INCARCERON

by Catherine Fisher

     Here is a darkly fascinating tale about Finn, a young man who lives in a vast, metallic prison world of hunger, sickness, and teachery called Incarceron. Finn has no memories earlier than three years before, when Gildas, the local wise man, finds him, but Finn is convinced he's from Outside, though the prison has been sealed for centuries. When the Comitatus, Finn's ragtag gang and family, raid another group, Finn captures a woman who has seen the tattoo on his wrist, and knows of the crystal key which also has the same eagle image. Gildas believes the key will unlock the way out of the prison. He, Finn, Finn's oathbrother, Keiro, and Attia, an abused girl, begin on the the journey out of Incarceron, discovering multiple powers of the crystal key as they go. For one thing, the key is a communication device to Claudia, the privileged girl on the Outside who holds the matching key, and is the daughter of the feared Warden of Incarceron.
     While Finn and his companions make their perilous journey through the prison, Claudia is involved in an intrigue of her own, as she seeks to find a way into the prison to save Finn, and to avoid marriage to the weak heir to the throne. This story is filled with twists and unexpected turns until finally the reader is left dangling with multiple unresolved plotlines. This is a story begging for a sequel. The London Times calls Incarceron one of the best fantasy novels written for a long time. It certainly is one of the most imaginative and unusual.
                  ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams