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Jurisdiction #2
Prisoner of Conscience
The honorable Inquisitor Andrej Kosciusko, who adroitly extricates confessions from enemies of the ruling Judiciary, must uncover the deception and betrayals that lie beneath the surface of Domitt Prison before he loses his career and his life. Original.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1998
8 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Susan R. Matthews
29 books51 followersAfter 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.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 13, 2016
Quite good, better than the first of this series, probably because I am emotionally invested.
June 12, 2017
Trigger warning NON CON M/F SEX. And it's the Good Guy who does it with a slave. Repeatedly. And the slave woman involved is not happy. Although by the end of the book somehow they are besties and she climbs into his lap while he tells her his plans for her future. GROSS.
Also, this is pretty much a holocaust book. Plus all the slaves adoring our hero the sadist torturer. Because no idea at this point.
Also, this is pretty much a holocaust book. Plus all the slaves adoring our hero the sadist torturer. Because no idea at this point.
August 18, 2013
Alright I've got some major beef with this book. Usually I try not to use any spoilers in my reviews, but there was one thing that was just exceptionally wrong about this book: Joslire dies. And okay, I've read Martin and I understand character death is an important part of realistic fiction, but this one doesn't make a bit of sense.
Generally when a character dies it moves along the plot or changes the characters involved in some way, but after finishing this last night, I feel as though his death was merely a bit of action in the first 100 pages and didn't actually affect anything. So the story plays out like this: Joslire and other bonds save the Scylla from invaders and are more than likely going to be freed for their actions, since the medical bay was damaged, our boy Inquisitor Koscuisko gets transferred to the prison while the ship is fixed, in transit from the relocation camp to the prison, the car gets bombed and Joslire becomes mortally wounded. Naturally Joslire takes his right to be free as he dies, making Koscuisko freak out and go from depressed to insanely vengeful. And that's it. The Port Authority can't find the people that bombed the car and the plot line goes dead. Koscuisko suffers and mentally talks about Joslire a lot, but does't change in any fundamental way aside from a brief time where he takes it out on one of his bonds. In fact Joslire dying doesn't actually do anything for the momentum of the plot aside from the brief bit of action where he dies.
This is the problem, I'm okay if a character dies if it's worth while, heck even if it's a character I like (I'm looking at you Ned), but this didn't seem to make any difference to the plot line which was, ultimately, that the prison was corrupt. In fact, I believe it *hurts* the plot more than anything because Joslire would have been able to help Koscuisko see what was going on, keep him from getting to gluttonous on pain, and provide for more back story. I dare say that he was my favorite character, had the most depth, and the most interesting room to grow, but no, he just gets killed, his murderers run free, and the corruption at the prison plays out just as if he were alive. *sigh*
Overall I guess it was pretty good, certainly not as good as the first installment, but still enjoyable, but I kept hoping that Joslires death would matter, and it never did. Maybe in a larger scope it does, but I honestly don't think the author has quite that much skill. We shall see I guess.
Generally when a character dies it moves along the plot or changes the characters involved in some way, but after finishing this last night, I feel as though his death was merely a bit of action in the first 100 pages and didn't actually affect anything. So the story plays out like this: Joslire and other bonds save the Scylla from invaders and are more than likely going to be freed for their actions, since the medical bay was damaged, our boy Inquisitor Koscuisko gets transferred to the prison while the ship is fixed, in transit from the relocation camp to the prison, the car gets bombed and Joslire becomes mortally wounded. Naturally Joslire takes his right to be free as he dies, making Koscuisko freak out and go from depressed to insanely vengeful. And that's it. The Port Authority can't find the people that bombed the car and the plot line goes dead. Koscuisko suffers and mentally talks about Joslire a lot, but does't change in any fundamental way aside from a brief time where he takes it out on one of his bonds. In fact Joslire dying doesn't actually do anything for the momentum of the plot aside from the brief bit of action where he dies.
