(1963- ) US writer who also signs his books as by Greg Keyes; much of his early work [see Checklist] is primarily of fantasy interest, though the Age of Unreason sequence, comprising Newton's Cannon (1998), A Calculus of Angels (1999), Empire of Unreason (2000) and The Shadows of God (2001), is an Alternate History based on a premise – that alchemy works – that is fairly remote from sf, though the protagonist of the series, Benjamin Franklin, has the right amplitude of personality to grace a story that opens occasionally into the genuinely Equipoisal. By the end of the four volumes, however, with Disasters to cope with – by this point an asteroid has pretty well destroyed Great Britain – and a very large cast to settle with, the sequence does not entirely cohere, though the inspiration of having Voltaire compose a Declaration of Freedom for Franklin to espouse does permit a greater tolerance of the overcomplicatedness of the tale.
That Keyes is primarily a fantasy writer is underlined by the nature of his sf, almost all of it comprising two Tied sequences: the Babylon 5: Psi Corps Trilogy, beginning with Babylon 5: Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps (1998) for the Babylon 5 universe; and the Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory sequence, beginning with Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory 1: Conquest (2001) for the Star Wars universe. All six volumes are competently obedient to their remit. [JC]
J Gregory Keyes
born Meridian, Mississippi: 11 April 1963
died
works
series
Chosen of the Changeling
- The Waterborn (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1996) [Chosen of the Changeling: hb/Tom Kidd]
- The Blackgod (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1997) [Chosen of the Changeling: hb/Tom Kidd]
Age of Unreason
- Newton's Cannon (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1998) [Age of Unreason: pb/Terese Neilson]
- A Calculus of Angels (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 1999) [Age of Unreason: pb/Terese Neilson]
- Empire of Unreason (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2000) [Age of Unreason: pb/Terese Neilson]
- The Shadows of God (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2001) [Age of Unreason: pb/Terese Neilson]
Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone
- The Briar King (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2003) [Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone: hb/Eric Peterson]
- The Charnel Prince (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2004) [Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone: hb/Stephen Youll]
- The Blood Knight (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2006) [Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone: hb/Stephen Youll]
- The Born Queen (New York: Ballantine Books/Del Rey, 2008) [Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone: hb/Paul Youll]
Elder Scrolls
individual titles
ties
series
Babylon 5: Psi Corps Trilogy
Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory
links
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