Incarceron Review

Title: Incarceron  (Incarceron #1)

Author: Catherine Fisher

Publication Date:  May 3, 2007
Published By: Hodder Children's Books
Format: Paperback, 458 pages

*borrowed from my sister

Summary

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 ...

My Thoughts

This was an amazing adventure story of perseverance. You watch Finn, a boy with no past struggles to survive, and fights for his right to freedom. Stuck inside of Incarceron a prison so vast it seems to be it's own planet. Complete with hybrid forms of life, man/machine, animal/machine and even crazy plant/machine mixtures. It's like entering a paralell universe. Finn travels with his misfit band of followers, Gildas a man half crazy with his obsession of freedom, Keiro his arrogant oathbrother, and Attia an orphan girl that used to be a slave. This was a very visual book, it would make a killer movie (if done right). I only saw one downfall, I could have lived without Claudia, i couldn't connect with her as a character. She always seemed sort of distant. The only role she played for me was Finns eye to "outside". This book got me all philisophical, questiong the earth and it's existence. Funny how a story can make you do that. It was a fun read, i'm giving it 4 out of 5.