This is the problem, I'm okay if a character dies if it's worth while, heck even if it's a character I like (I'm looking at you Ned), but this didn't seem to make any difference to the plot line which was, ultimately, that the prison was corrupt. In fact, I believe it *hurts* the plot more than anything because Joslire would have been able to help Koscuisko see what was going on, keep him from getting to gluttonous on pain, and provide for more back story. I dare say that he was my favorite character, had the most depth, and the most interesting room to grow, but no, he just gets killed, his murderers run free, and the corruption at the prison plays out just as if he were alive. *sigh*
Overall I guess it was pretty good, certainly not as good as the first installment, but still enjoyable, but I kept hoping that Joslires death would matter, and it never did. Maybe in a larger scope it does, but I honestly don't think the author has quite that much skill. We shall see I guess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2010
The first book in this series had potential - it was contrived and disturbing, but the writing was good enough to sustain a kind of horrified fascination with the protagonist. I was actually hoping that this second book would be similar to the first one: a small-scope character study where Kosciusko attempts to balance his duties as a medical officer with those as an Inquisitor on board a ship.
The opening scenes were promising - in content, at least; it was immediately obvious that the writing quality had slipped from the first book. But Kosciusko is quickly extracted from what seemed to be a very interesting shipboard environment and sent off to torture people at a prison camp which is an obvious analog to a Nazi work camp.
This book is slightly less disturbing than the first one. Some of the torture scenes are very intense, but the writing is so bad that you can't get very worked up about the whole death camp scenario, because it doesn't feel real. Kosciusko's reaction when he finally discovers the "secret" is almost a caricature of himself.
There are still some elements of good writing here. For example, the author is adept at seamlessly introducing jargon which gives the reader a sense of alienness without being confusing or annoying - such as the whole shtick of measuring everything in eighths.
Kosciusko remains an interesting contradiction, but otherwise the characterizations are weak and overall I was disappointed in the book.
The opening scenes were promising - in content, at least; it was immediately obvious that the writing quality had slipped from the first book. But Kosciusko is quickly extracted from what seemed to be a very interesting shipboard environment and sent off to torture people at a prison camp which is an obvious analog to a Nazi work camp.
This book is slightly less disturbing than the first one. Some of the torture scenes are very intense, but the writing is so bad that you can't get very worked up about the whole death camp scenario, because it doesn't feel real. Kosciusko's reaction when he finally discovers the "secret" is almost a caricature of himself.
There are still some elements of good writing here. For example, the author is adept at seamlessly introducing jargon which gives the reader a sense of alienness without being confusing or annoying - such as the whole shtick of measuring everything in eighths.
Kosciusko remains an interesting contradiction, but otherwise the characterizations are weak and overall I was disappointed in the book.
April 7, 2013
In the second installment of this series we see on a larger scale the effects of a regime that accept torture as a means to keep order. It is a captivating read, but I feel that the author is taunting me by creating a kind of miniature happy ending that casts our anti-hero as a force for good, while we actually know that the immoral laws are still in full force and no one is within hailing distance of overthrowing the evil Bench government. But can one really call the ending "too little, too late" when it did affect lots of people and was all the good that Andrej could realistically do in that situation? The blurb calls this "one man's courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds", but I think the book really highlights the powerlessness of the individual in a totalitarian state.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2016
The Jurisdiction series really heats up here as Andrej is pushed to his limits by both personal tragedy and evidence of genocide. The tension is high and the characters are all compelling.
I am struck by what seems like an odd discrepancy in worldbuilding: all the characters so far seem to come from cultures where women are honored and respected, where they pass on knowledge, etc. And in the Jurisdiction Fleet, free women serve as military and security officers. But somehow all the male Bonded slaves become security, regardless of their ability, and the female Bonded slaves become prostitutes, again regardless of their abilities. The institutionalized, highly gendered rape model doesn't seem to match anyone's cultural background.
I am struck by what seems like an odd discrepancy in worldbuilding: all the characters so far seem to come from cultures where women are honored and respected, where they pass on knowledge, etc. And in the Jurisdiction Fleet, free women serve as military and security officers. But somehow all the male Bonded slaves become security, regardless of their ability, and the female Bonded slaves become prostitutes, again regardless of their abilities. The institutionalized, highly gendered rape model doesn't seem to match anyone's cultural background.
November 8, 2011
A study in relationships, underscoring how much the first book was also. Reminds me of Carol Berg. So emotionally fraught that I wanted to cry and couldn't be dragged away from it.
