20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Promotional note from the author, April 29, 2004
This review is from: An Exchange of Hostages (Mass Market Paperback)
I would like to take shameless advantage of this feature in Amazon.com to note that the first three Koscuisko novels (currently out of print) will be reprinted by Meisha Merlin in 2005. The next Koscuisko novel, "Warring States," is due from Meisha Merlin in late 2004/early 2005.
Cheers,
Susan R. Matthews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grim, September 6, 2000
This review is from: An Exchange of Hostages (Mass Market Paperback)
I read a couple of the other reviews here. They describe this book in glowing terms and, in many ways, I agree. The depth of characterization is impressive, as is the masterful way the author deals with the conflicts that are part of Koscuisko, the main character. I have read both this and the follow-up, Prisoner of Conscience, and both are very well-conceived and well-executed. I will not read any more of the books in this series, though. I read for entertainment. Both Koscuisko and the society that has produced him are extremely grim, and Koscuisko himself is often a difficult character to like. Simply put, he is a torturer, and he gets personal and professional satisfaction out of what he does, despite the conflicts it causes within him. I have read lots of books and seen many movies that depict cruelty and/or bloody events. Violence and conflict don't bother me. Here, however, you get sadism, and it is almost relished. The acceptance of such brutality is appalling. I found it impossible to like. These books are emotionally or ethically challenging, and depict squallor and misery to an almost nauseating degree. I've given them four stars in response to the depth and quality of the writing, but I don't recommend them for most readers.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Social Crime and Punishment, May 6, 2003
This review is from: An Exchange of Hostages (Mass Market Paperback)
An Exchange of Hostages is the first novel in the Judiciary series. In the future, the Judiciary system, faced by a series of revolts and other civil unrest, has determined that torture may be used to interrogate prisoners. However, only bench certified personnel are granted the Writ to Inquire and there are strict Protocols governing the type and level of torture allowed. In addition, the Judicary have created the involuntary Bond, a form of imprisonment without walls; the prisoner is implanted with a "governor" that punishs any disallowed thoughts or feelings. The imposition of torture and creation of bond-involuntaries has been increasing in recent years.
In this novel, Andrej Ulexeievitch Koscuisko is a graduate of the Mayon Surgical College with highest honors in Surgery and honors in Pharmacology. The Koscuisk family has a tradition of the eldest son joining the Fleet and, despite his desires to practice medicine as a civilian, Andrej is forced into Fleet Medical by his father. Since his father's time in the Fleet, however, the Writ to Inquire on its vessels has been taken from Security and invested in the Chief Medical Officer; that is, the CMO is responsible for the torture of prisoners under a judicial writ. So Andrej has to attend Fleet Orientation Station Medical where he is taught to torture prisoners. Unfortunately, he is good at torture and, to his shame, he enjoys it.
A fellow student at the Ship Surgeon's school, Mergau Noycannir, is not a Fleet officer, but a Clerk of Court from the Chilleau Judiciary, an experiment in certifying Inquisitors who are not medically trained. Noycannir is a manipulative, controlling personality who intends to make a good impression on the staff at any cost and soons begins to hate Andrej because of his social ease and his medical brilliance.
At Fleet Orientation Station Medical, Andrej is assigned a personal bond-involuntary, Joslire Curran, and has to accept his Bond until the end of the Term. This disturbs Andrej even further and he fights the system by getting to know Joslire.
This novel is a dysutopia in which both the executive and legislative branches of government have been subordinated to the Judiciary. Since present society seems to be moving in that direction, the author has obviously created a satire of extrapolation to the extreme. The story is capsulated within Andrej, simultaneously a victim of this society and a perpetrator of its evils. While it is a ugly picture, there is a degree of higher truth in the situation.
This novel has a Russian ambiance, probably in honor of Dostoevski's Crime and Punishment. This story explores many of the same issues, but in a social rather than a personal context. When is it permissible for an individual or a society to torture or kill its own citizens? Is it permissible for the society to do so, yet still punish such behavior by private individuals? Should the public individuals who implement such punishments feel any guilt for their sanctioned activities? How can a medical officer reconcile his Hippocratic Oath to his oath as a Fleet officer if his duties include the saving of some lives and the taking of others, depending upon his orders?
The torture scenes are tastefully done, without graphic details of physical mutilation. However, they are disturbing by reference, invoking more vivid and terrifying images. Read these sections very lightly.
Recommended for anyone who enjoyed Crime and Punishment or who would enjoy a tale of character development in a vile situation.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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