An Exchange of Hostages by Susan R. Matthews

Jurisdiction #1

by Susan R. Matthews

A promising young surgeon, Andrej Koscuisko has come, with great reluctance, to study at a military orientation center adrift in black space. Against his will, he will train here to serve as a "Ship's Inquisitor" — a vocation that runs counter to his deepest moral convictions.During his tenure, Andrej will earn the devotion of his personal slave. He will gain the grudging respect of the Station Administration. He will make a deadly enemy of his fellow student. He will learn a frightening truth about himself. And ultimately, he will be forced to sacrifice all that he holds dear…

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Military Fiction, Politics

Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

After earning an undergraduate degree in psychology, Susan R. Matthews was commisioned into the United States Army, where she was the operations and security officer for a combat support hospital specializing in nuclear, biological, and radiological warfare. Currently working as an auditor for an aerospace manufacturer, Susan lives with her partner in Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know where to begin with what I found wrong with this book. I think one of the biggest reasons this book bothers me is that the author spent a lot of time exploring the torture itself - the victims' pain, the implements used, and details of the injuries without sufficiently exploring the psychological and emotional impact of torture on the victims and the perpetrator. Sure, Kosciusko has nightmares and assuages his guilt feelings by drinking, but it wasn't enough to convince me that he was truly suffering any inner emotional turmoil. It seemed to me as if one moment he was a dedicated medical professional and the next he was torturing victims and getting a thrill out of it. The transition in character was not realistic and, to me, Kosciusko lacked depth and complexity. Perhaps I would have been able to stomach this book better if the author showed more of Kosciusko's human side.

Sadly, I abandoned the book just 50 pages before the end.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange book that repels and fascinates at the same time. It's a character study thinly disguised as a science fiction novel. The author has created an entire universe for the sole purpose of placing her protagonist in a very specific, emotionally charged situation. She wanted a hero who tortures (and enjoys it) with one hand and succors (with sincerity and kindness) with the other. The plot is very contrived and the book feels a lot like S/M erotica. Although the single actual sex scene is a pleasant one.

The writing is good. The characterization is almost convincing. The plot requires a lot of suspension of disbelief (as with erotica). The torture scenes are explicit and appalling, be warned.

[Brownbetty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest: I can't tell if this book is actually that good, or if I just got sucked so far into the Id vortex that I can't even see the event horizon. So please take this entire review with about a tablespoon of salt. I stayed up 'til four reading it, and didn't notice.

So, this is a story about a doctor and, he discovers over the course of the story, a sadist, who is forced by his state into becoming a torturer, and how he deals with that. (There is a certain amount of torture, none of which is remotely safe, sane, or consensual, nor pretends to be. Take ye warning.)

Alternately, it is the Mirrorverse "Dr. McCoy to the interrogation room." (I believe this is TNH's description, and for a certain segment, an entirely adequate elevator pitch.)

It's written decently, and the only time it strayed (for me) into "Oh god, I can see your Id!" was when the author came up with two separate justifications for the protagonist to platonically kiss his armsmen/slaves. But that could be the blinding effects of the Id vortex. I'm pretty sure The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife would be the best illustration for what this book was like for me.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am almost ashamed to even admit I read this book let alone enjoyed it. It was uncomfortable and disturbing and yet strangely compelling. I'm an extremely nonviolent person so perhaps this speaks to something deep inside my own psyche. I could not in any way relate to the "hero" of the story and yet I found it fascinating. I don't recommend the book to anyone, I'm not sure I even approve and yet it's *very* well written. I think most people either loved or hated it. I admit I feel both. I have the next book and intend to read it, although I'm afraid to. What does it say about me? Three and a half stars.

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't recommend this book to anyone. The 'plot' was nothing more than an excuse to spend hundreds of pages detailing the psychological responses of a person forced to commit torture. To save you having to read the hundreds of pages, I'll summarize:

1. Depersonalization -- viewing the subject as merely an object, not a person

2. Focus on process -- trying not to view the subject at all, but to think about the science and physiology of the torture methods

3. Professionalism -- thinking about the end goal, and attempting to achieve it as efficiently as possible.

What the book suggests, and I question, is that torture can be that most effective route. The book doesn't really address how one might differentiate between lies and truth, and it doesn't deal with the morality of inflicting pain and harm to prevent pain and harm.

It was certainly interesting, in a way, but I skipped numerous sections of horrible content that would also prevent me from ever recommending the book.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A brilliant, but deeply disturbing novel (first of the Jurisdiction series). Excellent writing, great characters and good world-building. Hard to beleive this is a first novel. Highly Recommended.

Nominee: Phillip K. Dick Award for Best Novel (1998)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best First Novel (1998)

[Kevin Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan R. Matthews has set a new mark in the area of realistic, informed science fiction. Her "Kosciusko" hexology, of which An Exchange of Hostages is the first volume, is a psychologically penetrating body of work in which the tensions in the plots arise from the personal conflicts within, and between, the characters. Her universe is unusually well thought-out along political, cultural, economic, religious, sexual, and military lines, and the political and moral implications of the patterns of conflict that result are the real themes of the books. The several volumes are not devoid of such space-opera staples as dramatic combat between space-based militaries, harrowing light-speed jumps, worlds at war, and oily power-plays between political figures ruthlessly using the main characters as pawns . . . but it is the internal motivations, and evolving self-knowledge, of the main character and other important figures that drive the stories.

Matthews has posited a far-flung empire ruled politically by a powerful, yet bureaucratic, Judiciary, backed up by the interplanetary Fleet, which serves both a military and law-enforcement role. The Fleet is nominally under Judiciary command, but often asserts its independence. To maintain their power, both must manage the complex maneuverings of and conflicts between various planetary cultures, some democratic, some hereditary plutarchies, each with its own history of ambitions and grievances.

The conflict between Fleet and Judiciary comes to its sharpest point in the role of the Inquisitors: Judiciary has determined that extreme measures must be taken to investigate breaches of order and exact punishments upon confession of crimes; it thus authorizes the use of a carefully defined and graded, but utterly vicious, escalating series of torture techniques to extract confessions and impose shocking deterrent executions. Because of the difficulty of controlling torture within such defined limits, across a variety of differing biological races, torturers are recruited from among the ranks of Fleet military physicians, who must be trained in the exacting techniques required and inured to the deliberate infliction of pain and death while still operating in their life-saving medical roles onboard ship. Themselves exempt from all other restraints of law, and armed by the Judiciary with a Writ to engage in the most barbaric abuses of its citizens, Inquisitors are dispatched on Fleet spaceships to serve as the most terrifying and destructive instantiation of Fleet and Judiciary power among the planets.

The cognitive and moral dissonance arising from the use of medical training for the destruction of human wills and bodies is the central theme penetrating each volume of this series, and the central character, Kosciusko, embodies all of the tensions that drive conflict throughout Matthews's universe. Kosciusko is the son and inheritor of one of the largest family plutarchies in the system, destined for vast economic power, but is pressured by his father to accept training as a Fleet Inquisitor in order to increase the family's political influence. He finds it impossible to maintain a normal moral and psychological equilibrium in this role. Inquisitors are provided with a team of security troops and personal assistants, made up of former enemies of the state who have been psychologically enslaved with brain-implant circuitry forcing them to serve and obey their Inquisitors to the utmost extreme, under fear of immediate crippling pain. Kosciusko must thus make his peace not only with his role as involuntary torturer but as slavemaster also. His continuing struggles with himself, and the exceedingly complex and nuanced nature of his relationship with his bonded security, are really what these books are about.

Matthews has thus created an unusual series in which moral dilemmas and personal self-growth (or failures therein) are the actual story. The political plotting, battles in space and planet-side, military trappings, and nicely-timed sexual digressions give the books the air of ordinary galactic-empire sci-fi, and it would be possible to read them lightly in that vein (no doubt with some puzzlement about the amount of time Kosciusko spends staring into mirrors wracked with self-loathing). But Matthews has posed searching - and too-timely - questions about the exercise of power, the role of the military, the responsibility of those in authority to those over whom they hold power, and the nature and obligations of basic humanity. This is science fiction taken to a high and demanding level of literary impact. It deserves to be taken seriously.

Matthews's writing is clean, not showy. She has a few tricks of plotting and character development, though, that give her writing some unique hooks. One is her casual and matter-of-fact way of working in variations on familiar human society, to give the reader something to think about without making a point of it. Examples include the evolutionary variation between the human races on the different planets and how that affects their interactions, the fact that Judiciary and Fleet power seem to be entirely self-justifying (democracy is a barely-mentioned concept, and vacancies at the highest levels of power are filled simply by consensus among the other power players), the intriguing (and often startlingly sophisticated) delineation of sometimes incompatible cultural and religious traditions among the various races, the unquestioning acceptance of slavery and slave-prostitution and of torture itself, the simultaneous co-existence of matriarchy, patriarchy, polygamy, and hereditary dynasty, as well as the passing assertion, late in the series, that high judges of the Judiciary must always be female because it was obvious that men would be too distracted by their uncontrollable sexual urges to be rational. (Oops! Didn't see that one coming, did you, boys?!) Even more intriguing is her pervasive emphasis on the psychological implications of virtually every event or conversation. This is at once the most evocative, and most intrusive, aspect of the books. Matthews invests almost literally every statement, gesture, or event with a second level of psychological significance: characters never just say things, they invariably imply hidden meanings and infer hidden meanings and occult maneuverings on the part of whomever they're speaking to. They also all seem to be expert at reading each other's psychological states from tiny twitches of the eyebrow. While in some way this is a realistic acknowledgement of human nature, she takes it to an extreme that seems to imply uncontrollable paranoia - or at least an implausible degree of psychological subtlety - on the part of every living being. It also makes it impossible for any two characters to just talk normally. It is exhausting reading every character's questioning and nuance-seeking at every single moment, and it would be exhausting to live that way. In contrast, however, while the books inevitably have a typical kind of sci-fi handwaving quality to their technical content, Matthews's own background as security officer in a military medical unit gives her plot settings and characterization an unmistakable verisimilitude that raises the overall tone of the books.

Susan R. Matthews has created a series that puts moral issues squarely to the front in a science-fiction setting. Her characters' struggles have a human realism and psychological depth that outpaces most of what you can expect in the space-opera genre. She uses the breadth of canvas that the sci-fi environment gives her to raise questions about cultural and political practices we would otherwise take for granted, and to display alternatives we could not see in an Earth-bound setting. The most shocking of these - organized political/military torture - has a gut-wrenching contemporary salience that gives her series even greater heft, and her unflinching treatment of that practice, and its effect on both its victims and their tormentors, is brave and brutal. Hers is sci-fi that realizes its highest potential as the visionary arm of the humanities. Readers are encouraged to start Matthews's "Kosciusko" series at its beginning (An Exchange of Hostages); it will be hard to stop.

As for that gateway volume itself - Matthews's debut novel - An Exchange of Hostages is a self-contained story of relatively small scope, introducing the characters and themes that will unfold over the rest of the series. It covers only the period of Kosciusko's training as an Inquisitor, as he masters the techniques of each level of judicial torture and begins to struggle within himself at what he faces - and what he learns - as he utilizes his skills as a master surgeon to become the most feared and accomplished torturer in Judiciary space. Kosciusko begins to develop his relationship with his bonded (i.e., enslaved) Security team, and picks up a hostile rival within the Judiciary hierarchy. Though the plot does not sound very dramatic, the psychological tension is high, and Matthews's penchant for explaining every character's motivations and feelings in exhaustive detail is much in evidence. The book is harrowing for the reader - the details of torture, and of the price it exacts from every participant, are unspared, although Matthews is skillful enough to invest these details with their moral significance, and to avoid the pitfall of horror-porn. The reader should be warned that it is not an easy read, though the plots and sub-plots move quickly enough that it works as a novel. In doing so, it also forces the reader to question the limits of power and what is done by the powerful in the name of the societies they serve. And it ties the reader to Kosciusko and his bond-involuntaries as tightly as they are bonded to each other.

An Exchange of Hostages is strongly recommended for readers with a desire for intelligent sci-fi, and for literary explorations of the dangers of power and human weakness.

[Ay · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 30%.

A Doctorr must train up and become a Government torturer. It's about how this guy (and others) cope with and survive and continue in a dreadful system. The author is psychologist.

The book is entirely up front about all of this.

I just realised that I did not want to keep reading it, or the sequels, which seem to involve the same people in this miserable horrible system.

