Book Review #3

     Alexander Gordon Smith's Escape From Furnace:  Lockdown, Book 1 of 5 in the Escape From Furnace Series, kept me on the edge of my seat and, at times, made me cringe with its grotesque detail.
     The life lesson throughout the entire series is that regardless of what happens to you on the outside, however strong the force, never forget who you truly are on the inside.  Alex, the main character, is the victim of constant conflict with his surroundings throughout this book.  The majority of Furnace's inhabitants have already succumbed to the negative propaganda designed to steal all hope for their freedom.  One character committed suicide because of the environment, others gained personal strength from the pressures they faced.
     Smith's writing style is very appealing to me because he gives all the information you need to get a thorough picture of what is happening without giving so many details that he causes you to lose interest.  I found myself racing through this book with no need to retrace the story to gain full understanding of what was happening.  The author's descriptive ability evokes strong emotion while reading this book.
     The author makes the main characters very believable.  He gives them such qualities as strength, intelligence, and loyalty to one another.  These characters are ones you would admire for their determination and who you crave to see succeed.
     The physical setting of this novel has a great impact on the conflict.  The author's description of the prison is realistic as well as severely oppressive.  The Furnace Penitentiary appears to be impenetrable.  The great adversity the characters face pulls you into their struggle as you read along.
     Escape From Furnace:  Lockdown reminds me of an old favorite of mine, the Cirque du Freak series by Darren Shan.  The writing style of the authors is similar; I consider these books to be real page-turners.  The first book in this series is extremely suspenseful.  I would recommend this book to all those who enjoy reading a true thriller.