Incarceron

Although a captive in Incarceron prison, Flinn adamantly believes that he is there by mistake. Incarceron is more than a prison: it is a structure so vast and timeless that millions of prisoners reside within its dark interior for generation upon generation. Unlike the others who have been residents since birth, Flinn has no memories of his past in prison, but in fact indistinct memories of another place.

Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and heir to the privileges of that position. Despite her lofty status, she feels out of place and dissatisfied with the role she has been asked to accept, which includes an impending marriage to the despicable prince of the kingdom. Both Flinn and Claudia appear fated to their bleak futures until a mysterious pair of devices bring them into verbal contact. Together they work to escape their prisons, his physical and hers psychological, and unlock the mystery that is Incarceron.

Ms. Fisher creates an extraordinary world both inside and outside the prison, dripping with atmosphere and renaissance culture. She creates highly believable characters complete with flaws and virtues, and crafts genuine relationships amongst them. This terrific novel is part one of a continuing series, but is highly entertaining as a standalone work.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: This was a great fantasy filled with a intriguing story, a fascinating world, and wonderful characters.

Opening Sentence: Finn had been flung on his face and chained to the stone slabs of the transitway.

The Review:

Finn is a young prisoner in the prison Incarceron. He woke up 3 years ago in a tunnel in the prison and has no memory of his previous life. He doesn’t believe that he was born in the prison because he keeps having visions of his earlier life. He knows that the outside exists but no one escapes Incarceron. Eventually Finn finds a mysterious crystal key that is supposed to be able to help him escape. He is able to communicate with the beautiful Claudia and she is determined to help him escape his prison.

Claudia is the Warden of Incarceron’s daughter. She has been raised knowing that she will one day be the queen. Years ago Giles, the crown prince of the realm and her fiancée, was killed in a riding accident. She now is engaged to the annoying Casper, Earl of Steen, he is the son of the current Queen. He is going to be the next king and Claudia would do anything to not have to marry him. Events start to unfold and Claudia gets a feeling that what happened to Giles was fowl play and she plans to expose the Queen and her son as the culprits. By doing this she hopes to stop her impending wedding. She knows that Incarecron exists but no one knows where it is or how penetrate it. When she steals a crystal key from her father she meets the prisoner Finn and decides that she will do what she can to try and set him and everyone else free from the dreaded prison.

The story is told from both Finn and Claudia’s point of view. Finn is a noble, honest person that lives in a brutal world. Inside Incarceron life is very difficult and to survive Finn has had to make some very tough decisions and trust not very good people. But with the visions of the outside world, Finn holds the key ingredient to surviving Incarceron, hope. He makes mistakes, but in the end he really tries to do right by the people who have helped him. He doesn’t live in an ideal situation, but he tries to do the best he can, which I found to be an admirable quality. Finn is a good strong character and I enjoyed getting to know him.

Claudia has been raised to obey and do as she is told. It has been her father’s dream to see her become queen. Claudia has always put on a complaint front, but underneath she is very rebellious. I love that she has a feisty side and she goes to great lengths to get what she wants. On the other hand she also has a very compassionate side. She has her own agenda to be sure, but she doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. She wants justice and she really wants to do the right thing. Claudia was a fun character with lots of attitude and I am excited to read more of her story.

I really enjoyed Incarecron. The world that Fisher created was fascinating and intriguing. The characters were strong and I felt that I got to know them all pretty well. The story was interesting and held my interest the whole way through. There were a few moments where I felt that the pacing dragged a little bit, but it was minimal. The action was really well done; the plot had some surprising twists. There is very little romance in this book, but there were lots of hints that suggest there will be more in book two. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys YA Dystopian or fantasy books.

Notable Scene:

Tugging the pack over, he put his hand in, and touched the Key.

It was warm.

He lifted it out, very gently, and let his fingers close over it, so that the heat it was generating comforted his cramped fingers. Quietly it said, “Speak to me.”

Wide-eyed, Finn glanced at the others.

No one moved.

Carefully, his leather belt creaking in the stillness, he stood up and turned. He managed three steps before the rustling crunch of the metal leaves made Keiro mutter and turn over.

Behind the tree, Finn froze.

He brought the Key up to his ear. It was silent. He touched it, all over, shook it. Then he whispered to it. “Sapphique. Lord Sapphique. Is that you?”

FTC Advisory: Dial/Penguin provided me with a copy of Incarceron. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

***SPOILERS AHEAD*** I enjoyed this book for the most part. I thought the idea of a sentient prison was interesting, which is what intrigued me enough to check out the book from my library. However, once I got to the end of the first chapter, I was very confused and doubted whether I would finish (I did). The first chapter throws you right into the action with no real explanation for the events. This can be effective, but it was not in this case. After finishing the book, I still don't understand quite what happened in that first chapter. Luckily, the book moved on to Claudia's point-of-view, which I consistently liked. The idea of the technologically advanced society reverting back to the 1700s was intriguing to me, especially with the exceptions to Protocol. The reason that Finn's point-of-view wasn't as interesting to me was because I didn't understand the rules of the prison. How big was it? Was it the size of a building? A country? How did people get food? I would have liked to know more about that in the beginning, as opposed to the middle and end. I grew to like Finn's point-of-view more once it intersected with Claudia's, but I still don't understand the prison that well. It wasn't described very well, except for the metal tree forest, as I thought Finn's sections took place in some kind of abandoned mansion, but then it seemed to be a cave, then there was a city, then multiple cities and countryside, something about a wall, and then the, for lack of a better term, spirit of in Incarceron, even though the dragon was already the spirit of Incarceron, as far as I understood it. I think the author could have done a better job with that. The role of the Warden was confusing to me as well, as he somehow was able to go inside Incarceron without the keys, as far as I understood it. I found the secret identity twist to be fairly obvious, but not the location one. This isn't a problem for me, as I enjoy being able to guess the twist with the information supplied.
Verdict - I might reread. I would read the sequel, but I'll probably borrow it from the library.

Incarceron is part steampunk, part dystopian future and perhaps part magic. The idea behind the book is that the worlds criminals have been sent into a living prison, leaving their heirs to the same, unending life. Life on the outside is much different than in Incarceron itself.

The story is told from two perspetives – that of Finn (who lives in Incarceron) and that of Claudia (who lives outside of it)

While I did sort of enjoy the book, I'm not particularly looking forward to reading its sequel “Sapphique”. The book did keep me guessing...perhaps a little too much. I kept thinking to myself “What are we dealing with here?” and so many of my questions were left unanswered.

I much prefered reading about Claudia on the outside than of Finn on the outside. I felt like her parts might explain a little more about the world and why it was left the way it was. We get small peaks here and there about it – but not enough to satiate my curiosity. I want to know more! I want to know more about why they seem to be trying to live a more Medieval existance than their clearly advanced scientific existence. I want to know why innocent people, born into Incarceron had to remain there – even though they had commited to crimes in the outside world.

Fisher keeps you guessing throughout the entire book – especially about the basis of Incarceron itself. Where is it? What is it? And if you're quick enough, you'll probably come to the proper conclusion fairly early on in the book.

The world building was strange. I often felt I didn't understand what Fisher was trying to get across. Her explainations of the different places within Incarceron were just weird. I didn't understand enough in the writing to form a great visual.

I did enjoy the book, though. I think the driving power behind it is the fact that it does keep you guessing – though you may be disappointed that not all your questions are answered.

If you're a little wary of reading it – perhaps wait for the movie, for which the book has been optioned. No information yet on whether it will go through or when the release date may be – keep your eyes on IMDB for that one.

Soooo, what to say about Incarceron? It's good. The writing is stellar. The idea is big and interesting. I appreciate the world-building and the characters. But I felt like I'd been reading this book for 15 years, instead of a week. A lot happens, don't get me wrong. But it just felt really slow. I'll read book two at some point. I want to see what happens. But I'm gonna give myself a break from it first.

Note: I bought a hardback out in the real world.

Admittedly I did not finish this book. This is another one that I only read half way through & just could not read any more. Which was seriously disappointing because I had been wanting to read Incarceron for ages because the entire idea of a prison in a house that is pretty much sentient was a thrilling prospect in my opinion. I adored the setting & the way the house did, as the book went along, take on quite a life of its own. Not to mention it was vast & all-encompassing which gave the entire story a macabre, monster-always-around-the-corner, type feel to it.

That being said, I could not connect with the characters at all. We are introduced to Finn in the midst of a con that ultimately ends up in an innocent woman dying. Right away I disliked his method of survival & the people he chose to hang around, namely his "oath brother" who seemed like a personality at the height of sociopathy from the get go. There was no rhyme or reason to their relationship or any of the others Finn had within Incarceron.

Then Claudia is tossed into the mix. She is not in Incarceron but has a driving desire to find out more about it. She was apparently trained by her father from her infancy to withstand marriage to the scoundrel she has been betrothed to through some possibly secret conspiracy. She believes her mother-in-law-to-be may have killed her original intended groom & schemes & plans to find out as much as she can. Which would have been interesting if there had been some reason for me to care about what happened to her. She is a cold, bland, aloof little princess who, had she a spunky best friend to draw her out, might have been sympathetic but never came across that way. Instead I half wondered if she wasn't a robot but didn't feel like slogging through more of the story to find out.

I know that Incarceron has a huge following & I read many enthusiastic reviews of it so writing this one myself is a big disappointment. I really wanted to like this book but I just didn't. I would recommend it to those who enjoy odd dystopians with steampunk twists who can bond with characters in spite of those things I felt Finn & Claudia lacked. It's not a horrible book at all -- just not a book for me.

I know, I know....this book is sooooo yesterday, but oh my, what a fantastic jewel of a read for those of you who have yet to discover this gem! Catherine Fisher does an outstanding job building a world within a world with her novel, Incarceron

Incarceron is a story about a future prison that the outside world thinks is a paradise while those on the inside believe the same to be true of the outside, but neither could be further from the truth. In both worlds there are those who rule and are ruled by fear but both worlds also contain a secret, a secret some would kill for. Inside the prison is a boy, Fin, who swears he is from the outside and has visions of, what he believes, his life before. No one has ever escaped except one man and even that could be made up fantasy. The Warden's daughter, Claudia is ever so curious and intelligent and makes contact with Fin through a pair of crystal keys and is determined that he is the missing prince that she was once betrothed to. Can she break Fin out and call off her horrid betrothal to a irresponsible playboy prince? Is there even a way to escape the prisons that they both live in?

I have to tell you, I was constantly engaged by the characters that live in the two worlds that Fisher has brought to life. They each were so unique and real in their actions, their decisions and their feelings and frustrations. The only thing that could top the rich characters was the detailed descriptions of the two worlds. Fisher created a landscape so vivid that I actually felt as if I was walking the halls of Claudia's home and grounds and then a second later I was inside the prison walls and could smell the stenches and feel the desperation all around. Seriously, a talented brave writer who opened our eyes to a world beyond imagination.

Seventeen-year-old Finn is convinced he does not belong in Incarceron, the endless nightmare of a prison. Created hundreds of years ago by the wise council of the Sapienti, Incarceron is unlike any prison ever constructed. Prisoners do not just live in cells but also the world that is Incarceron. This includes rundown cities, unbridled wilderness, deep chasms and the unknown. According to legend, only one man has ever escaped to the "Outside": the mysterious Sapphique. Finn plans on following in Sapphique's footsteps, but a few obstacles stand in his way, one of which is the person who overlooks Incarceron: the Warden.

On the Outside, only the Warden knows the secrets of Incarceron, and he has no plans to share them, not even to his only daughter, Claudia. Being the Warden's daughter, Claudia has been exposed to the finest things money can buy. Her trusty tutor, Jared, has left out nothing from her top-notch education. There are strings attached to this upbringing, however, and the Warden has slowly been preparing Claudia to become queen in an arranged marriage she is dreading. It doesn't help that she is also terrified of her father and his power over both her and Incarceron.

Circumstances begin to change for Finn and Claudia when they both come into possession of a mysterious crystal key. Claudia managed to swipe hers from her father's study, while Finn procured his after a deadly hostage exchange. Not only do the keys enable Finn to unlock doors within Incarceron, they also allow Claudia and Finn to see and hear each other. Armed with this new power, they pledge to help one another escape their ill-fated situations.

Claudia is now in a race against time. Her marriage is only days away, and she is determined to help Finn escape --- even if that means entering Incarceron herself. But a conspiracy brewing in the royal court just may end any hope of rescue. She is also unsure how to avoid the all-knowing, all-condemning authority of the Warden.

Meanwhile, Finn is in a battle against both himself and the deadly prison. Untold dangers lay ahead the dark and twisting world of Incarceron. Finn's band of followers --- oathbrother Keiro, slave-girl Attia and resident prophet Gildas --- are just as clueless as Finn. Does he have enough determination to overcome the deception of Incarceron, and is it even possible for someone to leave? Incarceron is alive, watching and waiting.

The idea of putting the world's criminals, terrorists and murderers into a self-sustaining prison is both alluring and intriguing. Not only would it potentially rid the world of immediate danger, it would also place the prisoners in a supernatural environment that appears free from the restrictions of a cell. Author Catherine Fisher takes this theory and runs with it. She has the difficult task of creating two completely opposite worlds and melding them into one storyline --- and ultimately succeeds on every level. Fantasy-lovers will be drawn into the worlds of INCARCERON and will not be disappointed in Fisher's clever and expertly crafted plot. Add this one to your reading list immediately.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche ([email protected])

*POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT*

This was one of the most imaginative and unique books I've read recently. Catherine Fisher creates two incredibly vivid worlds. In one world, the "Outside" is locked in a time warp where modern machines and conveniences are not allowed. The other world takes place inside the prison Incarceron. Incarceron is like a social experiment gone wrong. All the criminals, radicals, and undesirables were placed inside the prison to creat a new society. The outside world thinks Incarceron is a type of utopia, but the prison's residents know better. Even more disturbing is that Incarceron is actually alive and likes to play with the lives of its prisoners.

Again, Fisher's imagine is off the charts in Incarceron. But there was something keeping me from loving it. Admittedly, there was so much going on that I had a hard time following the plot completely. And at times, it felt overly long. While I enjoyed the characters, I didn't fall in love with the characters like I have in other series. I felt like I was kept at arm's length from understanding the characters, particularly Finn. But I will say that I was kept guessing the whole time. I was never sure what was going to happen or whether to believe character's motives. That, in and of itself, made for an exciting read.

Fans of Steampunk and Sci-Fi will probably enjoy this book. It is more involved and complicated than a typical YA novel and those that find fantasy YA to be too simplistic, will probably find Incarceron to be more complex and involved.

This was my second attempt at reading this book. The first time I only got halfway before I put it back on my book shelf. I'm glad this time I was able to finish it.

It was hard to get into this book at first. My eyelids were heavy by the end of each chapter. But, once I got into it I really did like it. The world is so interesting. I was questioning what it was the whole time. Where is the Prison? What is the Prison?

Most of the sci-fi in this book is just stated and not explained. It works for this novel, but I like when there's an explanation for how something could actually happen in reality. One of the questions I had was how the Prison recycles the organic matter.

By the second half of the novel, the characters become more fledged out as their secrets are revealed. There are a lot of big revelations by the end of the novel, but I wasn't on the edge of my seat throughout the novel like most current YA novels.

There are small passages before each chapter that are interesting, but don't mean much at the beginning of the novel before you have context.

I am interested in the sequel. The end of this novel made me think so much about the story and the world.

I like when books blend genres. This book did it pretty well. Sci-fi and fantasy. A world living in the past. Magic and science. I give this novel a 4/5. I recommend it to fans of blended sci-fi and fantasy series like Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire and The Maze Runner series.

Incarceron is an intriguing fantasy/sci-fi with a complex plot and complex characters. It seamlessly incorporates history, physics, and a heroic suicidal quest to stop evil. It is set in the future, a future that is imprisoned in a pre-technology/industrialization past with a highly technologically advanced prison. In an attempt to save the world after multiple wars fought over resources and control of technology, a totalitarian government outlaws all industry and technology and destroys all of the history and materials related to them except for the hidden prison that houses all criminals and dissidents. The fantasy and historical fiction story centers around entitled, aristocratic teen, Claudia,who is determined to find a way into and out of the prison to correct a horrible injustice and rescue Finn, the rightful heir to the throne. The science fiction story is the story of Finn. He has been told for years that he was born in the prison, there is no way out of the prison and his memories are delusions. But Finn knows he used to live in a world of space, light, comfort and clean air and he is determined to find a way back to that world. Incarceron has so many characters with secrets that it is impossible to figure out who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The last 1/3rd of the novel is action packed and cleverly set up for a sequel that promises more twists and more secrets revealed. There will also be several characters plotting revenge.

I first saw "Incarceron" the other day, prominently displayed in Borders as a New Release, read the cover blurb and bought it. When I got home I looked a little more closely and found that it was published in the UK in 2007. Uh-oh! Why so long for a US release? Trying to eke out a few more bucks from a loser?

Then I began to read. About 10 hours later (over 2 days -we had a foot of snow and nobody was going anywhere) I turned the last page of this extraordinary mix of fantasy, SF, quest and adventure. The story is told from two alternating sets of narrative - the first, that of 18 year old Finn and his entourage who are on a quest to escape from Incarceron, an unfathomably huge and sentient prison where life is brutal, horrible and vicious. Virtually all the inhabitants of Incarceron were born there, and plants and animals are strange hybrids of organic flesh and bone and machinery. The origins of the place are lost in antiquity, as are the location and true nature of the prison.

The second narrative concerns Claudia, the 18 year old daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, who was betrothed at the age of 5 to the son of the King an Queen of the realm, a strange place (presumably earth) in a strange time (presumably the far future) where by general decree everyone observes "Protocol" which means living as if it were pre-industriatal England of the 17th or 18th century. At age 15 the royal heir, Giles, is killed in a riding accident, and Claudia then is forced into an engageent with his snarky step-brother, Caspar.

Claudia and Finn begin to communicate via a series of identical crystal artifacts, of extremely high technology and unknown origin, that each has recently come to possess. Simultaneously Claudia is informed that the wedding date has been accelerated and she is shipped off to meet the Queen and have a wedding that makes Charles and Diana's wedding look like a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

The novel is billed as young adult (although not anywhere on the book jacket, at least that I noticed) and there is no sex and no harsh language, but the plot is nuanced and the writing, while easy enough for a YA audience, is still complex enough to not bore adults. The combination of fantasy and SF reminded me a little of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials' trilogy. Like that series, "Incarceron" is the first of a multi-book series, and the second book was released in the UK 2 years ago, but is not slated for US publication until later this year (but is available in the US now if you look hard).

"Incarceron" was a tremendously original and enjoyable stand-alone novel, suitable for children and adults who enjoyed Harry Potter and Percey Jackson. I can't wait (the 10-14 days) until I get my hands on the sequel/part 2 of this fine series.

Jim Tepper

Incarceron combines three literary genres: dystopia, science fiction, and pure fantasy (as opposed to fantasy elements in a realistic setting). These are three of my least favorite genres, so I was surprised to really enjoy Incarceron.

Fisher creates two rich worlds in Incarceron. We have the prison itself, Finn's World, which has a variety of classes, societies, and cities. It even has its own religion. Then we have Outside, Claudia's world. Outside is a contrast between old and new. On the surface, it looks like England in the 16th century. But the subtle uses of advanced technology sets Outside in some future era. Since Claudia is the daughter of the Warden, her world is filled with politics.

The book switches back and forth between Claudia and Finn's points of view. The switches were often very quick - only page or two for each person's story. Some people might find the rapid switches between viewpoints a bit jarring. But since I get frustrated with pure fantasy quickly, the changes were enough to hold my attention. We're slowly introduced into the fantasy worlds. Nothing ever feels bogged down.

I noticed that one of the tag suggestions is "romance." In contrast, I saw very little romance in this book. There are hints of it for sure...but definitely not between Claudia and her betrothed. People use allegations of romantic relationships between Claudia and others as justification for their actions, but it's never an actual plot-point in the book. It's nice to have a book where the focus is just on the characters and the story without the ubiquitous love plot thrown in to fit the YA genre.

I'm looking forward to reading the sequels. Fisher's worlds are so complicated that Incarceron only touches the surface of the people, politics, setting, technology, culture, religion, etc. It's my main criticism of the book - it's so complex that there isn't enough time to really "get it." Hopefully, it will be better fleshed out in the future books.

Incarceron: it's a vast intelligent city-prison, sealed off from the outside world and hidden from everybody except the Warden.

So it's pretty much inevitable that one day, a way out -- or a way in -- will be found. Catherine Fisher's "Incarceron" is a hauntingly original sci-fi/fantasy story, setting up two very different characters in two parts of a stagnated future world. It's kind of confusing at times, but it smoothly clicks into gear after awhile.

Both Claudia and Finn are trapped. She's the Warden's pampered daughter, and is about to be married off to a playboy prince for her father's benefit. He's an amnesiac boy in the Scum gang, plagued by seizures that give him prophetic visions.

But their lives take unexpected turns when a prisoner taken in a Scum raid on a train recognizes Finn's eagle tattoo, and he manages to get his hands on a mysterious key that might allow him to get outside -- if he can find the door. And Claudia is plotting with her dying teacher to get a mysterious key hidden in the Warden's office.

When the two keys bring Claudia and Finn into contact, Finn suddenly has hope that he can escape Incarceron -- but instead he encounters the true horrors of the secret prison. And in her desperation to avoid marrying the bratty prince, Claudia uncovers a secret plot that her father is involved with... and not only Finn's secrets, but her own.

Metal trees, stagnant royal courts, sorcery, creepy old crones and high-tech prisons that always watch with red camera eyes. The world of "Incarceron" is a pretty weird one, and it works pretty well considering it seems to be cobbled together from all sorts of strange sources -- the only real problem is that Fisher takes a VERY long time to mesh together her two main storylines. And I'm still not quite sure what the Sapienti are.

Fisher has strangely haunting, vivid prose, with lots of tangled plots and motives, and some moments of pure horror (Finn encountering a vast, freakish Beast made of bugs, dead flesh and metal). While it starts off very slow, the plot really starts speeding up when Finn and Claudia encounter each other, both in the keys and in person. And Fisher manages to throw some genuine surprises into the mix -- while keeping the door wide open for a sequel.

Claudia and Finn are likable characters who are both similar and very different -- they're trapped and manipulated, yet they both crave freedom from their terrible lives. Fisher also twines in a bunch of supporting characters whose motives are often murky -- you've got bratty princes, malevolent queens, the icy Warden, the sickly mentor Jared and the tricksteresque oathbrother Keiro.

"Incarceron" is kind of slow-moving through the first half, but fortunately there's enough plot, chills and intrigue to make up for that. And I think the story of Incarceron isn't over.

I went into this not really knowing what to expect. I had a lot of people tell me that the book was ZOMG FANTASTIC and they loved it, while I had another group of people tell me that it was alright.

I have to side with the people who told me it was alright.

Why? Well, I have to admit - I LOVED the world Catherine created. I was easily sucked into that; the world inside Incarceron, the court politics outside of it, the Era they were stuck in. That was fantastic.

But one of the main parts of the plot (Giles/Finn) was sadly predictable. As the book went on, it was easy to pluck out what was going to happen. I only missed one plot point involving Claudia, but even then I wasn't overwhelmed by it.

I connected to Claudia and Finn, which was a good thing - they were the main characters of the story, after all. I didn't really like any of the other characters, Jared aside.

And I didn't get into the writing - I was more into it at the beginning then I was at the end, surprisingly, though the action picked up as the book moved on.

Incarceron is a dark, intelligent fantasy unlike any other. This book pulls no punches as it describes two worlds; one a living prison where society has sent all of its criminals and its wisest leaders in a great "social experiment" to create a perfect society, and the other a world that has voluntarily stunted its own growth, put itself into its own prison by outlawing progress. Incarcercon is by no means a perfect society. It has turned into a violent hell ruled by the prison itself which allows lawless bands of criminals to prey on the weak. It's counterpart is a world filled with political intrigue, spying, backstabbing and assassination. These two worlds meet when Finn, a prisoner of Incarceron finds the key and uses it to contact Claudia, the daughter of the prison warden.

The characters in this novel are brave yet terrified, smart yet naive; in other words very human. They drive this novel through a sea of suspense, meeting up with incredible characters and situations as they work from outside the prison and inside to find a way for them both to escape.

This novel is slow going in the beginning, but hang with it! The author takes a bit to set her incredible universe and it is well worth the wait. I would recommend this to any fantasy lover from 6th grade to adults as it is a truly unique look at society. I can't wait for the next one in this series.

Incarceron was created to be a paradise. Instead, it has become a warped and ruined prison world. Finn is one such prisoner, but with no memory of his past beyond waking in a cell. But Finn has dreams of an outside world, dreams that may be memories. And when he discovers a mysterious key, Finn embarks on a journey to escape Incarceron, if there is a way out at all. Meanwhile, young Claudia is betrothed to Prince Caspar, a cruel and naïve boy. Her only hope in escaping an unwanted future is a key that she has found to Incarceron, of which her father is Warden. Claudia and Finn hang all of their hopes on each other, when they discover they can communicate through the keys. But escaping Incarceron will be much more difficult than either of them can imagine.

Finn is a sympathetic character, especially when he mourns his bad decisions. He wants nothing more than to escape Incarceron, but not at the expense of his friends. Though, we're never quite sure what some of his friends would do if the situations were reversed. Never knowing what was going on inside of their heads definitely added to the suspense of each circumstance they were thrown into. The story is told mainly from Finn and Claudia's point of view. Claudia is often called haughty and cold, though the reader only sees her as a compassionate girl towards her teacher and Finn. The greatest suspense of the story is driven by the Warden's and Queen's treachery and deceit.

I confess to being a little confused when first starting the story. The setting was unclear, and characters even more so. But after a couple chapters, the story set into motion, characters started developing, and I was soon caught up and couldn't put it down. Incarceron is a fantastic story that both science fiction and fantasy fans will enjoy. Written for young adults, the main characters are teenagers; but the story translates for adults as well. No sappy, teenage angst. But there is plenty of drama, intrigue, and mystery in this captivating tale.

My Thoughts

I was really excited to read this book as the premise reminds me of a very cool Sci-Fi movie, The Cube. Of course, Incarceron takes the idea of a `never-ending' prison much further and adds some fantastical elements to the plot, all the while questioning human nature. The book opens with a bang, and I will admit to being lost in the chaos. At first, it was very confusing jumping back and forth between the two main character's lives. Once I became more familiar with the world, the switching became easier, and the need for it is essential to the story. It took about 200 pages for me to become extremely interested in the book, and a certain turn of events hooked me.

Setting up the world for this book was intense, as Incarceron is an intense place. I am still a tad confused about some elements and rules of this world, and it was exhausting trying to piece it together. However, other readers seemed to fare just fine. Incarceron was originally set up as a social experiment. Deviants of society were locked away and provided with the best education, environment, opportunities. In short, they hoped to create Paradise. Utopia, anyone? Think again. Human nature reared its ugly head and Incarceron soon became a living hell, full of greed, violence, dishonesty and wrath. The funny thing is, the Outsiders still believed Incarceron to be a place of bliss, until Claudia stumbles upon the ugly truth.

I immediately liked Claudia because of her disdain for the rules, even though her father is the Warden of Incarceron. Oh, what a menacing character he was too! You quickly became aware that the Warden did not play games. Jared is Claudia's faithful tutor/inventor and bends rules to assist Claudia in discovering the truth. Finn was an interesting character, full of hope and determination to reach Outside, and flee the grasps of Incarceron. I loved Attia, a young girl who becomes quite loyal to Finn after he saves her life. She is fierce and courageous and stands up to anyone. I absolutely loved that something non-human was the antagonist of the story. Incarceron is a very creepy, spiteful presence who is determined to keep its inhabitants securely locked away. For me, Incarceron was the most interesting character.

I enjoyed the little quotes at the beginning of each chapter, taken from various texts, letters, etc. from the world. It brought an extra bit of information about the world that we wouldn't otherwise get from the story. The ending of the book is a great seque into Sapphique, which I thoroughly look forward to reading.

My Favorite Quotes

"Only the man who has known freedom can define his prison."

"Walls have ears.
Doors have eyes.
Trees have voices.
Beasts tell lies.
Beware the rain.
Beware the snow.
Beware the man
You think you know.

[...]

With the ever-present Eyes of Incarceron watching him, our main character, Finn, is never alone. Well, with Keiro by his side, he wouldn't be alone anyway but that's beside the point. Finn is a Starseer, a rare person who has visions of the Outside, and is able to lead to Escape from the prison. Finn and Claudia (our other main character) along with his oathbrother Keiro, the wise Sapient, Gildas, and his friend Attia, all embark on a journey to find a way out of the prison only one other (Sapphique) has escaped from...if the legends are to be believed, that is.

At times, I was honestly confused as to just what the heck as going on, but for the most part, the story is fairly easy to follow...well as easy as it can be to follow restricted 18th century protocol along with assassination plots, betrothals, and betrayal aplenty. I must say though, Claudia's character annoyed me for most of the book. Her attitude and haughtiness (though understandable), grated on my nerves. There is definitely room for improvement, pacing-wise, but all in all, this book was a good read.

Incarceron is a prison with a conscious. The realm outside the prison once knew great progress and scientific advancements under the Sapient who created the prison. The prison was created as a place for prisoners to reform and create a new perfect society. Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of the prison. She does not understand the prison nor her father. Claudia was engaged to the prince of the realm who disappeared. She does not want to marry the new prince. Wanting to know more about her father and out of frustration she steals a key from his office. The key connects her to the world inside the prison and Finn a young man who remembers the stars something not seen in Incarceron. Finn and Claudia talk of the world inside the prison and the failure of the Sapienti to create a peaceful world full of moral and perfection. They begin to plan Finn and his friends Attia and Keiro's escape from the prison.

I enjoyed the idea of a futuristic prison that is animated and can talk and think for it's self. The characters in the book are human while existing in a world that is foreign and strange and changing even to the inhabitants of the prison. Curiosity plays a big part in what happens in the story. Sapphique idolized by both the prison itself and those within the prison has escaped to the outside world. None know how he did so and the prison itself have a conscious of it's own craves knowledge of what is beyond itself. There are so may things about this book that make you stop and wonder or ponder the possibilities of such inventions. While the realm outside of the prison has been trapped in the 18th century without progress Incarceron is full of change and uncertainty. The differences between the inside and outside of the prison are what drive the story. I look forward to the next book.

Incarceron- an infinite prison created to hold the criminals, the unwanted and the refuse. It was supposed to be a place to rehabilitate those imprisoned there, a paradise... but something went wrong. Now those trapped inside live in hell and the prison has become something altogether new- a horrible living organism.

Claudia is the daughter of the warden of Incarceron. She senses that something is not quite right about her world. A prisoner in her own right, she is being groomed to be the next queen- married off to the current Queen's selfish son- for her society had stopped progressing long ago, when something called The Protocol was enacted, trapped in a time when courtiers and facades of civility hide terrible secrets. Longing to escape the tyranny of a hopeless future, she stumbles upon a strange key while secretly investigating her father's study. A mystery quickly unfolds because, with the key, she has found the way to unlock her world- along with the door to Incarceron.

Brilliantly imagined the mystery of Incarceron and Claudia's world kept me reading on... even when the mostly 2-dimensional characters less than thrilled me. But I must confess, the admittedly fascinating world building failed to hold me over through much of this book- especially when it took so long for the prisoners of Incarceron to make their way out.

This story wants to be a dystopian YA on the scope of The Hunger Games and the plethora of other similar books hitting the best sellers right now, unfortunately it lacks engaging characters. (I think the author even tried to set up a love triangle however she pretty much failed, imo. You have to get the reader to care about whom ends up with whom and with an otherwise selfish heroine, a passive hero and side characters that granted, were a bit more intriguing then the H/h- it just didn't work for me.)

The story throws in some predictable twists that are easy to guess- especially if you've been reading (or watching) Sci Fi, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, for as long as I have- (view spoiler)- but they did manage to give me a moment of pause to mull them over. There is that.

I sound hard on this book, and in a way I am, because I love dystopian fiction so much and set it to a higher standard, but I did in fact like it more than some other YA out there- ::cough cough twilight cough cough:: I at least wanted to read the entire book and might even consider reading on if the author can resolve the lack of character depth. (With Twilight I gave up halfway through the first book!)

So- with some qualms- I do recommend this book if you like the genre, because let's face it, disappointing fantasy/ sci fi is better than a lot of other genre fiction out there! Just sayin.

Incarceron is a prison from which there is no escape. Incarceron is cruel. Incarceron is ever-changing. Incarceron is all-seeing and all-knowing. Incarceron is alive. In the depths of this prison that is more than a prison, seventeen-year-old Finn and those he calls friends, but knows better than to trust, fight for survival. The prison is always watching and listening, but the prison seems to thrive on violence, infighting, and death, and therefore those trapped within are free to wage war, kill, love, hate, and even have children. Finn is called a star-gazer by the older ones and seems to have fits or seizures that allow him to see and maybe remember things that happened from before he was a prisoner. But how can that be? No one has ever come in from outside and no one ever, ever leaves. Unless the stories of the mystical Sapphique are true. Then, one person did leave and those legends give Finn and his band of misfits a little hope in a sea of hopelessness. On the outside, in a world none of the prisoners has ever seen, lives Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. She too is imprisoned in a way. In her world, everyone must pretend to live deep in the past, in an almost medieval world where there are rules and orders and no one dare step out of their "place", speak out against wrong doing, or go against their parent's wishes. Claudia has been raised by her father to be a queen, has been betrothed to the Queen's son, and soon will be forced into a loveless marriage with a man she despises. Then, Finn and Claudia's worlds collide as secrets about Incarceron and the Warden are revealed, a plot to assassinate the queen is discovered, and the legends of Sapphique prove to be true. Incarceron is a well-woven tale, spellbinding, dark, sometimes frightening, but very, very satisfying. A great read for grades 7 and up.

Title: Incarceron
Author: Catherine Fisher
US Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
UK Publisher: Hodder
Length: 448pg Hardback
Rating: 3/5

For those who don't know about Incarceron read the rest of this paragraph for a brief summary, otherwise you can skip down to the next few paragraphs. Incarceron seems to take place in a futuristic society that is extremely technologically advanced. While it's extremely advanced, it is also a society that is forced into living as if it was a more medieval period by the monarchy. To keep society to the status quo, the government created Incarceron, a failed experiment, a place to put all the undesirables where they would be sealed away in a supposed utopia - also seen as a jail of sorts. There is one trick to this place that makes it unique, it's alive.

Enter one of the main characters, Finn. He has no real recollection of his past other than brief glimpses of things he can't make complete sense of. One thing he does believe he's certain of is the fact that he is from the outside, that he is from outside of Incarceron. But that can't be, because no one comes into Incarceron, or gets out.

The other main character is Claudia. While Finn doesn't know much other than inside Incarceron, Claudia has grown up on the outside. She's part of a wealthy family - daughter of the warden of Incarceron - and is forced into an arranged marriage with the prince. She wants out of the marriage, and wants to know more about Incarceron and her father's job.

The novel follows the two characters separately until they intersect. To avoid spoilers I won't give many details that include major plot points, but Finn's only way out of Incarceron is really in Claudia's hands. The whole novel revolves around Finn's desire to get out of Incarceron, and is only able to go off his shady memories.

While I enjoyed the idea of the novel for the most part, I thought that the plot was too slow for my taste. I enjoyed the world she constructed; the live jail certainly creates a twist. The detail put into the creation of Incarceron is certainly notable. Though the reason I rate the novel as mediocre is because I never actually became attached to the characters. I liked the idea, the story, but I never actually became immersed. If anything the best way for me to describe my feeling halfway through till the end was that the novel continued to leave me desiring more than it was giving me.

I do recommend this novel for anyone who is interested in a standout sci-fi/fantasy novel. It certainly isn't anything I've read before, and as a fantasy fan this novel was enjoyable for the most part. With an ending that will leave the reader wanting, the sequel, Sapphique will be released on Decemeber 28, 2010.

From Goodreads: Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons.

I know this book has gotten very mixed reviews but I am definitely one of the people who loved it! The idea behind the book, a prison that is completely sealed off from the world, no one can get in and no one can get out, that is alive, was so unique that I had to give it a try. I agree that it was a little bit confusing at the beginning but once I got past the first 50 or so pages, I was completely hooked and raced through the rest!

The book is set in the future, but because of war and troubles with technology being used in evil ways, the king has decreed that they will all go back to a simpler time, before technology "ruined" everything. The time period is not specified but is basically Victorian - no electricity, automobiles, etc. They took all of the undesirables, criminals and the like, and put them into Incarceron, a completely sealed off prison, that was supposed to become a sort of utopia, where the prisoners are provided with everything they can possibly need or want (food, shelter, an education, medical care, etc.), and the plan was that they would all be so happy it would be like paradise for them. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, the evil in some people came out and spread until Incarceron became the worst of the worst, a place where you had to fight for your life just to survive. The strong and the mean rose to the top, and life expectancy was very low indeed.

Inside the prison, our main character is Finn, a prisoner with no memory prior to 7 or 8 years ago, who has a very distinctive tattoo on his wrist. He has no idea who he was or where he came from (since no one can get in, how could he come from outside?), although he instinctively knows that he was not born of the prison. His oath-brother, Keiro, has his back, but is not a reputable person at all, having been brought up in Incarceron, fighting and killing to survive. It is a huge puzzle trying to figure out if he is good or bad.

Then there is Attia, a dog-slave, who Finn rescues and who subsequently pledges her life to protect him.

Outside of the prison is Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, who has been groomed to marry the prince and become the future queen. She does not like living in these times, and is fascinated by technology. She makes it her goal to discover what is going on with Incarceron, and where it is since it is hidden, and hidden well.

There is so much more to the story, but I am anti-spoiler, so I cannot tell anymore! This book has action and heart and good guys vs bad guys aplenty. There are twists and turns that you definitely don't see coming, that make it hard to put the book down once you get into it.

In summary, I loved this book! It has all the elements that make for a good story, is action packed, and has characters that you really care about. I highly recommend it, and encourage you to give it a try. Don't give up on it if you don't get it right away because it is really worth your time!

INCARCERON is one of those books that I think boys will really like because it deals with prisons, fights, escapes, mysteries, secret plans, backstabbing, assassination plots, and science-fiction stuff that has action scenes and is intriguing. That being said, I struggled with it because I was really confused for most of the first hundred pages or so, and it wasn't until page 200 that I had that jaw-dropping moment where I started to figure things out and wanted to know what would happen next. At that point I started to care more about what would happen to Finn and his crew that were trying to find a way out of the prison, while I was eager to see if Claudia, the Warden's daughter on the Outside, would figure out what was really going on and be able to rescue Finn from Incarceron.

They live in a society that has halted progress. The world's technology got so advanced that they created a prison that was a closed system. They would take all of the criminals and put them in there, lock the doors, and never allow anyone else in or out. Then on the outside, they follow Protocol to live as if it is two hundred years ago without the technology that they are so scared of. One thing I really liked was how the story was told - we get to see part of the story from Finn's perspective and the other part from Claudia's perspective. I'm finding I really like the books that give multiple points-of-view to tell the same story; it's especially necessary in this book where the story actually happens simultaneously in two different places. The book deals with a lot of issues of progress in society, the benefit or detriment of technology advances, and if solutions are really good or just another way of putting someone in a prison.

My feelings about INCARCERON reminded me of when I read The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I struggled through not knowing what was going on in the beginning, got further in and started to care and want to know what would happen to the characters, got close to the end when it through me for a loop with a really weird sci-fi/supernatural element, felt like I had finally started to get to the part where I was figuring things out, and then it ended - but left a huge cliff-hanging ending making me reluctantly eager to read the next book. I know that's not a glowing endorsement, but again, I think it's just not right up my alley as far as genre goes. I'm not sure if I'll read the next one, as this one's 443 pages took me quite a while to read, mostly because I wasn't dying to read the next pages enough to put aside other things. I will definitely recommend it to my boy students to give it a try.

Review originally posted on Heise Reads & Recommends

As a mother who screens everything her 11-year-old daughter reads, I started "Incarceron" for myself: the many positive reviews on the book suggested it may be a good book to keep for when said daughter was a little older. Boy, I guess, I was wrong! Other than an annoying typo that jumped out at me on Page 86 (I think) - where "recipe" was printed as "receipt", I thought the story was original, well-plotted, well-written, and a good blending of sci-fi and fantasy elements. There was number of unexpected twists throughout the book, but in the end, everything came together like opposite poles of a magnet :-) Very cool, very exciting, and not as dark as the cover would lead would-be readers to believe - more from said daughter:

"The book, 'Incarceron' by Catherine Fisher, is just great!

"17-year-old Finn has lived in Incarceron forever, stealing and murdering with Incarceron watching his every step. Claudia claims to live Outside Incarceron and is the Warden's daughter. Soon, an unlikely friendship forms between Finn and Claudia as Finn, together with his oath brother Keiro, a former dogslave called Attia and old Gildas, travels through the wildest and deepest parts of Incarceron while trying to escape. Meanwhile, Claudia and her tutor, with Finn's help, must do what they can to stop her from marrying Castor, a selfish, arrogant prince.

"My favorite character has to be Attia because I liked how she was straightforward and exposed the Warden's secret to Claudia without making it to long and without gushing. I also liked how she disguised herself so that she would become a dogslave and survive on the rich scraps she was forced to eat. Plus, my mom and I don't like Claudia very much because she is spoiled and selfish. However, I wouldn't have chosen to be Finn's servant, as Attia did - just his protector.

"My least favorite character was Claudia because she was spoiled, selfish, mean and self-centered. Plus, she lied to Finn and everyone else.

"I thought the plot and characters were wonderful but I didn't like the ending very much. Luckily, there's a sequel!

"I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys suspense-filled teen fantasy novels because this is the perfect book with four stars: one star for Attia, one star for everyone else, one star for the cover and one star for the plot."

"Incarceron" was definitely one of the most unique books I have ever read a first for me in the steampunk genre.
I must admit, that I kept thinking the book would have a better feel if it wasn't steampunk...so gritty. I found Catherine Fisher's writing to be confusing and I had to read and reread passages often. Fisher would start a new subchapter with "She" when there were clearly two girls involved with the scene and only reading several more lines would clarify.
I think Fisher was trying too hard to be cryptic and mysterious. Instead, I feel like a lot of her writing was clouded and confusing.

The story begins as we are introduced to characters who are prisoners inside of Incarceron, a prison from which there is no escape. Soon we learn that not only are the prisoners of Incarceron trying to get out but those on the outside are trying to get in. The prison was dreamed up by scientists who aimed for the prison to run itself...and now it does. The prison is alive. That's right, alive. And Incarceron does not want it's prisoners to escape...ever. On the outside "free' people are forced to live under "Protocol" and are looking for a different kind of escape themselves.

Incarceron in itself is an interesting idea, the fact that Incarceron (the prison) is alive and lives, thinks, and produces! Amazing, however, as this is a such a foreign concept, Fisher could have taken more time to develop the scenery. Four Hundred and Forty-one pages and I still have little ideas formed about what Incarceron actually LOOKS like, or why the outside is a throwback obeying "Protocol" from the Victorian era. Everything was descriptively too muddy for me.

I was also amazed that "Incarceron" is a New York Times Best Seller, yet it has blatant typos such as "receipt" instead of "recipe" and "Warder's" instead of "Warden's", I am very surprised with the Editing of this book.
Overall, the book did provide me some entertainment, though I didn't find that it took off until halfway through (mostly because I was so confused and desperately trying to figure out who was who and what was what.) There were a few unexpected plot twists but I suspect more avid readers will predict most of the plot twists immediately.
Worth a read, but prepare to be astounded with typos and poor editing and confused for the vast majority of the book.

This is the type of book that the longer I think about it ....the more I dislike it.

by Lilly Tuttle

I believe in diversity, except when it comes to books. Before reading Incarceron, furthest I've ever ventured into the genre of fantasy literature was reading a book about the Rolling Stones. And, to be completely honest... I don't even think that I finished it.

When I got Incarceron, the first thing that drew me into the story was the cover. In fact, I think that I spent more time looking at the cover than I did reading. The ornate, crystal key and the golden numbers are mysterious and almost magical. They make you want to be a part of the story, which is a considerable improvement from what I had been reading right before that: the newest issue of TIME magazine.

Incarceron is essentially a parallel universe. No one on Earth knows that it exists, and no one inside Incarceron knows how to get out. On top of that, most of Incarceron's inhabitants don't even believe that the Outside exists. But Finn Starseer, one of the two main characters in the story, doesn't believe that Incarceron is alone in its existence.

Claudia, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of Finn. Her father is the Warden of Incarceron and, for all her haughtiness, a kind young woman and a serious student. When Claudia and Finn connect their worlds, they begin to uncover secrets; not just about Incarceron, but also about themselves.

Overall, this book is very realistic. It is also very fantastical, but in a tasteful way. Instead of creating an inhuman world and tossing a few random people into it, Catherine Fisher created an inhuman world and tossed characters into it. The emotions and ideals that the characters possess mirror the setting and life of Incarceron, which leads to very understandable and plausible resolutions to problems.

In the end, emotions and ideals aside, Incarceron is simply amazing. I'm sure that I can talk all day about the "deeper" aspects, but it won't change the fact that Ms. Fisher has created a literary masterpiece.

The best part? There wasn't a single vampire.

Incarceron was meant to be paradise. The metal prison was expected to be a perfect world. But the technological prison grew self-aware and enjoyed torturing the people inside. Resources began to dwindle, prisoners became fractured and divided, creating vicious gangs that attacked and stole. No one from Outside Incarceron can get Inside, and no one from Inside can get Outside. If there even is an Outside. After centuries in the prison, no one is sure. But there are rumors that one man has Escaped.

Finn wakes up in the cell of Incarceron with no memory of his life before, save for an occasion flash that makes him certain that he was born Outside. He's taken in by the Scum Gang but he's determined to Escape and when he finds a Key, he is sure there is a way.

Claudia has lived a pampered, luxurious life but things aren't always as they appear. Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. Only he knows where the prison is and only he watches over it. He is cold and distant and has taught his daughter well how to play the game of politics. It has been arranged for her to marry the King to be, which used to be the king's son who dies (under mysterious circumstances) and is replaced by the king's spoiled stepson. She has no desire to marry the arrogant man and desires nothing more than the escape her life and the world of Protocol, which requires that everyone live according to ancient, pre-technology lifestyles. When Claudia gets her hands on a key, she thinks she has found a way to the hidden prison.

There's a lot happening in this story, sometimes too much, but certainly enough to keep you interested. Finn is a very likable and interesting character, Claudia is okay too, though not as much fun. I found myself a little torn. The in-Incarceron part of the story is so interesting and different, it's a whole new set of rules and world. The adventure is scary and exciting and you can't help but sit at the edge of your seat. The outside-Incarceron parts of the book are a little less interesting in part because Claudia comes off a little spoiled, even as she tries not to be. It's a lot slower, the danger less present.

Each chapter begins with a quote or excerpt from an imagined text that was relevant to the story. Sometimes it talks about Sapphique the man who supposedly Escaped. Other times it's a letter from the Queen to the Warden, detailing a plot that involves Claudia and the future of the kingdom. This is one of the parts that while interesting, is a little too much to take in. There's a lot of plotting and scheming and while the story is interesting it is a little hard to follow everything.

Ultimately, I find the end of Book 1 unsatisfying but am interested enough to check out book 2.

Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher, is a tightly-plotted intelligent YA novel that hits the upper mid-level of recent YA sci-fi/fantasy, falling a few steps below Hunger Games or Fire (admittedly a high standard) but several steps above recent offerings like Birthmarked or The Maze Runner.
Incarceron is a prison with, it seems, some higher goals at its origination several centuries ago than, well, mere incarceration. Whatever its high-minded intent, however, inside it has degenerated into a savage tribal/semi-feudal system, with small tracts of territory controlled by rival, often vicious bands. Incarceron was long ago sealed to entry or exit and legend has it that only one person has ever escaped Incarceron--Sapphique--a near (or possibly wholly) mythical man whose stories have grown over time. One reason Incarceron is impossible to leave (beside the fact that nobody knows of any actual doors) is that it is constantly watching its inhabitants, shifting itself physically or changing events.

Inside Incarceron, we're introduced to Finn, a young prisoner who has no memories beyond the past three years, though he firmly believes he came from Outside. He, along with his oathbrother Keiro, are members of the Scum, one of the barbaric bands. When a stranger seems to know something about Finn's past, he, Keiro, and two others decide to leave the Scum and search for the way out of Incarceron.

Meanwhile, outside the prison, we're focused on Claudia, the warden's daughter, and her sickly tutor Jared. The society outside of Incarceron is an odd mix of tech and pre-tech due to the Prototcols, laws that have kept the society in a mostly 17th century-ish time period, with kings and queens and horses and servants, etc. Though sometimes the horses are cyber-horses, and the servants cheat by using high-tech washing machines rather than beat clothes on a rock. Claudia is about to be forced into a marriage with the prince, whom she detests, is trying desperately to learn more about Incarceron, and eventually also becomes involved in possibly deadly political intrigue.

The book's clear-cut strength is in its plotting, which offers a fast-moving chain of twisting events, some of which the reader will see coming and others which, I'm pretty sure, will catch even a good reader by surprise. We move pretty seamlessly between Incarceron and Claudia and the two differing settings offer up two different sorts of suspense and excitement. With Claudia, we're very tied into what will happen to her personally, the excitement involves wondering if she'll get caught breaking into her father's study or just how cruel her fiancée really is and such. With Finn, we have more fight and chase scenes, some involving just Finn and his few friends, others involving larger groups. And with both Finn and Claudia, we're never quite sure whom to trust: both have confidants whose motives or backgrounds we're unsure about and so we're always waiting for that treachery shoe to drop.

Each chapter begins with an excerpt from various writings which deepen some of the mystery and intrigue, especially with regard to what Incarceron is and why it was created. And there's also a nicely unsettling lack of clarity with regard to time--it's not at all clear until late as to whether events in Incarceron and Outside are happening concurrently, and the little historical asides at the top of each chapter bring that further into question.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the parallel between Outside and Incarceron. Both are prisons of a sort, both main characters prisoners, and both groups in each believe the other place to be a paradise. It's mostly a subtly handled bit of depth, only once or twice becoming overly obvious.
Its plot alone, then, makes Incarceron one of the stronger YA entries of the past year. Where it falls short of the more excellent category is in its characterization and setting. Claudia is sharply depicted and fully fleshed out. Though the spunky girl being forced into marriage is not an original character by any means, Claudia feels original in her portrayal. She could have been stock and isn't. Finn, unfortunately, doesn't fare quite so well. For a character who gets a lot of page time, he's pretty passive, making him a bit hard to care much about. He's actually overshadowed by his traveling companions, all of whom are more interesting--more complex, possibly more treacherous, more active, more mysterious. Claudia's father is, by his nature, pretty aloof and thus a bit removed from the reader, and her fiancée and fiancée's mother--the queen--are pretty rote in their roles.

The settings are also a bit underdeveloped. It was hard for me to actually visualize Incarceron, save for one wonderfully evocative scene of description (which was so good I wondered why the author didn't do more of it). Claudia's society is even less clear. We know the general outlines of each, but I could probably describe both in a paragraph each and you'd know about as much about them as after reading the whole book.

A sequel is clearly at hand, so I assume (hope) we'll learn more about both places. This does end pretty much on a cliffhanger, so if you don't want to spend a year waiting, you might want to hold off on reading it until the sequel is out, though I do recommend reading Incarceron if not now, when the story is done.

Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher, is a tightly-plotted intelligent YA novel that hits the upper mid-level of recent YA sci-fi/fantasy, falling a few steps below Hunger Games or Fire (admittedly a high standard) but several steps above recent offerings like Birthmarked or The Maze Runner.
Incarceron is a prison with, it seems, some higher goals at its origination several centuries ago than, well, mere incarceration. Whatever its high-minded intent, however, inside it has degenerated into a savage tribal/semi-feudal system, with small tracts of territory controlled by rival, often vicious bands. Incarceron was long ago sealed to entry or exit and legend has it that only one person has ever escaped Incarceron--Sapphique--a near (or possibly wholly) mythical man whose stories have grown over time. One reason Incarceron is impossible to leave (beside the fact that nobody knows of any actual doors) is that it is constantly watching its inhabitants, shifting itself physically or changing events.

Inside Incarceron, we're introduced to Finn, a young prisoner who has no memories beyond the past three years, though he firmly believes he came from Outside. He, along with his oathbrother Keiro, are members of the Scum, one of the barbaric bands. When a stranger seems to know something about Finn's past, he, Keiro, and two others decide to leave the Scum and search for the way out of Incarceron.

Meanwhile, outside the prison, we're focused on Claudia, the warden's daughter, and her sickly tutor Jared. The society outside of Incarceron is an odd mix of tech and pre-tech due to the Prototcols, laws that have kept the society in a mostly 17th century-ish time period, with kings and queens and horses and servants, etc. Though sometimes the horses are cyber-horses, and the servants cheat by using high-tech washing machines rather than beat clothes on a rock. Claudia is about to be forced into a marriage with the prince, whom she detests, is trying desperately to learn more about Incarceron, and eventually also becomes involved in possibly deadly political intrigue.

The book's clear-cut strength is in its plotting, which offers a fast-moving chain of twisting events, some of which the reader will see coming and others which, I'm pretty sure, will catch even a good reader by surprise. We move pretty seamlessly between Incarceron and Claudia and the two differing settings offer up two different sorts of suspense and excitement. With Claudia, we're very tied into what will happen to her personally, the excitement involves wondering if she'll get caught breaking into her father's study or just how cruel her fiancée really is and such. With Finn, we have more fight and chase scenes, some involving just Finn and his few friends, others involving larger groups. And with both Finn and Claudia, we're never quite sure whom to trust: both have confidants whose motives or backgrounds we're unsure about and so we're always waiting for that treachery shoe to drop.

Each chapter begins with an excerpt from various writings which deepen some of the mystery and intrigue, especially with regard to what Incarceron is and why it was created. And there's also a nicely unsettling lack of clarity with regard to time--it's not at all clear until late as to whether events in Incarceron and Outside are happening concurrently, and the little historical asides at the top of each chapter bring that further into question.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the parallel between Outside and Incarceron. Both are prisons of a sort, both main characters prisoners, and both groups in each believe the other place to be a paradise. It's mostly a subtly handled bit of depth, only once or twice becoming overly obvious.
Its plot alone, then, makes Incarceron one of the stronger YA entries of the past year. Where it falls short of the more excellent category is in its characterization and setting. Claudia is sharply depicted and fully fleshed out. Though the spunky girl being forced into marriage is not an original character by any means, Claudia feels original in her portrayal. She could have been stock and isn't. Finn, unfortunately, doesn't fare quite so well. For a character who gets a lot of page time, he's pretty passive, making him a bit hard to care much about. He's actually overshadowed by his traveling companions, all of whom are more interesting--more complex, possibly more treacherous, more active, more mysterious. Claudia's father is, by his nature, pretty aloof and thus a bit removed from the reader, and her fiancée and fiancée's mother--the queen--are pretty rote in their roles.

The settings are also a bit underdeveloped. It was hard for me to actually visualize Incarceron, save for one wonderfully evocative scene of description (which was so good I wondered why the author didn't do more of it). Claudia's society is even less clear. We know the general outlines of each, but I could probably describe both in a paragraph each and you'd know about as much about them as after reading the whole book.

A sequel is clearly at hand, so I assume (hope) we'll learn more about both places. This does end pretty much on a cliffhanger, so if you don't want to spend a year waiting, you might want to hold off on reading it until the sequel is out, though I do recommend reading Incarceron if not now, when the story is done.

Imaginative, but predictable. Exciting, but unsatisfying. Praiseworthy, but saturated. I am torn.

Incarceron is a prison of sorts, one that was created long ago with no way in and no way out. The people of Incarceron aren't even completely sure if there is anything Outside of their world. Since no one on the Outside has seen the inside of the prison, it is believed to be a Utopia. Unfortunately, evil exists everywhere. The Warden alone has the key, and no one other than him knows its secrets of this living, breathing, world. When the Warden's daughter, Claudia, becomes too curious, secrets are revealed and the doorway between these two worlds becomes blurred.

Unlike anything I had ever read before, Fisher magically weaves together a false "protocol" of an era long ago with the technology of a futuristic age. While the women have ladies-in-waiting tightening up their corsets, they have to be sure to check the mirror to see if they need to use the laser skinwand to rid themselves of any new wrinkles. One would think this kind of dichotomy would be hard to get used to, but I had no trouble jumping head-first into this imaginative pool of sci-fi goodness.

The world Outside Incarceron, Claudia's world, is one in which she is a modern girl being forced to live a lie in a mock-up of the 18th century. As a modern girl, she can't help but be curious and daring, and unable to obey orders from anyone - not even the Queen.

The world Inside Incarceron is Finn's, an eighteen year old boy who was "born" inside Incarceron three years ago. He has fragmented memories of being Outside, of cake and birthday parties, and a pretty girl. Finn hopes that these pieces of a memory will help him figure out who he was before he woke up Inside. He and his gang, including his oathbrother, Keiro, and the Master Gildas, fight their way through the inner politics and gangs of inmates to find a portal to the Outside. There is only one who has done it before, Sapphique, and they follow in his footsteps, with little more than faith to guide them.

---

I had read so many rave reviews for Incarceron this past year, but it wasn't until I picked up an ARC of the second book of Catherine Fisher's trilogy at BEA that I reserved a copy of Incarceron from the library and got reading. And, so far, I'm sure it sounds like I loved the book...so what's with all the confusion, Alison?

I can't quite put my finger on why I am not gushing over Incarceron, but when I was about half-way through the book, one of my friends was walking through my kitchen and saw it on my counter. When she asked, "Oh, how about this one?" I impulsively answered, "Meh." I actually surprised myself a little with that answer, but that's how I felt.

The biggest issue I had with the book was its predictability. A futuristic world made up to look like the 18th century with a doorless prison was predictable? Actually...yes. After 100 pages, I knew who Finn was thought to be, I guessed where Incarceron was, and I had a good idea of how it was going to end. Consequently, I got through the rest of the book just to see how Fisher was going to bring me there.

While many of the action scenes were exciting, I couldn't help but feel extremely unsatisfied by the end. Maybe it was my accurate predictions, but I knew by page 300 that this was not going to be a book that wraps itself up nicely only to bring us on another adventure with the next book. Instead, Incarceron is only one-third of a story, instead of one book in a trilogy.

Breaking my own rules, I read too many reviews of Incarceron. The expectations were high, and I wasn't going to be the one discovering a hidden gem. Incarceron has not only been read and reviewed around the blogosphere recently, but after its original successful release in the UK three years ago, Americans have been asking for this book.

All that being said, there were a lot of things I LOVED about it, not the least of which was its originality.

Incarceron is unlike anything I have ever read before - YA or otherwise. It isn't quite a dystopia, but it isn't too far from historical fiction either. It's Phillipa Gregory meets Star Trek. As much as I criticize certain aspects of the book, I can not overlook the fact that it is unique. In a sea full of copycats and knockoffs, Catherine Fisher stands on her own. She has successfully created a world that was easy to accept, and leaves its readers wanting more.

Will I read the sequel?

I've already started reading Sapphique. I couldn't help myself! Catherine Fisher created this exciting, original, world, in which I could easily immerse myself. Her characters are not always likable, but I found myself thinking about them after I finished the book. Finally, there is the hint, the possibility, of a love story - even though I am probably thinking of the unpredictable, improbable match instead of the obvious one.

The Good: Suspenseful, original, exciting

The Bad: Predictable, unsatisfying, crowded

The Verdict: If you like sci-fi, if you like adventures, and if you're looking for something new and different with an element of the magical, read Incarceron...then come back and tell me what you think!

Thus my very opinionated heading, I very much enjoyed the book Incarceron. It was extremely creative and interesting. However, if you're like me, you like lots of details in your books. This book seemed as if it would be extremely intricate and detailed; the title alone hints at this. However the story was very on the surface and I couldn't sink my teeth into it.
The book starts with the main character, Finn. From the very beginning Finn is somewhat hard to place. He has been locked in a prison for the past three years with no memory of his past. As for his emotions, it's that that I cannot put my finger on. I find little about him that I can like right off the bat. He's somewhat loyal, he's brave, but does he have honor? Finn has a tattoo on his arm that hints at his past. His main goal throughout the book is to find out what his past is and if an outside exists.
Claudia, our other central character, has a more definite personality but little more. She has grown being the daughter of a warden of a prison. There is little known about the prison. Claudia is treated and raised as a prison. Claudia, being defiant, does not act like a princess. The major conflict in Claudia's life is the arranged marriage she must participate in. It is to a horrible young man with no virtues. She wishes it were the young boy she was formerly engaged too. However, he has long since been dead.
As Finn does his best to escape and Claudia tries to avoid her marriage, the prison is at work. Because the prison is not ordinary. this prison is living. It has a mind of it's own and emotions of it's own. It will stop at nothing to keep it's "Children" inside.
When a Claudia and Finn each discover a key, they also discover each other.
The book has great potential. It's an excellent idea. The prison itself was the best part of the book. It alone had depth and personality.
I recommend this book to all those looking for a quick yet enjoyable read.

Incarceron is like Häagen-Dazs ice cream, wonderful and of the highest quality, but enjoyed slowly. Incarceron is not an adrenalin fueled thrill ride but from the ingeniously written first pages, it sucked me in.

For the most part it consists of Finn and Claudia uncovering the truth about each other's respective worlds. It's done very well. I normally like faster paced books that give me jolts of excitement but this steady read kept me consistently engaged and turning pages, needing to know the end but sorry when it was over.

Finn is in Incarceron and Claudia, the warden's daughter, is on the outside. Through a little magic they are able to communicate.

Claudia is surprised that Finn wants to escape since the outside world has been told Incarceron is somewhat of a paradise. She has her own problems because she is slated to marry this creepy future king. She agrees to help him escape.

Yeah, I said king. Fisher has this crazy imagination and I loved it. Incarceron is a story set in the future, with amazing technology and advancements. HOWEVER, a while back the king decreed that people had to live like they were in the17th century, as far as ideals, dress and language.

The Protocol also includes the banned usage of anything automated. So while their world is run by computers, society is living in the past. Time has essentially been banned. I found this whole concept unique and a lot of fun.

In every chapter, I felt like I was reading the final twist only to happily discover that there was more. Yes, I got answers but they gave me more questions. Fisher parts out relevant information to help you slowly piece together the truth. Peeling back the layers is like a Christmas morning treat - opening this huge box only to find another brightly wrapped package inside, then another and another, until you finally get to the treasured nugget.

I enjoyed Fisher's writing style and her characterization is excellent. Her wonderful description has this unique world dancing off the pages. It comes alive. A few things were predictable. I figured out the mystery behind Finn's past but I loved where it was going and was satisfied, not disappointed, when I was right. It's the journey, folks, and this one is worth the price of the ticket - or book in this case.

Toward the end Fisher changes perspectives like a schizophrenic watching Rain Man.

This can get confusing, switching quickly between several characters, but you're so engrossed in the story, who cares? Just buckle down and pay attention. And, quite frankly, you have to be on your game as you read this anyway. It is complex - in a good way - and really gets you thinking.

Incarceron is great! Definitely a read for those who like a good mystery and intriguing, complex plots. And FYI, there's no sex or language so I can recommend it for younger readers too.

Above all, Time is forbidden. From now on nothing will change.

After the Years of Rage, King Endor's Decree bans progress, pausing the world in an old-fashioned era of medieval dress and travel by horse-drawn carriage. Though advanced technology exists, it is expressly forbidden, and everyone must abide to Protocol.

Incarceron is an exception to this rule. A prison that some are born into and that nobody ever escapes, Incarceron is not a building, but an entire underground network of cities and wilderness entrapping prisoners in its vastness. Most prisoners have never seen the Outside and can only imagine what the stars and sky might be like. Surely more spectacular than Incarceron's Lightson and Lightsoff.

Finn believes that he came from Outside. Though he cannot remember a previous life, his mysterious seizures and visions hint that he was not always an Incarceron captive. When he discovers a mystical crystal key through a tragic turn of events, he just knows that the key will lead them to Escape from the treacherous clutches of Incarceron once and for all.

A duplicate of the key that Finn found belongs to the Warden of Incarceron. He lives on the Outside and is thrilled that his daughter, Claudia, is about to wed Caspar, heir to the throne. After years of scheming and social climbing, he will finally have the power that he craves.

Claudia, while groomed since birth to be a queen, is not merely her father's puppet. With a mind of her own, and no intention to marry the arrogant Caspar, Claudia pines for the one to whom she was first betrothed - Giles. Giles was the prince and heir to the throne before his unexpected death while riding alone. An investigation was never officially undertaken, but Claudia has always suspected that the new queen, Sia, played a role in Giles' death so that her son, Caspar, could ascend to the throne.

Refusing to be pawns in a royal power struggle, both Claudia and Finn are determined to uncover Incarceron's secrets. What they don't count on, though, is that Incarceron is not just a prison. Incarceron is alive.

Catherine Fisher creates a fantasy world unlike any other, playing upon classic themes of courage, justice, and truth to weave a page-turning adventure tale. INCARCERON reminds me strongly of Orwell's 1984 with a fantastical twist. Fisher's plot twists are clever and her ambiguous ending leaves the reader craving more. Look for the sequel, SAPPHIQUE, soon.

Reviewed by: Amber Gibson

Description from Good Reads

"Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born.."

It is hard to describe this book. Is it fantasy? Is it dystopian? Fantasy for sure and but a little dystopian as well. Imagine a world where things are so bad those in power consider living in a past era without technology to be the only course to take. Claudia lives in a re-created 17th century (one created and maintained by technology). It is forbidden to "break protocol." It's like dress up lay that never ends.

The characters are well developed. Claudia makes an excellent heroine. Betrothed to a spoiled prince who is only heir to the throne because his brother died mysteriously, she longs for an escape from her own prison. Meanwhile, Finn, struggling to learn about himself, is stuck in Incarceron and longs to escape. He is convinced the answer to his visions is outside Incarceron.

Fisher weaves a fascinating tale of intrigue and imagination with haunting and vivid prose. It was easy to picture the dark interior of Incarceron in contrast to the bright outside world in which Claudia lives.

Both Claudia and Finn are likable characters surrounded by a cast of villains who are supposed to be their friends. You can't help but root for this pair. The story does not end at the close of Incarceron. There is still much to be told. The sequel, Sapphique is due out this month. I'm looking forward to it.

For centuries, the prisoners of Incarceron, the terrible living steal prison, have lived in darkness. They barely survive, staving off starvation through violence and trickery. Finn is a prisoner, but he knows that unlike the rest of the people in Incarceron, he was born Outside. Outside, Claudia is no freer than Finn. As the daughter of the Warden, she is doomed to be a prisoner in a loveless marriage to the over-indulged prince, soon to be in the clutches of the evil queen. But when Finn and Claudia each find a crystal key that allows them to communicate, and together they work to get Finn and his friends out of Incarceron in the hopes that their actions will free them both.

Incarceron starts out with a bang and doesn't slow down. This novel's world is very queer and fascinating, especially when it comes to the descriptions of Incarceron, but it felt as if at times Fisher didn't fully explain the situation or the history that led the society to where it is now, leaving some confusion. However, the characters of the novel are very well done--Finn is persistent and resourceful, determined to gain his memory back and learn what his life was like before. Claudia is daring and quick-witted, and a bit sharp at times, but she is relentless and just as determined as Finn. The story volleys back and forth between the two, creating palpable tension that propels the reader along, farther into the depths of Incarceron. Though it is a bit obvious early on in the book the who and why of the mystery, it is the how and the mystery of Incarceron itself that readers will work through to learn.

The ending is quick and surprising, and despite the length of this book, the conclusion to the conflict will have to be found in a sequel. I can hardly wait.

Energy resources are severely depleted since the war occurred. To save what is left of civilization; Incarceron Prison was built to house dissidents, radicals and criminals. This was sealed up so no one can enter or leave. The idea led to a closed environment with excellent shelter, decent food and medical supplies so Incarceron would become a Utopia. Instead reality and the dream fail to match as the world became hell on earth.

Finn believes his visions are memories of a life outside the prisons. He wants to escape along with his oath brother Keiro, slave girl Attia, and sapient Gildas. On the Outside, time stopped and society has become medieval with advanced technology banned by the ruling Protocol. Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron is expected to marry the Queen's son and heir Earl Casper; she does not want to marry him. She was to wed his half-brother Giles who died in a freak accident whom she wanted to wed. When evidence surfaces that Giles is alive and inside Incarceron, she vows to get to him at the risk of her life.

Readers will quickly understand why the London Times calls this the book of the year as the story line plays out on several Orwellian levels that hook diverse age groups. Incarceron is a huge prison with an internal caste system and incredible security. People are there for life to include newborns. Finn is a loyal person taking care of friends inside a horrible containment zone risking his life to do so. Claudia likewise does the same when she tries to breach the great prison to save her beloved. Catherine Fisher provides a powerful futuristic as if the Knights of the Round Table took the Journey to the Center of the Earth only to find a 1984 setting.

Harriet Klausner

The first thing that brought my attention to Incarceron was the title -I mean, who comes up with something so mysterious and engaging in just one word? The cover didn't hurt either -it's eye-catching and made me want to know more. I was further prodded to try the book when it suddenly popped up on the New York Times' Bestsellers List -and it's from a relatively unknown author in the states, doesn't have a movie tie-in and isn't a vampire novel.