[Rachel]

really struggling with the fact the main character calls his penis his fish

ETA: Okay I finished and I have no idea how to rate this. It is very dark and very, very, very iddy. Lots of torture and slaves and impassioned loyalty and the main character is a Torquemada Sue. I can't think of anyone I know who I'd rec this to, except maybe Sam, except there are too many dicks on the dance floor for that. I am, however, reading the next one, which is even darker and more horrifying and very... homoromantic, I'd call it. I'm putting this in the "don't read this even though I am definitely reading this and asking for it for yuletide" bin.

Enjoyable worldbuilding, as a side note, and usually wielded pretty deftly.

ETA 2: The fish thing never goes away!!!! His brisk fish disports itself!!!!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of this book is very intriguing. A young man, Andrej Koscuisko, is bound by familial duty to become Ship's Inquisitor, using his medical skills to learn the fine art of torture. Andrej, however, is a healer, and must deal with the disturbing reality of going against all that he believes. Add to that interpersonal struggles and military politics, and you've got a hell of an idea for a story.

As a work of fiction, this book let me down in parts. The writing style took time to get used to and required concentration just to avoid rereading. Because of this, I had to gradually sink into the story instead of eating it up, which is my reading preference.

An Exchange of Hostages certainly provided an... interesting... character study. Andrej's character, as the protagonist, was well fleshed out. Matthews uses Andrej to demonstrate the layers of a complex personality under stresses most of us could not comprehend, and she does a good job of it. There were a few moments, however, when even I was disgusted and horrified by what Andrej was capable of. While the horrors of his situation and the ways he learned to deal with them were central to developing his character, some readers may be turned off by the extent to which Matthews went in realizing his character so fully.

Mergau Noycannir, Andrej's fellow Student, was my least favorite character. At first, I found myself relating to her ambition if not her attitude. Her background as a kid from unfortunate circumstances who has to work for everything she has gives her a dose of humanity that her character desperately needs. As she goes through the story, however, she loses even that small piece of likeability, and by the end I loathed every thought she had.

As a piece of dystopian literature, this book did not disappoint. I was frightened by this culture, more so because it seemed very relevant. The politics of militaristic society were three-dimensional and very well realized. Other than the known fact that torture doesn't result in reliable information, this type of Bench-run society could be in our future. And in some ways, that fact about torture is part of the horror of this book- all a prisoner has to do is mention your name under interrogation and you're FUCKED. Trial by Advanced Level, saved for the worst crimes supposedly committed, results in your death whether you're guilty or not. Or perhaps I've got that wrong- that was just the impression I got. Perhaps other books in the series will deal with false charges.

I know I'm definitely looking forward to continuing this story. Overall, it was worth the read and is a thought-provoking journey into a deranged society that may just have a warning for our own.

[Rhode PVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read for the first time since it came out. It stuck with me over the years, and began niggling at me recently. Not sure why even now.

Now I have the perspective to see the lead is as Mary Sue as they come. Everyone thinks he's handsome, but he looks in the mirror and sees nothing special. The head of medical is awed by his just-learned surgical skills. The head of training thinks he's beyond exceptional. His bonded servant (basically a slave) becomes utterly devoted to him because he's so amazeballs caring. Plus, he's also a genius chemist. And a prince, literally.

Yet soooo humble and kind and decent and a goooood guy.

Except for that rampant sadism.

The torture scenes are kinda lovingly written. They will gross you out unless that's your thing. I skipped this time.

The best bits were about the fish and the ocean - which is how his culture thinks of m/f sex. It's not hugely detailed, aside from the fact that he's able to satisfy like 3-4 women at the same time (MARY SUE). But I like the analogy - there's a great deal of charm to it.

The other trainee character is so awful that she feels very real. Yet, she's so awful that she's too much of a foil for him. It's all too black and white.

Science says confessions and information obtained under torture are not very useful or truthful. This book treats them as the opposite though. I'm not sure why - if the author knew the science or decided to twist it for her universe. If that were the case, I guess you'd end up with a lot of ethical considerations.

And that's in the end why I like this. Struggling with ethics in a bad situation, I always find that interesting.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this right after the Vorkosigan Saga, the parallels between Andrej and Miles are startling. Yet this is so dark, dismal, and distopian. There are some touches of humor, however, particularly with the delightful fish and its unruly ways. The agony of being placed into a completely untenable situation, and the nobility, not to rise above it, but to live with it, even when it gets ten times worse. I find this deeply moving.

