of Claudia. Like the Wardens before him, he has kept the true state of the Incarceron experiment from the Realm, instead saying that the experiment is a success. Queen Sia: The Queen of the Realm. She is described as having an ageless appearance. The mother of Caspar. Caspar: The Earl of Steen and Crown Prince of the Realm, son of Queen Sia. He is spoiled, arrogant and dimwitted. He is betrothed to Claudia. Maestra: A member of the Civicry. She is the one who finds the crystal key within the Prison that sets the events of the book in motion. Jormanric: The Winglord of the Comitatus. He is described as being a big and burly man. He is rarely seen without eating ket. Sapphique: Also called the Nine Fingered One, is a man of legend. He is believed to have been a Sapient that escaped the Prison. Characters within the book often refer to him when talking about Outside or Escape. Lord Calliston: First prisoner of Incarceron. He was a member of the Steel Wolves. Cover The cover is an image of the key, “a small cylindered artifact” with the hologram of the Realm’s royal eagle. Created by Lord Calliston, the "Steel Wolf", who was the first Prisoner to be sent into Incarceron, it can communicate with other keys of the same design, provide a blind spot from Incarceron’s security system, and allow one human to leave Incarceron. Lord Calliston died before he could use it. Critical reception The book had received largely positive reviews from book critics. Amanda Craig from The Times praised the novel for its “imaginative scale and gobsmacking finale”, naming the book as “one of the best fantasy novels written for a long time.” In agreement is Independent, calling the plot “a deliciously dark and scary ride,” as well as identifying Fisher as one of the best fantasy writers of today. Fisher’s accomplished skills and depth of feeling was recognised by The Bookseller, who described the novel as “imaginative, rich in texture and vividly realised.” Junot Diaz from The Wall Street Journal labelled the book as a thriller of the highest order and said that “Fisher could give the show '24' a run for its money,” while Mary Quattlebaum from The Washington Post praised “this eerie, elegant fantasy”, highlighting the intricate plot, fictitious universe and likening the relationship of the book and readers to Incarceron and