Susan R. Matthews (born July 1952) is an American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

writer. Matthews was born in

Fort Benning, Georgia Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

. She lives in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. She served in the US Army as operations and security officer of a

Combat Support Hospital A Combat Support Hospital (CSH, pronounced "cash") is a type of modern United States Army field hospital. The CSH is transportable by aircraft and trucks and is normally delivered to the Corps#United States, Corps Support Corps area, Area in s ...

, later worked as an auditor for

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

and graduated from

Seattle University Seattle University (Seattle U or SU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and grad ...

with an MBA in accounting. Her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, ''An Exchange of Hostages'', was published by

Avon Books Avon Publications is a leading publisher of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reaching and ma ...

in 1997. It was nominated for the 1997 Philip K. Dick Award and for the 1998

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer The ''Astounding'' Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) is given annually to the best new writer whose first professional work of science fiction or fantasy was published within the two previous ...

; it also obtained fourth place in the poll for the 1998

Locus Award for Best First Novel The Locus Award for Best First Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus''. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Fir ...

. Like its sequels, ''An Exchange of Hostages'' is set in a dystopic

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...

future ruled by an autocratic

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

. The novel and most of its sequels follow Andrej Koscuisko, a state torturer, and are primarily concerned with his reactions to the violence he is called on to commit. The seven-book ''Under Jurisdiction'' series concluded in 2017 with ''Blood Enemies''.

Publications

;''Under Jurisdiction'' series #''An Exchange of Hostages'' (1997), (number 1 in series chronology) #''Prisoner of Conscience'' (1998), (number 2 in series chronology) #''Hour of Judgment'' (1999), (number 4 in series chronology) #''Angel of Destruction'' (2001), (number 3 in series chronology) #''The Devil and Deep Space'' (2002), (number 5 in series chronology) #''Warring States'' (2006), (number 6 in series chronology) #''Blood Enemies'' (2017), (number 7 in series chronology) #''Crimes Against Humanity'' (2019), ;''Under Jurisdiction'' Baen Omnibus series #''Fleet Inquisitor'' (2016), ##''An Exchange of Hostages'' (number 1 in series chronology) ##''Prisoner of Conscience'' (number 2 in series chronology) ##''Angel of Destruction'' (number 3 in series chronology) #''Fleet Renegade'' (2017), ##

''Hour of Judgment'' (number 4 in series chronology) ##''The Devil and Deep Space'' (number 5 in series chronology) ##''Warring States'' (number 6 in series chronology) #''Fleet Insurgent'' (2017), (collection of novellas, novelettes, and short stories) ;''The High Pamir'' series (as Zarabeth Abbey) #''The Wild High Places'' (2020), #''The Ley Lines of Kashgar'' (2021) ;Other novels *''Avalanche Soldier'' (1999), *''Colony Fleet'' (2000),

References

External links

* * 1952 births 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American women writers American science fiction writers American women novelists American women short story writers Date of birth missing (living people) Living people American women science fiction and fantasy writers {{US-novelist-1950s-stub