Review: Incarceron

Book: Incarceron
Author: Catherine Fisher
Pages: 464
Published: May 3rd, 2007

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 ...

General Overview: This was an incredibly original book! Catherine Fisher definitely has some sort of twisted/brilliant imagination to create the world in which Incarceron takes place.

Characters: I thought Finn was the best character of all. The chapters from his point of view were the ones I enjoyed the most. His struggle and his courage were both commendable qualities, and I don't think I would've been able to hope like he did after living in Incarceron. I think I'd probably just break down and cry…Claudia, I didn't like her as much I would've hoped. I found her to be just a little too haughty and selfish, and I didn't care much for her. The Warden was an interesting character to read about, what with his twisted history and all, and Keiro and Attia were both interesting as well.

Plot: The adventure keeps you on the edge of your seat! I couldn't flip the pages fast enough. Even though this book is about 450 pages of text, I finished it in one day (see what I mean about reading fast?) because the stories of both the Inside and the Outside kept me enthralled and wanting more. The ending left much to the imagination, and I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

Writing: Catherine Fisher is extremely descriptive in her scenes. The world of Incarceron is described with careful detail that lets you imagine Incarceron as it is in your mind. Fisher drew me in from the first chapter with her actions scenes and smart dialogue.

Cover: The key on the cover isn't really how I imagined the Keys. I thought they'd be more…Swarovski-crystal-like, if you know what I mean. However, I do think the cover is an intriguing one and I hope that Sapphique, the sequel to Incarceron, will have just as great a cover.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars