Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester

Alfred Bester, played by Walter Koenig, was one of the best "bad guys" on the TV show. His flat sense of humor showed a darker side to him - a side that we became quite familiar with during his forays onto the station. Yet there was always a sense of tenderness underneath the character, a glimpse of someone whose heart wasn't blackened by the hatred he felt for those who aimed to hurt him. This book explores that side of Mr. Bester. The side that wanted to come out from the dark recesses of his soul, and smile at the simple beauty of life. Mr. Bester is eighty-two at this point in his life, on the run from his nemesis Mr. Garibaldi, and beginning to feel tired at the prospect or repeating his hiding cycles for too much longer. Yes, Mr. Garibaldi is still trying to catch up with Mr. Bester - to visit his endless thirst for vengeance for what Bester had done to him in order to have Sheridan betrayed. The story attacks the plot, initially, from the vantage point of both of these individuals. Towards the end, a police inspector is added to the mix of vantage points - to help play a good old-fashioned morale to the plot. An excellent read and the best of the Babylon 5 novels that I have read to this point.

This book, based on an outline from Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski (so you know it's official), covers the period in B5's history detailing the final years in the life of Psi Cop Alfred Bester.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 year is 2271. The telepath war is over, and many of the old Psi Corp leaders are on the run or in prison as war criminals. Bester has managed to evade his pursuers. But with Garibaldi using the Edgars' fortune to find him, can he stay hidden for much longer?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.

The conclusion to the Psi Corps trilogy delivers something that the other B5 books (notably the end of the Centauri trilogy), what most other BOOKS miss completely: the characters were king. The flow of this novel was sufficiently fresh that a non-B5 fan who hadn't read the first two could pick it up and get into it. A cloak-and-dagger, character driven chase turning the classic formula backward -- witty, intelligent, learned *villain* against the world. And, oh yes-- that's the brilliance of the book. You forget at times Bester's the villain. His earnest appreciation of France almost reads like "A Year in Provence" rather than B5. This is why I call it Historical Fiction of Future Past -- if you didn't know better, you'd think you were reading a speculation on the life of a Nazi war criminal. In the last decade several former Nazis, people who did terrible things and allowed terrible things to be done in their name were finally found; often having started a new life, and new family with a loving wife and friends, in places like Brazil, where they weren't recognized for who they were, and became... a person, not a monster. This is what we see in this book -- Bester as a fully-fleshed out historical figure; you forget that he's made up. This book is just deliciously good in it's subtle portrayal of future Earth, with sci-fi tidbits worked into the everday life of 23rd century France, and most of all, the heart-wrenching development of Bester into a person that you'd love to hate. It doesn't leave you thinking about How Fast a WhiteStar Can Go, or Can Telepaths Really Exist, but rather about the nature of people, evil, good, and everything in between.

Those who have complained about the questions left unanswered need to realize that this isn't the end. There is no limit to the books that can be written about B5 and its universe, and I would encourage you to stop trying to force the books to conform to your expectations and enjoy the content offered to you. You may not learn about the Telepath war in this book, but you might in another. I'd rather have the detail than skim over the story for the sake of including more.I really enjoyed the characterization of Bester (as I have throughout the trilogy), and the ethical questions he pondered in this final chapter of his life. Keyes and JMS raise several pertinent questions that affect our society even today...and that show us the blindness we sometimes afflict ourselves with.A wonderful book, thought-provoking and full of the philosophical content we've come to know and love in the B5 universe. A good read, I recommend it heartily.