5 books, and none of them really connected. But this book is fantastic! It follows Londo from when we last see him on the TV series - a keeper being forced on him, as he is crowned emperor of the Centauri Republic. We then follow him in the next few days and years. We also get catch up with Vir, the fated emperor-to-be. I enjoyed seeing Londo's perspective (who, I'll argue, is secretly the protagonist of the TV series) and learning what fate befell the Centauri. I can't recommend this book enough to any B5 fans. I understand this book may be difficult to obtain, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
• 
  Dan

  Peter David fleshes out Michael Straczynski's outline on whatever happened to Londo Mollari after the series Babylon 5 completed its five-year run. The three novels--The Long Night of Centauri Prime, Armies of Light and Dark, and Out of the Darkness detail the tragic fall of Emperor Mollari at the hands of the vengeful Drahk and Vir's quest to undermine Centauri Prime's enemy and reveal them as the agents working to destroy his homeworld from within the government.
  
  Aside from some rather unbelievable coincidences and some rather stupid "superior aliens" (who cannot figure out that Vir is leading the guerilla movement), the novel is well-crafted and well plotted. In fact, the novels are more satisfying B-5 fare than the Psi-Corp trilogy written by J. Gregory Keyes a few years back; here there is definitely a sense of closure to the characters and their actions make sense. And, should you even be interested, there are some characters from Straczynski's short-lived follow-up series Crusader appearing, apparently an attempt to tie the novels in with the television show. Of course, the show had come and gone before the series had even been completely published.
• 
  Ивайло [IF Tomeff]

  "Дългата нощ на Кентаврия Първа":
  
  Когато Сенките напускат галактиката заедно с останалите Първи, оставяйки я на младите раси, те оставят и своето горчиво наследство - технологии, всяващи ужас. Дракх, една от расите, поддръжници на Сенките, решава да използва тези технологии за да завладее познатата ни галактика.
  Лондо Молари, някога посмешище и посланик на Вавилон 5 (двете неразривно свързани), после виновник за смазването на Режима на Нарн, сега е Император на Република Кентаврия. Седейки на трона, пред него се разкрива горчивата истина, че колкото по-голяма е властта, която олицетворява, толкова по-малко е личната му свобода; че колкото и да е голям, винаги ще има по-големи от него..., по-страшни...
  Пазител, впит във врата на император Молари, го "предпазва" от постъпки, които биха навредили на плановете на Дракх.
  Как да действаш срещу враг, който е винаги с теб, който следи всяко твое действие, и слуша почти всяка твоя мисъл? Това е история за началото на края на Лондо Молари.
• 
  Roger Weir

  I wasn’t expecting a lot from a old TV tie-in novel, part one of a trilogy, but what a surprise. Well written, nicely paced, full of emotion for characters that I already knew from the TV series.
  I found myself caring for what happened to them. Don’t get me wrong the story unfolds slowly (being part one), but it felt right, so much so, I had to get parts two and three (good old EBay).
  If you can find the “Legions of Fire” trilogy by Peter David, and you’re a fan or at least enjoyed Babylon 5, then I can thoroughly recommend it.
  On to book two.
• 
  Deb Krol

  At last, I found the books that detail what happened between the penultimate episode of B5 and the final one! Londo Mollari is now emperor of the Centauri Empire, but at a cost: he's controlled by the Drakh, the former servants of the Shadows (this isn't a spoiler, it was in The Fall of Centauri Prime in season 5.) This and the other two books show what happened to Londo, to Senna, Vir, Durla and of course, the Drakh. I found some of the B5 books unreadable but the Legions of Fire trilogy, the original B5 tie-ins #7 and 8 are all really good. Highly recommended!
• 
  Debra Manskey

  Great to revisit beloved characters from my favourite space opera but some of the writing plods and the pacing is all over the place. It's a tall order to match the narrative skills of the original series, but certainly worth reading if you're a fan
• 
  Stephanie Johnston

  If you watched the series this provides a rich story to fill in some obvious gaps. The characters have smoothly made a transition from the TV screen to the pages of the book (no rewriting or redefining was made). Really enjoyable read.
• 
  Elspeth Artifex

  Great read!
• 
  C.S. Areson

  I'm prejudiced because I love Babylon 5 but this book keep me turning the pages. I am anxious to finish the series and learn the story behind Londo's reign and Vir's accession.
• 
  Hillary

  While it's not literary fiction, it's well-done and it was a treat to have it to read when I finished the series and I wanted more.
• 
  Gabriel

  I was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind, ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal: to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call, home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5.
  
