Babylon 5 : The Centauri Republic

Rating:
Summary: Hire an editor
Review: Mongoose Publishing deserves a lot of praise for the detail and eagerness with which they have attacked the Babylon 5 universe. This book is but one of a dozen that the company has put out in the new Babylon 5 role-playing game.

The book is a veritable treasure trove of information about the Centauri race as portrayed in the Babylon 5 series, delving deeper into there history and society and providing a wealth of background and rules for using Centauri in the new game.

Mongoose has a big problem with there editing. Misspelled or misused words. Text obviously copied from other books or sections of this book, and not modified to fit in the place it has been put. They need someone to go through these books with a read pen. It will look like someone sacreficed a chicken over it.

Another complaint is that it is not clear what is considered canon in the B5 universe. JMS, the creator of the series, has posted information online which directly contradicts the information provided in the shows. The role-playing books rely heavily on the online material in these cases, resulting in the books being "wrong" when you watch the series. As an example from this book, it states that centauri woman are bald, and do not grow hair. In the second season of the series, however, Emperor Turhan talks about how the Centauri woman shave their heads rather than participate in the competition that the men have. In addition, we see several Centauri women in the series who have left a lock of hair on their heads, rather than be completely bald (Adira for one). These inconsistancies between the books and the series are common.

Rating:
Summary: Hire an editor
Review: Mongoose Publishing deserves a lot of praise for the detail and eagerness with which they have attacked the Babylon 5 universe. This book is but one of a dozen that the company has put out in the new Babylon 5 role-playing game.

The book is a veritable treasure trove of information about the Centauri race as portrayed in the Babylon 5 series, delving deeper into there history and society and providing a wealth of background and rules for using Centauri in the new game.

Mongoose has a big problem with there editing. Misspelled or misused words. Text obviously copied from other books or sections of this book, and not modified to fit in the place it has been put. They need someone to go through these books with a read pen. It will look like someone sacreficed a chicken over it.

Another complaint is that it is not clear what is considered canon in the B5 universe. JMS, the creator of the series, has posted information online which directly contradicts the information provided in the shows. The role-playing books rely heavily on the online material in these cases, resulting in the books being "wrong" when you watch the series. As an example from this book, it states that centauri woman are bald, and do not grow hair. In the second season of the series, however, Emperor Turhan talks about how the Centauri woman shave their heads rather than participate in the competition that the men have. In addition, we see several Centauri women in the series who have left a lock of hair on their heads, rather than be completely bald (Adira for one). These inconsistancies between the books and the series are common.

Rating:
Summary: In depth, if anything
Review: The fact that this book goes into fine detail about the Centauri is what stands out the most. If you've ever wondered anything about the Centauri, more than likely you will find it in this book. Biology, technology, history -- it's all here.

But for whatever reason, the book just didn't rub me in the right ways. I was excited when I first heard about it, ordering it two months ahead of its release. I don't know if it's the lack of artwork -- and don't get me wrong, the production photos and stills are great -- or the exclusion of information from the continuation novels or the fact that it's more geared towards roleplaying than reference -- a charge I can hardly fault the authors and editors for, given the primary purpose of the book.

Maps, graphics of rank insignia, computer generated depictions of many classes of ships and little sidebars with writings from the perspectives of characters on the show round this book out.

All in all, well worth the money. If you like the Centauri or Babylon 5 in general, and if you have the means, you should buy this book.