Buried Deep: A Retrieval Artist Novel (#4)

The story takes place at a time when humans have colonized the solar system and have made contact with intelligent alien species. In Sahara Dome on Mars a human skeleton has been discovered under the dwelling of the Disty - a race with intricate often brutal, rituals and a powerful aversion to death. The Disty dwellers evacuate their homes in great haste. They have suffered a major contamination. The only way to satisfy the Disty is to find family members of the human victim and convince them to take part in an alien ritual. The search to identify the body leads forensic anthropologist Aisha Costard to Armstrong Dome on the Moon where she hopes to convince Retrieval Artist Miles Flint to help her find the relatives. The Disty hold her responsible for the contamination of their brethren. If the relatives are not found within a few days the alien will legally take their savage revenge on her. A terrific blend of science fiction and murder mystery. I have read one other book in the Retrieval Artist series - The Disappeared (Roc, 2002) and enjoyed every word of it. Rusch tells a great story but also tackles the notion of what justice means when more than one species is involved. The answers can be unnerving for those who must make very difficult choices. Buried Deep is Book 4 in the series

In science fiction I look for original premise, good story, believable science (within the universe described) and interesting characters. I want to be entertained but not confused by inconsistencies. KKR does an outstanding job of entertaining me. The world she has created and its characters are consistent, sensible to that world, and unique. I have read all four books and this is one of the best. The reactions of the Disty is both unfathomable and logical--just as some human cultures are to me.

I, like another reviewer, had this book for several months before reading it due to other books on my to-do list but once I read it, enjoyed it immenseley. I'm a little puzzled by the negative reviews as they seemed to be based on either the fact that the reviewer has not read the entire series and thus, doesn't understand the characters' motivations (there's a rational reason for Miles Flint's coldness and objectivity - it was part of his tutelage from his mentor in order to survive in the RA business). The other negative reviews appear to be based on the belief that humans will always be the dominant species in the universe. This latter premise isn't a requirement in the sci-fi genre and frankly, doesn't fly even in the Star Trek universe where species liked the Romulans, the Borg and the Klingons kicked humanity's ass on occasion. To believe that we as humans would not play in a game where the rules are draconian to us assumes that we have the option of (a) thriving in said universe without cooperating or (b) that we are not vastly outnumbered and overwhelmed by other species. I happen to think Rusch's universe is closer to what might become our reality; after all, suppose extraterresterial contact arrives on our planet first (rather than us arriving on their planet), thus demonstrating their technological superiority? Regardless, for those readers who have read the other books in the series and are wondering about a let-down - have no fear. This installment, like others, is rich in plot, suspense, and characters and Rusch continues to paint a vivid picture as to interspecies conflict. If you haven't read any of the RA books, read the series in order - they are not standalone books. Highly recommended for the sci-fi enthusiast.

This series continues with a book in which we deal with the Disty and Humans, with only momentary glances at other species in Rusch's universe. This makes it easier to concentrate in detail on some fine points of the alien culture. It is also easier because the previous novels have established background; for that reason, I would tell someone just discovering Rusch that this is a series best read mostly in order, so go ahead and get all the books, not just this one first. Especially, one needs some background from the novel immediately preceding this one; if you can't pick them all up right away, at least get "Consequences." That said, let's consider the part of the plot that is this volume's alone. Mainly, it centers on the death taboos and customs of the Disty, the alien race who control Mars. These customs are extensive and nearly incomprehensible to humans, and quite complex. Some reviewers have found that point hard to swallow, complaining that it's not believable. However, two points: one, even among humans alone, we have a rule that "ignorance of the law is no excuse" and we punish people for accidentally breaking laws they didn't know existed and that no one thought to tell them. This is true across any spread of human cultures you choose to contrast. And breaking customs of another country or culture that one wasn't informed about is also quite common among humans in the real world, to the extent that people attempt to write guides to such things and all of them are inevitably described as incomplete. Point two, the complexity and variation of the Disty death taboos and customs and rituals is not unbelievable; for an analogy, just look at the complex of laws we have surrounding marriage: thousands and thousands of different ceremonies and customs around the planet, millions of small details regarding what is expected of married couples, varying widely from religion to religion, and in the breakup of any marriage, every case varies enough to need individual adjudication, including dividing of property specific to the couple, child custody arrangements ditto, and so on. In other words, while the rituals themselves may not be comprehensible to us, and we may not agree with the Disty beliefs covering them, the number of strange, complex rituals the Disty have is quite believable, and that fact that one doesn't find out about them until a particular case occurs is something we already have experience of in human culture. (Let's try showing the Disty a Jewish wedding and a Mormon wedding, shall we, and explaining that both have to do with the same basic concept of two humans living together and probably producing offspring...) For those new to the series, probably the level of pickiness I went into above indicates the complexity of the series, and the fullness of Rusch's universe. These are real people, with personality quirks, interactions with other fully realized people, and so on. Perhaps the selfish reporter is a bit of a stereotype,

In the far distant future, the moon and Mars have been colonized although the red planet is controlled by the alien Disty. All the different alien and human species belong to the federation and each member must obey all the laws of all the species or suffer the consequences. On mars the dead body of a human is found when the Disty are excavating the ground; according to their laws they are contaminated and blame the humans for what they think is their deliberate deception. Aisha Costard, forensic anthropologist, comes from Earth to Mars to examine the body before traveling to Armstrong Dome on the moon to meet the retrieval artist Miles Flint in the hopes that he can identify the corpse so that the Disty can perform the decontamination rituals. On Mars, a mass grave is found underneath where the skeleton was found. The Ditsy go berserk tearing the planet apart in order to find a place to live. Miles looks for a solution that will end the possibility of war between the humans and the Disty knowing if he fails, humanity will be slaughtered. Kristine Kathryn Rusch has written another exciting Retrieval Artist novel that reveals to readers much of the cultural mindset of an alien species. The negotiations and diplomatic maneuvering of the two races to avoid an all out conflict is similar to the 1970s roundtable Viet Nam negotiations. Miles is an important character seeking the solution to the problem but there are other prime protagonists who have an even bigger role in dealing with the Disty. The audience will find this science fiction mystery an excellent who-done-it due to the prominent role the aliens play. Harriet Klausner