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Incarceron (Incarceron #1)

by Catherine Fisher

3.68 · rating details · 14,272 ratings · 2,678 reviews

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...more

Paperback, 458 pages

Published 2007 by Hodder Children's Books

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Oct 21, 2011

Cory rated it

I know many of you are staring at my two star review with amazement. I imagine you're thinking, "Cory, how could you?! This is one of the greatest steam-punk novels ever written! How can you rate it without even finishing it?"

To that, I have a simple answer: I wasn't impressed.

This book, like many fantasy novels I've ignored for the past few years, follows the Hero's Journey like a bible.

Of course we have a mystery revolving around the hero's past. O...more

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Dec 17, 2010

Krista (One Love) (Critical) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, own-ab, read-around, yst, cfmf, ya, own, favorites

Where to begin? I just loved this book so much. Reading it was like drinking a white chocolate mocha, oh so delicious.

Maybe I'm really weird, but I've always thought prisons were kind of...cool. Not the modern day kind, but the medieval types. Strange, maybe, but I just find dungeons really interesting. ANYWAY, Incarceron is the ULTIMATE prison. It's alive, and it has a perosonality, which is just so unbelievably awesome.

I must admit, the twists were very predictable, but I...more

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Dec 26, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy

I finished this book last night but waited till this morning to review it. Had I not, I suspect that the review would have been a bit more...vitriolic.

I've run on several mediocre YA novels recently and that not only disappoints me, but gives me pause. maybe I'm getting harder to please?

Having just gone through the Percy Jackson series and found it disappointing and reading a book by Tamora Pierce which I found mostly stultifyingly dull, I was rooting for this one. Unfort...moreI finished this book last night but waited till this morning to review it. Had I not, I suspect that the review would have been a bit more...vitriolic.

I've run on several mediocre YA novels recently and that not only disappoints me, but gives me pause. maybe I'm getting harder to please?

Having just gone through the Percy Jackson series and found it disappointing and reading a book by Tamora Pierce which I found mostly stultifyingly dull, I was rooting for this one. Unfortunately it just didn't workout, at least for me. I'm a fantasy fan so, while the reality in this book requires some heavy duty suspension of belief, that's not in itself an insurmountable problem. The biggest problem(s) is/are in the story itself and the characters who populate it.

Most of the "people" here I just either couldn't care about, or I just didn't like. Finn wasn't too bad except for the failings everyone has here, but Claudia.... Claudia is petulant (yes I said petulant), willful, somewhat thoughtless and then when you roll all that up and make her thoughtlessness grow into either stupidity or foolishness it can be more than a person can bear. I know you don't ask for "reality" in a fantasy story, but there has to be a certain "reality" a form of logic within a book's own reality. Time and time again Claudia does things that had she really done them, the story would have ended early in some form of disaster for her and/or her tutor. Some times she makes an...lets be kind, an "unwise" decision, and it just sort of goes unnoticed or something, the ax never falls.

There are problems with the story telling itself also. Several times (for example) there is a tense situation, something is crashing or exploding and debris is falling all around, danger is everywhere. Or, possibly the characters are somewhere and enemies, guards etc. are closing in and something must be done! Or, their barricaded in a room and the battering ram is smashing down the door...we have to do something and do it NOW! And you'll get a line like this..."he/she stood staring off into the distance for several minutes, saying nothing". What?! Oh come on.

All in all the book escapes the one star rating as I've read worse, but I don't plan to follow the series. If you enjoyed the book I'm really happy for you, I really wanted to like the book, but it just left me cold and by a little over half way through I was simply skipping ahead... sorry.

Some of this it will be argued is simply "characteristics of a given character", but if the action continues throughout the book, thoughtless action after unwise decision it gets old, not endearing or cute or brave. I was just tired by books end. Maybe you won't see the book this way but I just didn't like it.

At this point, I have one more YA book, that I've been asked to read by someone, and then I think I may do some nonfiction only reading for a while and after that get to some of the books that I've been wanting to read for months or years that aren't for reading groups etc. The ones on my own shelves. Some adult level, non YA reading as it were. Maybe I'm just burned out. (less)

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Nov 14, 2008

R.j. rated it

Recommends it for: SF&F fans, young adults, lovers of adventure and complex, multilayered plots and characters

I love this book with a mad passion. I could hardly even tell you why, except that the concept of the living and sentient prison that's a whole world in itself is amazing, and the blend of the fantastical/fairy tale/historical and the high-tech aspects of Claudia's world fascinated me, and the Warden reminds me of Jack Bristow from Alias with his grim aspect and habit of keeping dark secrets mingled with a fierce (if sometimes oddly expressed) love of his daughter, and Jared is GUH and Jared/Cla...more

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Jun 15, 2010

Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya-kids-teen, series-books, dystopian, penguin, own, annoying-protagonist

If Incarceron was a school subject, it would definitely be science. I love science, I find it fascinating, but I’m not very good at it… kind of like this reading experience!
First of all, this book is fascinating, captivating, the type of story that sticks with you to the point that you’re forgetting everything else you have to do because you’re so obsessed over what happens next! But, on the other hand, it’s really confusing, and to be honest, I had a hard time digesting all the int...more
If Incarceron was a school subject, it would definitely be science. I love science, I find it fascinating, but I’m not very good at it… kind of like this reading experience!
First of all, this book is fascinating, captivating, the type of story that sticks with you to the point that you’re forgetting everything else you have to do because you’re so obsessed over what happens next! But, on the other hand, it’s really confusing, and to be honest, I had a hard time digesting all the intricacies of the plot. I would respectfully point out that this book is way closer to “Science Fiction/Fantasy” than just regular Fantasy – be prepared for lots of technology and science.

Okay, so in a nutshell – how about I go ahead and set the stage for you, and maybe save your brain some racking? I have no idea if this is supposed to be Earth or if this is an entirely fictional universe, but whatever it is, it’s sometime in the future after a major war has taken place. Sounds pretty Dystopian 101, right? Well, this society decides to halt progress of any kind (technological, mostly) and return to a simpler way of life; thus the society is 18th century based, with some contraband technology thrown in (sidenote: I really, really do love this concept! I love the blending of the old with the new! COOL!) Meanwhile, the powers that be created Incarceron – an experimental “prison” that they populated with criminals, political prisoners, and all other kinds of undesirables… (I say "prison" because it's not the bars-and-cells kind that you see in Man in the Iron Mask or Count of Monte Cristo...it's more like a hellish society) One of these prisoners, a 17-year-old boy named Finn, truly believes that he does not belong in Incarceron: he is convinced that he came from Outside. When he finds a Key that allows him to communicate with a girl on the outside, Finn launches a desperate escape plot all the while attempting to unravel the secrets of his past.

From page 1, Incarceron hits the ground running! I can definitely say that there are no dull points in this riveting, action-packed story. I think, though, that the fast-paced action comes at the expense of character and story development. There’s so much action in this story, but it seems like you learn things in fragments. But hey, this book is incredibly fast-paced and so you don’t stay in the dark for long. :D

I really liked the two main characters, Finn and Claudia, and I thought that their respective storylines were pretty interesting. I loved seeing their separate lives start to blend and was definitely cheering for them the whole way! As usual, I’m divided on the supporting characters. Because there’s so much action in this 400+ book, characterization seemed to take a backseat. That’s not to say that characters weren’t developed; they just didn’t really seem explored. Incarceron seems like a very psychological novel, and I honestly could have done with more in-depth character exploration. And Finn and Keiro’s weird, warped relationship confused me – Keiro was just aggravating through and through.
So to summarize: VERY GOOD characters – they’re all interesting and useful to the plot (no “filler” characters, in other words)…SOMEWHAT LACKING on how these characters are explored and their emotional development.

Final Rating: 4.3 – in between my 4-and-4.5 star rating. I know, I can’t make up my mind! Incarceron is an awesome plot with great characters, but it could have been better explained and explored.
(less)

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Nov 18, 2011

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, library-checkout, steampunk, young-adult, imprisoned-ex-convict, futuristic, royalty, apocalyptic-postapocalyptic-dystopi, the-lost-heir, science-fantasy, 2011-reading

Disclaimer: It was hard to convey my overall views on this book. I feel like this review is very much a 'I can't put my fingers on what was wrong' type of review, so I apologize if it seems rather chaotic.

