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To free herself from an upcoming arranged marriage, Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, a futuristic prison with a mind of its own, decides to help a young prisoner escape.

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205 reviews
It seems to me as the world gets bleaker, writers are getting more and more imaginative, and Catherine Fisher certainly is not an exception!Don't get me wrong, I was terribly confused in the first chapter of the book because it opened with an action scene that made absolutely no sense at all without any back story. Luckily though, Catherine Fisher answered all the questions she raised in the first chapter, as well as questions that were raised continually through the story expertly.The prison is alive, and so too is this book. So vividly is the world of Incarceron created, and the world of "Outside" is created just as brilliantly. I loved the opening quotes that started out each chapter. It was a wonderful way to add important insight show more to the story without making it seem like awkward insertions. And of course there were the characters, which were created so realistically, I felt like I knew them. Every time I was forced to put this book down, I found myself thinking about it and the fate of the characters. Yes, Claudia came off as a little spoiled, but she was spoiled. It was the life she knew, but seeing her grow out of herself was enjoyable. Naturally, this book probably won’t be a hit with everyone. It is very futuristic and very sci-fi fantasy, but those were elements I loved. My only regret is I borrowed this book from the library instead of buying it right away, but it is in my Amazon cart along with the sequel! show less
This was one of those books that I really wanted to take my time reading---the writing is clean, evocative; the characters flawed and intriguing; and I didn't want to miss any of the details that might be important later. But the mystery of Incarceron is so compelling that I had to keep reminding myself to slow down, to savor the story as it unfolded. That turned out to be just about impossible...I couldn't put the book down! Someday I'd like to go back and rediscover all of the subtle touches that make Incarceron's world so vivid and engaging---and because the book pairs a suspenseful adventure with some fascinating notions about technology and the nature of humanity and its prisons, I know this is a book I can look forward to reading show more again! show less
Pun intended, Incarceron was completely captivating. If my schedule would have allowed, I would have devoured it in one sitting.

Incarceron was envisioned as a utopian prison, a place in which criminals and other troubleamakers would be able to make a new life and have opportunities they wouldn't have ever dreamed. Those on the Outside called it Paradise. But something went wrong -- terribly, horribly wrong, and now those people are trapped in a terrible world in which they are watched constantly by the eyes, and everyone has to fight, lie, and steal just to survive. The prison has a mind of its own, and the Warden can no longer control it. The prevailing knowledge is that Incarceron is a closed system -- no one comes in, no one goes show more out.

But Finn believes that he is from the Outside, and he begins a quest to Escape. Legend tells of a person who escaped, and this is Finn's one chance to finally see stars again.

On the outside, Claudia, the Warden's daughter is being groomed to be the next Queen by marrying the prince. But she has other plans, because she has finally procured the key to Incarceron. She is on a rescue mission to find Finn.

Nothing is as it seems in Incarceron (and Outside), and the revelations are shocking. Are the villains the real bad guys? Who is in charge? I eagerly await the next installment of the series, because it most definitely ended on a cliffhanger.
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Finn lives inside the brutal world that is the sentient prison, Incarceron. Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, lives in the artificial past that never really existed, the Era. Both are trapped by the world they live in and looking for freedom.

Can either find a way out? Where is Incarceron? What secrets does the formidable Warden hold? Claudia and Finn are swept up in the plots and intrigues of others and must use all their resources to stay alive.

With this novel Catherine Fisher veers from her previous fantasy works and into a science-fiction world that is made up of ideas that individually are not original but are deftly combined into an imaginitive whole. Distinctive characters and a plot with plenty of incident, pace and show more surprises make for a great read. Perhaps the only negative is the late realisation that nothing will be resolved, at least until the inevitable sequel, Sapphique. show less
A fantastically imaginative book that kept me reading it pretty much constantly. The sheer concept of it alone was enough to drag me in.

Finn has always lived within the dark, machine-like bowels of Incarceron, scraping out a living with the gangs that live and fight in its interior. To these prisoners, Incarceron is their whole world, a sentient universe that is constantly watching, directing, and laughing at what goes on inside itself. But sometimes Finn is beset by visions of stars and other things that don't exist in Incarceron...and when he comes into possession of a mysterious crystal key, he slowly comes to believe that there must be something out there.

Claudia is the daughter of Incarceron's Warden, a cold man who has groomed her show more from childhood to marry into the royal line. But Claudia wants no part of her aggravating fiancee...although she does want to discover the secrets of Incarceron, locked away from the outside world for centuries.

One character within the living, nightmarish prison, and one without. Both of them headstrong, smart, and determined in different ways. Both with enemies closing in and allies at their sides. And each determined to discover the other's world.

Incarceron was suspenseful, not in the rolling action-movie way but simply in the delicate interplay of intrigue, danger, and character. The chapter headings, which are bits of diary, poetry, and legend from the Incarceron world just add to the atmosphere. I loved all the characters, from protagonists Finn and Claudia to their supporting cast: obsessed Sapient scholar Gildas, fiery former-slave Attia, calm and gentle Jared, and even arrogant Keiro (for whom I specially coined the appropriate term "despicably likable.") While some of the twists were easy to see coming, others totally threw me (such as the revelation about Keiro's nature and Incarceron's location), and the story itself has many subplots, cool relationship dynamics, and nooks of plot waiting to be explored. I may have to give in and order the sequel instead of waiting for its late 2010 release.
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Incarceron is one of the most beautifully written and descriptive books I have had the opportunity to read this year. The story is woven in a way that pulls you in so deeply, that even if you don't always grasp exactly what's going on at the moment, you still feel like you NEED to know what happens. In a world filled with so many predictable plots, Incarceron really glowed for me!

First off, I was enamored with the thought of a sentient prison. A prison that has a personality, one that can modify itself at a whim to keep its prisoners in check, what could be more horrifying? One of the things I love most about the genre of Speculative Fiction is the innate fear of technology that pervades it. Authors share with us worlds where technology show more is given so much leeway, that it ends up ruling us all. This prison is encompasses everything I love about the world of Speculative Fiction.

We follow Finn, a prisoner in this high tech prison, through his daily life and his plans for escape. I loved Finn. I felt so much more him throughout the entire story. A character capable of deep thought, constantly at war within himself to remember a life he may have had. A character who knows who he wants to be as a person, but is forced to mold himself differently in order to survive. Finn was the type of character that made me want to finish this story. I was invested in his fight, and I wanted him to succeed!

Completely different, but also so interesting, was the world of Claudia and Jared. "Protocol" brought an interesting spin to their world, trapping it forever in the Victorian Era. It was fascinating watching them play through this time period over and over each day, while around them technology was ever present in odd and hidden places. That, and I adore Claudia deeply! Her stubborn, stoic and intelligent demeanor really helped drive me through confusing parts of the book. I was always anxious to see what she would do next, since Claudia gets what Claudia wants.

Overall I think Incarceron is a fabulously written story! I admit at times it does get a bit heavy on description, and perhaps a little confusing, but in the long run the read is completely worth it. I found myself so immersed in vastly different worlds of Claudia and Finn that I was sad when the book ended. Long story short? I cannot wait for Sappique!
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I'm not sure if it was because of all the hype surrounding this book, but I didn't find it as fantastic as many others apparently have.

Finn is a prisoner of Incarceron, surviving as a member of a band of vicious thieves, but has dreams and visions of another place. Unable to remember anything before he woke in a white room three years before, Finn and Gildas, a revered Sapient, are the only two people in their encampment that believe that Finn came from Outside the prison, rather than created by it. When he finds a crystal Key showing the same marks he has on his wrist, he starts a chain of events that brings him in contact with a young woman who lives Outside, and is desperate to learn more about life inside of Incarceron.

Incarceron show more has an intriguing premise: society was disintegrating, and so it was decided that a perfect prison would be built, one that would house all criminals, give them a perfect world, food, education and culture, and would adapt to the prisoner's needs. As they gave the prison a mind of its own, and filled it with its prisoners, chosen men - the Sapienti - went in as well, to help monitor the rehabilitation. But, as always seems to happen, the machine with a mind of its own went crazy evil, and now the prison is a hell, killing randomly, creating creepy half-machine-half-organic creatures and even men, and destroying any hope of an Outside.

That Finn would want to escape, and that he most certainly did not belong there (though it's debatable whether he hasn't been changed by the prison), is completely believable. Also understandable is Claudia, the Warden of Incarceron's daughter, and her obsession with Incarceron. Raised to be strong, smart, cunning and ruthless, Claudia's father has been preparing her for marriage to the weak and selfish prince, a marriage that had been arranged years before, by her father and the scarily powerful Queen. A cold man, Claudia's fascination and fear of her powerful and distant father drives her to want to learn more and more about the prison that is her father's own obsession.

