This is terribly written garbage. Between the awkward phrasing, the poor grammatical skill and the outright absurdity this volume of thinly veiled torture porn gets nothing but my disdain. I would not suggest these books, or anything else by this author, to anyone I did not hate and wish to punish. These are books to be put down and avoided. ( )

The "origin" story of a young man trained as a surgeon and heir to a noble house of an interstellar empire, compelled by custom to become a torturer, the primary duty of Fleet Inquisitor/Chief Medical Officier. The training course is a set 10 levels, starting at verbal abuse and quickly escalating to physical and potentially fatal violence. This is often ugly, but not ugly enough to entirely convince and while the pace and interest level pick up, there is a discouraging grim despair, not inappropriate, pervading the initial chapters, interleaved with a telling of the standard markers for "this character really isn't the typical dregs, this one is" that have become, though they may not have been in 1997? when it was first published. There is a twist in the character development which adds interest and tension, but is more buried under plot that satisfactorily addressed or developed, and huge hooks for future conflicts aside from the core one left bandaged over. ( )

What's good is great, and what isn't is mostly an amateur flexing. A powerful and alarming character study. Every person on Station is obsessed with Kosciusko, who can do no wrong (except for that one little thing...) my thoughts on this are still jumbled. I have the next several books in the series to start ASAP though. ( )

Gripping space opera drama. ( )

Epic space opera. Addictive to read and re-read every few years. Worth a read. ( )

This was a really good book. I'm a big fan of sci-fi in general, especially if it's more character based than plot based, which this one is. It's not an uplifting book - it's actually quite dark and depressing in many ways, but it's also quite engaging and interesting. Will definitely be reading the next one. ( )

This was a really good book. I'm a big fan of sci-fi in general, especially if it's more character based than plot based, which this one is. It's not an uplifting book - it's actually quite dark and depressing in many ways, but it's also quite engaging and interesting. Will definitely be reading the next one. ( )

Reviewed on SF Mistressworks: http://sfmistressworks.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/an-exchange-of-hostages-susan-r-... ( )

I like the concept. But it's so dry... the writing is very... hmm... dense or something. It became like work to read. Not sure if it's because it's dated, because the author was trying to pack too much in, or because I've been reading too many trashy beat-em-up books lately and this one is trying to draw a world, not just provide some justice by punching a guy in the face.

That... and the names are too complicated - everyone has 2 names or more, and is called by either one or the other, seemingly randomly, and on top of that they are all different ethnic groups so sometimes they're called by that, rather than by their names. So, until nearly the midpoint, I had to look back regularly to figure out which character was which... it shouldn't have been so much work.

But, overall, I'm torn as to whether or not the story/world is something that I'd like to continue reading about - I wish the writing weren't so dense, but I'm very intrigued as to what Andrej will have to do now that he's posted on a ship... ( )

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 screwed. 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. ( )

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).
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.

The link to my review of the series.

Promising surgeon Andrej Koscuisko must serve time in the military learning to also torture being for information.