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The Fury #1
The Fury
Imagine if one day, without warning, the entire human race turns against you.
Every single person you meet becomes a bloodthirsty, mindless savage, hell-bent on killing you - and only you.
Friends, family, even your mum and dad, will turn on you. They will murder you.
And when they have, they will go back to their lives as if nothing has happened.
The world has the Fury.
It will not rest until you are dead.
Cal, Brick and Daisy are three ordinary teenagers whose lives suddenly take a terrifying turn for the worst. They begin to trigger a reaction in everybody they meet, that makes friends and strangers alike want to tear them to pieces. These victims of the Fury - the ones that survive - manage to locate each other. But just when they think they have found a place to hide from the world, some of them begin to change . . . They must fight to uncover the truth about the Fury before it's too late.
But it is a truth that will destroy everything they know about life and death.
Every single person you meet becomes a bloodthirsty, mindless savage, hell-bent on killing you - and only you.
Friends, family, even your mum and dad, will turn on you. They will murder you.
And when they have, they will go back to their lives as if nothing has happened.
The world has the Fury.
It will not rest until you are dead.
Cal, Brick and Daisy are three ordinary teenagers whose lives suddenly take a terrifying turn for the worst. They begin to trigger a reaction in everybody they meet, that makes friends and strangers alike want to tear them to pieces. These victims of the Fury - the ones that survive - manage to locate each other. But just when they think they have found a place to hide from the world, some of them begin to change . . . They must fight to uncover the truth about the Fury before it's too late.
But it is a truth that will destroy everything they know about life and death.
681 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
147 people are currently reading
2740 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Gordon Smith
28 books1,203 followersAlexander Gordon Smith is the author of the Escape from Furnace series of young adult novels, including Lockdown and Solitary. Born in 1979 in Norwich, England, he always wanted to be a writer. After experimenting in the service and retail trades for a few years, Smith decided to go to University. He studied English and American Literature at the University of East Anglia, and it was here that he first explored his love of publishing. Along with poet Luke Wright, he founded Egg Box Publishing, a groundbreaking magazine and press that promotes talented new authors. He also started writing literally hundreds of articles, short stories and books ranging from Scooby Doo comic strips to world atlases, Midsomer Murders to X-Files. The endless research for these projects led to countless book ideas germinating in his head. His first book, The Inventors, written with his nine-year-old brother Jamie, was published in the U.K. in 2007. He lives in England.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/alexan...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/alexan...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
February 16, 2019
I’m right in the middle with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the concept and thought it was incredibly interesting. But the characters were so young that they grated on my nerves and I kind of wanted to strangle them all. And the book stretched on and on when it could have easily been half the size and packed way more punch. I also would have like more explanation as to how the whole phenomenon came about, we’re kind of left in the dark about that. Despite that it was a quick, fun read and it did keep me turning the pages!
April 26, 2012
This review first appeared on The Book Zone(For Boys) blog
There are a handful of authors for whom I will drop everything to read their new book when it arrives. Alexander Gordon Smith is one of them. His Escape From Furnace series is not only one of my favourite series of recent years, but also one of my all-time favourite series of YA horror books. In my opinion he leaves most of the competition standing, and yes, I include Shan and Higson there.
What I love most about the Furnace series, and now The Fury can be added to this as well, is the way Gordon (for that is how he prefers to be known) taps into the things that we fear the most. I'm not talking about spiders, rats, death here, but those primal fears that lurk deep with our psyches have done for millennia. Loss of freedom, loss of identity, loss of the things that make us human were all themes covered in the Furnace books, and now in The Fury Gordon goes for the jugular and builds his story around a fear that nearly every child, teenager and adult fears deeply - their friends and family, the people they love the most in the world, turning on them. And we're not just talking playground bullying here, or petty arguments between friends. In The Fury a handful of young people find their loved ones suddenly turning on them, chasing them and literally trying to pull them apart, like a pack of hyaenas slaughtering an isolated baby gazelle.
In The Fury it is as if Alexander Gordon Smith has taken the whole zombie genre, put it in a blender, added his own twisted imagination and incredible talent in equal measures and pressed the on switch. The result is something that is a gore-filled, feral frenzy of a story, with an underlying theme that will have you thinking about it for weeks after the final page has been turned. It is the book that puts Alexander Gordon Smith ahead of the pack in the race for the title of 'the Stephen King of YA horror'.
The blurb at the beginning of this review tells you pretty much all you need to know about the story, although I will clarify one major point. Although similar in nature to the traditional zombie story it differs in one significant way - there is not a zombie in sight, and this is what makes it even more terrifying. Certain individuals suddenly find their nearest and dearest filled with a blood lust and a single-minded desire to pound them into a bloody pulp, even if it means pain and injury to themselves in the process, and yet once the deed is done they immediately return to normal, as if some omnipotent being is turning their 'behave-like-a-zombie switch' on and off for fun. So if you love horror, but are tired with the idea of legions of rotting, stumbling undead munching on brains, then this is the book for you.
This is a 500-page book and yet it reads like something much slimmer in page count. I mean this as the greatest of compliments. There is not a single word of padding in this story, and every word is made to count, and as such there is no scene or passage in the book that ever feels like it is dragging its heels. Instead, I found myself poring through the pages as rapidly as possible, desperately concerned for the fate of the small handful of well-crafted characters that the author collects together. Alexander Gordon Smith is a master story teller and he knows when to speed things up and have the reader's heart pounding hard on their ribcage, and he knows when it is time to give that heart a brief moment of respite before turning the dial back up to 11 and beyond.
The Fury is the first book in a two-part series from Alexander Gordon Smith, and as such does not come anywhere close to having an ending that answers the questions posed during the story. However, it does leave us lusting for more, although at present I am not sure when the sequel is due to be published. If you are at all like me it will also have you thinking about it for weeks after, its themes sneaking back into your conscious thoughts when you least expect it.
There are a handful of authors for whom I will drop everything to read their new book when it arrives. Alexander Gordon Smith is one of them. His Escape From Furnace series is not only one of my favourite series of recent years, but also one of my all-time favourite series of YA horror books. In my opinion he leaves most of the competition standing, and yes, I include Shan and Higson there.
What I love most about the Furnace series, and now The Fury can be added to this as well, is the way Gordon (for that is how he prefers to be known) taps into the things that we fear the most. I'm not talking about spiders, rats, death here, but those primal fears that lurk deep with our psyches have done for millennia. Loss of freedom, loss of identity, loss of the things that make us human were all themes covered in the Furnace books, and now in The Fury Gordon goes for the jugular and builds his story around a fear that nearly every child, teenager and adult fears deeply - their friends and family, the people they love the most in the world, turning on them. And we're not just talking playground bullying here, or petty arguments between friends. In The Fury a handful of young people find their loved ones suddenly turning on them, chasing them and literally trying to pull them apart, like a pack of hyaenas slaughtering an isolated baby gazelle.
In The Fury it is as if Alexander Gordon Smith has taken the whole zombie genre, put it in a blender, added his own twisted imagination and incredible talent in equal measures and pressed the on switch. The result is something that is a gore-filled, feral frenzy of a story, with an underlying theme that will have you thinking about it for weeks after the final page has been turned. It is the book that puts Alexander Gordon Smith ahead of the pack in the race for the title of 'the Stephen King of YA horror'.
The blurb at the beginning of this review tells you pretty much all you need to know about the story, although I will clarify one major point. Although similar in nature to the traditional zombie story it differs in one significant way - there is not a zombie in sight, and this is what makes it even more terrifying. Certain individuals suddenly find their nearest and dearest filled with a blood lust and a single-minded desire to pound them into a bloody pulp, even if it means pain and injury to themselves in the process, and yet once the deed is done they immediately return to normal, as if some omnipotent being is turning their 'behave-like-a-zombie switch' on and off for fun. So if you love horror, but are tired with the idea of legions of rotting, stumbling undead munching on brains, then this is the book for you.