Incarceron is a book with some interesting ideas, and some intensely visual imagery. Catherine Fisher put some imagination into crafting this story, and I tip my hat to the author for that. However, my overall feeling after finishing it is disappointment. Unfortunately, there wer...more

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Jan 23, 2011

Thomas rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya

Incarceron was created to deal with the overpopulation problems facing the world's jail system. It is a prison, but also an entire world onto itself, from which no one can ever Escape, and to which no one from the outside can ever enter. Its location is unknown, but it is said to be a paradise, a perfect world. But, of course, with the current surplus of literary distopias, no reader will be shocked to discover that the plan went askew somewhere. That the prisoners are not living together in per...moreIncarceron was created to deal with the overpopulation problems facing the world's jail system. It is a prison, but also an entire world onto itself, from which no one can ever Escape, and to which no one from the outside can ever enter. Its location is unknown, but it is said to be a paradise, a perfect world. But, of course, with the current surplus of literary distopias, no reader will be shocked to discover that the plan went askew somewhere. That the prisoners are not living together in perfect harmony. That life in Incarceron is horrible and gruesome. Those who live in the prisons dream of the world Outside, without ever knowing if it actually exists, or if Incarceron is, in fact, all that there is.

Finn desperately believes that there is an Outside. He may only have a couple of memories from his childhood, but these memories, along with "visions" he sees during violent seizures, convince him that he was actually born there. Then Finn "stumbles upon" (ie: watches an act of brutality to be committed and then essentially steals) a key that could never have been made inside Incarceron. It allows him to communicate with Claudia, a girl who is not only Outside, but also the daughter of the prison's warden. Finn and several other inmates begin a quest to find a way out as Claudia desperately tries to help them, in an effort to escape her own grim situation.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It is written well. Information regarding the two worlds is given out slowly, within the narrative, which made me read very carefully; the worlds were so interesting and unique that I didn't want to miss a thing. At the same time, the pace never lets up; the entire book is intense and interesting; so I found myself wanting to read quickly, too. The main characters are likable and the bad guys are easy to hate, but by the end, of course, much of what we thought we knew is turned on its head, and most characters are revealed to have more dimensions than it first seemed. But the main triumph here is in the world Catherine Fisher created. Plus, I think it would make a totally bad-ass movie, and it seems more likely to happen if more people read it. So, read it, please. (less)

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Dec 24, 2011

Luz Balthasaar rated it

Selesai baca ini, saia speechless.

Tapi ini bukan jenis speechless "ZOMG its So COoLZ LIke Tah Best ThinG EVAARRRR!!!" yang saia harapkan. Ini lebih seperti jenis speechless yang, "Idenya keren banget... tapi kok ide sekeren itu cuma jadi kayak... gini? O_O

Betapa saia benci jika ide yang seharusnya pure awesome dieksekusi menjadi sesuatu yang gak awesome.

Bayangin deh. Idenya tentang sebuah penjara yang hidup, yang merupakan dunia/ekosistem terse...more

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Oct 02, 2011

Leanne rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: cover-lust, sci-fic-dystopia, disappointing, steampunk

I've decided to mark this as an abandonded book. I gave up because:

A) The characters/narrators are failing to engage me into the story.

B) The world- building has a very obtuse feeling to it (and the writing is pretty bad, with little descripitions and details), and I can't seem to be able to picture the background in my mind.

C) The world- building also kinda defies logic.

and D), I'm bored.

Huh. I'm thinking science fantasy fiction ju...more

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Aug 14, 2011

Lisa rated it

· review of another edition

I wish I could give half-stars, because this is really 3 1/2.

I thought the ideas in this book were rich and innovative, and the plot twists near the end were what made me round the rating up to 4 stars instead of rounding down. I definitely want to read the sequel to find out where this story goes. (Update: I recently moved my rating down to 3 stars because as time has gone by I stopped caring about reading the sequel! Just didn't resonate with me, I guess.)

The big negat...more

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Jan 15, 2012

Luann rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Luann by: Susan

Shelves: young-adult, science-fiction, dystopia, 2012

About half way through this, I wasn't sure I was going to care enough to want to read the sequel. But the closer I got to the end, the more caught up in the story I became. Some of the things that bothered me in the beginning were either resolved or the story moved away from those parts of the plot.

