Gregory Keyes (born April 11, 1963) is an American writer of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

who has written both original and media-related novels under both the names J. Gregory Keyes and Greg Keyes.

Early life

Keyes was born in

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, as John Gregory Keyes. He received degrees in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

from Mississippi State University and the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

before becoming a full-time writer.

Writing career

He is famous for his tetralogy '' The Age of Unreason'', a steampunk/alchemical story featuring

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

and

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

. He wrote the

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...

Psi Corps The list of ''Babylon 5'' characters contains characters from the entire ''Babylon 5'' universe. The Babylon station was conceived as a political and cultural meeting place. As such, one of the show's many themes is the cultural and social intera ...

'' trilogy, a history of the Psi Corps and a biography of Psi Corps member

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, incl ...

. In 2003 he began a fantasy series titled '' The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone'', the first volume of which was ''

The Briar King ''The Briar King'' is a fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are com ...

''. The second book in the series '' The Charnel Prince'' was published in 2004 and the third, '' The Blood Knight'', was published in July 2006. His fourth and final book of the quartet, '' The Born Queen'', was released in March 2008. In 2009 it was announced that Keyes would be writing two novels based on the successful computer game '' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion''. The first of these, '' The Infernal City'', was published by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

in November 2009. The second, '' Lord of Souls'', went on sale on September 27, 2011.

Style

Greg Keyes builds his stories around multiple main characters who meet only rarely, but allow the reader to follow different threads of the same events. Most of the chapters in his books focus on one of the main characters. Chapters often end in a surprise or a cliffhanger as the story moves to follow another character. Keyes's knowledge of

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

and

linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...

also figures heavily in his books. For example, Stephen Darige, one of the main characters in '' The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone'', is an adept linguist, and his knowledge and skills play an important role in the development of the story.

Works

Chosen of the Changeling

*''The Waterborn'' (1996), *''

The Blackgod ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1997),

The Age of Unreason

*''

Newton's Cannon ''Newton's Cannon'' (1998) is a science fantasy novel by American writer Gregory Keyes, the first book in his '' The Age of Unreason'' series. The protagonist for the novel is Benjamin Franklin; other key characters to the novel are James Fr ...

'' (1998), *''

A Calculus of Angels ''A Calculus of Angels'' is an alternate history and fantasy novel by American writer Gregory Keyes, the second book in '' The Age of Unreason'' series. It was initially published by Del Rey on March 30, 1999. A follow up to '' Newton's Cannon ...

'' (1999), *''

Empire of Unreason An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' (2000), *'' The Shadows of God'' (2001),

Babylon 5: The Psi Corps Trilogy

*'' Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps'' (1998), *''Deadly Relations: Bester Ascendant'' (1999), *'' Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester'' (1999),

Star Wars: The New Jedi Order

*'' Edge of Victory I: Conquest'' (2001), *'' Edge of Victory II: Rebirth'' (2001), *"Emissary of the Void" (2002), short story published in ''Star Wars Gamer'', issues 8-10, and ''Star Wars Insider'', issues 62-64 *''

The Final Prophecy ''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...

'' (2003),

The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone

*''

'' (2003), *'' The Charnel Prince'' (2004), *'' The Blood Knight'' (2006), *'' The Born Queen'' (2008),

The Elder Scrolls

*'' The Infernal City'' (2009), - based on ''

The Elder Scrolls ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of Action role-playing game, action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on Nonlinear gameplay, free-form gameplay in an ...

'' video game series *'' Lord of Souls'' (2011), - based on ''The Elder Scrolls'' video game series

The High and Faraway Series

*''The Reign of the Departed'' (2018), *''Kingdoms of the Cursed'' (2019),

Other

*'' The Hounds of Ash: and Other Tales of Fool Wolf'' (2008), *'' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm'' (2014), *'' XCOM 2: Resurrection'' (2015), *'' Interstellar: The Movie Novelization'' (2014) *'' Independence Day: Crucible'' (2016) *'' War for the Planet of the Apes: Revelations'' (2016) *'' Godzilla: King Of The Monsters - The Movie Novelization'' (2019) *'' Marvel's Avengers: The Extinction Key'' (2020) *'' Godzilla: Dominion'' (2021) *'' Godzilla vs. Kong: The Movie Novelization'' (2021)

External links

*
Official website of Greg Keyes

conducted by Rob Bedford; at the SFF World website
Interview with Greg Keyes
at actusf.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes, Gregory 1963 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists American science fiction writers Living people Mississippi State University alumni University of Georgia alumni People from Meridian, Mississippi Writers from Savannah, Georgia 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state)