February 24, 2025
This is the second book in the Jurisdiction series and the third book of Susan’s that I’ve read. Once again it is a character driven story exploring the darker side of humanity.
Being the second book in a series one of the first things most people want to know is does it stand by itself or does the first book need to be read first? Yes and no. This book is a complete story in and of itself. The central storyline is fully resolved. But there are bits that won’t make sense if you haven’t read the first book. There are two small scenes, not even complete chapters, that feature Mergau who was virtually the antagonist in the first book. Her scenes in this book have no direct interaction with the protagonist, Andrej. I think they were included simply to remind readers she exists and will have more relevance in a later book. At least that’s my hope. Also I don’t know if Andrej’s actions and reactions in this book would be fully appreciated without having read the first book which is a very in depth character study. And it’s his character that is central to this plot. The rules of the Jurisdiction universe are also outlined in a lot more detail in the first book, particularly the Writ. I feel it is explained enough in this book that a new reader wouldn’t be lost, but reading the first book would provide a lot deeper understanding.
Now the elephant has been dealt with, what is this book about? This book starts in a much more traditional Military SF style, in the middle of a pitched space battle where a breach pod has just let enemy combatants onboard. But that is a slightly misleading to the main plot. As soon as the battles over the next event to happen is Andrej is seconded from the Fleet to be torturer in residence at new prison on a planet recently welcomed into the Jurisdiction. And it is on the planet and in the environs of the prison that the rest of the story takes place.
As with the first book the horrors examined in here are drawn from obvious historical parallels, but unlike history we don’t just get the winners point of view. We experience events from the all viewpoints; victims, perpetrators, those claiming neutrality. We see the psychology behind the characters showing how they deal with the events of the book. I can’t explain more about the events without significant spoilers.
While this story is self-contained it is also making small and subtle additions to the wider Jurisdiction empire. We learn more about Andrej’s heritage which is only tangentially relevant to this books storyline, but I’m expecting to impact on later novels, as with the inclusion of Meragu being a holdover character from the last book but bordering on irrelevant to this one.
Overall this book felt less dark than the first, or I’ve become inured having read them closer together, which is interesting in itself. The major horrors are at a remove from Andrej’s point of view in comparison to everything being close and personal in the first book. Andrej does still exercise his Writ in this book, but it’s an adjunct exploring his character rather than critical to the central story. It’s a distraction for reader and protagonist.
Being the second book in a series one of the first things most people want to know is does it stand by itself or does the first book need to be read first? Yes and no. This book is a complete story in and of itself. The central storyline is fully resolved. But there are bits that won’t make sense if you haven’t read the first book. There are two small scenes, not even complete chapters, that feature Mergau who was virtually the antagonist in the first book. Her scenes in this book have no direct interaction with the protagonist, Andrej. I think they were included simply to remind readers she exists and will have more relevance in a later book. At least that’s my hope. Also I don’t know if Andrej’s actions and reactions in this book would be fully appreciated without having read the first book which is a very in depth character study. And it’s his character that is central to this plot. The rules of the Jurisdiction universe are also outlined in a lot more detail in the first book, particularly the Writ. I feel it is explained enough in this book that a new reader wouldn’t be lost, but reading the first book would provide a lot deeper understanding.
Now the elephant has been dealt with, what is this book about? This book starts in a much more traditional Military SF style, in the middle of a pitched space battle where a breach pod has just let enemy combatants onboard. But that is a slightly misleading to the main plot. As soon as the battles over the next event to happen is Andrej is seconded from the Fleet to be torturer in residence at new prison on a planet recently welcomed into the Jurisdiction. And it is on the planet and in the environs of the prison that the rest of the story takes place.
As with the first book the horrors examined in here are drawn from obvious historical parallels, but unlike history we don’t just get the winners point of view. We experience events from the all viewpoints; victims, perpetrators, those claiming neutrality. We see the psychology behind the characters showing how they deal with the events of the book. I can’t explain more about the events without significant spoilers.