In the beginning, I felt like I didn't have a firm grasp on what was going on or how the societies inside Incarceron really worked. Details were given, but not enough to make me feel like...more

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Dec 16, 2011

仔, 我决定爱你一萬年 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, fantasy, scifi-distopia, arc

*makasih Memooo....*

Pure fantasi
maksudnya bacanya bener-bener sambil berfantasi
susah looh, kalo ngebayangin dunia Luar mah gampang
dunia Dalam ituh.. hueee mana dunianya muram lagi

jadi ceritanya Incarceron itu penjara - tapi karena distopia, penjaranya 'canggih' dong
canggihnya apa? yah udah kaya' dunia sendiri aja.. mulai dari kaum terpelajar sampai kaum preman pun ada
ga kebayang deh luasnya kaya apa tuh penjara..

ada penjara...more

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Feb 21, 2011

Eileen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy-dystopia, read-2011, recommendations, favorites

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, but I have always been into reading fairytales and although they don't live happily ever after, this book reads like a fairytale. It's a very imaginative, original and engrossing story that is vividly written with great characters. It has action and suspense, but no romance (thank God, no love-triangle!).I loved every second of it and although I didn't want to rush through it and enjoy it to the fullest, I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page. It'...more

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Sep 08, 2010

Lina rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-general, paranormal-fiction, teen-fiction-fantasy

How sad is it that I am actually surprised to see a book utilize character development? After reading so many terrible books (House of Night, Fallen, Shiver and anything with Ever Bloom) any book that manages to have it's characters evolve immediately attracts my attention. That book is called Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, who is going to be one of my favorite writers if she keeps this wrong. It's a fantasy book that has...ACTUAL FANTASY!

*Squee*

-Ahem-

So my...moreHow sad is it that I am actually surprised to see a book utilize character development? After reading so many terrible books (House of Night, Fallen, Shiver and anything with Ever Bloom) any book that manages to have it's characters evolve immediately attracts my attention. That book is called Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, who is going to be one of my favorite writers if she keeps this wrong. It's a fantasy book that has...ACTUAL FANTASY!

*Squee*

-Ahem-

So my review.

Incarceron is living prison that was created by a King ages ago to be a perfect place to send prisoners [*coughAustraliacough*]. While, it was as a paradise, as any good fantasy reader knows, it all went to shit and the prison took on a life of its own. It has even developed to the point that it can create people from within it's walls. The history of this living world is one of the many interesting things that take place in this book.

The main story is split between two people. One is Finn, who had no memory of his childhood and is certain he came from the Outside. However, the idea of an Outside is considered a myth by most inhabitants of the prison. The second character we are introduced to is, Claudia, who is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron (DILF), who is arranged to mary a douche bag. Both come into possession of a key which allows them to contact each other and they set out to get Finn out.

It might be an exaggeration to say that this book was brilliant, but it is an exaggeration that I gladly give. It was a fun, engaging read and it is obvious that alot of thought came into the development of the world. Every character is interesting in their own way and brings something important to the ensemble piece. Certain plot points are basic and one is as predictable as it guess, however I feel it was supposed to be like that.

If you are looking for an interesting, young adult fantasy book please look here!

Final Grade: A

I honestly adore this book and it was a pleasure to read every single page. I'd never heard of this book, so, much like Sleepless, I wasn't expecting much from it. However, I am slowly learning that sometimes the books you least suspect are the best ones. Sort of like relationships. I wish I could go into more detail, but I really feel this book should be read and giving anything away will cheat you.(less)

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Sep 20, 2010

Mariel rated it

Shelves: thelostgirls, post-apocalyptic-dystopian, asleepanddreaming, steampunk, claustrophobic, thebighouse

I'm looking forward to the movie version of Incarceron. While it is a really good book, it didn't *quite* get there. I still have unanswered questions after reading the second (and final) book Sapphique. A common problem in young adult fiction is that some things are rushed, and this is true here. I don't know if it is to make subject matter less difficult (or less than unflinching for those who can't stomach it) for the younger readers. I don't care about that, and I wouldn't have fifteen years...more

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Feb 24, 2010

oliviasbooks rated it

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, science-fiction-dystopia, steampunk, other-creatures, swapped-or-given-away, read-2010, multiple-povs-letters, cliffhanger

The prison Incarceron reminds me a lot of HAL, the space ship's board computer of Kubrick's "Space Odyssey": Both are fitted out with artificial intelligence and go rogue.

