The Down Deep

Dust Knights #1

by Catherine Asaro

Major Bhaajan and her gang of Dust Knights act as guides and bodyguards to a member of the Imperial family on a mission of good will in the Undercity. But what awaits them in the Down Deep may ruin the chance at peace forever.

A CITY DIVIDED

For centuries The City of Cries—one of the most desired locales in the Skolian Imperialate—has existed by the thinnest of threads. On the dying world of Raylicon, the “haves” live in great luxury in Cries while the “have-nots” scrape by, eking out a marginal existence in the notorious Undercity beneath the desert. Major Bhaajan, formerly of the Pharaoh's Army, knows both worlds. Born into the Undercity, she nevertheless has made a name for herself in the Imperialate. And now, she has the chance to help her people.

HOPE FOR RECONCILIATION

For the first time, a member of the Royal class wants to extend an olive branch to the Undercity. Hoping to build bridges, Colonel Lavinda Majda recruits Bhaaj and her Dust Knights to act as guides and bodyguards on a mission of goodwill to those who live below the surface of their parched world.

THE DOWN DEEP

But the problems of the Undercity run deeper than anyone knows. To help find peace, the Dust Knights must reach the most hidden rungs in that mysterious underground world, a place known only as the Down Deep, where the scars from centuries of distrust are greatest. There they will face an unseen enemy that may destroy the lives of everyone they know—and threaten interstellar civilization.

Dust Knights: A new series in Catherine Asaro’s Skolian Empire.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2024

About the author

The author of more than twenty-five books, Catherine Asaro is acclaimed for her Ruby Dynasty series, which combines adventure, science, romance and fast-paced action. Her novel The Quantum Rose won the Nebula® Award, as did her novella “The Spacetime Pool.” Among her many other distinctions, she is a multiple winner of the AnLab from Analog magazine and a three time recipient of the RT BOOKClub Award for “Best Science Fiction Novel.” Her most recent novel, Carnelians, came out in October, 2011. An anthology of her short fiction titled Aurora in Four Voices is available from ISFiC Press in hardcover, and her multiple award-winning novella “The City of Cries” is also available as an eBook for Kindle and Nook.

Catherine has two music CD’s out and she is currently working on her third. The first, Diamond Star, is the soundtrack for her novel of the same name, performed with the rock band, Point Valid. She appears as a vocalist at cons, clubs, and other venues in the US and abroad, including recently as the Guest of Honor at the Denmark and New Zealand National Science Fiction Conventions. She performs selections from her work in a multimedia project that mixes literature, dance, and music with Greg Adams as her accompanist. She is also a theoretical physicist with a PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard, and a jazz and ballet dancer. Visit her at www.facebook.com/Catherine.Asaro

Reviews

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE DOWN DEEP continues the story of Major Bhaajan on the dying world of Raylicon in the Skolian Imperialate.

Bhaaj came home from her career in the Pharoah's Army with the goal of helping her people who live in the impoverished Undercity beneath the City of Cries. After years of prejudice and neglect, the Imperialate has discovered a need for the citizens of the Undercity. It takes Kyle Operators to keep the Imperialate going and safe from the Traders who want to conquer it.

Kyle Operators are rare everywhere except in the Undercity where potential Kyle Operators make up a large percentage of the population. Colonel Lavinda Majda - a member of the very high class and powerful Majda family - asks Bhaaj to arrange a visit where she can hopefully build up some goodwill. After overcoming some obstacles both in the Undercity and in the Majda family, Bhaaj agrees to take Lavinda for her visit.

Problems come up almost immediately when the two rival drug cartels demand that Lavinda meet with them. This has never happened before. Whenever the cartels ran into each other, battles ensued and so did deaths. But it turns out that both cartels want the same opportunities for their children that Bhaaj's Dust Knights have been enjoying. Bhaaj sees this as a major breakthrough to make thing better for her people.

But then, a call for help from the Down Deep comes to the medic the Majdas have seconded to the Undercity. Lavinda demands that they all go to see if they can help and wind up in the middle of an outbreak of carnelian rash which threatens to kill all of those who live there and those who come to help too.

This was an intriguing story with fascinating worldbuilding. The culture of the people of the Undercity was richly developed and contrasted in a major way with that of the above ground culture. Culture clashes and prejudices were realistically portrayed. The characters - especially Bhaaj and Angel who is one of her Dust Knights - are viewed in depth.

