Book Review: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron (Incarceron #1)
Author:  Catherine Fisher
Publisher:  Penguin Group, 448 pages
Publication Date:  July 15, 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.

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 …

Review:
Here are reasons you should read this book:

1. Such a unique and imaginative world, I don't think I've ever read anything like this.  A living, sentient prison created during a time of advanced technology to incarcerate all the criminals in the world and repair their morals to form a perfect society. Of course it went wrong and the prison is now filled with different factions who live quite savagely.  When they die, they're absorbed back into the prison and so some people are born with metal parts.  So strange. Supposedly no one can escape, but there's a legend of Sapphique, the only person ever to make it out.   

Finn is 18 years old and only remembers the last 3 years of his life.  Before that, it's a blank, but he believes he came from outside.  Claudia lives outside, and her world is just as bizarre.  Apparently there was a war and when it ended the King decided that the world (the Realm) should be as it was in the 17th century.  No technology or science (that's the Protocol).  Basically, they're living in a false history.  Although somehow people break Protocol and have technology because at one point Claudia tells someone that she knows she'll just use the washing machine, even though it's forbidden.  And there are skin wands that make you look young, and holograms, but you're not supposed to use them, but people do anyway.  Where are they getting this stuff?  Is is all stuff from before the war that people saved?  Are people currently making these things? I'm assuming there is some sort of black market, but I definitely had questions that weren't answered.  

There's never any info-dumping, it's slowly revealed throughout the book, which some people may find frustrating, but I actually enjoyed being in the dark and just reading how it all unfolds.  

2.  After a bit of a slow start, it becomes such a page-turner, and I couldn't put it down.  There's so much going on and there are so many twisty discoveries about the prison, about Finn, and about Claudia.  Some I expected, but others were complete surprises.

3.  The book is filled with complex characters (not sure who can be trusted), political intrigue and back-stabbing.

It's grim, it's dark, it's a blend of science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian.  I definitely recommend it.

Posted by:  Pam