Deadly relations: Bester Ascendant - Part 4: Ascendance

[ruuger]

This is the discussion post for the fourth part of Gregory J. Keys' Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant. Spoilers for the whole of the series, including the spin-offs and tie-ins, are allowed here so newbies beware.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

And thus the second part of the trilogy ends. It's where we meet people from the show other than Bester himself and where Keyes works in two narrated events from the show, the investigation of the telepath murderer and his punishment which Lyta mentions and the "test" that made Byron go rogue, and while both are used well, I find this last part more a collection of scenes (from Brett's warning to the serial killer investigation to the showdown with Director Johnston to Byron) and less a cohesive whole than the rest of the novel, if that makes sense.

Anyway: this is where the various strands of the novel are (temporarily) wrapped up. Bester has both progressed to the mentor stage (as he once wondered whether he would) and finished the development to the ruthless Psi Cop we meet in the show; he's killing mundanes without a second thought if its convenient to him now, and outmanipulates and outmaneouvres Johnston. There's an extra-textual irony in his scenes with a young Lyta who is appalled by his methods; as I mentioned in my review of the relevant s5 episode where having-come-into-her-power Lyta after making the guy trying to kill her and Stephen Franklin confess also makes him committ suicide, by becoming Bester's nemesis Lyta becomes more like him than any of the people he deliberately tries to form, like Byron.

The other part of the serial killer investigation sequence that strikes me is that Keyes is good with this police work (i.e. the "cop" in Bester's job description) and also will be in the next novel where Bester is the hunted and Garibaldi the one on his trail.

Brett's appearance, warning and suicide wraps up the Cadre Prime story of Bester's early childhood. I remember being truly stunned the first time I read this - I hadn't expected Brett to kill himself. This time around, it occurs to me that it is in a way the ultimate consequence of the mentality that the Cadre Prime children got indoctrinated with - sacrifice yourself for the community.

The showdown with Johnston: has a fun prelude in the Bester-meets-Morden scene which is gratitous as far as plot is concerned (there is no real consequence from this meeting) but great as fanservice; it's two masters of the game sparring briefly, and enjoyable to read. The ensuing showdown brings us back into grim territory. I find it very apropos that the god Bester invokes is Mr. Wednesday Odin, because, as Bester says, Odin is ruthless manipulative, not reliable, as well brilliant and smart, so mythologically, that works very well for me, and Johnston's two bodyguards being conditioned as Hugin and Munin makes me smile for that reason. As far as villains are concerned, though, Johnston is of the President Clark type; i.e. not impressive in himself, just in the damage he wreaks. In a hypothetical scenario where I'd be reading this novel without knowledge of the show, I still would not have been afraid for Bester and quite convinced he could deal with Johnston. (With the narrative irony that of course by this time Bester himself is easily as damaging to his fellow telepaths as Johnston, though he sees himself as their defender.)

Lastly: said it before, will say it again, great world building in the way the Mars-Earth tensions from the show are used as part of the world building here.

[alexcat.livejournal.com]

Just to add to selenak's comments, I think this last part shows us the beginnings of Bester the rogue - He already sees himself as Mother and Father. Once again or should we say twice, he misjudges people or perhaps he simply is what turns them into what they later will be: Byron and Lyta, who were two characters that I found as unlikable as Bester himself. I do look forward to the next book!