Incarceron
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I do not like this book.
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I must say that I disagree with you, a lot.
I love how this world is described, don't really get where you get the ship from, though. I don't think it's hard to follow or any of the sort, could you maybe.. try to explain better to my stupid brain? :P
I think the stories of Claudia and Finn are told very good, I mean, it's a sci-fi, and the way she tells of the society they have in this book is just.. cool. The mysterious Incarceron, it's just.. mmmmmmhh..
But what's that about him not having hero-enough qualities? Who ever said he was a hero? He's lost. Lost in Incarceron. He doesn't even know who he is.
The dog-slave girl, why can't teenagers read about that? She has unfortunately ended up like a slave, and that's just how it is. Is it only allowed to read about rainbows and unicorns and places where everyone are happy?
And.. you don't want to read it, because they kick dogs? What's up with that? Then you don't want to read books where people get killed or treated badly? Or where animals get killed and treated badly?
Sorry if I've been too.. toe-stepping, I didn't mean to, I just wrote this down quickly, hope you'll answer :)

I apologize in advance if any of my comments comes out too strong or if they offend. It is not my intention to do so, I'm just trying to make a point. I hope you understand.
Incarceron is a terrible place where terrible people reside. The name alone tells you it's a prison of some sort. If someone is to survive there, at all, they have to become part of a group that steals, robs and kidnaps.
The thing that makes Finn a "hero" (although i agree with Emma's description of him) is that he's still a decent person despite all that. We don't know who he is, why he's there, or anything because he doesn't. But we know he's not like those around him.
That's why the dog-slave helps him, because Finn doesn't treat her badly, unless he has to act tough in front of others. To survive. Because they WILL kill him. That's also why the slave-dog LETS others treat her badly. She's not dead, she gets feed, and all she has to do is put up with a little abuse. Quite frankly, she could be used as a sex play thing, drugged up, starved, beaten and raped every day/hour because that's the kind of place Incarceron is but instead, she just has to act like a dog. Given those choices, I think I would chose dog too.
Compared to the Hunger Games where kids are forced to kill each other, mistreating one dog slave doesn't seem like it's a huge deal in terms of "teaching young teenagers that's a normal thing to do". Catherine Fisher is not advocating it, she's painting a picture of this terrible place, and the sorts of things Finn has to do to survive it. Also, the Young adult genre reading age is from about 14 - 23. Most character ages are in the 17-18 range. So her material doesn't seem inappropriate to me.
You are entitled, not to understand it, not to like it, and to your opinion. But I'm not sure you've really given this book a chance. And if you feel this particular book isn't appropriate, then there are many young adult books out there that you probably shouldn't read.

if I were the slave girl I would speak up to Finns oathbrother! For example: she never complains when he calles her a bitch all the time! -That is weird for a book which is read by a teenage audience. I worry if young girls just read it and start thinking "oh -thats how you handle beeing called a bitch." Which wouldn´t be the right way to handle it, since it is an insult.
The problem with the kicking dogs, is just that Claudia does it like she would kick a stone or sth. It seems in the book as if it is absolutly normal and tollerated. And I just don´t think hurting animals is a normal thing to do! I think it is cruel and in a teenage book it is weird -like if the author wanted to teach kid´s that kicking dogs is a normal thing. -it is not a normal thing in Germany -and I really hope it is not normal anywhere else! You can sue people who kicked your dog in my country. I DON´T want to compare dogs and people, but in some way, I´d feel a bit of the same, if Claudia just slaped a todler.
I like how peacfull we can argue on this place! Hope that I don´t appear to rough eather..

I do get you point too, but I must admit that the story with the princess attracts also even younger kids.. It would be interesting for an 9 year old girl! Just call it "young ADULT" with a princess-story and many 9 year old´s would really want to read it.. (My sister is 11, a true reader and for jears like this.. maybe because of my younger sister I am so critical. I wouldn´t want her to think beeing called "a bitch" by Finn´s oathbrother doesn´t require a reaction form any girl. Well my sister would never kick a dog, but maybe others who do not know anything about dogs could get into the idea that it is normal and evtlually try it out sometime, which would make the world a crueler place in my opinion. I am just animal friendly and suffer if a dog gets kicked. Furthermore I wish that books who do attrakt even younger audience than "young Adults" should be more sensitive on certain contains.
I would not give this book to my sister but the hunger games where something different and she read it and loved it. The hunger games had more substance.. I did study that children could read any book because the written word produces only pictures the childs mind is capable of handling, or better said children tent to- just not beeing able to imaganing real cruelty if they had never seen it on tv or somewhere else.
(I am so sorry for the spelling mistaks there probably are in my answers)

I've been reading some of your comments and I have to side with Emma and Casey and Lisa, the point of this story is more of a cautionary tale. Not every story told is going to have a completely nobel protagonist. In fact if their moral code has no faults they are a poorly conceived character. Everyone has faults. Everyone can be nobel in their mind, but when it comes to action our morals usually stumble in favor of self-preservation.
Not only that but the world of Incarceron is not like our world. Yes in reality you do not kick dogs and you do not let boys call you names. But in Incarceron if you want to survive you play by a new set of rules. Attia does what she does because she values living over dying. She'd rather live like a dog because at least she is alive, than stand up for herself and be killed. It's a survival instinct. Yes, sitting in our plush beds and houses we can say, oh course I would have given that SOB a piece of my mind, but when confronted with certain death or worse, would we?
I think I may be like Attia and choose the point of least contention in order to live another day and hope for a better tomorrow. Especially if I am one person going up against a whole tribe.
I think Incarceron has just as much substance as The Hunger Games. Finn is not your perfect hero; just like Katniss he has his faults. When he does something wrong, he feels it. He feels horrible for the death he causes in the beginning and it plagues him throughout the book. He does things that are selfish, but in the end, he cares for people. Finn takes care of Attia like Katniss takes care of Rue. Despite the cruelty both of these characters have suffered they are still compassionate people living in an impossibly harsh world. They are trying to do the best they can in the situations they are given.
The worlds are different but Incarceron is no less developed than the Capitol. In some ways Incarceron is a bigger feat because it draws to complete worlds, that intersect through just a few characters.
As to giving it to younger children, I think we ban books too often instead of talking with kids about what they read. No books were out of bounds for me. I read John Grisham when I was ten. But what my parents did do was talk to me about what I read. They wanted to make sure I understood the difference between what I read and what was reality.
I can read Incarceron and I know that it's not appropriate to kick dogs or call females derogatory names. If a child is interested in reading a book, then try talking to them about it, instead of just banning it. Talk about the difference between fiction and non-fiction, about what happens in the book and what they got out of it. Maybe, like The Hunger Games, some parts will go over younger readers heads. Yes there are graphic scenes, but how do they interpret them or what do they take in?

Because of the Princess in her castle "Incarceron" will attract young children too, don´t you think?
I see that you guys really "love" the book. Love blindens doesn´t it. Anyway I have to point out again, that it is not completly irrational that an 8 year old girl might read it.
In her age she wants to be the princess and identifies with her. Maybe it is just my opinion, that children should read books with most nobel protagonists.
Because the younger the reader the more influenced he or she gets.
I have nothing against the violence in the maze runner or the Hunger Games. I think these books are completly fine to be read by very young readers -I am worried you think I am crazy which brings me to the conclusion that I might not have experssed myselfe clear enough yet..
It is not the violence at all to make me dislike Incarceron, it is more or les mostly 2 things:
kicking dogs by the Pricess Claudia and
The slave girl not speaking up for herselfe when she is later in the book alone with the others..
(later in the book when Finn his oathbrother -what was his name again? and the old man and the Slave girl are alone, the oathbrother calles her a bitch very often, and now it wouldn´t be an issue for her to speak up but she doesn´t.
And as I said the younger the audience the more influencable.
The other points which make me don´t like the book -I forget for now. Just these 2 things are what makes me a bit worried.
In the Maze Runner or the Hunger Games I did not find any things which would "endanger" 8 year olds. "endanger" might sound to rough, but in a little way it has it´s warrant.
I watch out for these role-model issues in the books I might lending to my sister.
Maybe I´d lend her Divergent! Imagine that! But only when she is 14 and I tell her to watch out for not getting a tatoo and not getting into thinking it is cool to jump off things and stuff.
Why I think Divergent is better concidering the Role-model-issue? -Clearly because Tris speaks up for herself!
Even attaks the "authorities" for her own right! and protects weaker friends. Okey she is not the most selfless person but honestly I don´t want my sis to become selfless! I want her to speak up for herself and be happy!
I think 'Tris is FAR better a role model than Claudia (not to mention the slave girl..)
This whole Role-model issue might not be as mighty as I see it.. But well I do see it and therefore "I" do take it into account/ into concideration..
I hope you guys can understand. Answer always appreachiated!

