Incarceron (Incarceron, Book 1) Review
As an avid reader, I require a strong plot, dynamic characters with in-depth history and personality, suspence, as well as originality. Catherine Fisher has created a story with all of these elements and more. Pulling the reader in immediately, she has created an absolutely original world that is not only believable, but articulated in fine detail. Drawn to this book by a well written description and helpful reader reviews, I purchased it with alacrity. And I must say, in no way was I disappointed. From beginning to end, I simply could not put it down! When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. With frustration, I was forced to pick it up again to discover what happened next. It is truly rare to find such a treasure in the fantasy genre....I will not describe the plot, as others have seen to this. I do desire, however, to let other fantasy lovers know what a prize the story of Incarceron is, and how very talented the author. Catherine Fisher is a master storyteller, with the ability to describe like nothing I've ever encountered. I will await the sequel with painful impatience!
Incarceron (Incarceron, Book 1) Feature
- ISBN13: 9780803733961
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Incarceron (Incarceron, Book 1) Overview
A thrilling, high-concept fantasy for fans of Garth Nix and Nancy Farmer.
Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.
And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.
Incarceron (Incarceron, Book 1) Specifications
Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2010: The shifting landscapes, unexpected plot punches, and bold, brave characters found in Catherine Fisher's Incarceron are nothing short of thrilling: fans of Garth Nix and Suzanne Collins will take to this epic, twisty fantasy instantly, but it's also the kind of book that will draw in the most hesitant fantasy reader. The mysterious world of Incarceron—and its factions of daring Prisoners, led by an incorrigible team in Finn and Claudia, who are both searching for a means of escape—is wonderfully imagined, at once frightening and full of seduction, and marks the beginning of an addictive new series. --Anne Bartholomew
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Customer Reviews
Christian symbolism abounds - Debra L. Chapoton - Michigan
Incarceron is a captivating fantasy of two worlds, one a throwback to the times of princes, palaces and courtly protocol, the other a dark, mechanically alive prison of thugs, half-human creatures and the cruel prison itself. Remember the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court? Well, imagine a futuristic era that decides to keep the whole world under the etiquette and code of behavior of that early time. Modern devices aren't allowed and yet they creep into scenes in a most believable way as perfectly acceptable anachronisms. The prison warden's daughter was betrothed to a prince who died under mysterious circumstances and now she must marry his half-brother. As the wedding day nears the daughter thinks she has discovered a dark secret and the key to the hidden prison. At the same time there is an inmate searching for the truth to his own identity, unearthing prison secrets and finding a duplicate key. This is young adult literature, but I was enchanted and it held my interest. I recommend it and if I was a kid doing a paper on it I could easily find lots of Christian symbolism.
loved it! - Kristie Legge - Montgomery, Texas
wow what a crazy ride! i loved this book! it was nothing like i expected and i could not put it down!
Good start, but poor middle and ending - X. Wu -
I picked up Incarceron from my local bookstore and couldn't wait to start it. The plot was interesting enough: Finn, an inmate in Incarceron (a prison unlike no other) believes he comes from the outside. Claudia, the daughter of Incarceron's warden is determined to escape an arranged marriage and figure out the secrets of Incarceron. When both Claudia and Finn find a key, they find each other, and are both determined to uncover the secrets of Incarceron.
Eagerly, I began devouring the book. The book is 400+ pages, but the print is big and is a fairly quick read. I finished the book in about a day. I WILL say it is one of the better sci-fi/fantasy YA books I've read in a while, but that doesn't make it good. I had a few problems with this book, and unfortunately, its cons outweigh its pros.
*This review includes SPOILERS*
My problems:
1.) The writing - Catherine Fisher writes in a very simplistic, way. It's easy to follow and it fit the book. My problem was the description of Incarceron. Many times I had to re-read passages because her description of Incarceron was very, very vague. Honestly, I cannot for the life of me describe Incarceron accurately. There are also times where Catherine Fisher will put a huge word, randomly. This takes away from the book. If you're going to write a book with more challenging vocabulary, don't randomly dump the word every 30-50 pages or so.
The ending was so vague I still DON'T know what happened after re-reading the last 20 pages at least four times.
2.) The characters - From the inside flap of the book, I was anticipating an interesting male character who was curious about his past life, brave, and courageous. I pictured a girl with determination, who was wise and mature for her time. Unfortunately, I didn't get this. Instead, Finn turned out to be gullible, naive, passive, and Gary Stu-ish. I didn't feel anything for him--he just seemed like an empty character.
Claudia, was a little better, but still not that good. I liked Claudia because she actually DOES something, but much like Finn, she falls flat and resonates more like a blank slate character than an interesting heroine. I had trouble remembering that both Claudia and Finn were seventeen years old because they acted immature and childish. The relationship between Finn/Claudia was not believable to me at all.
I did not like how Catherine Fisher introduced so MANY characters yet gave little to no information about them. I have no idea how to describe Keiro, Attia, Jared, or the Queen. Sound like a lot of characters? There's at least five more. There was such a wide variety of characters I often forgot their names or got their names messed up. I feel like Catherine Fisher would have benefitted by axing off a good three characters or so.
3.) Lack of information - Even from the start, you are given very little information about Incarceron, Information is so scarce, the first two chapters will have you go, "Huh? What?" and all there variations. Even now, I still don't know what the Sapienti are. It feels as if you have skipped a whole book. I must admit, I looked at the spine of this book many times just to make sure this was indeed the first book of the series.
4.) Anti-climatic ending? - The ending is debatable. Was it something I was expecting? No. Does that make it good? No. I felt like the ending was rather sloppy and rushed. The whole thing about Incarceron being small felt a bit like a cop-out to me. Catherine Fisher could have done SO much, but instead she makes Incarceron a little cube (or something along those lines.)
What I did like:
1.) The cover - It's a very pretty cover. Too bad it's hardcover.
2.) Jared and Keiro - These two were really the characters that kept me reading on. Jared was intriguing and I hope he is featured more prominently in the next book because he really was one of the saving graces. Keiro is your typical egotistical sort of anti-hero, but I understood where he was coming from.
Overall, I think Incarceron would have benefitted more if it was split up into two different books. Incarceron is a good start from Fisher, and there is potential, but it is wasted in this book. The characters are hard to connect to because they're no more than Deus ex Machina's, the plot is interesting but executed poorly, and the ending feels like Fisher took the easy way out. I will pick up the second book, but if it fails to impress me, I will not pick up the third.
Recommended to fantasy lovers. Similar books include: The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner (both of which were better, in my opinion.)
3 out of 5 stars.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 26, 2010 04:21:06
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