I really enjoyed this story which drifts away from the mysteries of the earlier Bhaaj books to the area of epic Space Opera.

[Joseph Manes · Rating 5 out of 5]

damn just wow … get writing Catherine Asaro we “need” more

damn just wow … get writing Catherine Asaro we “need” more

Well till new books are written I’ll just Read every book again … never thought I’d be reading romantic novels and hard sciences but here we are and —->> // high adventure // family drama // queens and tyrants // mass killing // stellar war // telepathy across light years // AI both genocidal and gentle // and so much more

And all that in the same series and yes again —->> sooooooo much more …

[Loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry in the apparently renamed Major Bhaajan series (itself a sub-series of Asaro's larger Skolian Empire series), this one carries forward plot elements introduced earlier in the series while introducing new complications. And as the title shift suggest, Bhaaj is no longer the sole character whose viewpoint is used, with Angel and Ruzik getting some spotlight time as well.

[John Sapienza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facing the Epidemic

This begins a new story arc for Major Bhaaj. The Down Deep is under the Undercity, and has the greatest source of Kyle mutants, critical to the Empire. A good story that further expands the world Asaro is building.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a Bhaaj and her Undercity friends, especially Angel. The running team plot was a bit overshadowed by how intense the undercity stuff got, but I appreciated having it there. I’m ready for more.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series. I love it for the characters and the world building. The Undercity is fascinating and so vibrant and full of culture and secrets. This particular book was a little different in the sense that it was slower and stationary. However, I loved the whole story line of one of the Mahjdas being granted entrance…and not just to the Undercity, but to the Down Deeps. This is the kind of world I’d love to see in a movie. It sparks the imagination. I sure hope there are many more books to come in this series.

[Viridian5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost put this down for good a few times.

The writing style isn't a favorite of mine, and sometimes I was very bored. One occasional storyline really bored me, and although it does contribute to something in the end it still bored me too much to feel its inclusion was justified. I won't be looking for other books in this series.

[Tenlee Shoffstall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Catherine Astro for years. I especially enjoyed this one because it kept me reading. I read it on a long airplane flight with screaming babies and it was an enjoyable read that kept my total attention. I really recommend this read!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plague episode—low on action, high on feels. Having already read Connie Willis’s DOOMSDAY BOOK and Michael Flynn’s EIFELHEIM, I was unimpressed.

[A.L. Kaplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

[I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.]
The Down Deep, Catherine Asaro’s latest novel, is an exciting story with a gripping twist that I didn’t expect and thoroughly enjoyed.

Colonel Lavinda Majda and retired Major Bhaajan, travel to the Undercity to try to build a relationship and trust between their two peoples. Overcoming more than hundreds of years of mistrust is no easy task, especially with vast cultural and language differences. Something as simple as a smile or name means different things to each of them. Even the number of syllables in a word can cause problems. One wrong step could put all their lives in danger.

To most residents of Cries the “savages” that live in the Undercity are inferior, less than human. Yet they need the unique abilities that the Undercity dwellers have. Lavanda is an exceptional woman, part of the privileged elite. She is fiercely loyal to her people, yet with a compassion and openness to learn about the Undercity and accept them as who they are.

Bhaaj was born in the undercity, where people struggle to survive. It is one of the poorest places on Raylicon and a sharp contrast to the wealthy city of Cries. In the Undercity, the strong survive and protect the ones they love, while the weak perish. Clean water and food are the most valuable items. But those who live there have a beautiful and rich culture that the people in Cries know nothing about.

The Down Deep has great tension and pacing with intriguing characters. They even surprise themselves at times. Asaro cleverly showcases the cultural differences between the Undercity and Cries through both Bhaaj’s and Lavinda’s eyes. Past events are woven into the narrative making it easy to follow without having read previous books in the universe. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[John Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Majdas want to improve relations between the Undercity and Cries. Mostly because they’ve found that a huge percentage of the Undercity population have Kyle genes. They keep mostly to themselves, both because they want it that way and the general above ground populace has a giant prejudice against them. A meeting has been arranged so that Colonel Lavinda Majda can visit them. There are some problems with the cartels having found she was there. Probably to kidnap her or something. Just as Bhaaj, Lavinda, and their party work things out and are just about to leave there is a problem down deep. An outbreak of Carnellian Rash. They all go and when they get there find it’s a mutated variant that their current cures and vaccines won’t handle. Meanwhile Angel has her first day of training. Lavinda gets to see up close that the Undercity residents aren't ignorant peasants, that they have art and culture worthy of the best of the City of Cries. It's not just their Kyle genes that are valuable. Bhaaj reminds Lavinda that these people are empaths and needed to retreat from society because of the distress of being so near a large mass of people.