Claudia soon discovers a link to Finn, this seemingly random prisoner, but soon comes to suspect he may be significant to her own past. Finn vows to discover the door out of Incarceron, planning to use the crystal key, and begins a dangerous journey through the whims of Incarceron, accompanied by Gildas, the aging Sapienti, Keiro, Finn's oathbrother, and a slave girl.

Like I said, all of these elements should have added up to Kearsten catnip, but it took me a very long time to get into it. Towards the middle/end of the book it picked up, but before that, I put it down many times and sort of forgot about it for awhile... It did end up interestingly, and the writing was good, just not gripping.

Recommended for those with patience :)
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½

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Sonja Bolle, Los Angeles Times
Feb 14, 2010
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60+ Works 9,891 Members
Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales in 1957. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English. She is a fantasy writer and poet. Her books include The Conjuror's Game, The Snow-Walker's Son, and Sapphique. She also writes the Book of the Crow series and the Relic Master series. She has won numerous awards including the show more WAC Young Writers' Prize for Immrama in 1989 and the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award for Incarceron in 2007. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Guest, Kim Mai (Narrator)
Yuen, Sammy (Cover artist)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title*
Incarceron
Original title
Incarceron
Original publication date
2007-05-03
People/Characters
Finn; Claudia; Keiro; Attia; Jared; The Warden (show all 7); Gildas
Important places
Incarceron; The Realm
Epigraph
(chapter 1 page 5)

Who can chart the vastness of Incarceron?
Its halls and viaducts, its chasms?
Only the man who has known freedom
Can define his prison.
             ... (show all);                -Song of Sapphique

(chapter 2 page 15)

We will choose an Era from the past and re-create it.
We will make a world free from the anxiety of change!
It will be Paradise!
                ... (show all)                                 -King Endor's Decree

(chapter 3 page 28)

The experiment will be a bold one and there
may well be risks we have not foreseen. But
Incarceron will be a system of great complexity
and intelligence. There could be no kinder or
m... (show all)ore compassionate guardian of its inmates.
                   -Project report; Martor Sapiens

(chapter 4 page 42)

Finally when all was ready, Martor convened
the council of the Sapienti and asked for
volunteers. They must be prepared to leave
family and friends forever. To turn their backs
on the... (show all) green grass, the trees, the light of the sun.
Never again to see the stars.
    "We are the Wise," he said. "The responsibility
for success is ours. We must send our finest minds
to guide the inmates."
    At the appointed hour, as he approached the
chamber of the Gate, they say he murmured his
fear that it would be empty.
    He opened the door. Seventy men and women
were waiting for him. In great ceremony, they
entered the Prison.
    They were never seen again.
                                     -Tales of the Steel Wolf

(chapter 5 page 55)

There was a man and his mane was Sapphique.
Where he came from is a mystery. Some say he
was born of the Prison, grown from its stored
components. Some say he came from Outside,
becau... (show all)se he alone of men returned there. Some
say he was not a man at all, but a creature
from those shining sparks lunatics see in dreams
and name the stars. Some say he was a liar and
a fool.
                                               -Legend of Sapphique

(chapter 6 page 68)

It was decide from the beginning that the
location of Incarceron should be known only
to the Warden. All criminals, undesirables,
political extremists, degenerates, lunatics would
be ... (show all)transported there. The Gate would be sealed
and the Experiments commence. It was vital
that nothing should disturb the delicate balance
of Incarceron's programming, which would
provide everything needed-education, balanced
diet, exercise, spiritual welfare, and purposeful
work-to create a paradise.
    One hundred and fifty years have passed.
The Warden reports that progress is excellent.
                               -Court Archived 4302/6

(chapter 7 page 79)

Once Sapphique came to then end of a tunnel
and looked down on a vast hall. Its floor was a
poisoned pool of venom. Corrosive steams rose
from it. Across the darkness stretched a taut... (show all)>wire, and on the far side a doorway was visible,
with light beyond it.
    The inmates of the Wing tried to dissuade
him. "Many have fallen," they said "Their
bones rot in the black lake. Why should you be
any different?"
    He answered, " Because I have dreams and
in those dreams I see the stars." Then he swung
himself up onto the wire and began to cross.
Many times he rested, or hung in pain. Many
times they called on him to return. Finally,
after hours, he reached the other side, and they
saw him stagger, and vanish through the door.
    He was dark, this Sapphique, and slender.
His hair straight and long. His real name is
only to be guessed at.
                                  -Wanderings of Sapphique

(chapter 8 page 97)

The Years of Rage are ended and nothing can be
the same. The war has hollowed the moon and
stilled the tides. We must find a simpler way of
life. We must retreat into the past, everyone ... (show all)and
everything, in its place, in order. Freedom is a
small price to pay for survival.
                                                -King Endor's Decree

(chapter 9 page 109)

You are my father, Incarceron.
I was born from your pain.
Bones of steel; circuits for veins.
My heart a vault of iron.
                 ... (show all);  -Songs of Sapphique

(chapter 10 page 121)

The eyes in the corridor were dark and
watchful and there were many of them.
    "Come out," he said.
    They came out. They were children. They
wore rags and... (show all) their skin was livid with sores.
Their veins were tubes, their hair wire.
Sapphique reached out and touched them.
"You are the ones who will save us," he said.
                     -Sapphique and the Children

(chapter 11 page 132)

As for poor Caspar, I pity those who have to put
up with him. But you are ambitious and we
are bout together now. Your daughter will be
Queen and my son King. The price is paid. If
... (show all)you fail me, you know what I will do.
-Queen Sia to the Warden of Incarceron; private letter

(chapter 12 page 143)

The decay was gradual and we were slow to
recognize it. Then, one day, I had been talking
with the Prison, and as I left the room I heard
it laugh. A low, mocking chuckle.
  &... (show all)nbsp; The sound turned me cold. I stood in the
corridor and the thought came to me of an
ancient image I had once seen in a fragmented
manuscript, of the enormous mouth of Hell
devouring sinners.
    It was then I knew we had created a demon
that would destroy us.
                                          -Lord Calliston's Diary

(chapter 13 page 158)

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... (show all)i>
(chapter 14 page 171)

We forbid growth and therefore decay.
Ambition, and therefore despair. Because
each is only the warped reflection of the
other. About all, Time is forbidden. From
now on nothing wil... (show all)l change.
                             -King Endor's Decree

(chapter 15 page 187)

Sapphique rode out of the Taglewood and
saw the Fortress of Bronze. People were
streaming into its walls from all around.
    "Come inside," they urged him. "Hurry!
Befor... (show all)e it attacks!"
    He looked around. The world was metal
and the sky was metal. The people were ants
on the plains of the Prison.
    "Have you forgotten," he said, " that you
are already Inside?"
    But they hurried past and said he was
deranged.
                        -Legends of Sapphique

(chapter 16 page 202)

Don't defy me, John. And be on your guard.
There are plots in the Court, and conspiracies
against us. As for Claudia, from what you say
she has already seen what she searches for. How<... (show all)br>amusing that she did not even recognize it.
         -Queen Sia to the Warden; private letter

(chapter 17 page 212)

In ancient statutes Justice was always blind. But
whet if it sees, sees everything, and its Eye is cold
and without Mercy? Who would be safe from
such a gaze?
    Year by... (show all) year Incarceron tightens its grip. It
made a hell of what should have been Heaven.
    The Gate is locked; those Outside cannot hear
our cries. So, in secret, I began to fashion a key.
                                            -Lord Calliston's Diary

(chapter 18 page 225)

We have paid the tribute of the dearest and
best and now we await the outcome. If it takes
centuries, we will not forget. Like wolves we
will stand guard. If revenge must be taken we... (show all)
r>will take it.
                                                 -The Steel Wolves

(chapter 19 page 237)

Down the endless hall of guilt
My silver thread of tears is spilt.
My fingerbone the key that broke
My blood the oil that smoothes the lock.
          &nbs... (show all)p;          -Songs of Sapphique

(chapter 20 page 250)

We have put everything that is left into this.
It is bigger than all of us now.
                      -Project report; Matron Sapie... (show all)ns

(chapter 21 page 262)

I have worked for years in secret to make a
device that is a copy of the one Outside. Now
it protects me. Timon died last week and
Pela is missing in the riots, and even though
I am... (show all) hidden here in this lost hall, the Prison
searches for me. "My lord," it whispers, "I feel
you. I feel you crawl on my skin."
                            -Lord Calliston's Diary

(chapter 22 page 281)

"Where are the leaders?" Sapphique asked.
"In their  fortresses," the swan replied.
"And the poets?"
"Lost in dreams of other worlds."
"And the craftsmen?"
"Forging machines... (show all) to challenge the darkness."
"And the Wise, who made the world?"
The swan lowered its black neck sadly.
"Dwindled to crones and sorcerers in towers."
                 -Sapphique in the Kingdom of Birds

(chapter 23 page 294)

Nothing has changed, or will change.
So we must change it.
                       -The Steel Wolves

(chapter 24 page 305)

Do you seek the key to Incarceron?
    Look inside yourself. It has always been
hidden there.
           -The Mirror of Dreams to Sapphique... (show all)>
(chapter 25 page 317)

I remember a story of a girl in Paradise
who ate an apple once. Some wise Sapient
gave it to her. Because of it she saw things
differently. What had seemed gold coins were
dead leav... (show all)es. Rich clothes were rags of cobweb.
And she saw there was a wall around the
world, with a locket gate.
    I am growing weak. The others are all
dead. I have finished the key but no longer
dare to use it.
                        -Lord Calliston's Diary.

(chapter 26 page 329)

You chose rashly. I've warned you before.
She is far too clever and you underestimate
the Sapient.
       -Queen Sia to the Warden; private letter

(chapter 27 page 341)

Sapphique strapped the wings to his arms
and flew, over oceans and plains, over glass
cities and mountains of gold. Animals fled;
people pointed up. He flew so far, he saw the
sky a... (show all)bove him and the sky said, "Turn back,
my son, for you have climbed too high."
    Sapphique laughed, as her rarely did. "Not
this time. This time I beat on you until you
open."
    But Incarceron was angered, and struck
him down.
                           -Legends of Sapphique

(chapter 28 page 354)

Entry is through Portal. Only the Warden will
have a key, and this will be the only way to leave.
Though every prison has its chinks and crannies.
          &... (show all)nbsp;                              -Project report; Martor Sapiens

(chapter 29 page 367)

Despair is deep. An abyss that swallows dreams.
A wall at the world's end. Behind it I await
death. Because all our work has come to this.
            &n... (show all)bsp;                              -Lord Calliston's Diary

(chapter 30 page 380)

All my years to this moment
All my roads to this wall.
All my words to this silence
All my pride to this fall.
               -Songs of Sapp... (show all)hique

(chapter 31 page 392)

He fell all day and all night. He fell into a
pit of darkness. He fell like a stone falls, like
a bird with broken wings, like an angel cast
down. His landing bruised the world
&nb... (show all)sp;                           -Legends of Sapphique

(chapter 32 page 403)

You will thank us for this. Energy will not
be wasted on frivolous machines. We will
learn to live simply, untroubled by jealousies
and desires. Our souls will be as placid as the
t... (show all)ideless seas.
                                      -King Endor's Decree

(chapter 33 page 413)

What use is one key among a billion prisoners?
                           -Lord Calliston's Diary

(chapter 34 page 423)

He woke and found them all around him.
The old, lame, the diseased, the half-made
men. He hid his head and was filled with
shame and anger. "I have failed you," he said.
"I have jou... (show all)rneyed so far and I have failed."
    "Not so," they answered. "There is a door
we know, a tiny, secret door. None of us dare
crawl through, in case we die there. If you
promise to come back for us, we will show you."
    Sapphique was lithe and slender. He looked
at them with his dark eyes. "Take me there," he
whispered.
                             -Legends of Sapphique.

(chapter 35 page 434)

I have walked a stair of swords,
I have worn a coat of scars.
I have vowed with hollow words,
I have lied my way to the stars.
              &nbs... (show all)p;    -Songs of Sapphique
Dedication
To Sheenagh Pugh
brilliant poet, wise webmistress.
First words
Finn had been flung on his face and chained to the stone slabs of the transitway.
Quotations
(page 50)

    . . . As for the arrangement we spoke of before, it
is unfortunate, but great changes often require great
sacrifices. G has been kept aloof from others since
his father died; the peopl... (show all)e's grief will be real but
short-lived and we can contain it. It barely needs
saying that your part will be behind value to us.
When my son is King I can promise you all I . . .
(page 142)

    My dear,
    You will have heard the good news that your
wedding is imminent. After waiting all these
years, I'm sure your excitement is as intense as
my own! Casper ... (show all)insisted on coming to escort you
here--such a romantic. What a handsome couple
you will make. From now on, my dear, you must
think of me as your loving mother.
                                                            Sia Regina

(page 307)

MARCION
MASCUS
MASCUS ATTOR
MATTHEUS PRIME
MATTHEUS UMRA
(page 308)

FIMENON
FIMMA
FIMMIA
FIMOS NEPOS
FINARA

FINN
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Closer than you think, Finn," he said.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Teen, Young Adult, Fantasy
DDC/MDS
823.914Literature & rhetoricEnglish & Old English literaturesEnglish fiction1900-1901-19991945-1999
LCC
PZ7 .F4995 .ILanguage and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresJuvenile belles lettres
BISAC

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