lurkers-guide/novels/010

<!-- TITLE Dark Genesis -->

<p>
<strong>Written by J. Gregory Keyes</strong><br>
Release date: September 4, 1998<br>
ISBN: 0345427157

<br clear>

<blockquote><cite>
Book 1 of the Psi Corps trilogy, detailing how the Corps started.
</cite>
</blockquote>

<p>
Reader reviews, and online ordering, can be found at
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345427157/thelurkersguidet">Amazon.com</a>.

<p>
<hr>

<h2><a name="BC">Back Cover</a></h2>

<h3>Long before the Babylon 5 space station brought Humans face-to-face with
alien races, they discovered an extraordinary breed among their very own...</h3>

<p>
The year is 2115.  Shock waves follow in the wake of astonishing news:
science has proven the existence of telepaths.  Amid media frenzy, panic,
and bloodshed, Earth's government steps in to restore order -- and establish
tight control over the newfound special population...by any means necessary.

<p>
Ambitious senator Lee Crawford spearheads the effort, overseeing the
creation of the Psi Corps -- an elite unit charged with tagging and
monitoring all telepaths "for their own protection."  But the real agenda
behind the crackdown is one of government control.  Many question the
telepaths' origins, while others view them as a coveted weapon.  As the
Corps tightens its iron grip, the stage is set for a cataclysmic
confrontation -- one in which the future of Earth will be decided.


<H2><A NAME="SY">Synopsis</A></H2>

<H2><A NAME="UQ">Unanswered Questions</A></H2>

<H2><A NAME="AN">Analysis</A></H2>

<H2><A NAME="NO">Notes</A></H2>
<ul>

   <li> Bester was born in early 2189 or late 2188, which would make him about
	70 years old during the TV series.  By today's standards he looks
	younger than that, but the average human lifespan in the B5 era is
	almost 100 years
	(<a href="/lurk/guide/002.html">"Soul Hunter"</a>)
	as opposed to 70-80 today, so his appearance is probably normal for a
	man of 70 in 2260.

</ul>

<h2><a name="JS">JMS Speaks</a></h2>
<ul>

   <li> Just for those who haven't heard yet, the newest B5
	novel -- first in a trilogy of books about the origins of the Psi Corps
	through and beyond the events of the fifth season -- is out.  "Dark
	Genesis," by J. Gregory Keyes, from a jms outline.  For my money, this
	is probably one of the best B5 novels ever done, and it takes quite a
	risk, because even though you see ancestors of some of our
	characters (the books cover about 80 years), there are none of the
	regulars in it.  It's our first attempt to really flesh out the B5
	universe and future history.  

	<p>
	Anyway, it's a hell of a read, and I commend it to you without
	reservation.

   <li> I think my outlines for each of the Psi Corps novels was about ten pages
	each. It spelled out the broad strokes of what happened in each one of
	them, and left Gregory to fill in the gaps and work out the details in
	conjunction with myself and our reference editor, so that all the
	timelines jived and everything made canonical sense.

</ul>