This is a 500-page book and yet it reads like something much slimmer in page count. I mean this as the greatest of compliments. There is not a single word of padding in this story, and every word is made to count, and as such there is no scene or passage in the book that ever feels like it is dragging its heels. Instead, I found myself poring through the pages as rapidly as possible, desperately concerned for the fate of the small handful of well-crafted characters that the author collects together. Alexander Gordon Smith is a master story teller and he knows when to speed things up and have the reader's heart pounding hard on their ribcage, and he knows when it is time to give that heart a brief moment of respite before turning the dial back up to 11 and beyond.
The Fury is the first book in a two-part series from Alexander Gordon Smith, and as such does not come anywhere close to having an ending that answers the questions posed during the story. However, it does leave us lusting for more, although at present I am not sure when the sequel is due to be published. If you are at all like me it will also have you thinking about it for weeks after, its themes sneaking back into your conscious thoughts when you least expect it.
July 18, 2013
Seriously one of the best books I've read in a few years. Dark, compelling, fantastic storytelling that I didn't want to put down.
************************************************
What if everyone in the world turned against you? Not just suddenly hated you, but wanted to tear you limb from limb if they came within so many feet of you. Life is suddenly like that for Daisy, Cal, and Brick. One day, their lives are normal: Nearly thirteen-year-old Daisy is rehearsing for the school play with her friends and living with her loving parents, seventeen-year-old Cal is playing ball and living at home with his mother with a forever traveling for work father, and eighteen-year-old Brick splits his time between trying to keep his girlfriend happy and stave off the boredom at an abandoned amusement park. But suddenly, strangers and everyone physically close to the children turn on them. First they ignore them, then they are mean to them, then they full-on try to savagely murder the poor kids. Once the afflicted are out of range, they go about their business like nothing happened.
Brick is the first one to reach out on the internet, hoping to find others like himself that have been attacked. And he sets in motion the events of Cal finding Daisy while he’s heading towards the amusement park, and more of the different people that are targeted by The Fury to join together–to find what is making them different from everyone else, what’s making them so special.
While a small group of these afflicted kids are huddling together in the amusement park, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, an undead corpse is unleashing hell on London, sucking everything into a giant black hole. The body count is large in this book, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit giddy to see so many go. One thing that I really loved about this horror novel was the uncensored bloodiness, the brutal reality of who and how many would die. It’s essentially war, people–the end of the world.
Told in third person point of view, mainly rotating from Cal to Daisy to Brick and cycling through again, you get a decent look at what’s going on with each character. Several more characters are focused on further into the book, but they just add to the story instead of detracting from the text. I was on the edge of my seat during most of the book because you just never knew who would die next. It was that unpredictable and I loved it.
The Fury was seriously one of the best books I’ve read in a few years. Dark, compelling, fantastic storytelling that I didn’t want to put down. A solid five out of five from my horror loving heart. Alexander Gordon Smith’s prose is fluid, not overly descriptive or wordy. I’m definitely going to check out his Furnace series now. He’s won me over.
(Also posted on Bewitched Bookworms)
************************************************
What if everyone in the world turned against you? Not just suddenly hated you, but wanted to tear you limb from limb if they came within so many feet of you. Life is suddenly like that for Daisy, Cal, and Brick. One day, their lives are normal: Nearly thirteen-year-old Daisy is rehearsing for the school play with her friends and living with her loving parents, seventeen-year-old Cal is playing ball and living at home with his mother with a forever traveling for work father, and eighteen-year-old Brick splits his time between trying to keep his girlfriend happy and stave off the boredom at an abandoned amusement park. But suddenly, strangers and everyone physically close to the children turn on them. First they ignore them, then they are mean to them, then they full-on try to savagely murder the poor kids. Once the afflicted are out of range, they go about their business like nothing happened.
Brick is the first one to reach out on the internet, hoping to find others like himself that have been attacked. And he sets in motion the events of Cal finding Daisy while he’s heading towards the amusement park, and more of the different people that are targeted by The Fury to join together–to find what is making them different from everyone else, what’s making them so special.
While a small group of these afflicted kids are huddling together in the amusement park, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, an undead corpse is unleashing hell on London, sucking everything into a giant black hole. The body count is large in this book, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit giddy to see so many go. One thing that I really loved about this horror novel was the uncensored bloodiness, the brutal reality of who and how many would die. It’s essentially war, people–the end of the world.
Told in third person point of view, mainly rotating from Cal to Daisy to Brick and cycling through again, you get a decent look at what’s going on with each character. Several more characters are focused on further into the book, but they just add to the story instead of detracting from the text. I was on the edge of my seat during most of the book because you just never knew who would die next. It was that unpredictable and I loved it.
The Fury was seriously one of the best books I’ve read in a few years. Dark, compelling, fantastic storytelling that I didn’t want to put down. A solid five out of five from my horror loving heart. Alexander Gordon Smith’s prose is fluid, not overly descriptive or wordy. I’m definitely going to check out his Furnace series now. He’s won me over.
(Also posted on Bewitched Bookworms)
April 15, 2012
Alexander Gordon Smith is a Legend, he is one of the authors on my list that I will drop everything for. As soon as one of his books arrive I have to pick it up and read.
I went out on the day it was released and bought my copy, delighted at it's size and in awe of it's amazingness. I knew this was going to be good.
If you follow my blog regularly, you will know I am a total wimp, I can't do horror or murder or things that go bump. My imagination is a little over-active and I end up seeing things in every shadow. So why am I excited about this book, you may well ask, simply because it is by Gordon and I know he tells an amazing story.
This book is a bit like a crash site - you know you shouldn't keep looking, but something pulls you in and you can't look away. I was reading this biting my nails and gasping, fascinated yet completely horrified at the same time.
The book starts right in the heart of the action, Benny is being ignored by everyone, until something snaps and suddenly his own mother and sister are trying to kill him. It's violent, it's bloody and it sends chills down your spine, but I had to know why, what was making this happen, where could it go from here?
This book is quite big at 530 pages, but it doesn't feel that long, the pages just fly by, every word captures your attention and pulls you in further. I actually read this in 2 sittings, mainly because I made myself put it down when it got to about 7pm as I didn't want to read it too close to bedtime - I could get nightmares. :P
This story is told from 3 main characters perspectives, Brick a tough looking 18 year old, Cal a football mad 17 year old and Daisy a sweet young 12 year old. These characters are all so different yet somehow they work together really well. Although he was the angry, keep to himself sort I actually really liked Brick, something about him made me think he really was a good guy. Cal annoyed me at first, the 'everyone loves me attitude' is something I can't stand, but that soon changes and he does endear himself more to me later. Daisy is sweet, a bit naive and obviously very scared, a right little sweetheart, but again someone who you can tell has inner strength.
There are more characters introduced as you go on and the excitement builds with each one. Rilke scared me, she is intense!
The very idea of this book is a lot of people's worst nightmare I'm sure, I mean a lot of things in this world can scare us, but having the very people you love turn on you is just terrifying, finding that wherever you go someone will try to kill you.
I was utterly hooked by this book and I can't wait for the next installment, this one doesn't explain everything and sets up a lot more questions and I just have to know what happens. I can see now why people like to be scared, my heart was racing, my blood pumping but I could not stop. Just genius.
I went out on the day it was released and bought my copy, delighted at it's size and in awe of it's amazingness. I knew this was going to be good.
If you follow my blog regularly, you will know I am a total wimp, I can't do horror or murder or things that go bump. My imagination is a little over-active and I end up seeing things in every shadow. So why am I excited about this book, you may well ask, simply because it is by Gordon and I know he tells an amazing story.
