Furnace: Death Sentence - Alexander Gordon Smith
Furnace: Death Sentence - Alexander Gordon Smith
Furnace: Death Sentence by Alexander Gordon Smith is a very interesting and well written book. In the story started by the previous two books, a boy called Alex Sawyer is wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in Furnace prison. However, it is no ordinary prison. Creatures known as the Wheezers, who always wear gas masks take prisoners screaming from their cells, and turn them into Blacksuits, the giant, silver-eyed prison guards. In Death Sentence, Alex is caught while trying to escape and bit by bit, he is turned into a Blacksuit by the Wheezers. His only hope is to remember his name, and to use his new found strength to escape. But this is easier said than done, as he is given large doses of nectar, the warden's poison that turns his mind into that of a merciless killer.
Furnace: Death Sentence is an electrifying thriller that focuses on the themes of imprisonment and escape, and right and wrong, as Alex must escape the prison while avoiding becoming a Blacksuit. The book is aimed at teenagers, but be warned, for if you don't like violence then this story probably isn't for you.
Much of the story takes place in the corridors below the prison, and the operating theatres used by the Wheezers to transform the captured boys into Blacksuits. The setting is very well described, and you can almost feel the fear and hopelessness of the prisoners, and the insane fury of the Blacksuits.
The ending of the story is very good, and after reading it you won't be able to wait for the next book in the Furnace series!
I would give this book four stars, as it is very good, although some people may find it a bit too violent.
Peter