  Good god, I love Babylon 5 so much that I can even recite the opening scrawl from memory.
  
  Babylon 5 is a show that started in 1994, and lasted until 1998. It was ground breaking for the time, as the first show to ever use CGI heavily, and was well known for it's writings on love, life, religion, politics, and what it means to be a member of the Younger Races.
  
  Taking off just after the season finale, the novel concentrates on the remarkable bastard, Londo Mollari just after he becomes head of the Centauri Republic, which is a monarchy by the way.
  
  Having bonded with an alien parasite, Londo starts down the path of madness that may ultimately consume him as he struggles with his new-found power, the Drakh parasite that is controlling him, and trying to cope with atrocities he watched happen only years before.
  
  Londo Mollari is a magnificent bastard whose way of speaking, mannerisms, flamboyant presence, and complicated relationship with G'Kar are brought to life within these pages.
  
  Peter David seems to have a thing for Sci-Fi and expanding the universes of well known TV shows and movies, and you can certainly tell that he was having fun as he wrote this book, and helped to keep the Babylon flame burning.
  
  I will certainly look into the other books, and never forget the Babylon 5 Mantra dear reader.
  
  Ivanova is always right,
  I will listen to Ivanonva,
  I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations,
  Ivanova is God.
• 
  M.A. Kropp

  This first installment in Peter David's Legions of Fire trilogy, based on the scifi TV show Babylon 5, picks up almost immediately where the show left Londo Molari. He has been crowned Emperor of the new Centauri republic, but he also has been implanted with a Keeper by the Drakh. The Keeper is a sort of psychic symbiont that transmits Londo's thoughts and feelings to his Drakh guardian. The Drakh plan to use the Centauri to launch an attack against the Alliance, and in particular, its president, John Sheridan. Londo is walking a fine line between rebuilding the Centauri Empire in his way and keeping the Drakh from knowing his defiance.
  
  I loved Babylon 5, and have been reading the novels associated with the show for a long time. This one was a favorite, I have to admit. Mostly because Londo has always been a favorite character, and it was good to watch him grow and change over the course of the series. Here, he is left to lead the Centauri in their efforts to rebuild their planet after the Narn essentially destroyed it. But there are others with plans for the Centauri, as well. Particularly the Drakh who want to unravel the Alliance and bring down Sheridan.
  
  The book here is not an action packed space adventure. This is much more internal, focusing on Londo's troubled reign as emperor and his efforts to thwart the Drakh as best he can. Londo has changed from his first appearance on the Babylon 5 station, and here he continues to move along the new path he has chosen, even though he knows it can't end well for him. His one-time assistant when stationed on B5, Vir, is here also, returning to Centauri Prime to find things have changed in the palace, and things have not. The entire story is more introspective and personal than action-adventure.
  
  I enjoyed the book. I liked Londo as a character, and it was good to have some more insight into his character, motives, and plans.
• 
  Amber

  This is the first book of a Babylon 5 tie-in trilogy, based on a detailed outline JMS (the series creator) wrote. It tells the story of Centauri Prime after the Shadow War, expanding on some of the points in time we see in one of the TV movies stretching from the end of the series into the remaining 20 years of life Sheridan has as president of the Interstellar Alliance. Over the course of all three books, we get more story of some my favorite characters, esp. Londo Mollari and Vir Coto, but also working in many of the other characters in a satisfying way.
  
  The first book begins as Londo is implanted with his keeper by a member of the Drakh Entire and settles into being puppet emperor while Centauri Prime rebuilds after being bombed by the Alliance.
  
  Aside from the fact that the author has a tendency to get in a character's head and have them go over the same thoughts just in slightly different wording two or three paragraphs in a row, which gets frustrating after a while and is hard to believe no one helped him edit out so many redundancies and duplications, it's a well written book with a strong, driving plot and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the Babylon 5 television series.
• 
  Mikael Kuoppala

  The first book in the Legions of Fire-trilogy is definitely a must-read for every B5 viewer.
  
