Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant (Babylon 5) - Softcover

Keyes, J. Gregory

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345427165 ISBN 13: 9780345427168

Publisher: Del Rey, 1999

Synopsis

Alfred Bester, the child of rebel telepaths annihilated by the Psi Corps, rises to become its most powerful officer, and in his latest mission, threatens the survival of Babylon 5, in a novelization of an original outline by J. Michael Straczynski. Original.

About this title

Review:

Babylon 5 is a rarity among SF TV series in having a thoroughly worked-out future history, even if parts of that history are only hinted at on TV. Which is where this novel comes in. Based on an original outline by series creator J. Michael Straczynski and following Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps, it is the second novel of a trilogy detailing the history of the Psi Corps. Yet it is sufficiently self-contained to be accessible to readers unfamiliar with B5.

The book chronicles the life of the Psi Corp Alfred Bester from boyhood to the dramatic events which will first take him to the eponymous space station. As befits the show, Deadly Relations is complex and well characterised, aware of SF history and filled with fascinating background detail. J. Gregory Keyes portrays Bester's paradoxical nature: a man haunted and lonely, able to read the thoughts of others and capable of betraying those closest to him out of a sense of duty to the greater good. A sinister, ruthless figure becomes a sympathetic, almost tragic anti-hero as the book ranges from Earth to the Beta Colony and Mars.

The fictional Alfred Bester had a real life namesake, the author of several major SF novels. These include the still extraordinary 1953 thriller of murder and psychic detection to which Deadly Relations pays due homage. If you enjoy B5 try The Demolished Man by the original Alfred Bester. It's a genuine SF classic. --Gary S. Dalkin

About the Author:

Born in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1963, J. Gregory Keyes spent his early years roaming the forests of his native state and the red rock cliffs of the Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona. He earned a B.A. in anthropology from Mississippi State University and a master's degree from the University of Georgia, where he did course work for a Ph.D. He and his wife, Nell, live in Seattle, where, in addition to full-time writing, he practices ethnic cooking--particularly Central American, Szechuan, Malaysian, and Turkish cuisine. Since moving to the Northwest, he can no longer participate in his favorite sport--Kapucha Toli, a Choctaw game involving heavy sticks and few rules--so he has taken up fencing. Greg is the author of The Waterborn, The Blackgod, and Newton's Cannon.

J. Michael Straczynski is one of the most prolific and highly regarded writers currently working in the television industry. In 1995, he was selected by Newsweek magazine as one of their Fifty for the Future, described as innovators who will shape our lives as we move into the twenty-first century. His work spans every conceivable genre--from historical dramas and adaptations of famous works of literature (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) to mystery series (Murder, She Wrote), cop shows (Jake and the Fatman), anthology series (The Twilight Zone), and science fiction (Babylon 5). He writes ten hours a day, seven days a week, except for his birthday, New Year's, and Christmas.

About this edition

• Publisher: Del Rey
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0345427165
• ISBN 13: 9780345427168
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 266