A very dark novel. Many horrific moments but I really enjoyed reading it. Don't go into it with your eyes closed though. There is no sunny outlook I this book. Still I like a good dystopia YA and look forward to reading the next book. ( )

While the read was an enjoyable one, I felt the pace moved too fast to really picture what was happening. I love the premise, and would have loved to know a bit more about how this world operates, or to get a glimpse of a normal daily life in Furnace. But the prose was solid, the story was exciting, and I'll be continuing on with the series. ( )

This book is not a good one to read while you're eating ( I tried it, but it was too disgusting), or if you're hoping for a relaxing read. It's great for fans of fast-paced, suspenseful thrillers. The monstrous characters in this book are incredibly horrifying - in a good way. Fans of The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, or Gone will love this book. ( )

Lockdown, the first book in the Escape from Furnace series was a fast-exciting novel grabbing the reader right from the start and never letting go until the very end. Alex is a typical bully who escalates into a thief. During his last robbery his best friend is killed by strange men in black, some with odd looking masks on their faces. Alex is framed for his friend's death and is thrown into a prison for violent young offenders called Furnace. What a great beginning for a series of books. Reminds me a little of the television show, Prison Break, as well as the book series, I Am Number Four. ( )

After violent riots by youths led the the murder of numerous people youth crime is now treated harshly and those convicted of murder face mandatory life imprisonment at a purpose built hell hole named Furnace.

A young man is set up and see his friend and partner in crime murdered, then he is framed for the killing and sent to Furnace where he learns it is more than just a prison.

It's an interesting story and I certainly thought the scenes were vivid and articulate. The sense of despair is conveyed well by the author, in a way it kind of reminded me of the Shawshank Redemption with the cruel warden, although obviously substantially different.

Looking forward to the next installment. ( )

This author made me feel as if I were the person living through these events wishing that the bad things would pass by quickly but seem to slow down. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a suspense/adventure book. ( )

“Beneath heaven is hell ~ Beneath hell is Furnace”

I absolutely loved this book; it was horrifyingly thrilling and intense all the way through, with plenty of teamwork..! After I finished it I couldn’t stop thinking about it, the characters and what happened to them throughout the many chapters..! Alexander Gordon Smith has such a way with words that the reader gets sucked into the story, feeling every emotion and will want to know:

“What will happen next?!”

I admit that question often came to my mind, and I was eager to move onto the next scene. I really liked the main, he didn’t annoy me one bit. Alex insists he’s not a good person, but yes, there’s something about his character that makes him a good person in my opinion. So many people make mistakes, are influenced by those around them. But he learns to accept his flaws as they are, and learns from his mistakes to better himself. He gets a person to think, and had a way at drawing other boys who were locked in Furnace to him. He gives them hope and even gives them something to smile about ~ Even in the pits of Furnace!!

“You don't have friends in here, you'll soon come to understand that. You get attached to someone, then you'll just lose them. They'll get shanked or they'll jump or they'll be taken one night.”

That was a quote that stuck in my mind. It was put up as a natural barrier to keep a person’s emotions in check. To make sure they don’t get hurt further, when those closest to them are pulled away. As soon as Alex came into the picture, that barrier was thrown to the wayside for Donavan, as much as he tried to resist. Alex would follow him around from the very beginning like a lost puppy. Yes, he was reckless, and Donavan wished he wasn’t his roommate. But an undeniable friendship was formed between the two of them.

“I’ve decided to escape!

Oh gosh, escape?! That’s crazy, this is Furnace! Oh wait, he’s crazy enough that he might just pull this off O_O;; *Sneakily follows!*”

I really feel this book has everything you could possibly want, and more!! If you love intenseness, and teamwork, then this is definitely a story I’d recommend! And I can’t wait to find out what’ll happen next :D!!
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Interesting story, but didn't love the writing. ( )

Lockdown, the first book in the Escape from Furnace series was a fast-exciting novel grabbing the reader right from the start and never letting go until the very end. Alex is a typical bully who escalates into a thief. During his last robbery his best friend is killed by strange men in black, some with odd looking masks on their faces. Alex is framed for his friend's death and is thrown into a prison for violent young offenders called Furnace. What a great beginning for a series of books. Reminds me a little of the television show, Prison Break, as well as the book series, I Am Number Four. ( )