This book is a bit like a crash site - you know you shouldn't keep looking, but something pulls you in and you can't look away. I was reading this biting my nails and gasping, fascinated yet completely horrified at the same time.
The book starts right in the heart of the action, Benny is being ignored by everyone, until something snaps and suddenly his own mother and sister are trying to kill him. It's violent, it's bloody and it sends chills down your spine, but I had to know why, what was making this happen, where could it go from here?
This book is quite big at 530 pages, but it doesn't feel that long, the pages just fly by, every word captures your attention and pulls you in further. I actually read this in 2 sittings, mainly because I made myself put it down when it got to about 7pm as I didn't want to read it too close to bedtime - I could get nightmares. :P
This story is told from 3 main characters perspectives, Brick a tough looking 18 year old, Cal a football mad 17 year old and Daisy a sweet young 12 year old. These characters are all so different yet somehow they work together really well. Although he was the angry, keep to himself sort I actually really liked Brick, something about him made me think he really was a good guy. Cal annoyed me at first, the 'everyone loves me attitude' is something I can't stand, but that soon changes and he does endear himself more to me later. Daisy is sweet, a bit naive and obviously very scared, a right little sweetheart, but again someone who you can tell has inner strength.
There are more characters introduced as you go on and the excitement builds with each one. Rilke scared me, she is intense!
The very idea of this book is a lot of people's worst nightmare I'm sure, I mean a lot of things in this world can scare us, but having the very people you love turn on you is just terrifying, finding that wherever you go someone will try to kill you.
I was utterly hooked by this book and I can't wait for the next installment, this one doesn't explain everything and sets up a lot more questions and I just have to know what happens. I can see now why people like to be scared, my heart was racing, my blood pumping but I could not stop. Just genius.
July 28, 2013
First of all, can we just talk about that cover? I love how unashamedly creepy it is (though if it's too creepy and you favour something slightly more traditional, you can see the 2012 edition). I didn't really know what to expect going into this, and I haven't read anything else by this author, although from what I understood his works have generally been well-received. What I got, then, was a solid read that actually offered something a little different.
Life was normal for Cal, Brick and Daisy until everyone suddenly turned on them for no reason. Family, friends, complete and utter strangers - literally everyone is after them, mindlessly attacking them, wanting nothing but their deaths. This is the Fury. In their struggle to find out what's happening, the three of them realise they're not the only ones - that there are others who for some reason have also become potential victims. But as they find out the truth, it becomes clear that they are in a war, and the power of their enemy means they all may well end up dead.
I said before I didn't know what to expect when I started this. I didn't expect it to be creepy; I didn't expect it to be dark. I certainly didn't expect the kind of ideas and world that are explored here. Smith brings to life an engaging storyline and actually succeeds in making this chilling at specific moments. I really liked his concept, finding his take on certain aspects to be different from the usual. The synopsis doesn't give much away, and I think that's a good thing. What I would comment on, however, is the length. If there is one thing about this book, it is that it is so incredibly long. In all fairness, I was short on time when reading this, but even so, I never felt a need to keep reading fully, so I did end up skimming chunks of it.
The Fury is told from multiple perspectives. Cal, Brick and Daisy are the three main protagonists, but there are also some extra perspectives as well. The range of characters here were, I felt, true to life: some with weaker personalities, some stronger, brought to light by the harsh circumstances. Smith played with my emotions here somewhat; at the start, when I read from Brick's point of view, I was interested in reading more of it. Yet when it came to Cal, I didn't really feel anything. But the more I read, the more I came to dislike Brick and actually really like Cal. Not only that, I liked some of the relationships developed here. All of these characters started out as complete strangers to one another, and yet they start to take protective roles - Cal with Daisy, younger than him by several years, and Daisy with Adam, younger than her again. Some of this was really sweet to see, which unfortunately could not be said of other characters I could mention - but again, isn't this representative of life?
The Fury is quite a dark book and also somewhat emotional at times...particularly with that ending. It was an excessively long book, but despite this, it was one that I truly enjoyed.
This review is also posted on my blog.
Life was normal for Cal, Brick and Daisy until everyone suddenly turned on them for no reason. Family, friends, complete and utter strangers - literally everyone is after them, mindlessly attacking them, wanting nothing but their deaths. This is the Fury. In their struggle to find out what's happening, the three of them realise they're not the only ones - that there are others who for some reason have also become potential victims. But as they find out the truth, it becomes clear that they are in a war, and the power of their enemy means they all may well end up dead.
I said before I didn't know what to expect when I started this. I didn't expect it to be creepy; I didn't expect it to be dark. I certainly didn't expect the kind of ideas and world that are explored here. Smith brings to life an engaging storyline and actually succeeds in making this chilling at specific moments. I really liked his concept, finding his take on certain aspects to be different from the usual. The synopsis doesn't give much away, and I think that's a good thing. What I would comment on, however, is the length. If there is one thing about this book, it is that it is so incredibly long. In all fairness, I was short on time when reading this, but even so, I never felt a need to keep reading fully, so I did end up skimming chunks of it.
The Fury is told from multiple perspectives. Cal, Brick and Daisy are the three main protagonists, but there are also some extra perspectives as well. The range of characters here were, I felt, true to life: some with weaker personalities, some stronger, brought to light by the harsh circumstances. Smith played with my emotions here somewhat; at the start, when I read from Brick's point of view, I was interested in reading more of it. Yet when it came to Cal, I didn't really feel anything. But the more I read, the more I came to dislike Brick and actually really like Cal. Not only that, I liked some of the relationships developed here. All of these characters started out as complete strangers to one another, and yet they start to take protective roles - Cal with Daisy, younger than him by several years, and Daisy with Adam, younger than her again. Some of this was really sweet to see, which unfortunately could not be said of other characters I could mention - but again, isn't this representative of life?
The Fury is quite a dark book and also somewhat emotional at times...particularly with that ending. It was an excessively long book, but despite this, it was one that I truly enjoyed.
This review is also posted on my blog.
June 17, 2013
Well, that book was something.
The Fury was creepy, dark, menacing and long. I mean, look at that cover! I loved the beginning, how we are instantly thrown into the story line with no warning. And what an opening chapter that was. A boy on his birthday is beaten to death by his sister and mom. I was instantly like, what is happening??
Over the next few chapters we meet our main group: Daisy, Cal and Brick. The only thing they have in common is that everyone is trying to kill them. They band together with a small group of other kids/teens who are also like them and over the course of the book they try to figure out why the world wants to kill them. Meanwhile in London, the city is being sucked into a black whole.
I will not deny that Smith can write. He has a style that sucks you in and makes you want more, even while you are cringing at the scenes displayed before you. All of the characters were very distinct and strong in their own ways. Daisy and Cal were my two favorites by far and I looked forward to all the scenes with them. Their relationship together was by far the highlight.
The few issues I had with the book was first the length. There seemed to be scenes that were dragged out and stories that could have been told in half the time. The second was the ending. I don’t want to give anything away but it was just kind of like, really? That’s how they defeat evil.
This was my first Gordon Smith book, but I am definitely intrigued to read others from him.
This review can also be seen here on my blog.
The Fury was creepy, dark, menacing and long. I mean, look at that cover! I loved the beginning, how we are instantly thrown into the story line with no warning. And what an opening chapter that was. A boy on his birthday is beaten to death by his sister and mom. I was instantly like, what is happening??
Over the next few chapters we meet our main group: Daisy, Cal and Brick. The only thing they have in common is that everyone is trying to kill them. They band together with a small group of other kids/teens who are also like them and over the course of the book they try to figure out why the world wants to kill them. Meanwhile in London, the city is being sucked into a black whole.
I will not deny that Smith can write. He has a style that sucks you in and makes you want more, even while you are cringing at the scenes displayed before you. All of the characters were very distinct and strong in their own ways. Daisy and Cal were my two favorites by far and I looked forward to all the scenes with them. Their relationship together was by far the highlight.