[Karin Granström · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding and supremely disturbing book that ought to be mandatory reading in the post 9/11-world. It is a both fascinating and horrible read that will stay with you for decades and clarify your thinking on the difference between 'moral' and 'legal'. Had more people in the US read this book, Guantanamo would not exist.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good, a new author for me, thanks to Baen. I look forward to more!

[Jean Triceratops · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went into An Exchange of Hostages with extreme trepidation. Set in a dystopian future and focusing on two students training to be court-appointed torturers, it’s such stuff as nightmares are made of. I kind of assumed that about four pages in I’d be carefully setting it aside and regretting my diligence to read every obscure piece of speculative fiction written by women on my bookshelf.

But at the end of page four, I was still hungrily reading.

Andrej Koscuisko is a young surgeon trained in care for nineteen different hominids. He’s authentic, empathetic, thoughtful and only training to be a torturer on direct order from his father. (On his world, a father’s word seems equivalent to law.) Despite being from a prestigious or even royal family, he recognizes privilege and injustice. For example, he ruminates over his unlimited access to his preferred drug while others are incarcerated for a drug no more harmful and far more culturally significant. He’s hard not to like.

Mergau Noycannir is a tougher nut, and yet I still felt enthralled by her sections. She’s of humble (or even straight-up deprived) origins and worked her way up to some sort of administrative position for a high-ranking politician. She’s suspicious and insecure, constantly reading slights and threats into banal actions while posturing to ensure that she herself comes across in the best possible light. It doesn’t help that she’s the first torturer-to-be that doesn’t have a medical license. Her insecurity drives her, and she doesn’t think twice about causing harm to anyone so long as her superiors smile and nod. She’s not likable, but she is understandable.

Joslire Curran is a slave. He’s tasked with shepherding / caring for Andrej Koscuisko. He’s very, very mild-mannered, on account of a chip in his brain that causes him pain if he does anything untoward. And ‘untoward’ can be as simple as stating a personal preference when asked. Yet his personality still comes through. He’s clearly portrayed as a kind man, and someone we’re supposed to be sympathetic toward.

Finally, there’s Tutor Chonis. As the teacher, his job is to manipulate well-adjusted students into being willing to hurt, maim, and even kill whoever Administration sends their way. I found his parts particularly fascinating. He doesn’t seem to give the torture subjects any thought—a clear self-defense mechanism—but he does seem to care about his wards. He worries about Andrej and his increased drinking and how that will affect his future—even though, right now, all that should matter to him is if Andrej is meeting the appropriate benchmarks. And due to Mergau’s pricklishness, he feels a certain amount of disappointed frustration: she could be much better than her current acceptable status if she’d just drop the attitude. His dedication to his task and his tendency to truly want more for his students could almost trick you into forgetting what exactly he was Tutoring them in.

While I’m never eager to explore the darker reaches of humanity (cod knows glimpsing at the news once a day is plenty), seeing the world through the eyes of these four characters was fascinating in a way I find hard to explain. Matthews has plenty of experience in psychology, and I think she managed to put on display in a very natural way the sort of thoughts that are often un-checked background processes. As someone regularly utterly baffled by people, just getting what felt like an honest, realistic glimpse into someone’s head kept me captivated for pages.

It was also depressingly interesting and easy to watch as Andrej descends into his role as torturer. His understanding of injustice and privilege doesn’t save him from the fact that he’s not allowed to leave a practice exercise without demonstrating what he’s learned. And with this in mind, Andrej uses all the rationalizations and excuses you might expect to help him cope with his task. Someone was going to do it anyway. He has no choice in the matter; better to just get it behind him and take one day at a time. At least if he’s the one torturing, he can use limited force. You get the idea. It’s so clear how this helps him get through each moment, and because Andrej has been portrayed as such a sympathetic character up until this point, you don’t want him to feel bad. So even though you know the excuses are a lie—hell, Andrej knows it too—they still make everything feel a little more bearable.

At this point I was fearful that I was going through a similar psychological phenomenon that Andrej was going through—that my ability to rationalize the ‘now’ would keep me stepping into a future I didn’t want and I’d find myself 300 pages deep reading horrible and unnecessary depictions of torture because I’d been so carefully desensitized.

Then things took a turn.