I flew through this book...started and finished within 24 hours. It's a fast paced and completely gripping story about a boy named Alex who gets framed for murder and sent to Furnace, an underground prison. A prison that is filled with horrible creatures and no way of escaping, that is until Alex plans a grand scheme to do just that. It reminded me a bit of the prison scenes in The Chronicles of Riddick. ( )

This is pure teen boy bait - gruesome, violent, and scary, with absolutely no girls. I think it's also pretty purely YA; there's not a lot of there there, and not a lot to recommend it other than the creep factor. ( )

Alex Sawyer is framed for murdering his best friend and sent to "Furnace" a prison for teen boys deep underground. Here Alex discovers that hellish experiments are being done on the boys and his existence becomes a nightmare of fear and survival. Along with a few friends, he schemes a breakout that ends the book in a cliffhanger. #2 is Solitary, not as good as the first book. Alex is put in solitary confiinement with his friend, Zee. They are aided by Simon, a boy who was experimented on, but who escaped and is hoping that Alex can help them all finally break out from Furnace. #3 is Death Sentence. ( )

This is the first book in the "Escape from Furnace" series and it is great! Action-packed, fast-paced and quite brutal at times I raced to the finish. Furnace is a maximum security prison for young offenders ruled by black coats, dogs and wheezers. Alex Sawyer is the narrator and is a newbie to Furnace. even though he is an extremely likeable protagonist, my favourite character has to be Donovan. Donovan has been imprisoned for a number years and is Alex's cell mate and close friend. I love the dry humour Donovan shows regardless of the situation, and although he has a tough, hard exterior, he proves to be a loyal friend and a real softie on the inside. The last page of "Lockdown" is a cliff-hanger and I can't wait to see what happens next. ( )

Fast paced and bloody brilliant.

“Don't go looking for snakes, you might find them..
Don't send your eyes to the sun, you might blind them,
Haven't I seen you here before?
There ain't no heroes here....”



This is a shit-meet-fan kind of book. There are no sugary bits glossing over events because of the main character's age. It's actually adds to the horror, when you are forced to see kids as adults and surviving trough ordeals you are certain most adults wouldn't survive trough.

It has it all. Underground prison from hell, gangs and turf war. Fights, murder, mad science experiments and a band of unlikely friends.

I have been reading quite a lot of dystopia lately and can safely say that I still have the taste for it. I like the fact that it's a rich genre. This particular spin is very engaging, it doesn't leave you with two minutes to catch your breath. It keeps you on your toes all the time. It's not something for the fans of insta justice, and evil vs. good.

This book will give you chills....

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I enjoyed reading this story. I kept thinking about it during the moments of the day when I wasn't actually reading it. I was completely intrigued.

That being said, I hesitate to recommend this to my 12-year-old. I think it's definitely fine for an older youth, say 9th-12th grade.... But it was definitely too graphically violent for my middle-schooler. I think she'll like it in a few years. ( )

The book I read was called LOCKDOWN by Alexander Smith. This book was about a boy named Alex Sawyer. He is getting blamed for killing his friend but really the "black suits" are the ones that did it. Alex was denying that he did not kill his friend but the blood was on his hands when it happended. Alex Sawyer was eventually thrown into prison that was called "the furnace". When Alex arrived at "the furnace" he met his new cell mate
named Donavan along with another kid named Zee. Later on in the book Alex met this kid named Toby and they together made an escape plan to get out of "the furnace". Before they were going to escape their friend named Donavan had been taken by weazers. Weazers are poeple who have masks sewn onto their faces and they turn people into dogs and "black suits". At the end of the story they finally escape from the furnace. ( )

An easy YA action book.

All the evidence is against Alex Sawyer. The jury found him guilty for killing his friend Toby and they throw him in prison. But even as Alex swears he didn't do it, he has to adapt to this prison called Furnace. Which is basically hell on earth. It's where gangs rule and lifting your eyes is a sign of rebellion. But that's only in the "day". At night comes something worse with strange blacksuits and mutated dogs. Is escape even thinkable?