The few issues I had with the book was first the length. There seemed to be scenes that were dragged out and stories that could have been told in half the time. The second was the ending. I don’t want to give anything away but it was just kind of like, really? That’s how they defeat evil.
This was my first Gordon Smith book, but I am definitely intrigued to read others from him.
This review can also be seen here on my blog.
July 19, 2014
Stars Rank: 4****
Cover: 5*****
Writing Style: 4****
Characters: 4****
Opening Sentence:
“It was an ordinary Wednesday afternoon in June when the world came to kill Benny Millston.”
Quote From The Book:
“The man and the girl were sprinting toward her, fast, uttering pig grunts as they gained ground. There were others too… They all had the same expression, silhouetted against the lights but unmistakable. They were furious. These people meant to kill them both, Rilke understood- the knowledge absolute and unquestionable. They meant to trample them into the field, to make mud of them.”
Thoughts:
I’ll start by saying that I have loved Smith’s Lockdown Series for years now and was rooting for The Fury to be a great book as well, and I defiantly wasn’t disappointed. This book has a twist that’s written very well: made me think the book was going one way but changed into something different, which was refreshing. Smith also did a great job at making the characters unique and realistic, creating ones I loved- just wanted to hung them to death, and others that I hated and felt a need to slap.
This book, if done correctly, could really be a nice movie to see.
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal & Survival.
Cover: 5*****
Writing Style: 4****
Characters: 4****
Opening Sentence:
“It was an ordinary Wednesday afternoon in June when the world came to kill Benny Millston.”
Quote From The Book:
“The man and the girl were sprinting toward her, fast, uttering pig grunts as they gained ground. There were others too… They all had the same expression, silhouetted against the lights but unmistakable. They were furious. These people meant to kill them both, Rilke understood- the knowledge absolute and unquestionable. They meant to trample them into the field, to make mud of them.”
Thoughts:
I’ll start by saying that I have loved Smith’s Lockdown Series for years now and was rooting for The Fury to be a great book as well, and I defiantly wasn’t disappointed. This book has a twist that’s written very well: made me think the book was going one way but changed into something different, which was refreshing. Smith also did a great job at making the characters unique and realistic, creating ones I loved- just wanted to hung them to death, and others that I hated and felt a need to slap.
This book, if done correctly, could really be a nice movie to see.
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal & Survival.
November 13, 2013
Good Lord do I wish they'd stop giving me these. And in writing this I notice there's an effing number after the title. So not just one pointless book but a series. Good Lord.
May 6, 2012
Review: I enjoyed the first book in the Furnace series and for some reason never carried on. I thought it would be interesting to see what else Alexander would come up with. It’s different in some ways (for example, no prisons, a little supernatural twist), but it’s similar that it’s what you’d definitely call “a boy’s book”.
So, one day, all Cal’s friends try to kill him.Daisy’s friends try to kill her. Brick’s girlfriend violently attacks him. For some reason, everyone wants to kill these and some other teenagers, and there’s not really much they can do to stop it. Somehow, they band together with other people in similar circumstances, and must find out what’s happening and what they can do to stop it. But what they do find will change their perspectives on everything. This isn’t the clearest of summaries. It could be anything. But I was hoping for a lot of action, which I definitely got.
The plot is set up very quickly. There’s purpose to everything that happens, and being a 500 page book, that’s a lot. There are some things I’m not entirely sure about. There seems to be teenagers from all over the country who manage to get to Furyville on their own, which I’m not sure if that would be possible and there’s not much explaining it, and there were a few other things that were a bit “wait, what?” and not really connected to the main reveal at the end.
The three main characters were well developed at the start, but I think some of the characters that were introduced later like Adam and Rilke could have had a little bit more work on them. They did get backstories, but I just didn’t really care for some of them.
I like the way that each chapter 1)focused on a character and 2)had day, place and time clearly defined. It made it a lot easier to keep track of everything. The action scenes were really well written-fast, and kept you reading on. I read this in an entire sitting (mainly because there was nothing else to do on a six hour ferry ride from France where all your friends are asleep or watching The Muppets) and just couldn’t put it down. Everything was really well described, you may have well have been there, and there was some kind of action happening every few pages.
The big thing at the end was a little anti-climatic, but once you’d got used to it, you liked it. It left me with questions that I’m hoping will be answered in book 2, because the general concept is very different to what you’d expect from this kind of book and the way the rest of the book had been playing out.
Overall: Strength 4 tea to a book that is action action action throughout that kept me gripped from the start.
So, one day, all Cal’s friends try to kill him.Daisy’s friends try to kill her. Brick’s girlfriend violently attacks him. For some reason, everyone wants to kill these and some other teenagers, and there’s not really much they can do to stop it. Somehow, they band together with other people in similar circumstances, and must find out what’s happening and what they can do to stop it. But what they do find will change their perspectives on everything. This isn’t the clearest of summaries. It could be anything. But I was hoping for a lot of action, which I definitely got.
The plot is set up very quickly. There’s purpose to everything that happens, and being a 500 page book, that’s a lot. There are some things I’m not entirely sure about. There seems to be teenagers from all over the country who manage to get to Furyville on their own, which I’m not sure if that would be possible and there’s not much explaining it, and there were a few other things that were a bit “wait, what?” and not really connected to the main reveal at the end.
The three main characters were well developed at the start, but I think some of the characters that were introduced later like Adam and Rilke could have had a little bit more work on them. They did get backstories, but I just didn’t really care for some of them.
I like the way that each chapter 1)focused on a character and 2)had day, place and time clearly defined. It made it a lot easier to keep track of everything. The action scenes were really well written-fast, and kept you reading on. I read this in an entire sitting (mainly because there was nothing else to do on a six hour ferry ride from France where all your friends are asleep or watching The Muppets) and just couldn’t put it down. Everything was really well described, you may have well have been there, and there was some kind of action happening every few pages.
The big thing at the end was a little anti-climatic, but once you’d got used to it, you liked it. It left me with questions that I’m hoping will be answered in book 2, because the general concept is very different to what you’d expect from this kind of book and the way the rest of the book had been playing out.
Overall: Strength 4 tea to a book that is action action action throughout that kept me gripped from the start.
February 21, 2017
This was a big disappointment for me. Smith is one of my favorite authors, and I was positive that this book would be packed with action. I was right, at least for the first 150 pages. The beginning was actually interesting, because it told the story of each of the main characters. However, once the main characters group up, barely anything happens. They just start arguing with each other about what they should do, and how they are going to operate. Progression drops to a minimum during the middle of the book. Unfortunately, I've given up on this book.
August 1, 2013
WHAT?
Well then - that was some finish there.
The Fury. It doesn't seem to affect them unless one of us is close. Then they just go mental, try and kill us. They seriously try and rip us to pieces.
Cal, Brick and Diasy are all living normal lives before everyone in the world seems to turn on them.
Suddenly everyone wants to kill them.
They are consumed.
By The Fury .
So, If you're looking for a long book with a zombie apocalypse, with action, SUSPENSE, and no romance then this is for you. There were a lot of things to like about this book I will admit, and as I don't frequent the 'zombie' genre very often I was surprised by how much I actually did enjoy it. That being said, there were a few aspects that did drag it down just a little bit.
*WHAT I LIKED*
1. The action and descriptions: These zombies were scary and Alexander Gordon Smith did a really good job of portraying their dark and chilling persona.
2. The characters: I found having the different characters (mainly Cal, Daisy and Brick) with alternating POV's interesting - and really kept the suspense going at some key moments.
3. No romance: A refreshing change and let the zombies take centre stage.
4. The overall concept: It was original, it was creepy and it was good.
5. The mystery: Luckily there are some answers at the end of this and you aren't left totally in the dark.
*POSSIBLE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT*
- Length: It could have been a bit shorter and seemed to drag on for longer than necessary in some places.
- The supernatural aspect: This could have been explained better.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even with it's slight flaws, I still really did enjoy reading 'The Fury'. It's a welcome new front in the YA genre that I would recommend to someone who wants a break from contemporary and is ready for some serious zombie action.
January 20, 2015
After enjoying the "Lockdown" series’ so much I couldn't wait to start reading "The Fury" by Alexander Gordon Smith, but I hate to say that this book was nowhere near as good. The plot of the book is great and pulled me in, but the book just went on and on. “The Fury” is almost double any of the "Lockdown" books. The book starts out saying how a group of normal people on a flip of a switch can freak out in fury and kill someone. But then snap back into their normal daily routine. This is the way the whole story goes. Kids who have been attacked have found each other and have formed a group to try and figure out what is going on.
There are a lot of narrators in this story. It would have been much better if there was just one narrator or even an outside narrator, but there are over 10 different main characters that switch back and forth every couple pages. This really broke up the story and made it longer than it needed to be. I did like the characters but there was no lead guy, no hero, no one to save the day, they all were the lead and I think that's where Alexander Smith went wrong with "The Fury".
The setting takes place in modern times all throughout England. This made a huge difference when they were planning on where to hide out and saving others. The fact that England is smaller they were able to travel around and with the use of electronics they could message others.
For the main theme I can think of no better quality than trust. These kids are out in England being attacked by their friends and family. They have no idea what to think or do while some strangers are telling you to come and help them figure out what's going on. This trait is super hard to believe in, to follow your gut especially when you have no promise you will be safe.
Overall, this book is a horror book and should not be given to anyone under 8th grade due to the fact they could get nightmares. This book was good but not great like "lockdown" series was. Therefore, I would not recommend this to a friend.
There are a lot of narrators in this story. It would have been much better if there was just one narrator or even an outside narrator, but there are over 10 different main characters that switch back and forth every couple pages. This really broke up the story and made it longer than it needed to be. I did like the characters but there was no lead guy, no hero, no one to save the day, they all were the lead and I think that's where Alexander Smith went wrong with "The Fury".
The setting takes place in modern times all throughout England. This made a huge difference when they were planning on where to hide out and saving others. The fact that England is smaller they were able to travel around and with the use of electronics they could message others.
For the main theme I can think of no better quality than trust. These kids are out in England being attacked by their friends and family. They have no idea what to think or do while some strangers are telling you to come and help them figure out what's going on. This trait is super hard to believe in, to follow your gut especially when you have no promise you will be safe.
Overall, this book is a horror book and should not be given to anyone under 8th grade due to the fact they could get nightmares. This book was good but not great like "lockdown" series was. Therefore, I would not recommend this to a friend.
June 12, 2021
Considering this book took me 12 days to read, I think I can safely say I did not enjoy it at all, and now I feel super slumpy. This book was about 400 pages too long, and it became a clunky read that consisted of more religious propaganda than I had expected. I was bored the entire time.
April 10, 2015
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars
The Fury follows the typical in of younger thriller ('boy') fiction, but has some really refreshing differences and twists. Though I can't say I was won over with the overall explanation, the story itself and the suspense it builds will entertain a wide range of younger readers (and not just boys).
The writing fell a bit flat for me, but to be honest I wasn't expecting anything magical. Even so, the action was well written, and the characters and dialogue scenes well-enough structured. I just feel like everything - especially the more supernatural parts of the book - could have been developed in a more interesting way. The book was written well enough to make sense of everything, it just lacked some flair.
The Fury didn't have the most believable plot line, but it still came across as probably more entertaining and engaging than a lot of novels aimed at similar audiences. And despite the vaguely too-easy climaxes or obstacles, I still found myself reasonably invested in the characters.
I think that specifically was very important, and possibly the reason why I enjoyed The Fury more than others: it focuses a lot more on the character's decisions, relationships and them trying to work out what to do. There is of course a different obstacle present in this book in which there are still other people alive (unlike, for example, the world being wiped out, or full of zombies etc), and because the teenagers had to take this into account it became a lot more about being clever rather than just running around until you find something interesting. The three main protagonists definitely pushed the story on, at the end of the day. I'm not sure how much I would have enjoyed this book had one of the characters annoyed me.
The thing with this story is it did a very good job of basically just setting up the action in the next book. Now I hate filler books that are only in place to get you to a certain point with more information and very little new story, but Smith made The Fury seem like its own story. Realising that we weren't going to get many answers that would solve the story near the end of the book did take away from the climax a bit, but nonetheless, it was a satisfying ending that did leave me wanting to know what happens next.
I really liked the relationship between the three main protagonists; they're distrustful and a little skeptical, as you would expect in a situation where everyone wants to kill you - but you also do get the feeling they care about each other, no matter how much they squabble or get angry and scared.
I really liked Cal, and felt he had a good influence on the story, but it did sometimes feel he was a bit too diplomatic with a group of scared teenagers. It's all well and good acting the level-headed hero but in what could easily become a Lord of the Flies situation it might not be the best course of action.
Daisy was also a good protagonist. I liked the way she understood what was happening to them a little bit more than anyone else, and you definitely get the sense she's a little bit different. However, despite liking the fact that the 'baby' of the group still played an important part in the story, I do feel that she was dumbed down for her age - she's thirteen not nine.
Brick is probably the least likeable of the protagonists, but the brief inclusion of his girlfriend really brought his character into perspective for me. There were times when I was just ready to kind of overlook him for anything other than nice or useful - but that little part in the story not only enforced the danger these kids were in, but also the human aspect they were facing.
There was a fast pace for such a long book (okay, the font wasn't exactly small but still), and I was impressed by the range of action and dialogue Smith incorporated into the story. I have to say, it took a little too long for things to really get going for me, but as an older reader I was in more anticipation for the plot reveal rather than the action leading up to it - but for its target audience I think the development will have them hooked.
Like I've said, I think younger readers will really enjoy this book for its fast-paced action and exciting mystery. Though it wasn't my favourite book ever, I still definitely enjoyed it more than most books that follow this sort of design. Perhaps not for a first-time reader, but definitely something to introduce the dystopian or thriller genre.
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars
The Fury follows the typical in of younger thriller ('boy') fiction, but has some really refreshing differences and twists. Though I can't say I was won over with the overall explanation, the story itself and the suspense it builds will entertain a wide range of younger readers (and not just boys).
The writing fell a bit flat for me, but to be honest I wasn't expecting anything magical. Even so, the action was well written, and the characters and dialogue scenes well-enough structured. I just feel like everything - especially the more supernatural parts of the book - could have been developed in a more interesting way. The book was written well enough to make sense of everything, it just lacked some flair.
The Fury didn't have the most believable plot line, but it still came across as probably more entertaining and engaging than a lot of novels aimed at similar audiences. And despite the vaguely too-easy climaxes or obstacles, I still found myself reasonably invested in the characters.
I think that specifically was very important, and possibly the reason why I enjoyed The Fury more than others: it focuses a lot more on the character's decisions, relationships and them trying to work out what to do. There is of course a different obstacle present in this book in which there are still other people alive (unlike, for example, the world being wiped out, or full of zombies etc), and because the teenagers had to take this into account it became a lot more about being clever rather than just running around until you find something interesting. The three main protagonists definitely pushed the story on, at the end of the day. I'm not sure how much I would have enjoyed this book had one of the characters annoyed me.
The thing with this story is it did a very good job of basically just setting up the action in the next book. Now I hate filler books that are only in place to get you to a certain point with more information and very little new story, but Smith made The Fury seem like its own story. Realising that we weren't going to get many answers that would solve the story near the end of the book did take away from the climax a bit, but nonetheless, it was a satisfying ending that did leave me wanting to know what happens next.
I really liked the relationship between the three main protagonists; they're distrustful and a little skeptical, as you would expect in a situation where everyone wants to kill you - but you also do get the feeling they care about each other, no matter how much they squabble or get angry and scared.
I really liked Cal, and felt he had a good influence on the story, but it did sometimes feel he was a bit too diplomatic with a group of scared teenagers. It's all well and good acting the level-headed hero but in what could easily become a Lord of the Flies situation it might not be the best course of action.
Daisy was also a good protagonist. I liked the way she understood what was happening to them a little bit more than anyone else, and you definitely get the sense she's a little bit different. However, despite liking the fact that the 'baby' of the group still played an important part in the story, I do feel that she was dumbed down for her age - she's thirteen not nine.
Brick is probably the least likeable of the protagonists, but the brief inclusion of his girlfriend really brought his character into perspective for me. There were times when I was just ready to kind of overlook him for anything other than nice or useful - but that little part in the story not only enforced the danger these kids were in, but also the human aspect they were facing.
There was a fast pace for such a long book (okay, the font wasn't exactly small but still), and I was impressed by the range of action and dialogue Smith incorporated into the story. I have to say, it took a little too long for things to really get going for me, but as an older reader I was in more anticipation for the plot reveal rather than the action leading up to it - but for its target audience I think the development will have them hooked.
Like I've said, I think younger readers will really enjoy this book for its fast-paced action and exciting mystery. Though it wasn't my favourite book ever, I still definitely enjoyed it more than most books that follow this sort of design. Perhaps not for a first-time reader, but definitely something to introduce the dystopian or thriller genre.
May 19, 2016
Personal Response
This book, The Fury, was probably my favorite modern book I have ever read. It was very good at keeping my attention, it had plenty of action, and it really did a good job of involving the reader in the storyline. It was very hard to ever close this book, and it was upsetting when I finally did finish it. It is lengthy, but it’s well worth reading.
Plot
The book started out in the perspective of a kid named Benny. His family and friends were acting strange and not talking for a few days. And it turned out they have this disease, for lack of word for it, called Fury. Next we met Cal, Daisy, and Brick; the main characters of this story. Infected people kept attacking all three of them so they set up a camp at an abandoned amusement park, called Fursville. After a while, more and more people showed up. Then after a attempt to steal food from a factory, a bunch of police show up. Schiller, a side character, then turned into a angel-like creature of fire and fought off the police. Daisy had then realized what was really going on; they were chosen as angels to fight a demonic creature that threatened the world. They finally do conquer the beast, and their powers go away. All except for Daisy, she ends up taking their powers so they can go back to normal life, but then she disappears.
Characterization
One of the main characters, Brick, was personally my favorite. He started out as a temperamental, but yet scared person. Then after Rilke, another main character, killed his infected girlfriend, he went crazy and was full of rage again. He had seemed to be somewhat controlled until that happened. Then at the end, he promised to be more calm and laid back. He went through a lot of changes in the book, but mainly changed back and forth from angry to calm minded.
Setting
The story takes place in the United Kingdom for the most part, but at the end it is also in the United States and at one point was also in Brazil. The time period of the book seemed more like it would be a current event, not set in the future or the past. They spent a large majority of the book in Fursville on the British coastline.
Recommendation
I recommend that anyone into apocalyptic, or science fiction in general, should read this book. Gender and age really don’t matter. This book was a lot of fun to read, and the reader really gets attached to the characters. It has a great storyline, and it’s very interesting. I rate this book 5 stars.
This book, The Fury, was probably my favorite modern book I have ever read. It was very good at keeping my attention, it had plenty of action, and it really did a good job of involving the reader in the storyline. It was very hard to ever close this book, and it was upsetting when I finally did finish it. It is lengthy, but it’s well worth reading.
Plot
The book started out in the perspective of a kid named Benny. His family and friends were acting strange and not talking for a few days. And it turned out they have this disease, for lack of word for it, called Fury. Next we met Cal, Daisy, and Brick; the main characters of this story. Infected people kept attacking all three of them so they set up a camp at an abandoned amusement park, called Fursville. After a while, more and more people showed up. Then after a attempt to steal food from a factory, a bunch of police show up. Schiller, a side character, then turned into a angel-like creature of fire and fought off the police. Daisy had then realized what was really going on; they were chosen as angels to fight a demonic creature that threatened the world. They finally do conquer the beast, and their powers go away. All except for Daisy, she ends up taking their powers so they can go back to normal life, but then she disappears.
Characterization
One of the main characters, Brick, was personally my favorite. He started out as a temperamental, but yet scared person. Then after Rilke, another main character, killed his infected girlfriend, he went crazy and was full of rage again. He had seemed to be somewhat controlled until that happened. Then at the end, he promised to be more calm and laid back. He went through a lot of changes in the book, but mainly changed back and forth from angry to calm minded.
Setting
The story takes place in the United Kingdom for the most part, but at the end it is also in the United States and at one point was also in Brazil. The time period of the book seemed more like it would be a current event, not set in the future or the past. They spent a large majority of the book in Fursville on the British coastline.
Recommendation
I recommend that anyone into apocalyptic, or science fiction in general, should read this book. Gender and age really don’t matter. This book was a lot of fun to read, and the reader really gets attached to the characters. It has a great storyline, and it’s very interesting. I rate this book 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2016
PERSONAL RESPONSE
I enjoyed The Fury because it's about people triumphing over great odds and many difficulties. I also enjoyed how some of the characters interpreted what they were supposed to do with the gift differently. I also liked how it was about good defeating evil. Finally, I liked how it was in the point of view of many people.
PLOT
In the beginning they got a headache then it goes away but then they got attacked by everyone. They found out about each other through a question on yahoo. The survivors went to Fursville for a while because Brick told them it was safe. They all got attacked at Fursville so Cal, Daisy, Brick, and Adam left to fight the man in the storm. Rilke, Schiller, Jade, and Marcus thought they were there to help the man in the storm so left to go help him. Rilke, Schiller, Jade, and Marcus found Howie when he was still iced over. They got there and the man in the storm tried to kill them but Howie’s angel woke and Daisy showed up with Brick, Cal, and Adam to help fight the man in the storm. The first time they fought the man in the storm was in London.They all hurt him but didn't kill him and he escapes after killing Schiller. The English government bombed themselves to try and kill the man in the storm, but it didn't work because he had already left. The second time they fought the man in the storm was in San Andres and they killed him. Rilke let herself die before they killed the man in the storm. Daisy took them all back to Fursville. Daisy took all the angels so the others could live normal lives. She saw them as they grew old and died living for centuries till the angels are needed again or the sun explodes killing all life on earth.
RECOMMENDATION
I would recommend this to both boys and girls in middle school or higher who enjoy action, good vs evil, multiple main characters and different points of views, or an unlikely hero.
I enjoyed The Fury because it's about people triumphing over great odds and many difficulties. I also enjoyed how some of the characters interpreted what they were supposed to do with the gift differently. I also liked how it was about good defeating evil. Finally, I liked how it was in the point of view of many people.
PLOT
In the beginning they got a headache then it goes away but then they got attacked by everyone. They found out about each other through a question on yahoo. The survivors went to Fursville for a while because Brick told them it was safe. They all got attacked at Fursville so Cal, Daisy, Brick, and Adam left to fight the man in the storm. Rilke, Schiller, Jade, and Marcus thought they were there to help the man in the storm so left to go help him. Rilke, Schiller, Jade, and Marcus found Howie when he was still iced over. They got there and the man in the storm tried to kill them but Howie’s angel woke and Daisy showed up with Brick, Cal, and Adam to help fight the man in the storm. The first time they fought the man in the storm was in London.They all hurt him but didn't kill him and he escapes after killing Schiller. The English government bombed themselves to try and kill the man in the storm, but it didn't work because he had already left. The second time they fought the man in the storm was in San Andres and they killed him. Rilke let herself die before they killed the man in the storm. Daisy took them all back to Fursville. Daisy took all the angels so the others could live normal lives. She saw them as they grew old and died living for centuries till the angels are needed again or the sun explodes killing all life on earth.
RECOMMENDATION
I would recommend this to both boys and girls in middle school or higher who enjoy action, good vs evil, multiple main characters and different points of views, or an unlikely hero.
June 12, 2012
The fury is an exciting start to a new series, it's full of the action and tension that you'd expect from reading the blurb and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will say though, it does have a lot of violence in it, which doesn't bother me but might bother some.
The book gets straight into it from the first chapter and had me hooked in right away as the tension builds I found it hard to put down.
There were a few points where I felt the book was a little too long and it kind of lulled a bit, but it didn't stop me wanting to finish it and find out what was happening, and it was not something I could have predicted!
This book is exciting but after reading the end it feels like it was more of a build up to book two which I now high expectations of to be an explosive book!
The stroy is told mostly from three characters, Cal, Brick and Daisy, though more come into it later. I liked all three of the characters and how they were all so different from each other, I could never get confused by who was who because they were all individual and played their own roles towards the story.
The writing flowed easily and I had no trouble switching between characters, I'll be sitting tight for the next book The storm, because I can't wait to see how things play out!
Favourite quotes
'The voice seemed to be the opposite of noise, a profound silence that cushiioned the world and yet which still somehow communicated with him. And in the instant Cal knew exactly what was inside that car.
It was a person, somebody just like him.
And they needed help.'
'This is insane. If we die, I just want you to know that you're an asshole,' he shouted.
Brick grinned back.
'I know.'
Then they both let go.'
The book gets straight into it from the first chapter and had me hooked in right away as the tension builds I found it hard to put down.
There were a few points where I felt the book was a little too long and it kind of lulled a bit, but it didn't stop me wanting to finish it and find out what was happening, and it was not something I could have predicted!
This book is exciting but after reading the end it feels like it was more of a build up to book two which I now high expectations of to be an explosive book!
The stroy is told mostly from three characters, Cal, Brick and Daisy, though more come into it later. I liked all three of the characters and how they were all so different from each other, I could never get confused by who was who because they were all individual and played their own roles towards the story.
The writing flowed easily and I had no trouble switching between characters, I'll be sitting tight for the next book The storm, because I can't wait to see how things play out!
Favourite quotes
'The voice seemed to be the opposite of noise, a profound silence that cushiioned the world and yet which still somehow communicated with him. And in the instant Cal knew exactly what was inside that car.
It was a person, somebody just like him.
And they needed help.'
'This is insane. If we die, I just want you to know that you're an asshole,' he shouted.
Brick grinned back.
'I know.'
Then they both let go.'
August 10, 2013
Daisy's mother killed her father and then herself so neither of them would hurt Daisy. Brick's girlfriend tried to bite his face off before he was able to subdue her and lock her in the basement of an abandoned amusement park. All of Cal's soccermates and the people in the bleachers tried to rip him apart. Rilke and Schiller are attacked as they tried to attend an illegal rave. There is something about these kids that enrages anyone who comes within 30 meters of them. But there is more trouble brewing. Some thing is vacuuming up all the buildings, land, and people in London and turning them all to nothing. Daisy, Brick, Cal, Rilke, and Schiller, along with Jade, Chris, Howie, Adam, and Marcus have angels inside them - angels whose mission it is to stop the nothingness from devouring the world and perhaps the universe. This was a huge book (over 600 pages) which I found hard to put down. It reminded me a lot of Charlie Higson's zombie series in that characters you like get killed often in a grotesque manner. I really liked Daisy, Cal, and Adam. It seems like there will be a sequel which I definitely will read.
July 24, 2013
Based on Alexander Gordon Smith’s other series, Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, I thought that I’d really enjoy this series. While I didn’t necessarily hate it, I don’t think it even compares to Lockdown. It’s a lot more kiddy and less in depth. The characters weren’t too important to me, and the story was really hard to follow and imagine. This really surprises me because it manages to keep the same ominous feel of Lockdown, while changing it for the worse. However, it was still a fresh change from other young adult books, with more of a grotesque theme. It describes the breaking of bones and sliding of grotesquely deformed bodies on the ground, but I couldn’t get into the feel of honest disgust, such as other books like Dead Space has made me. Another thing that bugged me is the amount of characters. There are about six characters that you switch from points of view every chapter and it’s confusing. Not one of my favorites.
Book Received: For free from publisher in exchange for an honest review
Reviewer: Kole for Book Sake.
Book Received: For free from publisher in exchange for an honest review
Reviewer: Kole for Book Sake.
April 22, 2013
This is has got to be the longest book I’ve read this year.
I’m going to start off with what bothered me about the book. The book is good, don’t get me wrong. But, it has a lot of point of view switches. A LOT of point of views switches. And while each point of views flowed well, it bugged me that I kept jumping from mind to mind. I found myself frustrated cause just when the plot is getting good…BAM switch. I really just wanted to stay in someone’s mind for a while without having to jump before I’m ready.
The plot of the book flowed well despite all the point of view switches. Still, the plot is very entertaining with the people changing and the world colliding. I like that it ended on a good note as well. It has a bittersweet ending that closed up all loose ends.
The Fury is an well-sustained story that is ambitious. Fast-moving with loads of crazies and out of this world imagination, The Fury builds up an world with enough efficacy to make you believe all that is happening is real. The Fury is terrific.
I’m going to start off with what bothered me about the book. The book is good, don’t get me wrong. But, it has a lot of point of view switches. A LOT of point of views switches. And while each point of views flowed well, it bugged me that I kept jumping from mind to mind. I found myself frustrated cause just when the plot is getting good…BAM switch. I really just wanted to stay in someone’s mind for a while without having to jump before I’m ready.
The plot of the book flowed well despite all the point of view switches. Still, the plot is very entertaining with the people changing and the world colliding. I like that it ended on a good note as well. It has a bittersweet ending that closed up all loose ends.
The Fury is an well-sustained story that is ambitious. Fast-moving with loads of crazies and out of this world imagination, The Fury builds up an world with enough efficacy to make you believe all that is happening is real. The Fury is terrific.
May 24, 2012
The first few hundred pages scared me shitless - it was like reading my own worst nightmare come true. What if everybody you loved suddenly did not recognize you anymore? If they turned against you? Your parents, your friends, your crush? What if everybody, not only those you know but strangers as well, turns feral and tries to kill you, without an explanation?
This is the reality Cal, Daisy and Brick faces.
This far I am loving the book! I am as freaked out as the characters living it. I'm wondering what the heigh-hay has happened with the world?! Then we get the explanation. And suddenly I am not really loving it anymore. I thought I was dealing with zombies; turns out I am wrong. And I don't like it one bit; usually I am all for supernatural stuff, but in this book it was so... Unexpected! I... No, I did not like it. Therefore I'll give it 3 stars, because I really liked the beginning, but the end just fizzled out for me.
This is the reality Cal, Daisy and Brick faces.
This far I am loving the book! I am as freaked out as the characters living it. I'm wondering what the heigh-hay has happened with the world?! Then we get the explanation. And suddenly I am not really loving it anymore. I thought I was dealing with zombies; turns out I am wrong. And I don't like it one bit; usually I am all for supernatural stuff, but in this book it was so... Unexpected! I... No, I did not like it. Therefore I'll give it 3 stars, because I really liked the beginning, but the end just fizzled out for me.
January 1, 2014
The Fury has been on my bookshelf for months, so i thought i'd be better get around to it.
Now i wish i never bothered reading it.
It was dragged out more than it needed to be.
