43: Sapphique, by Catherine Fisher (2010 hardcover)

This is a sequel to the book Incarcernon, which is book 16 in my blog.  I've provided a general recap in that entry--of both the book and my reading of it--so I encourage you to read it if you haven't already done so.

You're back?   Okay then.

I confess that I felt some residual resistance to Sapphique after my slow start with Incarceron.  However, this time I became engaged in the book much more quickly. Part of this was because I knew that I was going to like it, based on my previous experience, and the other part was that the premise and characters--a bit complicated--were already known to me. This sequel volume, then, allowed for less explaining of the storyworld and more action and development of the characters and plot.  

Sapphique further explores the concepts of technology, heroism, morality, protection, and oppression introduced in Incarceron.  The characters are sometimes complex and often compelling, and in this book they move back and forth between two settings--the prison Incarceron and the outside world--and make the reader question what is real after all. The book ends with plenty of doubt, and I'm assuming there will be a third volume to come.  If so, I plan to race right through it from the very start--resistance cast aside.