Death Sentence: Escape from Furnace 3

by Alexander Gordon Smith

Overview

In the third book in the Escape from Furnace series, Alex struggles to survive the bloody, brutal laboratories beneath Furnace Penitentiary, where monsters are made.

Alex's second attempt to break out of Furnace Penitentiary failed. This time, his punishment will be much worse than before.

Because in the hidden, bloodstained laboratories beneath the prison, he will be made into a monster. As the warden pumps something evil into his veins—a sinisterly dark nectar—Alex becomes what he most fears . . . a superhuman minion of Furnace.

How can he escape when the darkness is inside him? How can he lead the way to freedom if he is lost to himself?

Praise for Death Sentence (Escape from Furnace Book 3):

“In this third installment of the Furnace series, Gordon-Smith has pulled out all the stops. It is a tour de force of action and adventure… Honestly, this reviewer could not put this book down, having thoroughly enjoyed all of the novels in this series, and will anxiously await the release of Fugitives: Escape from Furnace 4. . . . Please continue to wow us, Mr. Gordon Smith—your books are a pleasure to read.” —VOYA

Praise for Solitary (Escape from Furnace Book 2):

“Fast paced and packed with nail-biting scenarios . . . This is a dark story with a dark ending, but the gritty action and compelling characters will have reluctant readers enthralled.” —School Library Journal

“Once again, Smith has created a thrill ride that will leave the audience wanting more. Smith's prose is fast paced, witty, and sometimes downright terrifying. Some of the images he creates could manifest into a nightmare or two. Teens who are looking for a great thriller/horror story will definitely want to pick up these novels.” —VOYA

“Adrenaline-fueled action infuses the narrative as it did in Lockdown (2009), keeping the pages turning. . . . The author knows what keeps his readers locked to the page and delivers it soundly.” —Kirkus Reviews

"Breathlessly paced." —Booklist

Praise for Lockdown (Escape from Furnace Book 3):

“Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises.” —James Patterson

“Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun! Sign me up for a life sentence of Alexander Gordon Smith!” —Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series

Also by Alexander Gordon Smith:

The Devil's Engine series
The Devil's Engine: Hellraisers (Book 1)
The Devil's Engine: Hellfighters (Book 2)
The Devil's Engine: Hellwalkers (Book 3)

The Fury

The Escape from Furnace series
Lockdown (Book 1)
Solitary (Book 2)
Death Sentence (Book 3)
Fugitives (Book 4)
Execution (Book 5)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312674410
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	02/14/2012
Series:	Escape from Furnace Series , #3
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	68,539
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Alexander Gordon Smith lives in Norwich, England. "The Stephen King of YA horror," he is the author of The Fury; The Inventors; the Escape from Furnace series, which has sold nearly half-a-million copies; and the Devil's Engine series.

