Customer Reviews

The Prisoner

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked the story, the characters and the situation involved which revolves around the use and abuse of hibernation technology by those in power. Cortes is not a new author (his other novel, Perfect Circle is on amazon under his correct name "Carlos J Cortes")and he does a particularly good job with characterization. If there is a rub here, the only thing I would say is that the large number of secondary characters tends to get a bit congested in places (such as when you ask yourself: "who is that again?"). I sometimes lost track of these bit players but the primary characters are still quite well written and overall it does not detract from the story.

The book made for a solid read (in terms of the style of prose) and was an enjoyable story (in terms of plot). I have the Kindle version, which does not have any major problems in formatting. It would be nice to get the chapters separated into their own sections so that I could flip back through the text without going page by page. This is however, commonplace in Kindle books right now and not a major fault at all.

In 2049, prisons have been replaced by facilities that house prisoners in hibernation tanks. The private corporation that runs them has hidden some tanks in the middle of each facility that are used to house Russian mafia types and political prisoners who never receive a trial. Why these folks aren't just killed rather than hidden away (presumably forever) is never satisfactorily explained. Even more far-fetched is the plot: a senator's son who became a political activist is one of the occupants of the hidden tanks (for patently absurd reasons that, for the sake of avoiding spoilers, I won't reveal) and three lawyers (yes, lawyers, not former special forces types who might be trained to do this sort of thing, but lawyers) are recruited to bust the activist out of the hibernation tank.

Putting aside the ridiculous plot, most of the novel reads like a well written thriller, as powerful but relatively incompetent agents of Homeland Security chase the lawyers and the thawed activist through the D.C. sewer system. The characters suffer from the single dimensionality that is common enough in thrillers, but the action sustains the novel until the novel reaches it's stunningly bad (but oh-so-happy) ending.

Tempted though I am to steer readers away from this novel, I must admit that I enjoyed reading much of it. The writing is polished, the story is action-filled (as befits a thriller), and the pace is furious (which makes it possible to read without thinking much about the plot holes). The last few pages, however, are rather dull polemic, in contrast to the lively writing that precedes them. It's a shame that so much good writing was wasted on such a silly plot, but readers looking for an exciting science fiction thriller might want to take a look at this one. Just check your common sense at the door if you want to enjoy it.

I would give The Prisoner 3 1/2 stars if Amazon made that option available.

From the opening line of The Prisoner, Cortes craftfully leads you into a world made all frightening by it's possibility. The pace continues at a breakneck speed, leading you through the bowels of the city's sewers to Capital Hill where the true corruption festers.

Cortes is a master at creating believable, intense characters but he surpassed himself with Nicola Masek, who is as complex as they come. Well researched and fascinating, The Prisoner is a book worth having your shelf.

In 2059, the voice at the Hypnos prison keeps informing the latest convicts to stay calm as they are put into a suspended animation state. Three lawyers Laurel Cole, Bastien Compton and Raul Osborne are put away in tank 913 that contains 136 official prisoners but Homeland Security hides four others from Congress.

Soon after they are put to sleep, operator Lukas Hurley wakes two of them up, but Bastien died in the process from cardiac arrest. He also awakens Eliot Russo who has been in the tank for eight years, which means he is insane. He is the cause of why the lawyers entered the facility as he is proof that the Hypnos firm and Homeland Security Federal Bureau of Hibernation are performing illegal detentions. The foursome escape through the sewers with Raul carrying Lukas. The prison is aware of their escape, but fails to prevent them from reaching Nyx Corporation where Dr. Floyd Carpenter helps them, but Nikola is coming for them as nobody escapes from the reach of the FBH.

This is an exhilarating futuristic science fiction thriller that extrapolates from America's greatest growth industry during the Bush years: warehousing of prisoners to make the incarcerations more efficient and effective. The cast is solid but the most interesting is Nikola who adapts to every failure by not modifying the goal of recapture but by changing the action plan steps. Fans will enjoy this terrific cat and mouse tale while balking at the cost financially and emotionally of three strikes and you're out.

Harriet Klausner

In the near future, prisons are shutdown and replaced by a new technology that allows human hibernation. What seems at first like the perfect solution to the costly and ineffective penal system hides a dark secret: the corrupt all powerful agency in charge of the system is placing people illegally in its tanks. A group of heroes sets out to expose the truth by showing the world undeniable proof of the conspiracy. All they have to do is locate and break out an illegal prisoner...

"The Prisoner" is a wonderful thriller, full of memorable characters, and narrow escapes that makes you turn page after page. I should warn you not to read after eating, since the only escape route out of a hibernation facility is through the sewer system of a major city. When the escape plan goes wrong, the heroes spend a lot more time down there as they try to outsmart the government machine set in place to find them.

I recommend this tale to every one that loves action, intrigue, government conspiracies, good science fiction, and just everyone looking for a wild ride.

Its really hard to review this book without giving too much away, but I'll do my best.
It's 2049 & Earth's prisons are shut down, all inmates placed in hibernation tanks. When prisoners check into Washington D.C.'s maximum security 'sugar cube', they don't check out. Within this new system lie not only the planet's most dangerous criminals, but also half a million people whose only offense is to challenge those in power.

After pulling off a harrowing escape, Laurel Cole and her team must elude the police by descending into the sewer beneath the city. Pursued by a ruthless mercenary,(& one of my favorite characters) Laurel seeks help from a group of renegades who live underground among the balls of fat and matted hair, the nasty floating tampons and mystery items mixed into the refuse from the city above. Will she ever see daylight and expose the government's lies?

I was hooked from the very first line and hopelessly tangled into this fast paced adventure by Chapter 2. I loved Carlos's first book, Perfect Circle, but Prisoner will be forever a favorite over everything I've read.

As I read I could smell the sewers, feel the slimy, chunky bits of nasty on my skin, even taste the air, not a good thing if you eat while reading. I can't even imagine walking through this place for real, as he did to research this book.
A nail-biter from start to finish, full of unforgettable characters, even the villain is fascinating, twists and turns that leave you breathless, this was a read I thoroughly enjoyed and a book I will definitely read again.
I would recommend this to anyone, regardless of 'favorite genre' simply as a damn good read.

I can't wait for the next one.

Terrific read!

Imagine that you were forced to participate in your own demise; that you were told to "remain calm" while you prepped yourself to go headfirst into a tank that would be your coffin for an indefinite amount of time. What if your name was purposely lost due to a sociopath's personal vandeta, and you were scheduled to never leave the tank alive?

I'd reccomend this book to anyone who likes adventure in the midst of deceit and power. A group of unlikely regular visionaries take on a corporate dictatorship against impossible odds and... well you'll just have to read it for yourself.

I'll never think of sewage, or the phrase "remain calm" the same again.

Carlos Cortes has done it again. The Prisoner grabs you from the first page and starts you down a path of questioning all that we do in society--now, and what might lie ahead. The characters are deep, the plot compelling, and the suspense doesn't stop. As he did in Perfect Circle, Mr. Cortes manages to simplify the most complex technology and explain it to the reader without boring. It is an education as well as a thrill to read his books. I learned about hibernation, the economics of prisons, and lets not forget--sewers. Where would any of us be without sewers? I thoroughly enjoyed the read and was thrilled with the ending. He wrapped everything up tightly at the end, answering all the questions I had.

All of his characters were engaging, but Nikola Masek deserves his own book. What a great character! We need more novels like this. Thanks, Carlos, for the great read.

jimg

The escapees are getting GPS signals while deep underground ? A microchip implanted in their necks is transmitting an ID signal miles to the bad guys from underground ?
The console operator "slips" a new subroutine into the control program ?
If you know nothing about the way things work, and think subroutines are like suppositories, this may be your book. I could not take anymore and pitched the book after 70 pages. There may be a clever plot and great character development but the technical flaws were so bad the book was ruined for me.