To Dream in the City of Sorrow: Babylon 5, Book #9

by Kathryn M. Drennan

Book Overview

A critical new piece to the Babylon 5 story line is added by this stand-alone novel. Haunted by the explosive fate of Babylons 1 through 4, the inhabitants of Babylon 5 work together to make the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440223547
• ISBN13: 9780440223542
• Release Date: June 1997
• Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
• Length: 337 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Should be required reading for Babylon 5 fans

This book is based on the television series Babylon 5 and it focuses on what happened to Commander Sinclair after he was relocated to Minbar.It also covers what became of his fiance, Catherine Sakai and how Marcus Cole joined the rangers.This book should be required reading for every Babylon 5 fan. It answers a lot of questions fans may have about Sinclair but it's also really well written. You can tell the author did her homework. Sinclair is completely in character and the nuances of Minbari society are explained even better than on the show. Marcus fans may be a bit disappointed since the bulk of the book focuses on Sinclair but I'm sure they'll find something to like. If this book is any indication of the quality of the other Babylon 5 books then I hope they come back into print quickly.

A missing episode of B5 - and a great filler in of blanks

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.

The Lost Episodes, in book form

This was an incredible book. Fitting seamlessly into the Babylon 5 story arc, it tells the story of Jeffery Sinclair's first days as Earth's new ambassador to the Minbari, and how he came to be leader of the Rangers and later Entil'Zha. Plus, it also reveals how Marcus Cole became a ranger and what happened to Catherine Sakai.I really liked how there were references and tie-ins to the stories in the B5 comic books produced by DC, and this book answers a lot of questions about them as well. Slight spoiler: In fact, after reading this book, you'll have an idea as to what Valen meant in his final message found aboard Babylon 4 in DC's mini-series "In Valen's Name".So if you're a Babylon 5 fan, and you haven't read this book yet, do it. Now. Strongly recommended.

Capturing the essence of Babylon 5

One of the most difficult problems faced by authors writing books based on television shows is being able to truely capture the essence of that show and it's charactors. Although the story may be wonderfully written, there are many times when I read these type of books where I really don't feel like these are the same charactors I have come to know and love on the TV show. Kathrynn Drennan has the wonderfully rare gift of being truely able to capture the essences of both the show itself and the charactors therein. "To Dream in the City of Sorrows" focuses on what happened to Commander Sinclair after he was assigned to Minbar, as well as his engagement to Catherine Sakai. It also shows us how Marcus Cole came to join the Rangers. This book is excellently written and you can truely believe you are reading about these same charactors. The story answered many questions but also asked just enough to make you want more! I would love to see Ms. Drennan write a follow-up book involving Babylon 4 and Sinclair's transformation to Valen.

Ever seen a show called "Babylon 5"? No? Here. Read this.

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