Read an Excerpt

DEAD
 

I DIED IN THAT room.
I died there among the corpses in the darkness at the bottom of the world. I died with the fires of the incinerator still burning on my flesh, like the devil himself had his fingers in me. I died with the warden’s howls of laughter ringing in my ears.
But it wasn’t a merciful death. My heart didn’t stop beating. My lungs didn’t stop clawing at the hot air. The white-hot pain didn’t leave my muscles, my skin, my bones. And I didn’t drift into oblivion the way I’d always dreamed death would be. No, I was in Furnace Penitentiary. And here even death doesn’t dare show its face. The Grim Reaper had abandoned me like everyone else, leaving me alone with my nightmares.
They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. Well, that’s only half true. You don’t see the happy times, the laughter. You only see your failures. Lying there with the thunder of the blacksuits raging above my head and the smell of burning flesh in my throat, I saw the endless mistakes of my life laid bare.
I saw my crimes, the night my old friend Toby and I had broken into our last house. I saw the blacksuits, Moleface pulling the trigger that reduced Toby to a stain on the carpet. I saw my trial for his murder, the way the world turned against me with the crash of a gavel. I saw my first day in Furnace, buried forever beneath the ground.
I pictured Donovan, and Zee, our plan to escape. I saw us smuggling gas-filled gloves from the kitchen into the chipping room and blowing out the floor. I saw our punishment for trying to escape—trapped in the guts of the prison with the rats hungry for our blood, and the lightless coffin of solitary confinement.
I was forced to relive the horror of what they’d done to Donovan. Stripped of everything human, packed with muscle and gristle and something bad that dripped darkness into his veins. Then the horror of what I had done to him. Pressing a pillow to his face until he was no longer a monster, until he was no longer anything. I saw it all, the worst bits of my life paraded in front of me by my own stuttering heartbeat.
I tried to remember something good. Something hopeful. I mean, we’d almost made it after that. Me and Zee and the kid called Simon. We’d almost climbed our way to freedom up the incinerator chimney. I still had that splinter of daylight in my mind. I had seen the sun, and it had seen me, and maybe that was enough. Maybe I could die now knowing I’d broken Furnace, knowing that I had breathed fresh air once again.
Except the death Furnace had in store for me wasn’t a genuine one. The blacksuits had lit the incinerator when we were halfway up, and they had pulled us from the flames with hunger in their silver eyes. And I knew what was coming.
My my, look what the rats dragged in. Get them into surgery, prep the wheezers. We can still use them.
The echo of the warden’s voice, one of the last things I would ever hear. Because I died in that room. Like all the other lost boys of Furnace I would soon be reborn, but I wouldn’t be me. I would become a blacksuit, my heart as dark as my jacket. Or I’d become a rat, trapped in the tunnels of the prison and feasting on those I had once called friends.
But even as I felt myself dragged off to the infirmary I swore that it wasn’t over.
Just don’t forget your name, Monty had told me. I wouldn’t.
I died in that room.
I would be reborn as something else, something terrible.
But I was Alex Sawyer.
And I would have my revenge.

 
Copyright © 2009 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Editorial Reviews

In this third installment of the Furnace series, Gordon-Smith has pulled out all the stops. It is a tour de force of action and adventure… Honestly, this reviewer could not put this book down, having thoroughly enjoyed all of the novels in this series, and will anxiously await the release of Fugitives: Escape from Furnace 4 due winter 2012. Please continue to wow us, Mr. Gordon Smith—your books are a pleasure to read.” —VOYA

“Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises.” —James Patterson

“Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun! Sign me up for a life sentence of Alexander Gordon Smith!” —Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series

“This nightmarish start to a new series is unrelentingly bleak, uniquely horrifying, and strangely compelling.” —Realms of Fantasy magazine

“A great next choice for fans of The Maze Runner, The Grassland Trilogy. . . or Lord of the Flies . . . Recommended for dystopia, thriller, and horror fans, or anyone looking for a fast-paced, spine-chilling ride.” —Jennifer Robinson's Bookpage

“Readers will be turning pages without pause, and the cliff-hanger ending will have them anticipating the next installment. Most appealing is Smith's flowing writing style, filled with kid-speak, colorful adjectives, and amusing analogies. Fans of James Patterson's ‘Maximum Ride' and Darren Shan's ‘The Demonata' series will find this satisfying fare.” —School Library Journal

“One of those leave-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrill rides that will grab the reader right from the start. Teens will appreciate Smith's vivid imagery. His writing is extremely fluid, and he makes the reader feel for the characters, especially the young protagonist, Alex. Readers will be cheering him on from start to finish. Look for the sequel, Solitary, forthcoming in 2010. Readers will be anxious to see where Alex's adventures take him next.” —VOYA

“Not for the faint-hearted, this dramatic British import is both a page- and stomach-turner. . . The pacing is superb, building on the tension as each horror is revealed while saving the ultimate monstrosity for the cliffhanger ending.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Lockdown is a beautifully written book that builds itself up on violence, suspense, and mystery.” —A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

From the Publisher