Michaela I dont think you did read the conversation so far?
Or do you just enjoy jumping into "all-against-one-motions" in general? if not: sorry just seems like it! _But in case you do:
bring it on then! I can handle it. I like it mostly.
But do try it with arguments instead just "yeah right! lol exactly" hope that doesn´t offend you. I actually enjoy an argument without insution. But sometimes at one point somebody does slip you know.
I am a friendly person who doesn´t use sarkasm to offend sublimental. And I don´t feel in tight corner when may others have a different opinion than I have. Nevertheless it could appear to look like you thought I felt in tight corner that´s why I aked you the question above.. Probalby I was wrong - therefor sorry.

I think what the biggest problem is not the characters, but understanding the world in which they live. The world where they live is not nice and they try to be nobel but the world pulls them back down. The world they live in has formed them into this.
Honestly, out of all the things you've pointed out, I don't even remember. But in the context of the world, I can understand that those things happen. But what does happen in the world and where Incarceron succeeds, is in showing these characters trying to do good. Finn and Claudia both try so hard to be good people. And like most people that fall down, we all fall off our moral high ground, it's human nature.
The side characters accentuate the world they inhabit. Keiro gives us a look at what Incarceron people should be like and yet he grows and changes by the end of the book. He's sort of a Gale like that. He's got issues with the world, but he understands it enough to play the game for his own benefit.
Attia is a slave. That's just a point of the world you have to accept. It's despicable and deplorable, but it's as bad as the Avoxes in The Hunger Games. It's just a part of the world. Attia's in a different head space because she's in survival mode. Because she's indebted to Finn to save her. She doesn't stand up to Keiro because it doesn't matter. Finn is there and for her that's enough.
I may not remember kicking dogs and calling girls derogatory terms, but I do remember quite a few things. (view spoiler)
The Maze Runner is on my TBR pile, but I've read the Hunger Games and if you can stand the absolute violence of that trilogy then I'm surprised you have this problem. I think your reasoning is because the violence in the Hunger Games isn't likely to happen to young readers, while the instances you pointed out are likely to occur in real life in the present moment.
I'll give you that, but again, I think those are specific moments in a bigger better discussion that's happening in this book. Also you think Katniss is a good role model? I'll give you that in The Hunger Games she's great, but later in the books (view spoiler) Katniss has her issues.
No book is perfect for everyone. I enjoyed Incarceron, but you did not. That's fine. I'm just sad that these small details detracted you from finishing the book.

hm yes Katnis is not the greates role-model in the world, but well. I have nothing against Katniss at all. Or the rude-ish boys form the Maze Runner.
(attention: tiny Spoiler for the 3.Maze Runner book:
well the spain girl in the last part needn´t have akted quite that slutty!)
END of Spoiler
As I wrote, the real problems which makes Incarceron to me almost like a red flag is the two things I already mentioned in the comment : Attia finally in freedom -still lets everybody kick her around, and the dog kicking by the Pricess.
Wouldn´t be such a drama if not the whole Pricess-castle story attracts the most young readers (like 8year olds)
I just think a writer should include the very least bit of nobelty and moral -if the book is going to attract children too.


It is important to have confidence in the established personalities of the readers, even those in the YA set. A child who knows it is wrong to abuse animals is not likely to read a book in which one character does so and then immediately start doing it themselves.
A young girl who has been raised to know how women should be treated would be able to read a story that describes a girl in a situation like Attia's and recognize it as a terrible way to be treated and see what the author is trying to get across: the people living inside Incarceron are miserable.
I appreciate the original poster's concern for her younger sister in regard to what she is exposed to. But, I think that denying her the privilege of discovering for herself whether the book has merit or not is kind of sad.
In my opinion, an eight year old who could sit still long enough to read a book this size is almost certainly mature enough to know that fiction is fiction.
I would rather see her encouraged to read it (if she's interested) and then discuss what she took from it. Every individual's take on a story is different.
Example: I read a scene in which a character kicks a dog. I filed that information away under "bad personality trait, incongruous with seemingly nice character, keep watch for potential reasons for this". Then, after finding a correlation later in the book that explained to my satisfaction why this might have occurred, I completely forgot about the cruelty until I read the original post.
The original poster read the same story I did, but it is obvious that she took away something completely different from this scene. And that is good. These differences spark conversation, and that's one of the best things about books.