Incarceron is the name of a place in the novel that's more than just a prison -it's alive. Incarceron is a massive living entity that houses countless individuals who have been shipped there and in many cases, born there. Finn, however, is convinced that he was born Outside and has visions of the one man believed to have ever escaped Incarceron, along with visions of a mysterious key that could set him free. Finn's story is interspersed with that of Claudia, the daughter of the powerful Warden of Incarceron, who has been forced into an arranged marriage with the son of the Queen of the outside world (which is a kind of eighteen century-like society). Not only does Claudia oppose to the marriage, but she finds a key connected to Incarceron and starts to communicate with Finn.

I was very happy with this book -it stood up to all the glowing reviews I've seen of it. The plot is filled with plenty of twists and turns right up to the very end, the writing is absolutely fabulous and the concept of the novel is fresh and original. I was a little surprised that this is considered a YA novel though -it is incredibly complex and, at times, even feels like it should have been an adult novel, but was tweaked in order to fit with the currently popular YA market.

One of the few weak points, for me, was the characters, they felt a little undeveloped -especially in a world that's so complex and lush. I also thought there was a lack of some much-needed exposition. Many world-specific terms were being thrown around very early on without much explanation, so I found myself scratching my head for longer than I should have.

Can't wait for the sequel though (apparently it's already out in the UK). This book is one of the better YA fantasy novels that I've read in a while and is great for readers of the genre -not much romance here though, folks, just plenty of action, a great world and a twisty, exciting plot.

Ms. Fisher certainly knows how to write a captivating and completely unexpected story. The questions Incarceron raises are the type to keep one pondering for days after reading, constantly musing over a plethora of possible answers. Incarceron started as a social experiment, one where the dregs of society would be locked away but given the best tutors, the finest education, and an ideal environment where everything they could possibly need would be provided. It should have been paradise. A promised land. A second chance. Instead, it's dreary, dark, and full of hatred, greed, and brutality which begs the question as to whether a perfect society can truly exist given the inherent flaws of human nature? Will the strong always dominate the weak? The rich forever enslave the poor? And perhaps more interestingly, will those with a will to see things change silence their voice in favor of the safety of anonymity? Fascinating questions indeed.

The dichotomy between the Outside and Incarceron is a beautifully executed aspect of the story. On the one hand we have the prison, an environment perpetually changing, shifting and moving forward moment to moment. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Outside, a culture forever trapped in the traditions of a far distant past. The people are static, vehemently denying progress though their technology, medicine, and education are extremely advanced. Instead of embracing their knowledge, they choose to follow customs akin to the time of royalty and court life, even to the detriment of their own people. Instead of saving a young mother dying in child birth with their modern medicine, they choose to let her perish so as to adhere to Protocol. It's absolutely riveting to bear witness to two such contradictory social experiments as they go spectacularly awry, and to be a bit of a voyeur pensively watching as dissension and deception run rampant through both, letting us know that human nature cannot be controlled solely by social and physical parameters, but like Incarceron itself, has a spirit all it's own.

This is a book far more story-driven than character driven. The strength of it lies not in the characterization, as I felt it difficult to fully connect to either Finn or Claudia, but in the mystery and intrigue so beautifully woven page to page. What we think is solid and concrete information is proven to be merely an illusion, one our hand falls clear through as we attempt to grasp understanding, and we emerge on the other side presented with yet another piece to the ultimate jigsaw puzzle that is Incarceron. No single sliver of knowledge stays still long enough for the reader to decipher it's meaning, but instead we are forcibly thrust into the tumult, all the information we need to solve the puzzle rattling around in our heads but moving too quickly for us to allow them to take shape. The answers remain a shadow, ever just out of reach, and like Finn and Claudia, we find ourselves at the mercy of Incarceron to put them together for us.

I'm typically drawn to the stories with dazzling, passionate characters, ones where I get swept up in the emotion and the conflict, but the plot of this one is strong enough to make up for the deficiency and I look forward to putting my mind to work unraveling the riddles of Sapphique.

Rating: 4/5

The build up for this book was amazing. The ads... the video... the rave reviews here. I was so prepared to love it. But unfortunately it was only okay.

For one thing, I was expecting the prison to be dark and strange: It was a prison. Actually a rather standard sci-fi prison. Something I would expect Mr. Spock to be able to defeat with his logic. For another thing, I found myself in the odd position of being more interested in Claudia and her world on the outside, than Incarceron and Finn on the inside. In fact, I never cared about anyone on the inside. They were boring and flat characters. (If you disagree, show me one case of one of the characters 'evolving')

And I have to say that I was also surprised at the descriptive writing. I generally really like Catherine Fisher's works. I liked the Oracle series, and I thought her Snow-Walker and Darkhenge books were excellent. BUT the descriptions in this book, especially those describing anything inside the prison, were sparse. So thin at points that I had to reread sections to try to visualize what was happening.

In any case, apparently it was only I who found these things to be flaws. Many raving reviews here so I won't even whine about the pacing.

But Incarceron does have some interesting concepts, and it's entirely possible that Sapphique will rise from the ashes and make this duo truly outstanding and memorable.

Pam T~

Let me start by saying that this is not typically the type of story I read. It's a touch sci-fi in nature, which doesn't usually appeal to me. However, this book's blurb really caught my interest because I was intrigued by the idea of two people from different worlds communicating through a device. I wasn't disappointed.

This was an incredibly interesting story, and Fisher's descriptions of Incarceron were so compelling that I felt like I could really invision this prison, even though the idea of some of the descriptions are so outlandish, you'd think it would be difficult to suspend disbelief. Not at all. I found myself sucked in.

Claudia was such an interesting character. She was incredibly smart, resourceful, and strong. She played the part of a helpless and obedient girl, but behind the scenes when her father wasn't looking, she wasn't taking her fate lying down. With the help of her tutor, she was determined to make changes, especially after finding Finn.

Finn's character was intriguing, even though, from the beginning, the reader can pretty much make some pretty good guesses as to his true origin. There was no real surprise there, at least for me. His determination to find the Outside never wavered, despite obstacles, and despite so many people telling him that his dreams and ideas about an Outside world were unfounded and ridiculous. He had to become strong in order to follow his quest for escape and discovery.

I don't want to say much more or else I would be giving the plot away too much. It's one of those stories that, if you know even a little bit about one part of it, it would give away the whole story. So I'll stop there. I will just say that this was a very good book, and it contained at least two surprise twists near the end that had me utterly shocked. They were totally unexpected and were things I never would have thought of.

I'm truly excited to hear that this book is being turned into a movie starring Taylor Lautner! Can't wait!

Imagine a prison that encompasses a whole world of fantastical people and creatures inside its walls: cities, metal forests, deep caves, and sanctuaries in the sky. That is Incarceron. Built to be the perfect prison after a time of unrest in the greater world around it, Incarceron was also meant to be a utopian place where the first prisoners could rehabilitate, and those who were born there afterward could live in peace. Once it was created the doors were sealed completely; no one was able to either arrive or escape.

Yet, Finn the Starseer believes he was not born inside. He has visions, possibly vague memories of birthday cakes and lakes and starry skies. He's also heard the legend of Sapphique, a wise man from long ago whom the stories say found a way out. Now Finn has found a crystal key with the emblem of a crowned eagle on it, an eagle that matches the tattoo on his wrist. He's sure the key can lead him out of Incarceron and help him find the truth about his past. A group of friends embarks along with him on the quest, desperate to also find a way out of the prison that has become more of a Hell than a Utopia.

Claudia is the Warden of Incarceron's daughter. Engaged to the crown prince, she has been raised to be part of the court since the time she was born. But she wants no part of the intrigue and plots common at court. As her wedding approaches, she becomes desperate to find a way out of her prescribed life. When she discovers her father's crystal key, she finds herself able to communicate with Finn. Together they try to solve the mystery of Finn's identity and get him out of prison, which may also help Claudia change her fate.

Incarceron is Catherine Fisher's highly imaginative fantasy novel about life in a future time where the technology exists to create a prison of Incarceron's magnitude. Richly imagined details bring the grimy, bleak reality of prison to life.

A quote at the beginning helps to define reality for many of the characters: "Only the man who has known freedom can define his prison." Everyone is seeking freedom of some kind, but they don't always know what getting it will mean, and how freedom will change their lives. I was totally drawn into the dark dangers of the prison world. I could feel the eye of Incarceron as it searched its depths, always watching those who lived within. Claudia also faces dangers, but hers are more camouflaged, and less easy to identify.

I found myself wanting to race through the book to find out what happens at the end, and yet longing to linger over the details and savor this other world so vividly realized. Incarceron provides that kind of delicious balance that will have you impatiently waiting for the sequel, Sapphique, set to be released at the end of 2010. I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up.

I have heard wonderful things about this book and couldn't resist the idea of a vast living labyrinth of a prison. There is a going to be a sequel to the book called "Sapphique" that will be released in December 2010 (it is already released in the UK). This was a very good book, that I kept feeling could have been even better if we had gotten greater depth on the prison itself.

Incarceron is a living prison. Originally designed to be self-sustaining and a paradise for those criminals sent there fore rehabilitation; things have gone wrong over the centuries. Incarceron is now a pit of despair, with inmates only hoping for one thing...escape to the Outside. Finn is a boy born in the cells of Incarceron, supposedly created by the prison itself. Finn, thinks that he can remember the Outside and will stop at nothing to try and find out who he really is. Claudia lives on the Outside and is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. She hopes to escape an arranged marriage. Two keys bring the characters together. Finn tries to outwit the prison itself, while Claudia struggles to make sense of layers of intrigue at court.

Fisher has created an incredibly interesting world. The concept of Incareron is interesting, it's been done before, but it is interesting to read about it in more depth. At times it reminded me of the movie The Cube or of The Red Queen in Resident Evil. Incarceron recycles everything and decides the fate of its denizens. I loved some of the scenes in Incarceron, but couldn't help wishing that more adventures had taken place in Incarceron. I felt like Incarceron has a lot of potential as an awesome setting for numerous adventures, but that we barely got to scratch the surface of it in this book.

The book itself switches between Finn and Claudia. I have to say I enjoyed Finn's story in Incarceron much more than Claudia's. Claudia's story takes place in the Outside in a world that still has the technology of the future available but is forbidden to use it because of the Protocol of the current rulers. Because of the Protocol, society is stuck in a medieval-like courtly state. Claudia's story deals mainly with intrigue and trying to outmaneuver both her father and the Queen.

The writing for the story is pretty good, it is easy to read and a good balance of description and action. The characters are okay but characterization wasn't the books strong point. I didn't care about any of the characters all that much. I do have to say that all of the characters were an interesting balance of good and bad, but this didn't make any of them particularly likable. The strong point of this book is really the creativity of the setting and the world.

I just couldn't help feeling like this could have been an absolutely amazing read if we had spent more time in Incarceron and less time with Claudia. I also felt like the book should have been longer and dealt with more things in detail; like how the Protocol was put into place and how the Masters got their standing. These things are discussed briefly but could be so much more interesting and add so much to the story. At times I also felt like this would have made a much better adult novel. There are many atrocities in Incarceron but in general they are dumbed down to make it safe for younger readers. I just think that this concept would have been wonderful in full detail as an adult novel...it was almost like too much had to be glossed over to make it PG.

Overall a great read and I will probably read the sequel. I just wish the idea had been filled out a bit more, because it is a fascinating idea and world. Maybe Fisher can write an adult series about Incarceron in the future.

The world of Incarceron that the author created is just fantastic, the story not so much. I understand that this is a young adult novel and is therefore only pg-13, but I found myself wishing that it wasn't. I think her idea, the centuries old, living, evil prison and the outside world that is forced to stay in the 1700s against the wishes of the inhabitants is a brilliant concept that could have been made into a brilliant novel. Yet the author seemed to limit herself to a silly story and selfish, one note characters. The strong, rebellious girl on the outside who refuses to get married to the annoying, childish prince. She ruins the plans of far smarter adults who actually have the wellbeing of others in mind. All for her own selfish reasons. The boy in the prison who believes that he came from the outside and wasn't born there, therefore he decides he doesn't belong and will do anything to get out. To the detriment of others. He has people who are incredibly loyal to him, his oathbrother who is decribed as selfish and a lying theif, the slave girl whom he rescues but was the one who actually rescued him. Finn, the main character, does eventually feel some guilt over the was he has treated his oathbrother. Who has protected him and taken care of him when he was sick... This book was very easy to read, I am a fast reader and I finished this book in under a day. The writing was simple, not alot of thought and development went into making these characters come alive. There are some books that I think about for weeks after finishing them, some that I even go back and read again and again. This is not one of those books. The only character that I am still thinking about the day after I finished it is the prison itself.

Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher

I think "Incarceron" may be one of the most unique books I've read in quite a while. Fisher grabbed my attention on the very first page, and didn't let go until the very last page. This is one of those books where I ask myself, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

The concept is interesting: a prison that is alive. Incarceron was originally created to "take care" of the inmates by educating, civilizing, and nurturing them. But something went drastically wrong, and instead of a utopian society the inmates live in territorial and savage tribes. Inside the prison, the reader meets Finn, a boy who was created by the technology that runs Incarceron.

The world outside of Incarceron is absorbed in Protocol, a mingling of technology and 17th century customs. Claudia is the Warden's daughter, and has been prepared for marriage to a Prince for her entire life; yet she longs to buck the Protocol that strangles her world.

Finn and Claudia, one stuck inside and one stuck outside, will cross paths when each finds a key. For Finn the key is his way to escape a world where he never belonged. For Claudia, the key is her path to a grand adventure and an answer she's sought for years.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away, because I think this book is best when you read it fresh, with no preconceptions or ideas about what will happen. I very much enjoyed "Incarceron," and I think it's one that will appeal to teens and adults.

I have a few little quibbles, such as I would've liked more information on Claudia's world as I found it very fascinating, but I did like how Fisher let the reader piece together information on their own. But that's simply my view, as I love lots of information. Everything else is done very nicely: the characters are strong, interesting, identifiable. The plot is so chock full of twists and turns that you likely won't be able to predict what will happen next. The worldbuilding is unique, as it's a cross between a utopia ideal, historical customs, and a technical prison.

The ending left me hanging, but fans will be happy to know a sequel is due out in December 2010.

4/5.

It will always watch you with its red beaded eye. Hear every word you speak and whisper, feel every move you make. It knows every single thought you think inside your very own head. There is no sanctuary from this vile beast. No where to hide or to find comfort. Not even in your own body. There is no way to escape from the clutches of this monster. Incarceron controls you. You are Incarceron.

Imagine a prison, like many states put together controlled by itself. Imagine being trapped inside the prison for your whole life and wanting to see what is out there. If there is an outside. You are now Finn, a young boy who wants all of this. He has heard stories of one man, Sapphique, leaving the prison, but he does not know if they are true. He would do anything to leave and he's finally gotten his chance.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher is a captivating tale about escaping something that is part of you. When Finn finds a key that allows him to communicate with the outside world, he starts to learn the truth that he was never told. With the help of Keiro; his oath brother, Attia; a slave girl, and Claudia; the mysterious girl from outside, they'll discover secrets that were better left uncovered.

To say that Incarceron was beautifully written will not cover it all. Even though the story was wonderfully written out, the way the words formed did not exactly flow well together. There were parts where I had to go back and re-read it, just to understand what I had read. Now this may be because I was tired when I read it, but either way I still had to go back every few pages. But when I say the story was beautifully written, I mean the general idea. A prison that controls you and gives you life is something that we can all learn to fear. But without spoiling, there were certain parts that made me hesitate to liking it even more.

For some very odd reason I really hated the fact that they saw little animals. Now for everyone who has read this, you will understand what I mean. I am talking about Claudia and Jared, when they see the little animals in the field. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, go read the book. But that part really bugged me because for some reason it did not fit with the story. I mean if you were able to see the animals, should you not be able to see the others?

The characters are well written out, full of life and emotions that make you want to get to know them more. Catherine Fisher plays with your own emotions, making you feel pity for certain characters and then despise them a second later. Every character you meet has a pivotal role to setting the story forward, so it was impressive that they were all third dimensional.

The novel is action-packed and full of thought provoking incidents that make you wonder if everything is happening by accident, or if it was all planned out. Both the world outside and the world inside the prison mesh well together as they both fight to see what is real and what is an illusion. And it all leads up to the final moment where everything they learned is thrown away and one question pops up. Will they ever be able to escape Incarceron?

A uniquely designed plot, this story takes place in two different places. The first is Incarceron, a futuristic prison. There we meet Finn, who has no memory of his past, and his friends, who I wondered of a few occasions if they were true friends. Their goal is to escape.

In another world, Claudia, the warden of Incarceron's daughter, lives in a privileged society of Kings and Queens. She's to marry a prince. Sounds wonderful, but she despises him and her life of protocol. Her only true friend is Jared, her tutor and mentor.

Finn and Claudia meet through a communication device called a key. She discovers Incarceron isn't the utopia her father has led her to believe and she plots to free Finn. As she does, she discovers about Finn's past and who she really is.

The concept of this young adult fantasy novel sounds exciting, but the execution is mediocre at best. Even with the excellent voice of Kim Mai Guest, the narrator couldn't breathe excitement into the first half of this story. Between midway to three-quarters of the way in, my attitude changed. By the end of the story, I want to know more. Finn and Claudia still have a long way to go which will hopefully be revealed in the next book, SAPPHIQUE.

Incarceron sat on my bookshelves way too long! I've picked this book up probably 10 times and not finished it... But this time I was hooked after about 80 pages. I am so glad I finally read Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. Once the action hit it was non-stop! I definitely need to know what happens next so I will be continuing this series soon.

This was a great mystery! Kings and Queens..plotting their games.. But there are also wise scholars and they have access to magic. Which was how the prison was created..and there is also a warden of the prison..although how that works isn't explained. This is a unique story of a tough princess to be, finding her real prince..in another world..and also unwinding secrets as she goes! This was fresh and new for me! Unlike anything I've read before! And there is a sequel..Woo Hoo!! Great Start, I recommend to Fantasy, Sci Fi, and mystery lovers!!

Incarceron is fantasy done well, a heady mix of originality and infallible tropes that make for a wonderful read. It's chock-full of subtle twists and turns, so much so that I'd liken it to the movie Inception in that you can't expect to understand the story with a short summary. Neither is it a Shyamalan film where disclosure of the twist ending is the satisfaction derived from the entire affair; instead you have to savor each moment, each revelation and development, read the story carefully from beginning to end--and in that order, too--to fully appreciate the complexity and depth that Catherine Fisher has woven into her ambitious story. I love the alternation between Finn's story and Claudia's story: the former, trapped in the nightmarish conditions of the living prison, uncertainty and danger his constant companions, his hopes of escaping as fragile as spun glass, and the latter, brought up in a world of luxury laced with political conspiracies and true intentions hidden behind facades of medieval chivalry and fawning praise, forced to marry a selfish and useless prince, her own wishes eclipsed by the devious plots hatched by her father and other courtiers. Fisher's writing is to be commended as well, as it is straightforward and yet beautiful at times, adept at raising tension and suspense, and describing the settings of both Incarceron and the Outside, and delivering the story at a breakneck speed. The very concept of the story, that of a living and talking and all-seeing prison consisting of vast tracts of lands and mountains and oceans, and an "outside" world that has been purposefully halted in a stasis of the medieval period, is brilliance exemplified. The legends and lore that Fisher created, of Sapphique and his legacy, of the birth of Incarceron, of the very world itself, had me invested in the story and gave a hard-to-achieve sort of depth to Finn's plight, not to mention the fact that the way Fisher makes use of the legends to tie Finn's story with Claudia's inspired in me some moments where I was stuck between disbelief and doubt and nervous anticipation as I waited to see if the developments in the plot were true or yet another false lead courtesy of Catherine Fisher's ingenuity.

And while it was brilliant, Incarceron was not without its flaws. Finn and Claudia and co., while fully fleshed out as characters, were not developed to the point where I truly cared for them. Finn was at times incredibly naive, always, always, always believing the best of people even when the reader is screaming at him that NO, SO AND SO IS OBVIOUSLY UP TO NO GOOD, CAN'T YOU SEE?! It's part of his charm, I guess. And Claudia, as expected because of her upbringing, is spoiled and bratty at times. The casual feminist in me, however, applauds her occasional ruthlessness and rebellion and her defiance of the Queen and her father. I wish the supporting cast had been more developed. I liked how Keiro's current MO strays in the grey area more often than not- is he good or evil? Does he truly care for Finn or is that just watching out for his own skin? I wanted more background on Attia and Jared (what is that drat illness plaguing him, huh?) and Caspar, and I wanted Incarceron to be better explained as a prison and a living entity, but being YA I guess that more details had to be sacrificed for the sake of page count...?

Nevertheless, Incarceron is truly something. Doubtless it is not for everyone; some might find its flaws glaring and unavoidable in lieu of its complexity and enjoyment factor, but personally, I found Incarceron to be a beacon shining brightly in the sea of YA, and I think I'll be happily searching for more like this in the future. Something with complexity and depth and authentic suspense and excellent writing and originality and ambition. Sapphique came out today and I seriously need to get my grubby little hands on it.

Quick Overview: Finn is trapped inside. His memories are a jumbled mess and seizures claim him sporadically. Some think he is he is the one who will lead them all out. Everyone though, can see there is something different about him. Claudia, however, is on the outside. The only daughter of the feared and revered warden. She is raised in high esteem and confidence. She knows exactly who she is. When the two find each other, they will stop at nothing and for no one. Both are hell bent on answers, the truth and escape.

The author has created a wonderful world of the future. Fisher's description and ingenuity makes readers fall into a new place. A new time. It is nothing that has been done before and it is done imaginatively. The story of Incarceron captivated me. A very good tale for all ages.

"Incarceron" is a 'new' kind of fantasy - one without wizards or witches or vampires. It's a pleasant reminder that there are other tales to be told. It is a tale of a world with a corrupt queen and a prison so intelligent it cannot be controlled. The first dip into the story is a submersion into the life within the prison - one of the kinds of lives. Nothing is ever fully explained - only slowly revealed as the story progresses.

There is great character development - betrayals are hinted in a way that the reader distrusts characters like the protagonist does (or rather naively does not, but should). The story flips between the two worlds of the prison and of the world outside the prison, and the reader learns of the history that created it and is stunned by the plots twists not hinted.

The hardcover version is aesthetic, with illustrations that match the hidden highly technological world within the story. The reader learns that the prison is a world onto itself with its different peoples and groups as is the Outside, a highly technologically advanced world that has been stopped in time in what could be the 1700s in Europe if not for the hidden devices used by the people against Era Protocol.

If there were any flaws with the story, it would be how Claudia and Finn always seemed to be able to initiate a conversation with each other without catching the other at an inopportune time. It is improbable that they could have always been free to communicate when the other was available. Also, while reading, I kept wondering how the legend of Sapphique was ever passed along in the prison if Sapphique escaped to Outside. How did anyone know the tale when there could have not been anyone to know what had happened?

Honestly, I was less than impressed. The world they live in is so confusing, and there's no back story whatsoever to give any insight as to why they live in a post-modern world that dictates they live as if they're in the 17th century - with computers. It's simply referred to as "Protocol." What on earth happened in this world to make this kind of lifestyle the norm? Without that information, I frequently found myself scratching my head wondering why things had to be done a certain way.

The story itself is an intriguing one, and I admit that it's a fairly original idea. I just felt as if the execution was flawed. I wanted to simply stop reading several times early on, and I was well past the half-way mark before I began to feel somewhat invested in the characters.

The good things is that by the end I was invested in the characters, and I'm curious enough that I will read Sapphique at some point to find out what happens - but it won't be a high priority.

If you prefer fast-paced stories where everything makes sense, you probably won't want to read this one.