Home :: Books :: Science Fiction & Fantasy  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy

Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Babylon 5: To Dream in the City of Sorrows

Babylon 5: To Dream in the City of Sorrows

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best of the Babylon 5 Books So Far
Review: Being a lover of the Babylon 5 series I found the first 6 books in the series disappointing. The Dream in the City of Sorrows is great!! If you are intriqued by the Sinclair/Valen story, or just interested in the Minbari this is the book for you. Also, if JMS would have introduced Ulkesh the Vorlon ambassador to Minbar to the television series, the Vorlon's actions would not have been such a surprise. Again this is a very well written book and adds insight to the story arc, that is much appreciate

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A missing episode of B5 - and a great filler in of blanks
Review: Did you ever wonder what happened to Commander Jeffery Sinclair and his fiancé Catherine Sakai after Sinclair left the TV series at the end of first season, and before he returned in 3rd season?

This book, which is fully endorsed by J Michael Straczynski, (he says you should consider this a missing episode) fills in those blanks. We see how Sinclair moves from being an unwanted (by Earth) Ambassador to Minbar to becoming a figure of prophesy and head of the Rangers on Minbar and how Catherine becomes the lynchpin for many later actions and why Marcus Cole joined the rangers.

Enjoyable and well written this book is an essential read for any fan of the series who is curious about the story of Sinclair and his links to Valen. That it has been re-printed in time to be read in conjunction with the B5 DVD's is fortunate for us who missed it the first time round.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Delight,Respect,Compassion
Review: I am new to Babylon 5. I feel lucky to be able to buy and read the Sinclair Story while watching the show. This book, was awesome! For me it continued the saga right where I was so I did not have to wait but found out "immediately" what happened to Jeff Sinclair..I too await Ms. Drennan's story of The One's life with Catherine on Minbari 1000 years and also to her episode(s) or book when Valen returns...I was Delighted to find and read this book immediately, it is well written and stays true to the plot...I Respect Ms. Drennan for her skill in writing something so long awaited by so many and my Compassion is all for the character of Jeff Sinclair, who is only doing his "duty" and in the process has become a focal point for two worlds and a multitude of time..when will his character, and the Minbari realise that he IS Valen, not just the "soul" of Valen?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The best of the series so far
Review: I just finished "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" last night, and I must say, I think that, of the nine books I've read in this series, this one is the best.

I have to thank my friend Travis for introducing me to the TV series. I have been reading the novels, and have had reactions ranging from "it was okay" to "yuck!"

The biggest problem that I've had with the novels to date is that a lot of times, the characters act in ways that I find aren't consistent with their behaviors in the TV series. In this book, though, the characters behave as I'd expect them to.

Plus, this book explains a lot of the back story stuff that I didn't quite understand from the series.

A great read!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A book worth reading...
Review: I really enjoyed this book. There are some spoilers for those who haven't seen season 3. It filled in the gap between "War without End" and the episode in whichd Sinclair left. I really like getting a view of what the Minbari homeworld looks like from a travelers eyes. I found that the Rangers to be even more intriging than the television show. This is definately a book to buy and keep for your collection for any Babylon 5 fan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!
Review: I simply loved this book. I thought it was wonderful. For me, it really cleared up a lot of the Babylon 5 story for me. There were things I didn't know and this book gave me a great deal of backstory. I always wondered what the Rangers reasons for doing things were and now I know very clearly that it is their dedication to the preservation of life. I truly enjoyed reading this book and was very sad when I had finished it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An excellent Babylon5 series book.
Review: I think this is the best Babylon5 book so far. It concerns the Rangers and Jeffrey Sinclair. Unlike the previous series books, this one ties up a lot of loose ends about what happened to Jeffrey Sinclair and how the Rangers came to be.It has tried to be true to the B5 storyline.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A dull, boring experience
Review: I'm a big fan of Babylon 5, even took the time to put together my own model Starfurry. Got the pencil sharpeners for my office, taped the episodes, watched the repeats, etc. And so, finding a novel by JMS's own wife filling in the gaps of Sinclair's life seemed great... And then I read it. Terrible. Within a few pages I realized this ranks right up there with the long list of horribly-written Star Trek books. And my major complaint is with the writing. The style is very tedious. Sorry, Babylon fans, skip this book! My other complaint is the sheer lack of action. Chapter after chapter goes by while NOTHING happens. Sinclair looks at the statue of Valen. Sinclair sits around. Sinclair seems to be in charge of high-tech military training yet he doesn't interact with the students. Right up to the ending, which wasn't a surprise, seemed a long drawn-out, boring experience. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ever seen a show called "Babylon 5"? No? Here. Read this.
Review: I've got a little book here for you. It's called "To Dream in the City of Sorrows", based on one of the best television shows around. Written by the show's creator's wife (got that?), this is NOT a case of nepotism. There is a very good reason series creator J. Michael Straczynski allowed this book to be published, and that is that this book is very good.

For those that have not seen Babylon 5, this is a very good example of the quality of writing that is used in the show. It is a stand-alone story that is told in such a way that you don't have to have seen the show to understand it. It is a story about a man who is thrust into a situation that he had no knowledge or control of. It is a story about that same man who must walk a very thin line between friends who would be adversaries, and adversaries who would be friends: on the one side, the mysterious Shadows who are spreading war and death wherever they go; on the other, the Minbari who massacred his friends in the Earth-Minbari war ten years ago, and the Vorlons, who appear to have a hidden agenda. In the middle stand those few humans and Minbari that are called the Rangers and who are the only hope for victory.

It is NOT a story about war and destruction, but rather a story about what happens when war and destruction are forced upon us, when we have no way to go but forward, when we have no choice but to stand ground and fight.

Entil'Zha Veni


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good--Not a Masterpiece, But Good
Review: In his preface, J. Michael Straczynski describes this book as "a remarkable achievement . . . a breathtaking accomplishment". In fairness, however, let's remember that the novel was written by his wife about his universe!

Drennan does a very good job of imagining the difficulties of Sinclair's transition from Babylon 5 commander to Earth ambassador to Entil'zha. She also fills in Marcus Cole's backstory. The problem with this type of novel is that, being backstory of familiar characters, it's very difficult to generate suspense. Any Fiver reading this novel already knows the outcome of the Shadow attack on the Arisia mining colony, for instance.

However, Drennan does make Sinclair an interesting and compelling character (much more so than I found him onscreen). Other characters don't fare so well. Marcus' whole life up to his being on Arisia is summarized in a single page; his interactions with his brother William are just interesting enough to make you want a little more depth.

The plot is serviceable, most interesting when it focuses on Sinclair; there's some quiet humor as he tries to adjust to life on Minbar. Action sequences are good, and we finally learn the details of the attack on Arisia and where Sinclair got that scar on his face. The climactic mission, however, lacks punch. Most dedicated Fivers will be able to predict its outcome.

The prose style is competent, but pedestrian; I was ready to scream when "the Minbari penchant for the half-truth" was alluded to for the umpteenth time.

These caveats aside, this is an enjoyable book for the "Bab5" fan (and also--alas!--the only one likely to feature Marcus Cole as a character). It's considered canonical for the series and does fulfill its mission of rounding out Jeffrey Sinclair's story. A "breathtaking accomplishment" it's not. A competently-written,good solid read for "Babylon 5" fans--most definitely.


<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates