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. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]