Babylon 5: Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester [マスマーケット]

I will admit I didn't enjoy the other two books in this series as much as I had hoped I would. But, being a fan of the TV series, I kept reading. This book is much better then the others, partially because the author has a definite story to tell. The plot was engrossing, and I had a hard time putting it down. Keeping the tradition of the series alive, it doesn't give pat answers, but raises some interesting questions about telepaths and their treatment. The characterizations are top notch, and there are times I could "hear" Bester, Garibaldi, and Lise from the show.

This book may not break any new ground plot wise and probably won't appeal to anyone who hasn't watched the show, but for those who have, this is must reading that will hook them from start to finish.

There are many parts of the Babylon 5 story that have only been hinted at throughout the series, the Telepath War being one of the biggest. Not many questions are answered about that in this book, being that it's set after the war and it's obvious Bester was on the losing side. Now hiding out as a literary critic in Paris, Bester actually makes an effort to put all that behind him, but Michael Garibaldi is soon on his trail, not forgetting what Bester did to him long ago and is out to settle the score.

One thing I liked is how grounded on Earth the Psi Corps Trilogy was. There were scenes on other worlds and brief appearances by aliens, the first book briefly touching on Earth's first contact with the Centauri, but for the most part it concentrated on humans, on Earth, and how all the various peoples and factions involved dealt with "the telepath problem." This book wraps up the life of the Babylon 5 villain you just love to hate, and it's a must-read.

The Psi Corp trilogy (made up of: 1) Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corp; 2) Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant; and 3) Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester) provides critical background B5 fans will relish and entertaining insight into what made Al Bester one of Babylon 5's most fascinating characters. The fact that they're based on an outline by J. Michael Straczynski makes all three books "authorized" B5 history.

The first book, Dark Genesis, is the weakest of the three. While the topic will be of interest to Babylon 5 fans (and of little interest to anyone else), it can't help but come off as anything more than a travelogue populated by cardboard characters. Too much needs to be explained to allow much focus on plot or character development. Instead, the book often comes off less like a novel and more like a "script bible" for the television series, painting the back story for episodes featuring the Psi Corp.

In the final two books of the trilogy, however, Keyes does a fine job of capturing Bester, one of the series most intriguing characters. He not only relates his life, but he even makes him likeable - at times. Deadly Relations takes place before most of the events covered by the television series; while the majority of Final Reckoning occurs subsequent to the series' timeline. And, as is a prerequisite in books of this genre, he weaves in events and characters from the series. But Keyes does it very well without the cameos seeming out of place at all.

I'm purposefully not addressing the story line. If you're a B5 fan reading all three books is almost mandatory. It adds greatly to the saga. If you're not a fan of Babylon 5, you can definitely skip Dark Genesis. However, you may find Deadly Relations and Final Reckoning worthwhile. This isn't Nebula material, but it's fun.

FYI: I gave Dark Genesis just two stars as it was less a novel and more a quick overview of the birth of Psi Corps. I gave Dark Genesis three stars because it's a solid, stand-alone novel, but fairly basic science fiction. Final Reckoning gets four stars because: a) it's better than the other two; b) it's a good standalone novel; and c) its got Garabaldi in it. Need I say more?