Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Page Count: 442
Quote: "And what would they be scared of? There's nothing to fear in a perfect world, is there?"
Rating:
Description: Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born...
Review: Incarceron has everything I always loved in a book: mystery,medieval times, and lies and deceit. The narrarator of Incarceron shifts between Finn, a boy trapped in Incarceron, and Claudia, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. With other characters like Kiero, Attia, Jared, Gildas, and John the Warden, Incarceron makes for an unforgettable read.
In Claudia's world, she is to be married to the Queens' son, Caspar, who is selfish, rude and unfit for a king. Claudia has always searched for the infamous Incarceron, and one day when she breaks into her father's study, she finds a crystal key. Thinking it's the key to Incarceron, she runs and finds Jared, her tutor and a member of the Sapienti, who helps her solve the mystery of Incarceron.
Meanwhile, Finn finds an exact replica of the key in Incarceron. In Incarceron, Finn has "fits" where he sees memories from a time before. Gildas, a member of the Sapienti, calls Finn a Starseer, a person who has visions of the stars, because, being in the prison, nobody there has ever seen the sky, and most of them doubt there is an Outside.
Soon, Finn and Claudia are to contact each other using the crystal key, and together, they help each other solve mysteries about each other, and Incarceron.
Incarceron is set in a futuristic world where Kings and Queen rule due to Protocol. Protocol states that no new technology is to be used, and basically,it's like they like in medieval times. On the top of each chapter, there's pieces of private letters, folk songs, or diary entries from the creators of Incarceron.
Incarceron also adds on legends with the addition of Sapphique, a maybe fictional character who escaped from Incarceron. Gildas lives by Sapphique's quest, so he tries to lead the gang to follow the way Sapphique did.
Overall, Incarceron is an adventurious ride, and it's worth the 400 page read. I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel, Sapphique. :)