It took over 200 pages for the characters to meet, which just proves how dragged out it was.
It was also really dull.
When the action finally started, i wasn't very impressed by it.
It really didn't feel like i was reading a book by the author who wrote the furnace series.
I really liked that series, so this was a huge disappointment.
Overall, dull, dull, dull.
Now i wish i never bothered reading it.
It was dragged out more than it needed to be.
It took over 200 pages for the characters to meet, which just proves how dragged out it was.
It was also really dull.
When the action finally started, i wasn't very impressed by it.
It really didn't feel like i was reading a book by the author who wrote the furnace series.
I really liked that series, so this was a huge disappointment.
Overall, dull, dull, dull.
May 29, 2015
Spoiler alert....
What if everyone in the world turned against you? Not just suddenly hated you, but wanted to tear you limb from limb if they got too close to you. This happens to Daisy, Cal, and Brick. One day, their lives are normal, the next they are being chased down the street by crazy zombie-like neighbours and townsfolk.
They find each other through the internet and stay in an abandoned amusement park - trying to figure out why this has happened to them. Little do they know they will meet angels and demons and they have to save the world.
Fantastic!
What if everyone in the world turned against you? Not just suddenly hated you, but wanted to tear you limb from limb if they got too close to you. This happens to Daisy, Cal, and Brick. One day, their lives are normal, the next they are being chased down the street by crazy zombie-like neighbours and townsfolk.
They find each other through the internet and stay in an abandoned amusement park - trying to figure out why this has happened to them. Little do they know they will meet angels and demons and they have to save the world.
Fantastic!
June 7, 2013
Wow, I think I'm gonna love Daisy forever. It's o hard to find words as I've just finished the book - literally seconds ago. Ths is so much more than just a creepy tale. It's creepy and yet seriously heart warming. I found myself laughing and crying and getting nervous for all the characters. This is such an awesome group of characters, thry really stick with you. I got way more than I ever expected!
August 28, 2013
I can't believe it took me this long to read this book!!! Anyway, from start to finish it is very crazy and confusing but that is why you want to keep on reading. This is one of my favourite books, but by fair the most craziest and illogical book I have ever read and kept me saying "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!".
I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in zombies and paranormal books. Definitely a one of a kind book.
I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in zombies and paranormal books. Definitely a one of a kind book.
October 7, 2014
An excellent and creepifying novel, I can't wait to read the next installment.
August 14, 2016
Honestly, a supremely satisfying read. I really love this book. Great job, Alexander Gordon Smith.
December 3, 2019
This book is very interesting and has kept me fascinated throughout the story. I think that anybody who likes a horror/dystopian type of plot would really enjoy this!
October 20, 2016
Critique of The Fury
The book The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith is a gory, fast, and energetic book about The book The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith is a gory, fast, and energetic book about a group of teens in the city of London, France and the world that turns against thema group of teens in the city of London, France and the world that turns against them. The teens each at a different time are attacked by mobs of people that just seemingly burst into fury. The group soon find that they have angels living inside of them ready to hatch, but their is something more sinister, a dark force bent on the demise of these beings and the earth.
The book is written in third person, but jumps from character perspective to character perspective. This gives the author the ability to individually give the different perspectives of the characters on the same scenario, or in a sense be in two places at once. For example in the beginning of the book Cal is playing football at a game when his team, friends, and people just in the stands try to kill him. Then the story switches perspectives to Brick who is just hanging out with his girlfriend when she just attacks him out of what appears to be out of fury. This is an interesting way to tell the story, but if you can’t identify the changes in perspective then the book will make no sense what so ever.
The conflict is very controversial in a religious way. The book includes teens that have what appears to be angels living inside of them, a creature that closely resembles Satan, normal people become possessed when any of the main characters get close to them. One example of this is when the group enters a church and asks the priest of the Fury has anything to do with the bible. Another example is when Rilke starts talking about angels living within them waiting for the write moment to hatch.
This book is really fast and gory, if you really like this kind of stuff this would be a really good book. The fact that the author switches character perspective can be really confusing, if you can’t keep up with it, you shouldn’t read this. The book does have a lot of religious references, if you happen to be uncomfortable when it comes to these things this is one book you shouldn’t read, if you don’t care this is a really good book. This book gets 5/5 stars and is a must read for fans of the zombie genre.
The book The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith is a gory, fast, and energetic book about The book The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith is a gory, fast, and energetic book about a group of teens in the city of London, France and the world that turns against thema group of teens in the city of London, France and the world that turns against them. The teens each at a different time are attacked by mobs of people that just seemingly burst into fury. The group soon find that they have angels living inside of them ready to hatch, but their is something more sinister, a dark force bent on the demise of these beings and the earth.
The book is written in third person, but jumps from character perspective to character perspective. This gives the author the ability to individually give the different perspectives of the characters on the same scenario, or in a sense be in two places at once. For example in the beginning of the book Cal is playing football at a game when his team, friends, and people just in the stands try to kill him. Then the story switches perspectives to Brick who is just hanging out with his girlfriend when she just attacks him out of what appears to be out of fury. This is an interesting way to tell the story, but if you can’t identify the changes in perspective then the book will make no sense what so ever.
The conflict is very controversial in a religious way. The book includes teens that have what appears to be angels living inside of them, a creature that closely resembles Satan, normal people become possessed when any of the main characters get close to them. One example of this is when the group enters a church and asks the priest of the Fury has anything to do with the bible. Another example is when Rilke starts talking about angels living within them waiting for the write moment to hatch.
This book is really fast and gory, if you really like this kind of stuff this would be a really good book. The fact that the author switches character perspective can be really confusing, if you can’t keep up with it, you shouldn’t read this. The book does have a lot of religious references, if you happen to be uncomfortable when it comes to these things this is one book you shouldn’t read, if you don’t care this is a really good book. This book gets 5/5 stars and is a must read for fans of the zombie genre.
May 17, 2018
I rated this book 4 stars because it had a lot of action, suspense, but also some boring down points. The book started out explaining the characters and did a good job.
There is a lot of action in the book but it is not that good. Most of the action is just saying things like "Daisy and Howie started screaming and the beast making his skin fall of and make nothing left of him." However, there was some good "fight" scenes with the "angels" and the U.K military. He also gives a good description of these scenes by saying things like how the soldiers feel while they are looking for the kids.
Another reason why I rated this book 4 stars is because the suspense is very descriptive but there inst that much of it. The major suspense point is when the general of the army said that the only way to beat the beast was to nuke the city of London. This was very suspenseful because the kids/angels were in the city trying to fight the beast and we didn't know if they would make it out or not
The bad part of this book was in the beginning and the end. The beginning of the book was really just explain how the Fury got here and what it was. The end of the book just ended by the main character flying into the sun which I thought was really bad.
In the end, this book had a lot of good imagery and suspense. The action and the down moments really brought it down to four stars. It could have been better if the imagery was mixed with the action more.
There is a lot of action in the book but it is not that good. Most of the action is just saying things like "Daisy and Howie started screaming and the beast making his skin fall of and make nothing left of him." However, there was some good "fight" scenes with the "angels" and the U.K military. He also gives a good description of these scenes by saying things like how the soldiers feel while they are looking for the kids.
Another reason why I rated this book 4 stars is because the suspense is very descriptive but there inst that much of it. The major suspense point is when the general of the army said that the only way to beat the beast was to nuke the city of London. This was very suspenseful because the kids/angels were in the city trying to fight the beast and we didn't know if they would make it out or not
The bad part of this book was in the beginning and the end. The beginning of the book was really just explain how the Fury got here and what it was. The end of the book just ended by the main character flying into the sun which I thought was really bad.
In the end, this book had a lot of good imagery and suspense. The action and the down moments really brought it down to four stars. It could have been better if the imagery was mixed with the action more.
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