Incarceron

Incarceron is a dystopian science fiction novel that imagines a speculative future in order to critique present-day society. By definition, dystopian fiction features a negative version of the future (or a negative, alternate version of the present), but the genre is not wholly pessimistic. Dystopian fiction often seeks to steer readers in new directions by pointing out existing problems that could worsen if nothing is done to correct them. Dystopian fiction often goes hand-in-hand with science fiction, but not always. Science fiction addresses the impact of science and technology on society, often incorporating types of technology that have not yet been realized. Incarceron features several types of technology that do not exist in real life, and the author employs a number of neologisms, or newly coined words, to describe them. For example, some characters make use of “skinwands,” which are designed to drastically alter a person’s appearance and allow them look like an entirely different person. However, the most prominent technological feature of the novel is the prison itself, which is a sentient, conscious version of artificial intelligence. As such, the prison runs itself, and there is supposedly no need for human guards; the only form of human oversight is the figure of the Warden.