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)

Loved it!

What a fantastic imagination Catherine Fisher has. This is a very interesting story and I had a hard time putting down my iPod. High tech + low tech = Incarceron. Definitely worth a credit. Good as a stand alone book but you'll want to listen to the second book Saphique as well.

Such a great story!

I'll admit, it took me a few hours to really get into it but I am glad I held out because the book was amazing! I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

A Great Adventure

Would you consider the audio edition of Incarceron to be better than the print version?

Audio version is obviously what I have! But I would find it a hard book for most to read.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the imagination the author put into the prison world.

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

To be honest I liked her voice the best when she wasn't performing character voices. Because she used an English accent when acting like the characters and an American accent for the narration.

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

The grass isn't always greener on the other side!

Any additional comments?

This is an adventure story. All of the characters are like-able in a sense. I would suggest this book to people that like the dystopian genre. But this book is like dystopian meets medieval.

Just Okay.

Interesting and enjoyable, but very forgettable. Twist at the end was very bizarre. Held my interest enough to finish, but didn't enthrall me.

Confusing

Any additional comments?

I found this fantasy/sci-fi book to be a little confusing. I wanted to like it and the characters, and I kind of did. The premise (I won't give it away) is fascinating and so I think I will have to read the sequel.

good book.

it's obviously for a bit younger of an audience but I'm 27 and a guy and still found it more than enjoyable.

Could not finish

Wife recommended it. I got 7 hours in over the course of 4 days. Nothing happened. A lot of talking but nothing really driving the story. At no point did I feel any connection to the characters or care about this behind the scenes game of nobles. Only reason I am keeping the book is because wife likes it, otherwise I would return both books.

Listening to this book made me want to die.

Any additional comments?

Listening to this audiobook is what I imagine it would be like to consume high levels of methamphetamines. I listened to the entirety of this book and I have no idea why these people were locked into the giant yet unbelievably tiny prison. Nothing saved this book. The characters were vapid, self-absorbed, idiots with the emotional ranges of a rutabaga. The setting was completely unbelievable. The plot was ridiculous. For me, what finally tipped this book from terrible to insufferable was when the main characters managed to find each other in this prison - the prison that is described as never ending, with oceans and forests of metal trees - in a matter of 10 minutes. I am deeply saddened to have wasted hours of my life and pieces of my sanity to this truly dreadful listening experience. It is my heartfelt suggestion that you save yourselves and stay far, far, far away from this impossibly horrible selection.

Disappointing

After reading some excellent reviews of it, I was expecting a lot from this novel, yet it ended up being incredibly awful. Narration was bad, Ms. K. M. Guest attempted, in vain, to do a few too many accents. The characters were bland, boring, and utterly predictable. Even the plot couldn't save it, letting it spiral downward.

Not good at all quit trash

Can barely understand the voices and also very distracting and agrivatint jdejsheh shah wish’s disbelief eggs hdhs