  The trilogy is written by Peter David, possibly the best of all the various Star Trek authors, whose rich Trek novels I recommend to every Trekkie. And once again he fulfills expectations with this Babylon 5 trilogy that answers so many of the questions left unanswered during the TV-show.
  
  This first novel of the trilogy is all about setting ground, characterization, and good writing, introducing many fascinating characters and re-introducing some old ones. It was nice to see David resurrect Londo Mollari’s three wives who he created himself in “Soul Mates,” a second season script of the TV show.
  
  The book begins with the powerful scenes from the fifth season episode "The Fall of Centauri Prime" where Londo is taken over by a creature able to control his actions. The novel shows us the following five years, concentrating mainly on Londo’s psychological breakdown.
  
  The book offers the reader some remarkable insights into the character of Londo Mollari. David really make you think about the character and analyze him in ways you maybe wouldn't have thought of.
• 
  Maggie

  I gave a pretty harsh review of the later 2 books in this series so I thought I should give the positive review for the book I adored. Peter David does an excellent job here portraying Londo and Vir in character. They have some fantastically witty lines and the slow build up of conflict as Londo learns the extent of the challenges he faces against the Drakh is just heart-wrenching . The scene with Timov at the end had me literally in tears. Peter David has shown here and in the novelization of "In the Beginning" that he has a fantastic ear for Londo's character, the witty aphorisms, snark, and philosophical insights are incredibly well done. This book is a fantastic addition to the Babylon 5 universe. I only regret that the second two books in the trilogy do not live up to the promise of this first one, otherwise it would be one of my favorite trilogies of all time (and this from someone who is fairly widely read across multiple genres).
• 
  Greyweather

  The events depicted in The Long Night of Centauri Prime occur immediately after those of the fifth and final season of the Babylon 5 TV program. While the author tries to work bits of backstory into the book, the simple fact is that the characters and events of the novel of built from the incredibly deep and complex plot of the TV show. Anyone who tries to read this story without the background in the TV series will find themselves lost. If you possess this background however, the novel is an almost seamless transition piece from screen to paper. Fans of the TV show will not not be disappointed.
• 
  Tommy /|\

  Babylon 5 is simply one of the best SciFi tv shows that I have ever seen. This book picks up from the tv series where Londo Mollari has acended to the position of Emperor. In the last three tv episodes, much is alluded to as to what happened to Londo and his friend Vir Cotto. This book jumps right into what is alluded to, and how Londo handles his "hidden enslavement" to the Drakh. The twists and turns the plot takes are excellent reminders of the twists and turns that Londo's scheming and planning took the entire tv show over its five seasons. Very good beginning to a series, and it leaves you wanting more in the final pages.
• 
  Juanfra Valero

  Estupendo libro para los seguidores de Babylon 5. La serie de las legiones de fuego nos narra la historia de Centauri Prime y Londo Mollari desde que éste llega al trono y los Drakh lo hacen su siervo, hasta el final de sus días y la liberación de Centauri Prime. En este primer tomo estamos muy cerca de donde terminó la serie, cuando Londo entra como emperador y el guardián se le pega al hombro. Personajes de la serie original y algunos nuevos se entremezclan en una trama de gran intriga y que nos deja con ganas de leer los siguientes libros.
• 
  Mark Baker

  The struggle for Centauri Prime begins as Emperor Londo accepts his fate. Or does he? And how much can he do against his new masters when they know every thought he thinks? The characters are strong and just like their TV personas. And since this is one chapter I wish we'd gotten more of from the final season, I loved it. It does change a little of the timeline from that final season, but it is a minor issue.
  
  Read my full review at
  Carstairs Considers.
• 
  Jo R. Lee

  Babylon 5 being probably my favourite sci-fi and Londo and G'kar's (often intertwining) stories being two of my favourites of the series, I was itching to read this trilogy, and I was not disappointed. Starting just as the Drakh attaches the Keeper to Londo neer the end of Series 5, it shows the fascinating and tortuous relationship between Londo and Keeper and Shiv'kala. I never thought I'd feel sorry for Londo!
• 
  Alex

  For Babylon 5 fans only. This trilogy describes the major events occurring in the roughly 20 years between the end of the t.v. series and Sheridan's death. This includes the fate of Centauri Prime, Sheridan and Delenn's son, and many favorite characters. I enjoyed this series immensely, it answered some questions and it made me nostalgic for the series.