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. Additionally, although prison of Incarceron seems massive to its inmates, both the inmates and the prison itself have been shrunk so that they fit on the Warden’s wristwatch.

Although Incarceron is set in the future and features a variety of technologies that do not exist in real life, the kingdom featured in the novel has paradoxically outlawed most modern technologies. As a result, most residents live in a simulated world that mirrors the attributes of daily life in the 17th century. Accordingly, devices such as washing machines and telescopes have been prohibited, as have any types of objects, medical procedures, ideas, or practices that did not exist in the idealized era that the kingdom is trying to replicate. These restrictions intensify the dystopian atmosphere because although these laws have been instituted to “simplify” life and return society to a more “idyllic” state, the romanticization of the past proves to be extremely dangerous. Not only do people waste time performing tedious tasks, but they also lose access to crucial knowledge that could help them thrive or keep them safe. Even life-saving medical practices have been banned if they did not exist in the idealized historical era.