While this story is self-contained it is also making small and subtle additions to the wider Jurisdiction empire. We learn more about Andrej’s heritage which is only tangentially relevant to this books storyline, but I’m expecting to impact on later novels, as with the inclusion of Meragu being a holdover character from the last book but bordering on irrelevant to this one.
Overall this book felt less dark than the first, or I’ve become inured having read them closer together, which is interesting in itself. The major horrors are at a remove from Andrej’s point of view in comparison to everything being close and personal in the first book. Andrej does still exercise his Writ in this book, but it’s an adjunct exploring his character rather than critical to the central story. It’s a distraction for reader and protagonist.
March 11, 2024
Űrbéli csatajelenettel indult a könyv, Andrejék űrhajójába behatolt az ellenség, hogy felrobbantsa. Gondoltam, végre megkapom a várt military-scifit. Hát, nem tartott sokáig. Pillanatokon belül egy koncentrációs táborba érkeztek a szereplők, ahol a munka úgy szabadít fel, hogy a halálra dolgoztatottak majd pihenhetnek a másvilágon.
Kedvenc inkvizítorunk a táborlakókat vallatta, valami összeesküvés után kellett nyomoznia. Közben megtudott olyat is, ami lelkiismereti kérdéssé vált a számára. Érdekes a történet, gondolkodni is lehet rajta, de megint kaptam pár durva jelenetet. Ha egy nő maga kezdeményezi a szexet, abban a tudatban, hogy ez lesz számára a kisebbik rossz, az attól még nemi erőszak marad szerintem. A férfi iránt érzett szimpátia pedig nem egyéb Stockholm-szindrómánál. A legkevésbé sem éreztem romantikusnak a kapcsolatot, szerencsére a könyv nem is igyekezett ezt a benyomást kelteni.
Sikerült rendesen felkavarni az érzelmeimet, gondolkodtam is nem keveset a történeten, ez általában öt csillagot szokott eredményezni az olvasmányaimnál, de meglehetősen ambivalens érzéseim vannak, így ez megint csak 4 csillag lesz.
Kedvenc inkvizítorunk a táborlakókat vallatta, valami összeesküvés után kellett nyomoznia. Közben megtudott olyat is, ami lelkiismereti kérdéssé vált a számára. Érdekes a történet, gondolkodni is lehet rajta, de megint kaptam pár durva jelenetet. Ha egy nő maga kezdeményezi a szexet, abban a tudatban, hogy ez lesz számára a kisebbik rossz, az attól még nemi erőszak marad szerintem. A férfi iránt érzett szimpátia pedig nem egyéb Stockholm-szindrómánál. A legkevésbé sem éreztem romantikusnak a kapcsolatot, szerencsére a könyv nem is igyekezett ezt a benyomást kelteni.
Sikerült rendesen felkavarni az érzelmeimet, gondolkodtam is nem keveset a történeten, ez általában öt csillagot szokott eredményezni az olvasmányaimnál, de meglehetősen ambivalens érzéseim vannak, így ez megint csak 4 csillag lesz.
August 28, 2020
Some years after the first book, Koscuisko and his entourage take up post at a prison whose secret use of slave labor contravenes the already unethical, but sanctioned, violence of the state. This is less of a transparent deep dive into the id than the first book, and so loses some of that indulgence and zest. But the plot is more substantial, despite lingering problems with the antagonists. At its heart this is all ethics, as Koscuisko holds a legal shield against unethical behavior, not just within the bounds of an inherently unethical system, but while benefiting from that system & struggling to acknowledge how it incentivizes extralegal activity. There's a thoughtful tension between the protagonist's and reader's view of the situation, between the micro-crisis of one flagrant violation and the macro-issue of systemic injustice. The seeds of that were always there in the premise, but the first book had too much fun to develop them; I appreciate that this starts to.
February 17, 2020
I want to like these books a lot more than I am. And one of the reasons I read book two is I wanted to figure out why I both want to keep reading but am not actually enjoying it as much as I want.
The Universe is original (at least to my reading). That's a big part of the draw. But the characters are not plumbed as deeply as they could be. It leaves them feeling described externally in a way that doesn't feel real enough given how raw events are supposed to be. It's like daytime TV compared to an art film.
