Incarceron and something more

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

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I finished Incarceron by Catherine Fisher over the weekend, a book about a boy who is trapped in a prison that governs itself and a girl who is imprisoned in a world of high society and Victorian-like extravagance.  When I picked this one up at the bookstore, I admit I was guilty of judging it by its cover.  It had a mysterious look to it, black with an interesting mix of gears and leaves behind an iridescent key… beautiful.  I read the back, thought it sounded promising, and bought it.  Just like that.  It's taken me a couple of weeks to get through, what with one thing and another coming up, but I'm done now and ready to talk… some.  You know how I feel about spoiling the experience.

This book was good, but I felt like it needed more.  It was almost romantic, though it didn't quite get there.  It was suspenseful in parts and the concept is fantastic (a world in which those in charge have stopped time, stopped human progress, and have ordered society to remain stuck in one specified era?  A world in which pretense is followed for the sake of pretense?  A prison that is accessible by only one man and which is seemingly alive, the prison itself watching and controlling its prisoners?  It's too rich for words).  But I got the feeling by the end that this must be the beginning of a series, or that there will at least be one sequel.  Too many loose ends, too many unfulfilled dreams and desires.  The characters have so much promise, but again, the story needed another hundred pages or so to really flesh it all out.  If there is indeed a sequel in the works, then I will jump on it upon publication and all will be forgiven.  If not, I will be sadly disappointed, because there was just enough there to make me want more, just enough to care about these characters and wonder about their futures.  Just enough, in short, to get me hooked but leave me a touch unsatisfied.

And that is where I leave you, friends, looking forward and hoping for just a little extra something on the horizon.

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