Incarceron takes place in the future. 160 years ago a king decided that cutting off mankind from its strive after one technological improvement after the next would end greed, war and the slow crumbling of society. So he forbid time and progress and switched everything back to an era long passed: An age, ...moreThe prison Incarceron reminds me a lot of HAL, the space ship's board computer of Kubrick's "Space Odyssey": Both are fitted out with artificial intelligence and go rogue.

Incarceron takes place in the future. 160 years ago a king decided that cutting off mankind from its strive after one technological improvement after the next would end greed, war and the slow crumbling of society. So he forbid time and progress and switched everything back to an era long passed: An age, when people traveled on horseback and did without electricity. But the same new old era also contains computer generated old-looking trees and fake spiderwebs - and rich people have found ways to hide electric cables in the staff rooms and lush bathrooms behind secret panels. Following the so-called "Protocol" completely is only obligatory if you are lower class.

A second step towards a violence and crime-free world was the construction of the self-regulating, autonomous prison Incarceron, where all criminal, dangerous, politically extreme and mentally ill people were sent off to - together with 70 volunteers to guard them. The fact that after closing the doors nobody could enter and nobody could leave played into the hands of Incarceron itself: Nobody could hinder it to turn the planned paradise into a hell serving it's own strange taste in amusement. Not even the learned volunteers.

In the real world nobody knows about the unpleasant development of the former experiment. Nobody but the Warden, who has got the only key to the prison.

The story follows Claudia, the present Warden's daughter, who has been promised to the unfit Crown Prince to be his future bride, on the "Outside" and gang member Finn, who woke up inside the prison at the age of fifteen without a proper memory, on the "Inside". He claims not to be one of the prison's recycled products, but to be imported from the real world - where he wants to return to.

Also lined up are a handful of interesting side-characters including Claudia's tutor Jared, the ice-cold and scheming Warden and the evil Queen on the one side, and Keiro, Finn's oathbrother and two other travel-mates (Gildas and Attia) on the other side.

The story kept my attention all of the time. I liked Finn a lot and Claudia a little less. In fact, she was sometimes quite annoying, which can be explained by her upbringing as the next puppet on the throne. But I always wanted to know what happened next - even to her.

The plot ends with a cliff-hanger. But the sequel Sapphique is already available.(less)

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Aug 15, 2011

Mery rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia-scifi, i-love-its-cover, terjemahan, my-works, matahati, own, fantasy, sudah-terbit

Yaaaay kereeeen....

Sebagai pembaca saya sih suka ;D
Sebagai penerjemahnya saya lebih suka. ;D *plaaaak*

Dunia futuristik bercampur kehidupan lampau. Atau sebaliknya ya?

Finn hidup di dunia Penjara yang isinya mesin dan makhluk-makhluk aneh. Pengen banget keluar dari sana dan nikmati dunia luar.
Claudia hidup di dunia luar yang indah nan megah namun terbentur peraturan protokol. Bayangin aja dia hidup di zaman canggih tapi tinggalnya di kastil. Pake p...more

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Jul 13, 2011

Kate rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: writing-found-wanting, thank-you-pioneer-library, last-ill-read-of-series, disappointments, read-2011, lackluster

Incarceron has a lot of science fiction in it. And I learned from reading it that, with a few exceptions, I am not a science fiction reader. I found it boring and almost miserable to read at times, and would have to force myself to go on.
I felt like the author really lacked on imagery throughout the entire book. Over and over again the characters would be in some setting and a lot would be going on, but because of a lack of description the mental image in my head would only be blackness....more

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Aug 07, 2011

James M. Madsen, M.D. rated it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, speculative-fiction

I found the plot of Incarceron a little predictable and the action a little flagging--until the last seven chapters, which almost made up for the earlier parts of the book. The main idea--of a 150-year-old grand experiment in penal reform with the creation of a self-sustaining and essentially completely isolated prison world that goes horribly wrong--is an intriguing one, and Fisher runs with it. There are several ways for a book to become memorable to me. One is to have an intellectually sti...more

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Aug 20, 2009

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

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,...moreReviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

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.(less)

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May 03, 2011

Jen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 5201, kelly-recommends, young-adult, another-dystopia

Lit. class review:

The main reason I’m reading this is at recommendation (yet again) of my friend Kelly, who continues to recommend books that I love. If her word isn’t reason enough, it’s also been recognized by the School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, the Cybil awards, and is one of Booklist’s top 10 fantasy/sci-fi for 2010.