This book is more smoothly written than the first. Less need for worldbuilding helped it a lot. On the other hand, it borrowed tropes of the romance genre (I was reminded harrowingly of ELJames' The Mister in parts of this book).
The author just didn't take that last courageous dive far enough into the characters. I guess that's my main issue with these books.
The Universe is original (at least to my reading). That's a big part of the draw. But the characters are not plumbed as deeply as they could be. It leaves them feeling described externally in a way that doesn't feel real enough given how raw events are supposed to be. It's like daytime TV compared to an art film.
This book is more smoothly written than the first. Less need for worldbuilding helped it a lot. On the other hand, it borrowed tropes of the romance genre (I was reminded harrowingly of ELJames' The Mister in parts of this book).
The author just didn't take that last courageous dive far enough into the characters. I guess that's my main issue with these books.
November 3, 2017
watching the author's gymnastics through moral dilemmas is quite stirring, but at times the prose seems more informed by romance novels than is bearable and at other times is painfully overwrought. still, a book worth reading, and maybe the second best in the series.
June 5, 2023
Wow 🤩, the main character deepens, the plot thickens, and the author adds intrigue to the emotionally charged life of a medical professional under writ of Justice to torture according to strict law. A great read and now on to the next book.
November 1, 2009
This book had been sitting in my to-read pile for (I'm not kidding) ten years. It turned out to be excellent and dark and disturbing. This is a science fiction story that takes place in some kind of militarily aggressive hegemony called "The Bench", where the rule of law is supreme. Our protagonist a torturer, as torture is legal under very specific circumstances. It made me thing of the Nazi's, actually, which made it difficult to read, but the point of the story is that the protagonist uses his position to right wrongs, even though he has his own daemons to wrestle with.
The writing style is abrupt and staccato and hard to get into. Once you do, though, it's well worth a read.
The writing style is abrupt and staccato and hard to get into. Once you do, though, it's well worth a read.
January 4, 2011
This is the hardest book in the series for me to reread, probably because the concentration camp imagery seems like a reflection of the Holocaust. The other books have terrible things happening, yes, but in a far-future dystopian way that's much harder for me to see paralleling the real world. Also, there's the assisted suicide of a Certain Character, which never fails to irk me for being so completely out of character. And not one--not two--but three! sexual encounters, all full of piscine allusions and over-the-top descriptions of the main character's virility.
Still strangely compelling, though. Also necessary for understanding the rest of the series.
Still strangely compelling, though. Also necessary for understanding the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2013
I loved the first book in the series, and this one was just as good. While it wasn't as much a personal character study as the first one, it was much more that way than many sci-fi books I've (tried to) read, which were just about space ships and blowing stuff up. These two books are psychological, which is definitely what I look for in my sci-fi books.
Will be reading the next one soon!
Will be reading the next one soon!
March 16, 2011
I loved the first book in the series, and this one was just as good. While it wasn't as much a personal character study as the first one, it was much more that way than many sci-fi books I've (tried to) read, which were just about space ships and blowing stuff up. These two books are psychological, which is definitely what I look for in my sci-fi books.
Will be reading the next one soon!
Will be reading the next one soon!
November 17, 2011
I loved the first book in the series, and this one was just as good. While it wasn't as much a personal character study as the first one, it was much more that way than many sci-fi books I've (tried to) read, which were just about space ships and blowing stuff up. These two books are psychological, which is definitely what I look for in my sci-fi books.
Will be reading the next one soon!
Will be reading the next one soon!
April 24, 2022
I loved the first book in the series, and this one was just as good. While it wasn't as much a personal character study as the first one, it was much more that way than many sci-fi books I've (tried to) read, which were just about space ships and blowing stuff up. These two books are psychological, which is definitely what I look for in my sci-fi books.
Will be reading the next one soon!
Will be reading the next one soon!
May 8, 2013
Among the very best sci-fi books I've ever read. The author brings the reader into the story as if you are actually there as an observer. Great analysis of ethics, punishment, and integrity.
June 6, 2025
N.B. If you have a copy of this edition, be very careful with it - I've had at least 3 copies because the binding glue fails and the book turns into a frustrating stack of paper.
August 12, 2015
As good as "An Exchange of Hostages", which is saying a lot.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews