Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant (Babylon 5)

As Alfred Bester once said, "not everything is about Babylon 5". Deadly Relations tracks the life of Bester from the time he is a young child who was raised from infancy by Psi Corps, to just before Mind War, and Psi Corps is not necessarily depicted as I expected it would be. Babylon 5 first told it's viewers that Bester was the "bad" guy, because he opposed Sinclair, then they told us that he was a "multidimetional bad guy", because there is a point to what he was doing. Deadly Relations shows us that Bester is a man who does what he feels is necessary and makes HARD choices for the good of his "family", the Corps. I really enjoyed this trilogy and hope for more Psi Corps related book.

Read this, you might change your mind. As others have noted, Bester is a complicated man, and that is the best part of this trilogy. I found that I grew increasingly sympathetic of Mr. Bester as time went on. Though I may be committing the B5 equilivent of blasphemy, I do not hesitate to say that Bester is alot like Sheridan. Both men believe in something strongly, and both are willing to bend or break certain rules to help that belief along. I definitely reccomend this trilogy!

I thought it was a great book on how bester grew up and why he is the way he is. It also shows what the pci core did to mundane. ALso it had a little Lyta Alexander.Bester was also part of the shadow ship found on mars. well if u want a good book this is it

J. Gregory Keyes's second installment of the Psi Corp trilogy `Deadly Relation -Bester Ascendant' is a wonderful addition the Babylon 5 tapestry. The first book of the trilogy, `Dark Genesis -The Birth of the Psi Corps', explores the Psi Corps itself, its conception, birth and the struggles faced during its adolescence. The second installment focuses on a single character, the celebrated antihero Al Bester. We learn of Bester's childhood, education, adolescence and development into the Psi Cop Babylon 5 fans love to hate. Keyes's excellent writing provides the loyal Babylon 5 fan with a superbly convincing treatment of Al Bester offering character development and dimensions unattainable in the television show. Considering what Walter Koenig's acting and Straczynski's writing have brought to this character, this is saying a lot. The non-Babylon 5 fan should enjoy this installment of the trilogy as much as the first. Fitting the ideal of a Babylon 5 story, the novel is thoroughly enjoyable in its own yet brilliantly connected to the larger Babylon 5 universe. The only aspect that might appear strained to the non-B5 fan is an out-of-the-blue reference to the Earth-Minbari war. For the non-fan, this war is the subject of the film and novel `In The Beginning' and an essential part of the series Babylon 5. The true Babylon 5 fan will appreciate the story even more. Series creator J. M. Straczynski provided the outline for the story and reviewed the final product; series editor Fiona Avery provided some assistance and control as well. Besides the mentioned reference to `In The Beginning' there are tie-ins to the television series spanning from the first to the fifth year, a nice connection to the 7th novel `The Shadow Within', and a nod to DC comic #11 `The Psi Corps and You' that is a real grabber. We also see the events of comic series #5 to 8 from Bester's point-of-view. The connections are not forced, strained or redundant making the story wonderfully satisfying in its own right. Finally, some additional credit should go to Keyes's care as a writer and the assistance he received from members of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Lab. The Martian climate and geology are accurate (compared to one of the early B5 novels) and he does a convincing job describing Lunar and Martian colonization. The combination of science fiction, mystery and politics together with outstanding character development makes this novel a worthy addition to the Babylon 5 universe.

This is an excellent book. It ties into the series like the backstory of many episodes. It is so well written into the arc, that all of the psi corps heavy episodes now have a whole world of depth going on. While most books deter from the series, this one adds, explains, and enhances.