It’s another addition to the ever-expanding list of dystopic YAL titles. The main character appears to live within a prison unlike any sort of pr...moreLit. class review:

The main reason I’m reading this is at recommendation (yet again) of my friend Kelly, who continues to recommend books that I love. If her word isn’t reason enough, it’s also been recognized by the School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, the Cybil awards, and is one of Booklist’s top 10 fantasy/sci-fi for 2010.

It’s another addition to the ever-expanding list of dystopic YAL titles. The main character appears to live within a prison unlike any sort of prison we know. According to the book jacket, the prison “gives life … deals death … watches all.” It was created to rehabilitate, but something has gone terribly wrong.

p. 147 – Finn is a son of the prison called Incarceron. Everyone says he was “born” there, but he has dreams – memories – of before. He, his oathbrother Keiko, and Gildas, one of the Wise men, decide to attempt an Escape when they gain possession of a mysterious and other-worldly key. Meanwhile, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, lives outside the prison in a perpetually Victorian world and is herself wishing for an escape from an unwanted betrothal.

p. 293 – Incarceron seems to stretch on without limit. Finn, from the inside, and Claudia, from outside, are searching for a door or a gate of some sort. Claudia is days away from marrying the useless son of the Queen and is still unsure how she will escape the agreements her father has made. Questions at this point: Is Keiko trustworthy? What’s up with the evil and scary Queen? Is Claudia’s father good or bad? And where is Incarceron?

By the end of the book, some questions are answered; some are left for the sequel. And it appears that, contrary to the need to turn every new book into a trilogy or series, Fisher has ended her story with the sequel, Sapphique. I enjoyed the world she created, but sometimes the stories from various mythologies made it difficult to get a grasp on her vision. As with any novel set in the future, I find myself wondering what about our own time she is critiquing -- Politics? Religion? What?

Appropriate for any reader 7th grade and up who has an interest in sci-fi/fantasy and is willing to tackle a 450-page book.
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May 12, 2010

Chelsea rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, alternatehistory, youngadult, 2010

Aaargh. I need to start reading stand alone novels, because the wait for all these sequels is killing me. And now I have another one to add to the list.

This one grabbed me hard from page one and so there I sat, all day, at the Book Shop, ignoring the display I should have been putting together (though I did get it done!) as I plowed through. I love that Fisher just drops the reader into this wildly different world, and expects you to keep up and piece together the details of her c...more

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Jan 11, 2011

Steven Withrow rated it

Listened to this one on audio with Kim Mai Guest as a reader. Her straight narration is strong, but her faux-British accents for dialogue are distracting and sometimes annoying.

I liked the book enough to finish it in a single week, but I doubt I'll go on to the sequels anytime soon. This is a book I really should like -- it has so many of the elements I ordinarily enjoy -- but it just seemed overstuffed with characters and prophecies.

My favorite scenes were with Claudia...more

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Dec 28, 2010

Krisanne Stewart rated it

wow...this is one of those books that is tough to read because of multiple story lines, and also because I am still not quite sure what is going on. But it's one of those books that I can't stop thinking about. The characters are fabulous, and strong, and resourceful, and evil. Incarceron is a prison that started out as an experiment and has now grown into something much more that Finn is trying to escape. He knows he wasn't born in Incarceron, but can't remember about his early years. Claudia i...more

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Mar 12, 2011

Mocha ღ Latte (YA Reviewer) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: alltime-favorites

More of my reviews at "A Cupcake and A Latte"*updated daily*
What to say about Incarceron. Simply put, it was ~~[insert curse word of your choice]~~ awesome! It had been mocking me from the shelves for the longest time and upon the news that Incarceron would be turned into a movie, like many of my other favorite YA novels, i decided to pick it up. The cover alone is quite tempting in itself and the summary adds to that temptation. It's an epic fantasy adventure about Finn, a prisioner ...more

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May 11, 2010

Jean rated it

Shelves: adult-fiction, youngadult-fiction

This gritty, intriguing dystopia's mysteries had me giddy with suspense. I loved the juxtaposition of high technology--its staggering potential as a freedom and a menace--and the stifling control of archaic, formal pre-industrial society. I won't even get into the plot--discovering it slowly is part of the fun.

