Incarceron

Incarceron Series, Book 1

By: Catherine Fisher

Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a 17-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 is 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.

©2010 Catherine Fisher (P)2010 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“By delving into the philosophy of imprisonment and the development of society; discussing how history informs the present; and exploring self-awareness and sentience in nonhuman characters, Incarceron becomes something of a tour de force.” (School Library Journal)

“Fisher’s characters are emotionally resonant, flawed, determined, and plagued by metaphysical questions.... With some well-timed shocking twists and a killer ending, this is a must have.” (Booklist)

“Fisher’s dystopic future, in which technology and decay coexist in a dazzling kaleidoscope of images and time periods, is brilliantly realized.... Elegant, gritty, often surprising.” (The Horn Book)

Incarceron

Great book, I found it a little hard to get into at first. I had to restart it about 5 times. But once I got going I was good the whole way through. I usually listen to Audio Books while doing something else. If I just sat and listened it would have been fine probably.

Difficult to get through

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The only thing this book helped with was putting me to sleep. It took a long time (more than half the book) for me to get into it. Although it's an interesting concept, the story was simply not very likeable.

One of my favorite books from my childhood brought to life through an impeccable narrator.

l Love this story

Loved this story since I read it on paper back. 💕 The narrator took a lot to get past.
Keep going, it gets better the father into the story!

Another Take on Dystopia

Any additional comments?

Claudia is living a nobel life, like a princess in a castle, but to her home feels like a prison.

Finn’s home really is a prison, but a prison like no other. This place is so vast it feels like a kingdom full of villages, and cities, forests, and swamps, beggars, thieves and people with power and influence; this is Incarceron. The place itself seems to have a mind of its own, it shifts and transforms itself to make life difficult for its inmates; escape feels so impossible that most are making the best of their life within the walls.

Finn is new to Incarceron; most believe he was born there, but he has glimpses of another life, another place, that make him wonder, and so he seeks to escape this dark metalic world.

A crystal key brings Claudia and Finn together, but the prison does not give up its people easily, even if it is to the warden’s daughter.

If you enjoy books about dystopian future world, or fantasy kingdoms, you might also enjoy: Maze Runner, by James Dashner, or Graceling, by Kristin Cashore.

Some confusion, but interesting

I loved the story overall, but there are times of confusion. It has given me a lot to ponder about writing.

enthralling right from the start

another hidden gem I found in my youth now being enjoyed again. Catherine keeps you sucked into her story of Finn (Giles), and Claudia.

I liked this book it was different

If you could sum up Incarceron in three words, what would they be?

Fun, different, amazing would be what I would use to sum this book up.

What did you like best about this story?

The prison is my best part.

Which character – as performed by Kim Mai Guest – was your favorite?

The prince in the prison is my favorite character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

incarceron is what I would name the film.

in the beginning

I really didn't like the narrator. she seems to try and sound mysterious the whole time. by the end I couldn't wait to start the next book and couldn't imagine another narrator for the role.

a little bit of the book was hard to follow, due to the perspective jumping.

Interesting

I wasn't sure what to think of this book. It was well thought out and well written for such a difficult setting. Has some good twist and turns, a few predictable and a few not so. I think it is well worth the time and money to get.