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ckeithjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
It's not great. Characters are not like themselves, but it's passable, and enjoyable enough.
aeculley's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
amcintosh's review
2.0
I am a fan of Babylon 5. I don’t generally read novels series from the shows/movies I enjoy (I’ve read maybe two Star Trek and four Star Wars books). However, I was given a stack of Babylon 5 novels from my uncle, had them sit in a box for a few years, and now since I’m trying to clean up, I figured I’d give them a shot before getting rid of them.
This wasn’t very good.
First off, it’s kinda sexist. The book is focused on Talia Winters (the telepath, but if you don’t know Babylon 5 and the characters, why are you reading this novel?) who is framed for terrorism and shifts mostly between her on the run and over to Michael Garibaldi and Harriman Gray who are trying to help clear her name. But really, she barely pushes the plot forward. She finds clues at times, but effectively everything is solved on the Garibaldi/Gray side of things and she’s just along for the ride. There’s even an odd bit two-thirds of the way through when she decides its safer to let the criminal helping her do all the talking and pretends to be mute for several chapters.
There were parts I read where I think the author thought he was being progressive and feminist somehow? For example, Talia and another woman have this discussion about using their looks to latch on to men with power and get their way. The vibe I felt was trying to be, “Hey, these woman own their sexuality and use it for their own means,” but really it was just cringe and sexualizing characters for no reason.
Pro: It was nice to sit down with a story from a show I love with characters I like. Except…
Con: The characters didn’t really feel right, especially Talia. She just felt squashed into a sexy damsel in distress. Actually, everyone felt off whenever they interacted with a member of the opposite sex: Talia, Garibaldi, Ivanova, it wasn’t great.
Pro: I liked seeing Harriman Gray, a character who while only appearing in one episode, was portrayed by the amazing Jeffrey Combs, and was actually a good guy.
Con: In the book, Gray was pretty creepy and all his exchanges with Ivanova were really awkward and cringy.
All that said, I did finished the book, and there were actually a number of evocative scenes that you could really picture and have stuck with me, so I gave it 2-stars.
This wasn’t very good.
First off, it’s kinda sexist. The book is focused on Talia Winters (the telepath, but if you don’t know Babylon 5 and the characters, why are you reading this novel?) who is framed for terrorism and shifts mostly between her on the run and over to Michael Garibaldi and Harriman Gray who are trying to help clear her name. But really, she barely pushes the plot forward. She finds clues at times, but effectively everything is solved on the Garibaldi/Gray side of things and she’s just along for the ride. There’s even an odd bit two-thirds of the way through when she decides its safer to let the criminal helping her do all the talking and pretends to be mute for several chapters.
There were parts I read where I think the author thought he was being progressive and feminist somehow? For example, Talia and another woman have this discussion about using their looks to latch on to men with power and get their way. The vibe I felt was trying to be, “Hey, these woman own their sexuality and use it for their own means,” but really it was just cringe and sexualizing characters for no reason.
Pro: It was nice to sit down with a story from a show I love with characters I like. Except…
Con: The characters didn’t really feel right, especially Talia. She just felt squashed into a sexy damsel in distress. Actually, everyone felt off whenever they interacted with a member of the opposite sex: Talia, Garibaldi, Ivanova, it wasn’t great.
Pro: I liked seeing Harriman Gray, a character who while only appearing in one episode, was portrayed by the amazing Jeffrey Combs, and was actually a good guy.
Con: In the book, Gray was pretty creepy and all his exchanges with Ivanova were really awkward and cringy.
All that said, I did finished the book, and there were actually a number of evocative scenes that you could really picture and have stuck with me, so I gave it 2-stars.
thomasawaugh's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nessa_arandur's review against another edition
1.0
This is definitely just a fluff read. I was disappointed that there wasn't more to this book because I liked Talia in the show. I imagine the "White Indians" could be a very offensive concept to some, especially since their presence didn't matter to the plot at all - they could have been literally any other desert-dwelling group helping fugitives. Also, what was the point of Gray being massively stalkerish toward Ivonava? The only interesting thing was the idea of Ironheart's gift, but even that wasn't really explored and didn't help Talia much since her accomplice seemed to have everything in hand to help her. Disappointing. I'll stick with re-watching the show.
patrickkanouse's review against another edition
1.0
Despite my enjoyment of B5, this is terrible. Poorly written, though interesting story.
jojo50's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Could be better. *Almost* captures the mind and characters of Garibaldi and Talia Winters. Gray is perfect. Writing is a bit stilted. Talia's character really doesn't DO anything. She is more capable and confident in the show.
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