I was tickled to find that throughout, the story brought specific, nostalgic images to my mind from our collective fantasy-world consciousness: Mad Max, The Wizard of Oz, a bit...more

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Sep 15, 2011

Zeek rated it

Shelves: dystopian, fiction, sci-fi, young-adult, audible

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...moreIncarceron- 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.
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Nov 07, 2011

M. Ulin Nuha rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, gift, read-in-2011, sci-fi-techno, fantasy, i-own-a-copy

Di jaman ketika teknologi sudah semakin canggih, ada sebuah penjara futuristik bernama Incarceron. Penjara ini begitu luasnya hingga mencakup sel, hutan, permukiman, hingga kota. Incarceron adalah sebuah penjara yang dikendalikan oleh kecerdasan buatan. Dan ia juga memiliki Mata yang mengawasi dan tidak segan untuk menyiksa tawanannya.

Incarceron dibuat oleh kaum cendekiawan Sapient atas perintah Raja Endor. Tujuan dari eksperimen ini adalah memperbaiki moral para kriminal dalam sebua...more

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Jan 13, 2012

Yearning To Read rated it

Shelves: fantasy, dystopian, futuristic, books-of-incredible, young-adult, own, love-the-cover, to-re-read, reviewed, forever-favorites, best-lit-men

Now that I’ve read it twice, my positive feelings for this book have only grown stronger. Something that’s a big deal for me in the literature world is reading a book twice in one year. Due to the amount of books that I read and the time I spend on them, plus blogging and writing, I don’t have a whole lot of time to read and re-read and re-re-read. Plus, if I’ve just read a book six months before, I usually still remember the story well enough to not need a reminder.

So I know a book...moreNow that I’ve read it twice, my positive feelings for this book have only grown stronger. Something that’s a big deal for me in the literature world is reading a book twice in one year. Due to the amount of books that I read and the time I spend on them, plus blogging and writing, I don’t have a whole lot of time to read and re-read and re-re-read. Plus, if I’ve just read a book six months before, I usually still remember the story well enough to not need a reminder.

So I know a book is really really, really good if I can read it twice in one year without second thought. Scarmouche (Rafael Sabatini, a favorite classic and author) was one, and now Incarceron. Incarceron has officially flown up the scale of favorite books, placing itself in my favorite books of all time. Original and one of my favrorite writing styles, it takes you out of the world you feel is “normal”, and gives you a good, long, and thought provoking look at two lives that must endure the strangest kinds of struggles - all in a world that anyone would long to live in while looking from the outside. But on the inside, coming from the people who made it what it is, it is foul and unruly, and those ruling it are only thirsty for power.

Also, Catherine Fisher knows her story. She knows her characters, the worlds they live in, and she’s confident about it. When I’m reading it I can almost smell the air, touch the characters, sense danger and feel comfort and safety. Because Catherine Fisher knows her world. She knows her story. And because of this bold confidence, so can we, in the deepest ways.

It is the story of a boy who is struggling for freedom in a hopeless, wicked world. And it is the story of a girl who is struggling for freedom in a completely different hopeless, wicked world.

It is powerful.

It is alive.

It is Incarceron.

(Oh, and just for the record… Jared is still my favorite character. While last time he was only my favorite character, and that I would want to meet him, now he’s my favorite character and I’d want to marry him. Haha! I’ve definitely fallen in love the second time around… As for the other characters, they were all even more lively than before, especially Finn. Finn took on a greater, more prominent role this time around, for some reason. He was more real to me than ever before. I could picture him perfectly, as though he was standing before me.)

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May 21, 2011

Chloé rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, dystopia, young-adult

Finn vit dans Incarcéron, une prison aussi vaste que sophistiquée, qui surveille tous vos mouvements et intervient quand elle le juge nécessaire. Seulement si elle le juge nécessaire. Incarcéron est fait de métal, de circuits électriques et de caméras mais c'est une entité à part. Personne n'a d'autorité sur elle. Et il est impossible d'en sortir. Ni d'y entrer d'ailleurs. Incarcéron est un monde isolé.

