The Prisoner

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.

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.

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.

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

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