And that is all right with you I it sounds. But not with me! I don´t think we should go on like this. The first step is allready made. We all know it is bad and you mustn´t do it.
But if some poeple like the author of incaceron, work hard on taking this step back -I dismay it!

Nevertheless to me it seems like catherine Fischer is the kind of person who thinks it is absolutly normal to kick dogs and doesn´t stand up for herselfe if she gets called names. My opinion can not be changed by any aguments.
If you read a book in which your personal political convictions or religiouse believes would get degraded and offendet - You would hate the book and the Author too wouldn´t you?
So what if it is my religiouse conviction that got offendet by Cathrine Fische -with the dog kicking scene. This is agravated by the person who did it. Not down in Incarceron but by the Pricess! That is unvorgivably to me. Catherine Fischer has lost me good. Take it or leave it.

No, it's not, that's why I urge people who says we don't to watch Earthlings or Gary Yoroufsky's lecture. I don't think it's okay, that's why I don't pay other people to rape, kill, torture, mutilate, enslave, take babies away from and much more, them. But really, a book where a girl kicks a dog? That's not any worse than what 8-year-olds are already contributing to, 'cause their parents teach them to.

If I did not have this weird animal-protective-feeling, I had not sooo much against Catherine Fisher.
I see that if you like the book and all, you don´t necessarily comprehend my emotional reaction.. I don´t urge people to completly agree to my opinion or anything. You don´t have to agree with me it´s fine. I just wanted to say WHY I dislike the book.
Which could be this unusual animal-protective-feeling. -I don´t know why I have it, childhood-trauma probably.
It did give me stress before. I can´t help fighting against the very least unjustice against animals.
I am like that and it is weird for everybody around. Of course cruelty against people is worse than, but everybody else cares about peoples rights and only very few fight for the animals. I don´t really "fight" I just have to protest every time I sumble across something that I feel it is not right..
(wow this discussion opend my eyes like a therapie-lesson. Now I know, I can say to my friends: sorry for bitching on you. I just have this weird animal-protective-feeling I can´t help it")


There was a lot of unexplained stuff in the book, which I thought definitely needed explaining... Like for example, why they are pretending to live in the 17th century? What was that about? And some of the technology that Jared had wasn't explained either. I found a lot of that frustrating.
The introduction of Finn was also confusing; I had no idea what was going on, and it still wasn't 100% explained, in my eyes anyway.
I did not feel connected to the characters at all; I had no feelings for them.
The more intense scenes I found could have been written better because they were a little hard to follow.
It was an ok book, but I think it would make a good movie.

You are vegan too? (from vegan to vegan: I believe that in 200 years or so, nobody will eat meat anymore. And meat eating will die out and one day people will feel about meat-eaters they way they feel about criminals)
Anyway I did explain how it came to my almost-Hate against Fisher. I wouldn´t teach my kids to eat meat actually.

Yea, I'm a vegan too, but I don't think that it's so horrible of Fisher to portray a dog getting kicked, in a world, where that is what you do, like ours. Cruelty occurs, and this is even a dystopian novel.

Someone kicked a dog. I don't condone this treatment of animals, but it happens in reality. Honestly, when I read your complaint, I felt as if you were possibly nitpicking. Also, as someone has already stated, this novel is a dystopian novel, so this sort of thing is to be expected in a way.

I am indeed always "nitpicki" when it comes to the subject of animal cruelty. It is often an issu because in that one point I absolutly can not help myself. I "pick fights" because of that all the time. Friend told a joke about a dog looking like a chicken on a plate, I get serios and say: "there´s nothing funny about that" and stop talking to that person for a couple of minutes.
I am like that.
But not all topics make me nitpicki only this one. Always. I even could not be a movie-star because I would refuse to play on movie sets where horses are tortured for the film. - Thouse movies I can´t watch. Lord of the rings? -never seen it before! (saw in the trailler that the horse has it´s eyes rollen in pain.. -that was it for me. no chance for this movi..

