The Devil and Deep Space (Roc Science Fiction) [Paperback]

Susan Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Series: Roc Science Fiction | Publication Date: November 5, 2002

Set in the critically-acclaimed "Judiciary" universe, The Devil and Deep Space features reader favorite hero Andrej Koscuisko caught up in a conspiracy between political backstabbing and military corruption...

[Matthews] brilliantly uses science fiction's freedom of creation to...explore deep moral conflicts. (Denver Post)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Returning to her Judiciary universe, Matthews tells the story of Andrej Koscuisco and Ragnarok, the Fleet ship he commands. Because of a fatal training accident, part of Ragnarok's crew is in danger of becoming scapegoats for corruption in the Fleet. Andrej, who is also the ship's inquisitor, is returning home to visit his wife and the child he hasn't seen in many years. Ragnarok's acting captain sends the crew on leave with Andrej so they won't be arrested. Meanwhile, she is going to find out what is really going on. Leave with Andrej is anything but quiet, though, as someone was desperate enough to forge a bench warrant for his death. Naturally, he wants to know who. Eventually, matters become entwined, and in-Fleet corruption is brought to the surface in the midst of a power stuggle to elect a new first judge in the Judiciary. A tightly woven space opera full of grand heroic gestures and characters strong enough to sustain all the action. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Roc (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451459016
• ISBN-13: 978-0451459015
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,387,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another layer of the onion, February 7, 2003

By 

lb136 "lb136" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil and Deep Space (Roc Science Fiction) (Paperback)

"The Devil in Deep Space" is the fifth in in Susan R. Matthews' "judiciary" series ("Prisoner of Conscience," "An Exchange of Hostages," "Hour of Judgment," "Angel of Destruction"), and maybe it's the strongest, most complicated yet. Those who've read the previous books will probably be delighted by this one. As always Matthews' descriptive prose pulls you right in. You can almost taste the bad rations and the cramped quarters aboard a spaceship in need of supplies.

You'll reencounter characters from before and meet a few new ones as well (among them Andrej's wife), but newcomers to the series would be advised to read them in the order they're written. Matthews doesn't bother to back up much, which helps keep the book to reasonable length.

This time out Inquisitor Andrej Koscuisko gets a chance to go home to his family, and hopes to leave his position as Inquisitor. In his assignment as ship's surgeon aboard the space ship Ragnarok, he's also required to torture suspects, but now at last he's offered a way out.

Things of course go wrong almost immediately and we see in a series of cynical (and psychological) portraits how nearly every facet of Matthews' universe involves corruption. (It's so widespread the corrupt are described as "reasonable people.")

Things proceed eerily but stately, impressionistically. Nothing is quite what it seems; nothing is fully revealed. There are ancient hostilities between cultures not fully explained, or perhaps not yet. Clearly there are more novels to come in the series, and if the existing five are a guide, in each one another layer of Matthews' onion-verse will be pulled back.

Great concept, great execution.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Inquistors Holiday, March 17, 2003

By 

Shirley Gibson Coleman (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Devil and Deep Space (Roc Science Fiction) (Paperback)

If you haven't read previous books in this series, you may miss the emotional build up that this entry will surely give those who have been with the pleasantly strange and heroic torturer, Andrej. He's on leave at last, going home to see his wife and meet a son for the first time, who is now eight years old. But bad things happen just before his holiday begins. He has to switch security teams in order to protect his bonds (slave like prisoners assigned to serve him) from an investigation following an explosion. And then there's that nasty woman who wants him dead. AND the papers that a government agent brings telling him he can walk out of the military and stay home. Of course nothing is EVER quite so simple in Judicary. New readers may find the intricate political, and military intrigue afoot confusing and to enter here without the history of Andrej and other characters softens the impact of what happens here.
My advice is buy this book and hold onto it. Read "An exchange of hostages,' 'Prisoner of Conscience' and 'Hour of Judgment.' Koscuisko will be a man you will not soon forget. Ms. Matthews has invented a dynamic universe with love and violence, pleasure and pain vivid enough to touch your heart or trouble your mind. I truly loved it and can't wait to see what's next.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, intelligent, and moving science fiction, January 29, 2003

By 

V. Wright (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil and Deep Space (Roc Science Fiction) (Paperback)

The Devil and Deep Space is a complicated, emotionally charged science fiction novel, which instead of using overwrought morality tales, gets down to the heart of whether or not any of us is a good person deep down inside. This is a story of redemption and making up for past sins, in addition to continuing the evolution of the Jurisdiction political situation. Those looking for bugs to zap will be disappointed, but those who appreciate complex character development and classic adventure will enjoy Matthews' many plot twists and romantic (or Romantic!) spirit.

The homeworld of the prodigal Andrej Koscuisko is a realm with which people in our frequently self-indulgent times are hard-pressed to understand - a world where the wealthy are benevolent overseers who are responsible for those under their protection. Koscuisko has always been conflicted over his duties at home and his duties in Fleet, finding them completely at odds with each other and driving him further and further over the edge of sanity. Is it any surprise that eventually, something's got to give? Responsibility and love are what drive Koscuisko to take surprising, radical actions in this book, to the point where nothing under Jurisdiction - or in the life of the Ragnarok crew - will ever be the same again.

That said, the primary reason that I enjoyed this novel so much is how much fun I had reading it! Matthews' eye for detail is impeccable, from yes, the materials of clothing (critical information in a society whose livelihood and religion are based on textiles) to the digestive issues of sentient bat-like creatures, to the warm rekindling of dormant relationships. Characters that we've never before encountered are brought brilliantly to life, and we feel as though we're beside them as they struggle through difficult decisions that will alter the fabric of their reality forever. The author also has an appealingly dark sense of humor that meshes with the profound challenges her characters face. The plot twists and turns enough to keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning, right down to the last few pages. When it's over, you realize that Matthews has subtly led you to the edge of a revolution.

If you're a fan of the series, the book brings you a fuller understanding of Koscuisko's struggle and what he has had to sacrifice for his duty thus far - and what he will be giving up in the future, as the further destabilization of life under Jurisdiction continues. If you've never read any of the other books, then this might be a good opportunity to get to know Koscuisko the man before getting to know his demons, although some of the story's more shocking plot twists will not have quite the same impact for you. Even so, this book is complex, and thought-provoking, and I was eagerly awaiting the next installment from the moment I read the final sentence.