Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1
Book one in the internationally bestselling Escape from Furnace series that has captivated millions of readers worldwide. A teenager must survive the nightmarish horrors of a deadly underground prison in this fast-paced and terrifying read that’s perfect for fans of The Maze Runner.
“A thrill ride that will leave the audience wanting more . . . Downright terrifying.” —VOYA (on Solitary)
“Fresh and ferocious.” —James Patterson
“Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun!” —Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series
“The Stephen King of YA horror.” —The Book Zone
Framed for a murder he didn't commit, teenager Alex Sawyer is sentenced to a life without parole at Furnace Penitentiary, the world's most secure prison for young criminals. Buried a mile beneath the earth's surface, Furnace is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night; giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows; and grotesque beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as merciless as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.
Escape is Alex's only chance at survival, and with the help of fellow inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—he may just have a plan daring enough to work. But as he starts to uncover Furnace's deeper, darker purpose, Alex's actions grow more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose the truth. In this prison, secret horrors are finally breaking free.
Expertly blending elements of horror, dystopia, and thriller, Alexander Gordon Smith delivers an action-packed, bone-chilling, and genre-defying must-read that grabs you from the first page and never lets go.
READ THE ENTIRE ESCAPE FROM FURNACE SERIES:
● Lockdown (Book 1)
● Solitary (Book 2)
● Death Sentence (Book 3)
● Fugitives (Book 4)
● Execution (Book 5)
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Second thought: What?
Third thought: What?
Fourth thought: WHAT?!
Rest of thoughts: WHAT THE SON OF A FLYING MONKEY AM I READING AND WHY CAN'T I STOP READING AND HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO SLEEP TONIGHT BECAUSE I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS AND PICTURING EVERYTHING IN THIS BOOK INCLUDING THAT CREEPY GAS MASK WHEEZER ON THE COVER!
Honestly, this isn't a full on horror book. It is YA; although it's very disturbing YA.
Our main character is Alex. A kid who robs houses but not a kid who murders his best friend. He's been set up and sentenced to life imprisonment in Furnace Penitentiary. He is faced with horrors there that you and I can't even imagine (well, we can imagine). And he's going to try to escape (no spoiler - it's the name of the series and on the cover).
There is a time when you will need to push away thoughts like:
1. That wasn't even a real trial.
2. Wait a second...this is a prison where children go for life sentences that doesn't ever allow calls/visits/letters and no one in society has any problem with this whatsoever?
I let myself wonder about these things for a few seconds and then pushed past. If I could allow things like creatures with gas masks sewn into their skin and giant "dogs" with no fur or skin, I could allow these other things.
Alex meets a few guys in prison - some good and some bad. There are very brief descriptions of each. If it bothers you to not have a character described to a T, you may be annoyed. I was fine. The descriptions of the prison environment were amazing enough to make me forgive the lack of character development. There was also enough description of one particular character to make me chirp like a bluebird. Or a sparrow. Or some small, pretty winged bird.
Enter Donovan.
FACT: When I was young, one of my favorite movies was "The Story of 15 Boys." My favorite character was Donovan. He was my very first crush - a rough and tough boy with a "don't mess with me" exterior" and a "heart of gold" interior. I used to pretend he was sitting next to me on the school bus. He's the one holding the goat on the cover of the VHS case.
FACT: Donovan in this book reminds me of 15 Boys Donovan. But with bigger biceps.
If I can cling to one character wholeheartedly, I'm immediately more fond of the book. Donovan was the one character I could really care about above the others.
I would love to see this as a movie - although I'd probably be too scared to watch it. There is suspense and action and horror. I even chuckled once or twice.
This is probably a 4.5 for me, but I had such a good time that I'm bumping it up to 5.
1 Star for Originality (Seriously - I have never read anything close to this before)
1 Star because I couldn't put the damn thing down
1 Star for Donovan (old love hits hard)
1 Star for the creepy factor (I was having heart palpitations reading it at night)
1 Star for the cliffhanger ending that had me ordering the other books in the series seconds after finishing (there are five in the series - HALLELUJAH!)
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