Another fine addition to this series. It’s been a couple years since number three. Even though I really enjoyed this, I think it would be even better with the previous stories (Undercity, The Vanished Seas, The Jigsaw Assassin) fresh in my mind. There are refreshers in the beginning of the story so no big deal, you could probably even read this as a standalone. 4.6 stars. For diehards of the series there are some bonus Bhaaj nuggets at the end, though mostly this is about improving the relations between the groups.

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...her efforts to improve life for her recalcitrant, beautiful, violent, gifted people..."

"...her efforts to improve life for her recalcitrant, beautiful, violent, gifted people was making a difference."

Bhaajan understands the community she comes from, and her people. She has spent decades biting her tongue, in the military, and in an effort to improve life for her people. Now those "in charge", the wealthy and powerful, need her people, and she is determined to protect them, guide them, help them, and mediate these two groups coming together -- even if it means a lot more biting of her tongue.

I really love this universe! The Skolian Empire is filled with characters who recognize the flaws of their society, but understand change doesn't happen overnight. They find ways to show respect, and through their actions they show the true quality of their character, from the highest of the high, to the lowest of the low.

I joined Major Bhaajan's story here, and this was a solid, stand alone book, offering everything I needed to fully engage. It left me curious about previous adventures without leaving me feeling I had missed out on something but not reading other stories first.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really thoroughly enjoyed the Major Bhaajan books. I totally loved the Skolian Imperialate where the POV characters were telepaths and warriors. Major Bhaajan is a warrior as well, but she is an empath and has resisted exploring her paranormal powers.

The Major Bhaajan books deal with the have-nots. The people who left the city to live in what are considered slums. Turns out, not really slums. Just a different culture. A culture where scarcity is the way of life and people speak in a minimalist fashion (one word where the city dwellers would speak a dozen, for instance).

The city is totally prejudiced against the Under City dwellers as lazy, unskilled, and uneducated.

This book is likely the last with Major Bhaajan as the POV character. But I am looking forward to the Dust Knights books - the ones featuring Major Bhaajan's proteges - the warriors of the Under City the Dust Knights.

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The desert planet Raylicon has just one city, Cries. Below the city is the dangerous Undercity where Major Bhaajan came from. Catherine Asaro’s previous tales about the major have established that the undercity is filled with people with untrained psionic abilities at a time that the Ruby empire is desperate for people with such talents. It’s time for one of the Ruby Queens, Colonel Lavinda Majda, to actually visit The Down Deep (hard from Baen) part of the Undercity. However when the embassy group follows their appointed doctor down to treat a treatable disease, they find something much worse, with their very survival at stake. I love this series.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book of this. I had not read any of her other books set in this world, but figured this was book one in a series, so would be a good placed to start. Loved the world building and the flipping of male and female roles. The plot of this was very much pandemic oriented and not very pleasant. Probably a bit too soon for me to read about this. Great characters, but not a light read that I was hoping for.

[Wyrdness · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but something seemed missing compared to the Major Bhaajan series. The stakes never seemed high to me in spite of what was a very serious situation. I also missed Max's sarcastic but insightful personality and quips, he seemed surprisingly subdued and pushed in to the background for some reason.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 4 out of 5]

While technically book one in a new series, this very much continues on the Major Bhaajan books, with most of the same cast of characters. This was a quick read for me, as I enjoy the world a lot. I'm especially interested in Angel's plotline and hoping to see more of her in the next book Gold Dust.

[Kevin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the two cultures are starting to come together in this story. It is messy and imperfect and the prejudices on both sides don't magically vanish. We also get to learn a little bit more of the main character right at the end and it all blends well with the story. Top notch work.

[Tressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down Deep is a further expansion about the Undercity, the Down Deep, as well as the City of Cries and the societies of each. The secondary characters from prior books are developed further and more is learned about Bhaajan’s past near the end of the book.

[M.E. Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to Asaro's Major Bhajan writings only recently, and I'm devouring them like nothing else. These books--they're amazing. Just...go read them and I'm betting you won't be disappointed.

[Miche D · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gripping and enthralling story featuring Major Bhaajan and the Dust Knights. Very enjoyable, and very well written.