Sapphique, by Catherine Fisher, is the sequel to Incarceron, and it concludes the story of Claudia and Finn who have been living in parallel, created worlds.
These are books I found both frustrating and intriguing. I thought the narrative drive was slowed up by the constant problems the characters are confronted with, especially in the prison portions of the books. The so-called "chaingang" in Sapphique seemed to just be there to fill time, for instance. On the other hand, I liked that there were so few likable characters. I think the publishing world makes way too much of the need for a likable character for readers to root for. These flawed people are interesting and realistic. Even the one truly good guy is flawed in the sense that he has a serious illness.
I also like that these books are demanding reading. They seem to be well received, and I believe the author has a real following. But we're not talking popular, light reading. These are books for people who are willing to invest time and energy into their reading.
According to my post on Incarceron, I risked getting to my martial arts class late to finish reading it. With Sapphique I started getting interested about the halfway point, kept sneaking time from my work day to read it, and stayed up late to finish it. I really liked that the last portion of the book recalled the decay and illusion that appear in my favorite Fisher novel, Corbenic.
Decay and illusion--I guess I love that stuff.
Plot Project: See my Incarceron post.
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