When did someone kick a dog? Did it happen more than once? Did it describe the dog yelping in pain?
Also... It's a book. It's not real. No actual dogs were harmed in the making of this book. And I don't think that anywhere in the book it said that it's ok to kick dogs? Someone just happened to do it...
I guess in some way I understand where you are coming from... I read Oryx and Crake for a book club and there was a lot of stuff in there that was extremely difficult for me to read. (But that was far worse than dog kicking... it was a little girl being used in kiddy porn and stuff)
So I obviously know that didn't really happen; it was just a book, but it still really, really bothered me. It was not something that I wanted to read and I definitely did not enjoy those parts. So if you are someone who reallllly likes animals, I guess I see how that could bother you...
But these dogs were not being tortured or anything right? I feel like I would remember something like that.
anyways, I don't think the author was trying to tell people that it is ok to hurt animals, or that is ok to be called a bitch. She was just portraying the awful world that these people live in. She was showing the differences between the characters, and how some of them lived. trying to make people say: "gasp! I can't believe they make that girl act like a dog! that is so belittling and abusive!" or make them say: "what a horrible place to live, I really hope they find a way out!" ... or something.
And then Finn was nice to Attia (dog-girl) so that did show that there are kind people, even in crazy effed up worlds.
I mean, you didn't have a problem with The Hunger Games... what's to say that someone who reads that doesn't think: "it's ok to force teenagers to kill each other." That's what happens in the book, so why don't you think that the author is promoting teen violence? If you think because a dog gets kicked in Incarceron, why do automatically think that means the author is promoting animal abuse?
Also... teen books are called teen books for a reason. They are in the teen section for a reason. Because they are for teens. so if you think that a teen book is not suitable for an 8 year old to read, then don't let them read it. it's not geared towards them to begin with. If all teen books were geared towards 8 year olds, they wouldn't be teen books, they would be kids books and most teens wouldn't like them.
A book that I really like for kids is called The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
It's magical and fantastic.

BUT if Claudia the fairy tale pricess (which is the role model for younger girls who read it) does bad things -that is really stange.
It was like the author somehow had a bitching-moment and had to curse in her way, like out of the blue sky without any connection to the story making the role-model do bad things!

I have to agree with you it's not often that I dislike a book in fact I'm very lenient on claiming a book is bad, but after I finished reading this book I couldn't help but feel that this book left a bad taste in my mind in fact I think this book is what started my dislike of the dystopian genre.

well she's obviously not nice or perfect if she kicks dogs...
just because she doesn't live in a prison doesn't mean that she can't be a bad person sometimes....
I feel like we didn't even know a lot about Claudia... or any of the characters, for that matter. there was hardly any character building in this story for me, so for me, there wasn't even anything in Incarceron that told me Claudia is genuinely a good person, or someone that people should look up to. She's just a girl who steals from her dad and talks to a boy through a magical key...

You can hate a character or not like their actions or the environment in which they live, but the fact that you feel that way at all means that the author is doing a good job pulling you into the story itself! Try reading "Shipbreaker".

You can hate a character or not like their actions or the environment in which they live, but the fact that you feel that way at all means that the author is doing a good job pulling you into the story itself! Try reading "Shipbreaker".

Maybe I did grow out of princess-fairy-tale storis SPOILER:
where worlds can be shrinked (-which in fact is not the worst idea ever heard of -but it still seeems a bit boyish or toytownish..)

If you didn't notice in the book, the people outside Incarceron believe INCARCERON to be the perfect world, while the inhabitants of Incarceron imagine a utopia outside the prison world. Kind of an example of the saying "The grass is always greener on the other side."
i havent read this book for like over a year

Staci yes probably you are right. Doesn´t really change that I don´t like that Fischer put the dog-kicking in the story (without further purpose I might add -so why did she even bother with it) in the fist place.



Attia does stand up to Keiro later in the book and that too is rather subtle. She may not confront him directly but it is evident in other actions she takes. Also, it's clear that while Keiro is Finn's oath-brother, he isn't really a nice person. Other people don't trust him. So I don't think anyone is going to take away from the book that his is the correct way to behave.
I really liked the book and my only disappointment was that it wasn't complete in one volume.
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But WHY I dislike it:
http://yogibears-blog.blogspot.de/201...