The original nine novels written for the franchise were variable in quality, to say the least. Two of the books are considered “canon”, meaning that JMS considers the information to be fully consistent and compatible with his “official” continuity of “Babylon 5” (a moving target, but less so than in other franchises). The others, simply put, are not. This book falls squarely in the apocryphal column.
Much of the book feels like it could, conceivably, fit within the “Babylon 5” universe. The author makes an effort to include countless references to continuity, most of which is accurate and fits within the context of that point in the timeline. Of course, the trouble emerges whenever the author gets some detail wrong.
Unlike Trek novels, where the details can be contradictory because of the nature of the mythos (essentially, a consensual fictional reality), the “Babylon 5” story is meant to be historical. The continuity is meant to be as airtight as possible, and character motivations are complex and consistent as a result. Major events cannot take place outside of the continuity if those events would and should have been mentioned in the series.
The events in this novel are so massive that it’s impossible to believe that they had happened just before “The Fall of Night”. For example, G’Kar’s attack on Mollari and the riots surrounding the trial of D’Arc would have been critical to the events of the second season finale. After all, the killing of any Centauri by a Narn still had severe consequences during that period; the repercussions of the riots would have lasted for months.
This is a problem that has plagued every “Babylon 5” novel thus far, but this is the most egregious example. Far more damning, however, is a problem specific to this novel: basic errors regarding established names. For instance, the author refers to the original commander as Geoffrey Sinclair, and he calls the primary Narn religious figure J’Quan. Most fans should recognize the problem immediately, and that lack of attention to detail speaks volumes.
All that said, this book has a lot more depth than the majority of the early novels. The characterization is deeper, and the world building is a lot more engaging. It’s mostly a question of whether or not this story fits into the “Babylon 5” universe well, and in that regard, it’s a mixed bag. The author does try to expand into areas that would normally be impossible by television standards (especially in terms of budget), but it’s not entirely compatible. The resulting character choices are also out of character, and as a result, this is ultimately best viewed as “revisionist history”.
Rating: 7/10
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