Incarceron (Incarceron, #1) in Mock Printz 2026

Nov 14, 2010 Debrarian rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-aka-teen, sf, dystopia, irritating

From the buzz I had high expectations of this book, but I thought it really fell flat. I'm fond of dystopian SF but I found this a teasingly unsatisfying contribution. I'd give it a 3 for attempted creativity and a 2 for execution. The premise had potential: 120 years ago, society's undesirables were imprisoned in a completely contained, self-regulating environment called Incarceron. Meanwhile, in the outside world, the King decreed that change was never worth its price, and so insisted that eve From the buzz I had high expectations of this book, but I thought it really fell flat. I'm fond of dystopian SF but I found this a teasingly unsatisfying contribution. I'd give it a 3 for attempted creativity and a 2 for execution. The premise had potential: 120 years ago, society's undesirables were imprisoned in a completely contained, self-regulating environment called Incarceron. Meanwhile, in the outside world, the King decreed that change was never worth its price, and so insisted that everyone pretend Time had stopped in a sort of 18th-century Era. Claudia, daughter of Incarceron's sole Warden, is betrothed to the callow Prince and will soon enter the Court's world of social intrigue. Finn is an amnesiac teen who lives with a vicious gang in the steampunk bowels of Incarceron. And Incarceron has a mind of its own.

The book has some strengths, including a novel premise (even if its execution is disappointingly flawed) and a few cool concepts like the sentient Incarceron, and that of Incarceron's physical presence as that of a composite beast (in the cave scene).

Sadly, the writing is not up to the interesting premise. Following is a list of flaws I found dismaying. If you liked the book, feel free to skip this part.

The setting never coheres - I could never really envision how the various (ambitious) physical environments work. Eg. p. 285 - the spheres. Relative size? Position? Motion? Color?

We are told that Claudia has grown up hardened and skilled at political scheming, but she constantly throws tantrums and does naive, risky things, like immediately speaking openly to Evian about the assassination plot. (A few egs. on pp. 30 & 336) She never seems savvy or curious - just pissed & impetuous (eg. 319 opening Prison, kicking desk). Also, if she was raised to be Queen, why did she never spend time at Court?

The author tends to show rather than tell, as in Claudia's oft-mentioned fear (eg. p 341) of her father (no memories or scenes give that a foundation) or the Warden's anger (eg. p 406 "Behind the Warden's iron control was a blazing hatred" - we just have to take that on faith.) Or her fondness for Jared - what is it based on? What does it consist of? Also, Attia is made out to be incredibly perceptive but it hardly seems creditable.

Gratuitous use of the word "bitch" (Keiro about Attia.) A) Ugly, sexist word, not particularly necessary either place - why use it at all? B) A word from our era, used our way. Wouldn't the inmates of Incarceron - especially the Comitatus gang - have their own damning slang? Also, Keiro swears: “God! There’s an anchor!” - but there have been no other in-prison references to God, only to the Escape of Sapphique.

The book alternates POV between Claudia and Finn, until about 3/4 of the way in, when suddenly and discontinuously we see a few chapters from Keiro and Jared's points of view.

The descriptions of people tend toward the repetitive and cliched - if I had a dollar for every time Claudia feels "chilled," her father's eyes are hard/cold/gray, or someone displays a "sour" or "bitter" smile, I could take the whole cast out to dinner (although, how fun would that be?). Also, the dialogue pattern is always: 1) someone speaks; 2) the silence of the room/cave/tunnel is mentioned; 3) Someone speaks again. ("That is treason." A fly buzzed in and droned around the room. "Where's the Key?")

Sigh. Too bad. The idea was cool.

(In-depth analysis on account of my reading it for this year's Mock Printz.)

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Sep 27, 2010 Brandi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: teen, audiobooks, random-reads-column, 2010, librandian-blog

Surviving within Incarceron is tough. Even though the Comitatus is a group of criminals who steal from and kill anyone who gets in their way, they still watch each others’ backs and Finn is lucky to be a part of it. When a robbery goes bad, Finn meets a woman who knows something about the mysterious bird marking on his wrist. Unlike most prisoners in Incarceron, Finn does not remember anything about his past. He also gets strange visions of the Outside, including visions of the stars. Despite br Surviving within Incarceron is tough. Even though the Comitatus is a group of criminals who steal from and kill anyone who gets in their way, they still watch each others’ backs and Finn is lucky to be a part of it. When a robbery goes bad, Finn meets a woman who knows something about the mysterious bird marking on his wrist. Unlike most prisoners in Incarceron, Finn does not remember anything about his past. He also gets strange visions of the Outside, including visions of the stars. Despite breaking the rules, Finn takes the woman hostage in hopes of finding out more about his childhood. In exchange for the woman, Finn gets a crystal key with a similar bird etched in the center. Finn sets off with a small group of fellow prisoners including his oath-brother Kerio, a small slave girl Attia, and Gildas, a Sapient who specializes in knowledge and medicine searching for the door that belongs to the strange key.

While inspecting the key one evening, Finn opens a line of communication with a young girl named Claudia who claims to be on the Outside. Claudia is the Warden of Incarceron’s daughter and is dying to learn the truth about the confidential place. When Claudia first sees Finn through the key’s magic, she is positive that he is the king’s son who was presumed dead. Now Claudia and Finn do everything they can to break the impenetrable walls of Incarceron and learn some unbelievable secrets about themselves and their friends.

Incarceron is told with alternating narrators, giving us a complete view of both the world inside the prison and the world outside. Claudia and Finn are both strong, unbreakable characters who are willing to go against dire odds to achieve their almost impossible goal. Throughout the story, Fisher includes excerpts from the lore surrounding Incarceron including a long dead king and a wise man named Sapphique who is rumored to have escaped the prison. The excerpts add immensely to the story and add insight to the situations the characters face.
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Mar 06, 2010 Donalyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ncbla-committee-2011-books, ya-science-fiction

Fantastic world-building and suspense make this a book that will thrill middle school readers and fans of dystopian works like The Hunger Games. Will spark discussion about humanity's need for freedom and self-determination. ...more

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Nov 21, 2010 elissa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my_10s_reads, fantasy, sciencefiction, youngadult

FINALLY finished this! It took me months and months to get through it, but I did end up enjoying the ending. By about page 250 or 300, I didn't want to put it down. I had a horribly hard time getting in to this, and I understand why some people really like it, but a lot of it just didn't work well for me, and I'm not sure why. I didn't become invested in the characters, plot, setting, or anything else until very, very late in the story. I'm not sure whether I'll want to read the next one or not. ...more

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Aug 14, 2010 Kristen Jorgensen rated it liked it

Shelves: mock-newbery-2011

It was ok. (I would give it two and a half stars.)

The heavy writing is hard to wade through. I had a hard time getting through the book. The story is about a creepy prison that has taken on a life of it's own. The ending is unsettling and leaves you uncomfortable. Still... I will probably read book two when it comes out.
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Oct 02, 2010 Ricki rated it really liked it

I picked this one up three times and stopped reading after the first twenty pages. It throws you in the action in a confusing, twisted way, and I didn't feel like getting involved the first three times. I wasn't surprised to find this was a common issue with other reviewers and some of my friends who have reviewed it. The book is quite crafty and will appeal to a wide variety of readers. I can absolutely see why it wins awards, and I plan to recommend it to my students. My husband also read it o ...more

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Jan 29, 2010 Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, dystopian

Incarceron grabbed me from the first chapter and seemed to never let go. I loved the way Catherine Fisher built her world. Incarceron is a prison and supposedly a utopian. Finn is called the starseerer and a cell-born but he believes that he came from another place beyond Incarceron. Catherine lives on the outside. She is betrothed to the Queen's son, Caspar, whom she does not love. Both find a crystal key, and both try to solve the mystery of Incarceron and of Finn. A well-told tale that kept m ...more

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