The style reminds me a little of Anthony Horwitz's Alex Rider series, even though the plot is completely different. Something about the insane escapes, basically all male perspective, (excessive?) action, and the writing style (short and to the point). And, ha even their names are the same!

It's a little too out-there to be truly scary.

I didn't quite believe Donovan's character as Jekyll and Hyde. He was too friendly to even appear to give off a mean facade. I almost wish we got to see him beat another kid up to deserve the respect he seemed to have in the book.

The book was interesting because it explored the Furnace at a good pace. Not too slow to make it boring, but just enough for the reader to appreciate all of the prison's horrors.

The first person perspective did the book justice. We got to see everything through Alex's eyes and it worked. No awkwardness or strange mind-jumping.

Obviously the escape is a bit ridiculous, but hey, artistic license, right?

Three stars. Fairly standard action book. Quick and easy read just for fun.
Would recommend if you liked the Alex Rider series or a lot of easy action with no romantic interest.

Note: I didn't like the future books (not even book 2) because after the initial interest in the world wore off, I found plotlines to be a little too contrived and too much blatant reader manipulation to enjoy the book anymore. But the first book is decent as a standalone, sort of. ( )

An easy YA action book.

All the evidence is against Alex Sawyer. The jury found him guilty for killing his friend Toby and they throw him in prison. But even as Alex swears he didn't do it, he has to adapt to this prison called Furnace. Which is basically hell on earth. It's where gangs rule and lifting your eyes is a sign of rebellion. But that's only in the "day". At night comes something worse with strange blacksuits and mutated dogs. Is escape even thinkable?

The style reminds me a little of Anthony Horwitz's Alex Rider series, even though the plot is completely different. Something about the insane escapes, basically all male perspective, (excessive?) action, and the writing style (short and to the point). And, ha even their names are the same!

It's a little too out-there to be truly scary.

I didn't quite believe Donovan's character as Jekyll and Hyde. He was too friendly to even appear to give off a mean facade. I almost wish we got to see him beat another kid up to deserve the respect he seemed to have in the book.

The book was interesting because it explored the Furnace at a good pace. Not too slow to make it boring, but just enough for the reader to appreciate all of the prison's horrors.

The first person perspective did the book justice. We got to see everything through Alex's eyes and it worked. No awkwardness or strange mind-jumping.

Obviously the escape is a bit ridiculous, but hey, artistic license, right?

Three stars. Fairly standard action book. Quick and easy read just for fun.
Would recommend if you liked the Alex Rider series or a lot of easy action with no romantic interest.

Note: I didn't like the future books (not even book 2) because after the initial interest in the world wore off, I found plotlines to be a little too contrived and too much blatant reader manipulation to enjoy the book anymore. But the first book is decent as a standalone, sort of. ( )

**No spoilers.




Well, that was a good time. For me, anyway. Not for Alex, the MC. Dude inadvertently landed himself in the WORST PRISON IN THE HISTORY OF PRISONS. Seriously. Sign me up for death if my only other option is to go into Furnace.


With a name like Furnace and with its description of being buried 1 mile beneath the earth’s surface, my mind immediately went to “hell”. While Furnace is a hellish place, it’s not hell. It’s more like a fucked up science project funhouse gone awry. It’s fucking cray cray. The conditions of the place, the disgustingly putrid slop they have to eat, the daily beatings/humiliations at the hands of other inmates, and the backbreaking work they have to do is enough to make you welcome death. Oh, but there’s more.


As the synopsis says, inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night. YEAH. Whatever that crazy shit means. And the guards? They wear suits. Like, WTF. I didn’t even have time to ponder all of this, because the intensity of the story had me riveted. The visuals alone were enough to give me the creeps and Smith did a great job making this place come to life. I have my own version of Furnace planted firmly in my mind. The place is dirty, dank, gritty, and terrifying. There was never a time that I couldn’t visualize what I was reading, which really made for a heightened reading experience.


Only one thing prevented me from rating this five stars – Alex. I found Alex likable, but he continuously made TSTL mistake after TSTL mistake. Even when his friends would yell at him and say “Alex, don’t!”, Alex would. Over and over. I still rooted for him, but he pissed me off with his behavior. It's important to remember that he's only 14. It was easy to forget that while reading, because the book is so brutal and dark. Typically, a TSTL MC is a deal breaker for me. In this case, the story, the setting, the other characters and the intensity of my beating heart through most of it were able to offset my misgivings.


