Mary Quattlebaum
…nothing, including the final scene, is as it seems in this eerie, elegant fantasy…Intricately plotted and richly imagined, this novel holds the attention as inexorably as Incarceron holds its prisoners.
—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Fisher (the Oracle Prophesies series) scores a resounding success in this beautifully imagined science fantasy set in a far future where, many years earlier, civilization was artificially frozen at late-medieval levels in order to save the world from dangerous technologies. Simultaneously, all of the world's malcontents and madmen were sealed into an unimaginably vast, sentient prison named Incarceron, where a dedicated group of social engineers intended to create utopia. Claudia, the brilliant daughter of the cold-blooded warden of Incarceron, has been raised from birth to marry and eventually control Caspar, the simpleminded heir to the throne. Finn, a young man without a past, is a prisoner in Incarceron, which has become a hideous dystopia, an “abyss that swallows dreams.” When Claudia and Finn each gain possession of a high-tech “key” to the prison, they exchange messages, and Finn asks Claudia to help him attempt an escape. While he negotiates the hideous maze of the prison, Claudia makes her way through the equally deadly labyrinth of political intrigue. Complex and inventive, with numerous and rewarding mysteries, this tale is certain to please. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)
VOYA - Jennifer Miskec
Claudia is the pampered daughter of a powerful father; Finn is a member of a gang of violent thieves and renegades. Claudia lives in a utopist re-creation of Victorian England; Finn dwells inside Incarceron, a prison in which entire communities survive without any memories of a life not controlled by the prison itself. Despite the disparate existence of the two teens, Claudia, the daughter of the warden of Incarceron, finds herself in communication with Finn, and both land in the midst of a web of lies including false identity, corruption of the thrown, technology that has taken on a life of its own, and a centuries-old conspiracy to cover a massive—failed—social project. As Claudia searches for a way into Incarceron, Finn searches for a way out, and both must face the consequences of their breach of the two worlds. This novel will no doubt appeal to steampunk fans, a genre that is growing within the teen community. A simultaneously romanticized and fractured version of the past alongside a precarious technology-driven future is a recipe for tension and anxiety, the kind that nourishes strong dystopian science fiction. Fisher's strength is in her respect for teen readers to enter this world where nothing is as it seems only to discover that solutions are not always what they want them to be. This tome is complicated and the resolution is fraught, but in ways that make the story work. Reviewer: Jennifer Miskec
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up—Finn is a denizen of Incarceron, a sentient prison in which generations of inmates struggle and fight for survival. Finn, however, is certain he comes from somewhere else. A strange tattoo and vague memories have convinced him that he comes from Outside. Claudia is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. Technology has been outlawed and society returned to a feudal time replete with rules, including arranged marriages. When the Queen and Claudia's father conspire to have her impending marriage to the heir moved forward, Claudia vows to do whatever it takes to avoid her fate. Finn and Claudia both acquire mysterious crystal keys that allow them to communicate, and it begins to be clear that each may be the other's way out. On the surface, Incarceron is a fast-paced if dense adventure that pits Finn against the prison and his fellow prisoners and Claudia against her father, her fiancé, and her society. If that were all, it would be a truly excellent fantasy novel. 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. The history of both Incarceron and Era are explored through excerpts from imagined legends and archival documents at the start of each chapter. The novel's length and complex plot may be daunting to some, but fans of steampunk and epic fantasy alike will be anxiously flipping pages and awaiting the sequel, already released in the U.K.—Karen E. Brooks-Reese, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Kirkus Reviews
A far-future thriller combines riveting adventure and masterful world-building with profound undertones. Finn cannot remember anything before awakening in the vast sentient prison called Incarceron, but he is sure that he comes from outside its hellish confines. Claudia has known nothing but luxury as the daughter of Incarceron's Warden; but she dreads her imminent marriage to the caddish prince of the Realms, which are trapped in a static reenactment of a pre-technological past. In parallel narratives, each discovers a chance of escape in matching crystal keys. Their separate quests gradually intertwine with increasing suspense, cresting in a series of shocking reversals and revelations. Claudia and Finn and their assorted companions are complex and comprehensible, engaging reader sympathies even as they mislead and betray each other. Elegant prose and precisely chosen details deftly construct two very different worlds, hinting at layers beneath the glimpses the tale permits; attentive readers will hear echoes of classic tales, resonant with implications about the meaning of stories, of faith and of freedom. Like the finest chocolate, a rich confection of darkness, subtlety and depth, bittersweet and absolutely satisfying. (Science fiction. YA)
Wall Street Journal
This book is a thriller of the highest order; Fisher could give the show "24" a run for its money with her twists and messed up characters...putting it down took a serious act of will.
Booklist
[B]reathless pacing, an intelligent storyline, and superb detail...With some well-timed shocking twists and a killer ending, this is a must have.
Horn Book
Fisher's dystopic future...is brilliantly realized..reader attention never flags through this elegant, gritty, often surprising novel.
Melanie Hundley
Incarceron is a prison . . . and it is alive. It began as an experiment, a model place where prisoners could be kept away from society but still flourish. The inmates live in cells surrounded by metal forests and rundown cities. Only one person, in all the centuries this prison has existed, has ever escaped. Finn and Claudia are desperate to escape to the Outside. Most prisoners don't believe Outside exists, but Finn believes it does. Claudia, the Warden's daughter, knows it does because she lives Outside. She promises to help Finn escape if he will help her avoid an arranged marriage. The first book in an exciting new series, Incarceron is full of unexpected twists and turns. The escape to Outside is more dangerous than Finn and Claudia could have ever imagined. Reviewer: Melanie Hundley
Children's Literature - Jean Boreen
Finn, a prisoner inside the supposedly impenetrable and inescapable Incarceron—a living, breathing prison that controls the actions of its inhabitants—is convinced that he has not lived as an inmate his entire life, but he cannot remember his childhood. Claudia, the well-educated daughter of the warden of Incarceron faces marriage to the heir to the throne of her country, a despicable teen whom Claudia can barely stomach. Then Finn gets his hands on a crystal key that allows him to see beyond Incarceron to where Claudia lives on the outside. Working together, the two try to figure out how to free Finn without the Warden finding out. But as they look deeper into their own histories, they begin to understand that escaping the prison is no easy matter, especially as they come to realize the Warden's part in controlling the prison. This first book, in what is almost guaranteed to become a trilogy, has a solid balance of fantasy and fully dimensional characters. Young readers who like fantasy or who have already been introduced to Fisher through her "The Oracle Prophecy" series are certain to enjoy this first book in a new series. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph.D.
