Rating: 
Summary: The Reluctant Hero
Review: 'Legions of Fire' provides a wonderful sci-fi perspective on the rise of fascism in a war-torn society. For this reason, I would recommend the story to one unfamiliar with Babylon 5. Peter David does an excellent job developing provocative, complex characters within an interesting story. The several new characters are intriguing and complex. Other, old friends, are true to their original incarnations and develop in interesting and believable ways. The first book of the series focuses on Londo Mollari; the second book, 'Armies of Light and Dark', concentrates on Vir Cotto. Vir is an affable, reluctant hero, reminiscent of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, whose integrity compensates for his naivete. 'Legions of Fire' puts Vir in truly maturing situations, from the opening action sequence, to the overall situation on his home world, to the inevitable fate of his friend Londo. Vir cannot win, but can only minimize the damage. Vir is honed in fire. He is burned in love, burned by his friend Londo, and is constantly put in danger by the few beings to whom he gives his trust. It's now Vir's time to burn. Vir becomes politic; he plots and schemes and yet retains his integrity. Vir is reluctant, not always dignified, yet he is heroic, and manages to retain his heart-of-gold. It should be made clear that 'Armies of Light and Dark' is not book II of a trilogy. Unlike the Psi Corps trilogy by J. Gregory Keyes, 'Legions of Fire' is a single story divided into three parts; 'Armies of Light and Dark' is the second part. Also, unlike the Psi Corp Trilogy, 'Legions of Fire' is an integral part of the complete Babylon 5 story. 'Armies of Light and Dark' does not end in a narrative sense but instead lays the groundwork for part three of the story. I look forward to the final installment and hope to learn the details behind the events first revealed in episode one of Babylon 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting!
Review: A character-driven novel that ties together many aspects of the Babylon 5 universe. It helps to know about B5 beforehand, but isn't necessary. It gives enough background to be a stand-alone, yet richly integrates with B5/Crusade. I was hooked from the beginning, and I usually read books by flipping to interesting sections. A complex plot similar to Dream in the City of Sorrows, and on the level of visceral excitement with Fate of Bester. If you're a B5/Crusade fan, or just enjoy intelligent science fiction, pick this up -- NOW!
Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: After a lacklustre fifth season it is great to see a novel that reminds the fans why they like Babylon 5 in the first place. This is epic science fiction of the highest order! Excellently written by Peter David and certainly superior to to the first novel in the trilogy, Armies of Light and Dark is excellent in every way. Buy it now, you won't be dissapointed!
Rating:
Summary: Vir's Bitter Coming of Age
Review: Armies of Light & Dark is one of the best B5 novels I have ever read. Vir has always been my favorite character. It is very sad to realize that he must lose his innocence and, yes, some of his soul, in hopes of saving his world and his people. Yet he does what he must with great courage and fortitude and more intelligence than I had given him credit for. I am a little disappointed in some of the things he says to the other characters (G'Kar, for instance), but it does ring true. It's good to see Garibaldi, G'Kar, and Galen (the 3 G's!) back in this novel and to learn a little more about the Technomages. I could not put this book down and look forward to reading the final volume in this trilogy (although I wish that, like the Star Trek books, the next one would come out in a month). I would also like to see Vir take Senna as his empress. How about it, Peter David?
Rating:
Summary: Definitely for fans of Vir and the Technomages
Review: At the begining of this book, I find the character of Vir to be a little off. Five years after Londo has ascended to the throne with the help of the Drakh, Vir is bumbling about. From the series Vir had grown into someone who was a force to be reckoned with and a man with a conscience unafraid to act on those principles. For the first book and the first part of this book it was like Peter David took Vir back to the sniveling season 1 version. Of course when the Technomages show up and start pushing Vir around it gets interesting and when Vir starts doing horrible things it gets even more interesting but there are points where Vir is playing up his tragic aspects just a little too much. When Vir has to pull an assassination, he shouldn't be crying. Yes, Cartagia's death made him feel bad but that was year's ago and the Vir that waved at Morden's head wouldn't have such pains of conscience in destroying an extremely deadly enemy. The first book belonged to Londo and his efforts to come up with ways of defying the Drakh without getting killed. This book belongs to Vir and Vir's efforts to discover what's going on on his homeworld and to work out a means of defeating it. While some of it seems off, Vir becoming a rebel leader that will one day take over as emporer is a great development in the character. Good plot twists and great Saboteur type writing prove that Peter David is one of the best writers of genre out there. The character of Galen is perfect and I can think of nothing that made me want Crusade back on the air as much as this book.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible series, incredible book
Review: Babylon 5 is an incredible series. A 5 year saga, it is breathtaking in scope, drama, and personalities. J. Michael Straczynski is an incredible writer and awesome producer. What does that have to do with this book? Simple, this book carries in it the best qualities of B5. Peter David is an accomplished author with some awesome books on his resume. This series shines with the best of Babylon 5. In this trilogy, we learn about the futures of Emperor Mollari and Vir beyond the TV series, unanswered questions are answered, and little tidbits resolved. If you like B5, this series is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: Good to the Core
Review: Gives a new view on Technomages and Vir, as Vir becomes a Centauri underground character, working against the best interests of his government. Absolutely fantastic in advancing the Babylon 5 storylines.
Rating:
Summary: MUST read for every B5 fans
Review: Great continuity of the best trilogy. Out of all chracters Vir is most unlikely to become leader of the resistance. Very good character development. This Trilogy supposed to be on the reading list of every B5 fan
Rating:
Summary: Excellent continuation of the series and then some....
Review: I don't normally read series tie-in stuff, but with much of the B5 tie ins I have been pleasantly impressed. This book is certainly in that tradition. Even more than the first book in the Centauri Prime trilogy by Peter David, this would make an excellent stand alone movie, or just a good read, not only for fans of B5/Crusade (Galen and Vir are the principal characters) but for anyone interested in politics and ethics in an SF setting. Give it a try!
Rating:
Summary: A slow down
Review: I enjoy most of Peter David's work and am very pleased with his work on this series. In many respects he's held true to the spirit of the story even with only an outline to follow. I just got the feeling that things had slowed down a great deal in this book. The first book set the situation up very nicely and the seriousness never let up. In this book, the narrations of Londo broke up the action rather than adding to the suspense. I would have spent that time more firmly establishing the perception of Vir as a fool in the eyes of the Centauri elite in opposition to the thoughts and actions of chapters which focus on Vir. For those who enjoy classical history, look at Emperior Claudius ... a direct and perfect role model for the character of Vir. As a great fan of Vir, I am glad to see his character develop as well as David has allowed him. I can only hope that the last book in the series does not rush through key moments in the hopes of finishing the story. We still have the fate of David Sheridan and why Centauri will burn before London dies. All in all, it's an excellent book and a MUST read for any B5 fan.
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