Andrej, the kind-hearted man who could/would ruminate on the nature of injustice and privilege suddenly finds himself aroused while torturing some poor prisoner. It came out of nowhere. Not minutes before he was looking at the table of whips and cudgels—drunk as a skunk because it was the only way he could force himself to keep going through training—wondering how on earth he could be expected to use them. Then he pops a guy’s shoulder out of its socket and decides that he’s been a fool his whole life—pain, suffering, that’s what mattered. And he could do more than deliver it—he could enjoy it.

In a way I’m grateful. Had his descent into this depravity been slower, I’d probably still be reading. But a book following a guy who gets off on torturing people is, well, torture porn. And I can easily pass on that.

I am a wee bit disappointed, though. An Exchange of Hostages felt like it could have been a tremendous (if extremely difficult) piece of literature displaying how shockingly easy it is to lose your humanity, one step at a time. Instead, it’s torture porn with a lot of really well-written set up.

Blargh. I need to go read something fun now.

[I read old fantasy and sci-fi novels written by women authors in search of forgotten gems. See more at forfemfan.com]

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. In this futuristic society, Andrej is a brilliant young surgeon who is fulfilling his family duty and serving a term with the space Fleet. He learns to his horror that he is expected to become a torturer, and what's worse, during practice sessions that he reluctantly participates in, he finds a deeply rooted sadism in himself. The story is complex and the characters are wonderfully real. Andrej is given an aide who is basically his slave. And then he finds that a young man he's torturing is not at all what he seems...

ETA: Andrej is written as straight, and there's a scene of him with some women officers, but the main relationships seem to be Andrej with his male aide, and with the other young man who starts out as his victim and becomes the 'hostage' he tries to rescue.

[Karen Ireland-Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This initial entry in the 'Under Jurisdiction' series isnot light reading or for the faint of heart, but really really worth the read. An raw exploration of themes, (some of which are similar to those CJ Cherryh explored in Cyteen/Regenesis, such as institutionalized/governmentally controlled slavery). [return]In an interstellar government where torture and slavery is institutionalized as a part of the justice system, and racism is rampant, a young doctor is pressed into service as a torturer. To his horror, he discovers that he enjoys the work. Yet he strictly follows the legal boundaries of his mandate, and assiduously protects his slave security, exposing him to political and personal danger.

[Geoff Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars since I'm 95% sure that this is a frank and dark examination of the end-stage of the military-industrial complex. In space. A book far ahead of its time. Read with the knowledge that torture is not an effective truth-finding tool, and the book becomes that much darker and more timely.

It's so frank and dark that there's 5% of me that worries that this book has no larger moral framework and is just torture porn bound up with an 18th century sensibility about the high character of hereditary nobility showing through. I'm almost afraid to read the next book in the series to find out that this is the case.

[Walford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second reading (I'm not much for rereading: too many new books) and it's as good I remembered. Good, bad, and in-between people struggling to survive in an evil empire. Matthews' affection and respect for her characters shines through always and makes the grimness bearable. Great depth, consistency, and texture to her world.
That said, you will love or hate this series based on how you feel about our protagonist the unwilling/willing torturer and his relationships with the slaves who love and abet him.
For myself, I'm going to reread the whole series.

[M—]

Rumored quote:

"Their charitable forbearance of his fish’s impertinence, which puffed itself up proudly to be so stroked and petted; and their generous permission to let his fish dive deep where it was certain it belonged, granting the greedy thing such new and delightful seas in which to disport itself that, in the end, it wilted of an excess of exercise and had to be returned with gentle hands to where fish were generally to be found."

Read and confirm.

[Jonas Reitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is terrible and disturbing. Also thought-provoking. How do you care for good characters that do terrible things? How do live a just life within an unjust system? Someone once said "every lawyer should read this book"...

[Mickey Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made the rounds of the Seattle BDSM scene when it first came out. Granted, it is not a BDSM book, but the dynamics of torturer and tortured were just spellbinding, and so well written. And it, obviously, resonated with a whole lot of us.

[Cicely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is dark dismal distopian science fiction. Yet I found it an ultimately uplifting character study. A look at how the human spirit can endure, even when it is put (and puts itself) through hell. Yet the science fiction world-building makes the whole thing delightfully escapist.