Lastly, look at that cover. Stuff of nightmares, I tell you.



WARNING: This book ends on a brutal cliffhanger, so try to have the sequel on hand, lest your brain explode.



I have other book-reading obligations scheduled for today, but... **eyes sequel.






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One part Great Escape, one part Running Man and one part Stand By Me, Lockdown is the kind of story that should appeal to the rebel with a heart of gold in all of us - especially if that rebel is a teenage boy.

For me, however, all the surprises were of the more or less expectable variety, so I found it a bit too simple - right on target for it's intended audience, perhaps - but simple enough for me that I doubt I'll continue with the series. ( )

Escape from Furnace is about Alex being framed for killing his friend by ‘Black suits.’ Then, he gets sentenced to life in prison at a place called the Furnace. He meets Donavon, who is his cell mate, and Zee, who he met on the way to the prison. Later on he meets Toby and they make a plan to escape by filling rubber gloves with gas and then blowing a hole in a wall in room two. Room two is a mining room where people were mining and they found a river. The night before they planned their escape Donovan was taken by the Weazers. The Weazers are people who have gas masks sewn onto their faces. They take kids and turn them into dogs and ‘black suits’. At the end, they escape from the Furnace.

I would rate this book a 5 because I LOVED this book!! This is my favorite series because it kept me reading and it was hard to put down the book. It is very action packed and is very interesting. I think this book is good for young adults because it is kind of creepy for little kids. I like the way that there are twists and turns within the book . There are 5 books in this series and each time I finish a book I can’t wait for the next book. I wish the books would never end. I totally recommend it! ( )

The horrors of experimenting on humans without consent. Conversation starter for how prisoners are treated. ( )

This is a roller coaster ride from start to finish, a world where young men and boys are routinely sent to an underground prison called Furnace for crimes of violence. Alex Sawyer was framed for murder by the "black suits" -superhuman vigilantes with silver eyes who stalk the night, watching for teenagers out at night who can become new inmates. In spite of his petty crimes and robberies, Alex had never murdered anyone - but he was convicted of murdering his friend Toby, and soon enough he finds himself riding an elevator down to a life sentence in Furnace - a secretive, multileveled prison carved out of the bedrock itself. Some boys go crazy just from the claustrophobia; but there are many, many other horrors Alex discovers to drive one mad. When the gross details become a bit overwhelming, the author also provides Alex with some camaraderie and everyday teenage joking through the characters of Donovan, his experienced cell mate, and Zee, a newcomer like Alex. Alex's authentic voice, and his genuine struggle to remain loyal to friends instead of only his own survival draw readers in. Through his authentic voice, we also experience this "hell" of a prison and his attempts to remain sane, including coming up with a plan for escape. But no one escapes from Furnace, the evil man/creature who is the warden guarantees that. A fast paced, horror filled action thriller. ( )

The book Lockdown is the first in the Escape from Furnace series. This book made me feel like I was standing right next to Alex, the protagonist in this story. This was a book to remember. Alex was framed for a crime that he never committed. He was dragged off to the prison furnace where he had to fight to survive.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes gore and psychopath mutant creations. In furnace there are also dangerous groups of gangs who were sent there after the summer of slaughter, which was a time when gangs killed people for fun. The furnace was built in the first place, so kids would be afraid to commit crimes.

Alex made friends in furnace. One of his new friends actually did kill someone, but it was for a reason. His name is Donovan, and he killed his mom's boyfriend because he would beat her and mistreat her. His second friend is Zee, and he was framed like Alex.

I already bought the next one in the series to read. ( )

14-yr-old Alex is no "Boy Scout" but when he is framed for murder and sent to the legendary Furnace Penitentiary, his troubles just begin. Black suits, skinless dogs, a monstrous warden, and dangerous gangs inhabit this futuristic jail, set miles underground in bedrock. This reader didn't have to go far to realize the drill: danger at every turn and escape is in everyone's mind. One supposes Alex escapes at book's end and thus begins the sequel. Great reading for adrenalin-seeking youth... just mind the prison cliches. ( )