Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester (Babylon 5) this question feed

asked by glenn11 on October 30, 2006 3:28 PM
For Alfred Bester, "the Corps was mother, the Corps was father."
But now, his Corps was doomed . . .

Under the ruthless command of Alfred Bester, Psi Corps's reign of terror reached unspeakable new heights--and touched off a civil war among the telepaths.  Corps minions fought renegade defectors--a new resistance movement determined to overthrow Bester's monstrous regime. But the tide was destined to turn . . .

Interstellar Alliance President John Sheridan intervenes to stop the bloodshed as a new Psi Corps rises from the ashes. Its first mission: to hunt down and neutralize war criminals, individuals such as Bester himself. Once feared across the galaxy, the dreaded hunter becomes the fleeing prey--with Michael Garibaldi in hot pursuit.

Underground and on the run, Bester builds a new life on the ruins of his secret, sinister past. But as the forces of justice--and vengeance--close in, he must confront the hell he created, choose between surrender or survival at any cost, and prepare to make his final stand . . .

There is nothing as dangerous as a predator who has been cornered and has nothing left to lose.


The stunning finale to the new epic trilogy that uncovers the secret history of the Psi Corps.


Reviews

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
This third book about the psi corps is very good because it ties up all the little threads that were in the first 2. Plus it made a monster into a man and you could see the truth of the winners writing history. History would have been very different if Bestor had won. I took a star away from this one because there are still some technical writing errors.
reviewed by bulldogs on November 17, 2006 5:29 PM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
Three two prior books in this collection have been outstanding.

This book is no different. It is excellent work, the only thing that may dissapoint you is the continuation from the previous books. The first two books cover the beginning of the resistance and the birth and experience of Alfred Bester.

The third book starts after the Psi-Corps Civil war when Alfred is on the run. A major story-line has been skipped, but not to worry though, there are a few references to the war in this book.
reviewed by runabout on November 26, 2006 3:23 AM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
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.
reviewed by anton584 on November 26, 2006 10:02 PM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
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.

reviewed by fabio on November 27, 2006 11:41 PM

Thumb_up
Thumb_down

0%
0%
This is the story Babylon 5 fans have waited so long for. What happens to the sinister Psi Cop Al Bester. The book went in a different direction than expected, but that's not a complaint. You learn a lot about Bester's character, aspects you'd never expect from someone so vile. First off, he becomes involved with a non-telepath woman while hiding out in Paris . . . and Bester is as bigoted against normal humans as you can get. His love for Louise is real, and makes him re-think his life on the run and all the horrible things he's done. Bester actually showing remorse! Who would have guessed? The man also has a cultured side to him. He loves wine, art and literature, and even becomes a literary critic for a small Parisian newspaper. But just when you think Bester has become an okay person, situations arise that force him to revert to his old ways.

The climax was awesome. I loved the final confrontation between Garibaldi and Bester. There was also a fantastic mind battle between Bester and another P12 telepath. Very descriptive. You could really feel Bester's pain.

If you are a B5 fan and don't have this book, get it.

reviewed by success06 on November 28, 2006 12:40 PM

search

 
 

browse

book tags