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one fascintating and disturbing in equal measure. The exploration of an honorable, decent man with sickening (to most of us, anyway) impulses was a difficult read, but well worth it.

[Jessie J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Yes, it can be disturbing, but it is great world building, and it is very character driven. I keep hoping to find the rest of them in my local used book store.

[Casey Clubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those stories that just stuck with me. Every once in a while I just have to read it again. Dark and absorbing.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrej Koscuisko makes Severian look like a piker.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fascist Torture Bureaucracy. Why does this book exist? I do not know. It's awful, unpleasant and boring.
Plot: none
Style: uninspired
Setting: who knows
Characters: boring

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterclass on the psychology of power, its use and its abuse.

I read Colony Fleet by Susan back in November last year and thought it was brilliant. I hadn’t planned to read another book by her so soon, but after finishing Colony Fleet I saw some negative, to the point of vitriolic, commentary about this book. A book able to provoke such strong emotional response is a book I wanted to read, and I’m really glad I did.

This is Susan’s debut novel and the first book in her major opus, the Under Jurisdiction series. As of 2019 there are 8 novels in the series, of which I scored the first four cheap at a charity shop. If they are all as good as this one, I’ll be buying the rest of the series.

I’d catorgarise the book as a combination Space Opera/Military SF. It lacks the military engagements of traditional Military SF, but the protagonist is enlisted in the Fleet for 8 years as an Inquisitor. But the story also has overtones of Space Opera as the protagonist is son and heir to a rich and powerful corporation. And the Fleet is in competition with the Judiciary for political control of the empire.

The setup of the series is a dystopian civilisation ruled by the Judiciary in alliance with the Fleet. The Judiciary assesses and passes judgement, the Fleet investigates and enforces. And this is the contention between the two main factions as the manoeuvre for dominance. These factions govern all the worlds where humans have evolved into a myriad of biologically different sub-species.

The world building in this book is subtle what I’ve written above isn’t all given in the first chapter. Some of the political aspects and details of the wider civilisation are still only being hinted at in the last quarter of the book. The world and plot build extremely slowly. Up until the midpoint of the book I wasn’t even sure if it had a plot, but then the clues started falling into place with the Exchange of Hostages. I should point out this phrase is not used in the commonly accepted way, but it’s meaning here is a major plot point and spoiler so I’m not going to mention it. It should also be mentioned we don’t get out of boot camp in this book. The wider universe being created is only known through characters talking about home, but this is book one of 8 books so far, so there’s plenty of time to travel in later books.

This book is character driven. If you want whizz bang shiny new tech read something else. But it is more than just character driven. As I said at the start this book is about the psychology of power, and explores the darker aspects of it. The society has enshrined and codified torture within the legal and law enforcement system. The books protagonist, Andrej, is a recently graduated surgeon who due to family tradition has to do a stint in the military. Because he is a surgeon the Fleet train him to be a Ships Surgeon, which has the dual role of Inquisitor as medical knowledge is necessary to be an effective torturer.
This is the dichotomy driving the characters. Medicine is the art of healing; torture is the art of harming. There is a lot of introspection from all the characters exploring the psychology of reconciling this contradiction.

The psychology is explored through a number of different characters, with different personalities, who are affected differently. Andrej is kind and empathic and hates what he has to do. The actions he is forced to do have a significant impact on him. A different character was bullied early in life and has become a bully who enjoys inflicting pain and sees it as a means to power. Then there’s the Tutors who use the torture as a means to break the students and make them compliant in continuing to perpetuate the system of oppression. And then there’s Bond-servants, who are basically slaves with no rights. We see how torture and it’s psychological impacts are used and abused from all these different perspectives.

This is not a book everyone will be able to read, but I found it a brilliant exploration of the darker side of humanity. There is nothing in here that hasn’t actually been done in the real world if you look back across the history of human civilisation. And through it there is also an engaging plot, which I’m guessing will lead to the overthrow of the dystopian autocratic government in later books.

[Henry Paxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5? An insane reworking of a older Star Wars fan fiction by the same author. The torture scenes are extremely detailed and are so clearly BDSM fetish content that when characters refer to their penis's only as fishes it made me laugh out loud. The author was also a doctor in a military hospital and made a book about a military doctor who gets off on torturing people, so make of that what you will. First book by this author and I don't know how well I'm sold on continuing this series.