Sapphique

Sapphique is a legend--the only inmate to escape Incarceron, a cyber prison vast enough for villages, ice wings, and forests yet tiny as a watch fob. Kim Mai Guest differentiates a wide cast in this plot-twisting sequel. Finn, the uneasy prince; Jared, the Sapient; Rix, the half-mad magician; Keiro, Finn's angry brother; the warden--even Incarceron itself--become become vivid in the listener's imagination. Female leads, such as Claudia, the warden's daughter, and Attia, the ex dog-slave, are portrayed well but with less contrast. Guest skillfully alternates the complicated story lines of the sentient prison, with its shining red eyes, and the Realm. These two narratives--with chain gangs and steel wolves, duels and betrayals--race to a climax that satisfies yet also suggests further mystery. M.C.T. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine