Incarceron

by Catherine Fisher

Book Overview

A thrilling, high-concept fantasy for fans of Garth Nix and Nancy Farmer. "Incarceron" is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible. And then Finn finds a crystal...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803733968
• ISBN13: 9780803733961
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Dial Books
• Length: 442 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.6" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

A dark, exciting fantasy adventure

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.

A Complex and Horrifying Dystopian Masterpiece

There are two kinds of great novels. There's the kind that you can't put down, an addiction running through your bloodstream, the kind that, time permitting, you inhale in one single reading. That kind would be those rare books like The Hunger Games. Then there's the other kind of great book. This kind shakes the foundations of your literary beliefs. It haunts your dreams, your thoughts during the daytime, and may even give you nightmares. But you can't read this in one sitting, so intense it is, so much figurative weight it holds. INCARCERON is this type of novel. 18-year-old Finn was "born" three years ago in the massive prison Incarceron. He can't remember life before the prison, but he is sure that, unlike nearly everyone else in Incarceron, he came from somewhere else, somewhere Outside. Aided only by strange visions, a mysterious crystal key, and the legend of Sapphique, the only man who ever escaped Incarceron, Finn is determined to escape as well. Outside Incarceron, in a world trapped in time by the royal dynasty's will, Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is about to undergo an arranged marriage that she has no desire to be a part of. She steals her father's key to Incarceron, but what began as an act of petulance soon gives way to something more sinister and significant when she discovers that she can talk to a boy named Finn through the key, and a boy who is trapped in Incarceron and asks for her help to escape. Neither one of them, however, can begin to imagine the scope of what they're dealing with. There are plenty of people who want to keep the teens in the dark about Incarceron and court politics. And the prison itself is alive, and it is not so willing to aid them... INCARCERON is not a book that makes you immediately fall in love with it. In fact, in many aspects it's actually quite the opposite. Neither Claudia nor Finn are extremely likable: Claudia was raised by the Warden to be shrewd and calculating, while Finn often feels like a passive goody-two-shoes undeservingly stuck in a horrible situation. Catherine Fisher also drops readers unapologetically into her world, with the result being that you're left scrambling for something to hold onto as you struggle to adjust yourself to this confusing world full of court intrigue, secrets, and threats. But as the story moved along, I found myself slowly being drawn in, gradually getting caught up in the parallel desperations of Finn and Claudia's stories. While the plot arc of the novel seems to move slowly, each chapter is packed full of interesting conversations or scenarios, so that, while you are able to put down the book, you will hardly lose interest. Fisher has an effortless way with words, mesmerizing and creepy at the same time. The revelation at the end is of the jaw-dropping degree, and is what convinced me of Catherine Fisher's literary mastery. It's not often that an author can manage to string readers along, and then throw them for a completely

A Great Fantasy!

I loved this book! I'm already aching to read the sequel! It was one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a while. The book began with an intense scene and it didn't slow down. There was a lot of great action and tension as the reader gets sucked into the world of the prison. I cheered for Finn's escape the whole way through the book. Claudia was just as wonderful as I found myself rooting for her to make new discoveries that would help Finn escape. The world created by Fisher is so immense but we get wonderful background information through the chapter quotes and some of them are quite beautiful and lyrical. I appreciated how the story was able to develop to give the reader more insight into the mysterious world, and even more mysterious prison. This isn't a prison I'd ever want to be jailed in. The prison is a perpetual threat and becomes another living character in the story. The plot was original and the writing kept me interested and flipping through the pages. Overall, it was a fast, entertaining read!

Courtesy of Teens Read 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

One awesome book!

Flinn has no memory except bits of pieces from Outside. He lives in a vast prison where cruelty and danger is the norm. Claudia lives in a manor house stuck in a 17th century world run by computers. A world were artists and poets are doomed to endless repetitions of the past. Her life is about to change as she's about to marry a spoiled prince and enter a society filled with whispers of assassination plots. Her father is Warden of Incarceron, the prison which is tucked away. No one can enter and no one can leave. Or so they thought. Flinn and Claudia's worlds collide when they both find a key. A key that might be the way out of the prison for Flinn and inside for Claudia. Both will be surprised at the secrets hidden in Incarceron. As will be the reader on this very imaginative, exciting tale. I loved this book. The author does a great job of introducing the reader to both worlds--the one inside Incarceron and the one outside. Both POV's flow seamlessly in this tale. Flinn's struggles to find out if he does belong Outside are powerful. He refuses to accept the belief he can never leave. Both worlds are rich with detail. I can't help but wonder if there's a sequel in the works? I highly recommend this book! Right now it's only available in the UK but I'm sure it'll be coming here soon. It's well worth the wait!