Gregory Keyes (born April 11, 1963) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy 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, Mississippi, as John Gregory Keyes. He received degrees in anthropology from Mississippi State University and the University of Georgia 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 and Isaac Newton. He wrote the Babylon 5 Psi Corps trilogy, a history of the Psi Corps and a biography of Psi Corps member Alfred Bester. In 2003 he began a fantasy series titled The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, the first volume of which was The Briar King. 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 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 and linguistics 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 Age of Unreason

Babylon 5: The Psi Corps Trilogy

Star Wars: The New Jedi Order

The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone

The Elder Scrolls

The High and Faraway Series

Other