Il y a 150 ans tous les criminels y ont été enfermés avec les Sapienti, des sages qu...moreFinn vit dans Incarcéron, une prison aussi vaste que sophistiquée, qui surveille tous vos mouvements et intervient quand elle le juge nécessaire. Seulement si elle le juge nécessaire. Incarcéron est fait de métal, de circuits électriques et de caméras mais c'est une entité à part. Personne n'a d'autorité sur elle. Et il est impossible d'en sortir. Ni d'y entrer d'ailleurs. Incarcéron est un monde isolé.

Il y a 150 ans tous les criminels y ont été enfermés avec les Sapienti, des sages qui devaient les guider à créer dans Incacéron un monde paradisiaque. Les interventions de la Prison étaient là pour les aider à y maintenir la paix.
Mais rien ne se passa comme prévu. Incarcéron a sombré dans la crasse, la faim, la peur et les guerres de gang. Incarcéron est devenue un véritable enfer.

Comme tous les prisonniers d'Incarcéron, Finn rêve de s'échapper, comme Sapphique, le seul qui, selon la légende a réussi à trouver la sortie. Mais Finn est motivé par autre chose : il est persuadé de n'être pas né dans la prison comme ses pairs. Avant ses 15 ans il n' aucun souvenir, fait des rêves étranges où il voit les étoiles qui existent seulement à l'Extérieur et porte sur le bras un curieux tatouage représentant un aigle.

Que signifie ce tatouage et d'où viennent ces visions qui semblent si réelles ? Serait-il possible d'enter dans la prison finalement ? Ou même d'en sortir, comme Sapphique ? Y a-t-il véritablement un monde à l'Extérieur, ou est ce seulement un mythe inventé par ceux d'Incarcéron pour se rassurer, se dire que le monde n'est pas si moche ?

Jusqu'au jour où Finn trouve une clé étrange en cristal. Il découvre qu'il peut communiquer avec Claudia, une fille de l'Extérieur, qui en possède la réplique exacte. Elle est la fille du Directeur d'Incarcéron et va en secret aider Finn et ses compagnons à percer le mystère de la prison et les aider à s'échapper...

Maintenant que j'ai planté le décor, il ne reste plus qu'à dire qu'une chose : génial !!

Ce roman est vraiment très original et addictif. J'ai été plongée dedans sans pouvoir en sortir. Les questions que se posent les 2 héros, on se les pose aussi : où est Incarcéron ? Est-il vraiment impossible d'en sortir ? Vont-ils y parvenir ? Jusqu'à la fin cette question nous hante.
En fait la plus grande force du roman ce sont toutes ces questions, dont les réponses et les indices sont semés ça et là. Au début du roman, le monde d'Incarcéron est très mystérieux, c'est en avançant qu'on comprend de mieux en mieux son fonctionnement. La découverte au fur et à mesure est un véritable plaisir. Comme une sorte d'enquête. Et ça nous permet de ressentir ce que vivent les héros, toutes leurs interrogations. Ca ne rend l'histoire que plus réelle.

Inutile de dire que le scénario est un monstre d'ingéniosité et que les personnages sont tous attachants et réalistes, avec leurs qualités et surtout leurs défauts. J'ai égalementt aimé les citations en début de chaque chapitre sur la Légende de Sapphique, les Archives du premier Directeur, du Roi qui avait ordonné la construction de la Prison et du Premier Prisonnier d'Incarcéron. Ces citations du "passé" font toujours un parallèle avec les aventures des héros dans le chapitre.
Ce n'est peut être qu'un détail mais il est à noter que la couverture est tout simplement magnifique, et m'a tout de suite attirée quand je l'ai vu.

Bref un gros gros coup de coeur, je pense qu'il va prendre une place dans mon top 10 ! Et évidement je vais lire la suite : Sapphique (Cygne Noir en français).
Je le conseille particulièrement à tous les fans de SF, de fantasty, de dystopie, d'aventures ou simplement d'histoires complexes :)(less)

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About Catherine Fisher

Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.

Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings...more

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Books by Catherine Fisher

The Oracle Betrayed (The Oracle Prophecies, #1)

The Sphere of Secrets (The Oracle Prophecies, #2)

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Quotes from Incarceron

“Only the man who has known freedom
Can define his prison.” — 109 people liked it

“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.
-Songs of Sapphique” — 83 people liked it

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