Fugitives

Escape from Furnace #4

by Alexander Gordon Smith

I am no longer trapped in the darkness. But the darkness is still trapped inside me. We did it. We cracked the gates, escaped from Furnace. We're out, but we're not free. Not yet. Now the whole city is in lockdown — the roads sealed, the police scouring every building. And there are worse things here — creatures of unimaginable fury hunting us down. An unholy army, sent by Alfred Furnace himself.

Now a war is raging as he tries to bring the world to its knees. I can still feel the warden's poison inside me. It's the only thing keeping me alive, but it's turning me into one of them, into a monster. I don't know how much longer I can fight it before the rage takes over. If I don't find a cure soon then it will be me out there tearing this city apart, me feasting on blood.

If I ever want to be truly free then I have to travel into the heart of the darkness. I have to find Alfred Furnace before he finds me. We made it out but the nightmare followed us, and soon the whole world will be our prison...

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2010

About the author

Alexander 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...

Reviews

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A letdown.

I feel like I expected too much because book 1-3 is so bloody good. Fugitives is still good, but the pace was a bit slower than I want.

[Pat the Book Goblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first three books were more thriller. This one was sheer horror. Sooo good! It’s hard to believe there’s one more left! If Contagion, the Walking Dead, and I Am Legend had a threesome the result would be this book!

[Chase Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books in the Lockdown series just keep getting better and better. This book is definetely the "crème de la crème". Smith does a great job in this book keeping it very descpritive as well as extremely fast paced, which with out a doubt is a hard challenge for many writers. Teenagers who are into action, apocolyptic themes, and suspense will enjoy Fugitives.
Alex has finally broken out of Furnace, and is finally free!!! Sike. If you thought that The Warden was bad, well just wait to you meet the man himself, Alfred Furnace. He's like the Devil on steriods! The berzerk monsters in this book are crazy and a little scary. One of my favorite parts is in the beginning when Simon, Zee, and Alex escape to the mall and Alex has a creepy dream that Zee is possed by Furnace. He can see it though his eyes. "These eyes belonged to Alfred Furnace" (Smith 73). Smith is definetely good at keeping his audience intrested, and you won't be able to put the book down. You could say that Smith has an amazing talent when it comes to Figurative launguage. He has wrote several popular books like; The Inventors, The Furnace books, and a new series called The Fury.
One of the main themes in this book is Man vs Self. The nectar that Alex was forced to take have him fury, anger, superstrength, and superspeed. Perfect physical conditions for fighting scary deamons. On the negative side, this nectar is killing and tourturing him. It tranformed him into the monster he is today. The other theme is Man vs supernatural/man. This has to do with Alfeed Furnace. Since he isn't exaclty what you would call "human" he is kind of supernatureal. Get ready for the action, because as soon as it all starts, there's no stopping. Its a wild rollercoster through the book fugitives!!!

[Lauder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been addicted to the Lockdown series, devouring them as quickly as a wheezer completes surgery -- yet Fugitives, the fourth installment, was an incredible disappointment.

Fugitives had many fighting scenes, and it was action-packed with fires blazing and berserkers tearing people limb from limb -- yet, even through the gore and carnage, I felt boredom seeping through my veins, like nectar seeps through Alex's.

The language in Fugitives is repetitive -- each berserker, though terrifyingly hideous and blood-thirsty, all have "child-like" eyes. Smith should have used his thesaurus, or discussed how Alex noticed the innocence reflected in their glinting eyes, or how their eyes shone with misunderstanding, pain, and regret.

And why do we need Lucy? I preferred bonding with Alex, Zee, and Simon -- the original trio, the dream team. Why introduce a female character, who glares continuously and offers no, until the end, help whatsoever? She's a waste of a character -- either make her more useful or don't bother.

I will read the fifth and final installment, but I was disappointed with this novel; it didn't pack the punch that the others did. Perhaps it should've been injected with some nectar? (The nectar could've repaired the mind-numbing boringness, unneeded characters, and overused language.)

Sorry, Smith; it was a letdown.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thriller novel Fugitives by Alexander Gordon Smith is the fourth book in the Escape from Furnace series. In the book, Alex is now a fugitive because he just performed the impossible which is escape Furnace Penitentiary but he didn't do this alone. He escaped with the inmates of Furnace and his two great friends Zee and Simon. Alex and his good friends have thrown away their prison clothes and donned modern city clothing to blend in and are constantly on the run to not get caught by authorities, be killed, or be sent back to Furnace. Alex has made a promise to Alfred Furnace, the man who created Furnace Penitentiary and ruined the city that Alex has lived in for almost his entire life which was that he will kill Alfred Furnace.
I enjoyed the book because now Alex has taken on a new task which is to take Alfred Furnace's life which is a change in the series to prevent repetition. I would recommend this book to those who always want to read books with some kind of action because this book is exciting and full of action. My favorite character is Alex because he was very brave for fighting those who are his enemies such as the monstrous berserkers, powerful black suits, and the insane and terrifying Warden Cross when he could've ran away and hid instead. My rating for the book is a 26 out of 5 stars.

[Stirling · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seemed like, to me at least, that throughout this series the books have just been becoming gorier adn gorier. My favorite character died in book two (well, really in book one, since in book two he was a monster) and now Alex just seems to fight, yell at Furnace in his head, tell how horrible the world is, describe the sick moster he is, and drink nectar straight out of another's body. Is it just me, or is that gross?

There doesn't seem to be much of a storyline any more. I liked how at the end Alex was the beast on the tower. I definitely thought that was cool. Simon is pretty much taking over Donovan's role, which bugs me. Zee's cool, I guess, but I keep picturing him as a twelve-year-old.

I'll be reading the next book, but I hope Alex does more than just suck the blood/nectar out of his enemies.

[Diabolica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series has become exponentially weirder as we learn more about the cause and history of the nectar.

But still as brilliant as the other three.

Fingers-crossed Zee makes it to the end.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series, which may seem odd given my three star rating. The story itself just grabs you and pulls you along kicking and screaming into a fast-paced nightmare-world. The writing, however, is not so strong. Smith uses so much repetition and over-exaggeration that at times, it pulls me out of his story. I'm never really sure how big things are or how hurt people get, as it seems to change with the drama of a situation. You have to be able to suspend reality and ignore the fact that all of these kids would be dead by now, given what they endure. Luckily I can.

The characters are not especially complex, but for the most part I did end up hoping they would live. This is a plot/action based story, but Smith could have spent more time fleshing out the characters' personalities and emotions. Alex often asks himself if someone like him even deserves to be saved, when as far as I can tell he was just a bit of a delinquent.

This series is undeniably aimed at boys, though I think any fan of horror could enjoy it. There is one girl in this book, but she doesn't actually do anything...at all. Bygones. I cannot wait for the last book in the series.


Pace breakneck
Characterization dramatic, familiar, series characters
POV first person
Story Lines action-oriented, explicit violence, open-ended, plot twits
Frame urban, contemporary, apocalyptic
Tone bleak, dark, gritty, foreboding, menacing, nightmarish
Writing Style colorful, conversational, direct

Red Flags extremely graphic violence and death, disturbing "visuals", language
Read AlikesShade's Children and The Maze Runner

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute non-stop action. In the beginning of this book 4, the guys are now in the real world, on the run, I felt like I could finally exhale. Finally away from the horrors of Furnace Penitentiary. I loved reading about the things that they were able to do now that they weren't being harassed by Weezers, the Black Suits, the Warden and Furnace himself.
Shopping in the mall before opening hours, I got a real kick out of the things the guys did there. Once all of that stopped and they were found, the terror began again. I feel so sorry for the main character Alex. This series will surly at some point become a Hollywood hit.

I have loved every book in this series. The pages were on fire from turning them so fast. I love the author and now.... I am a HUGE fan!
Bring on the finale with Book 5.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I knew what people were like. You take away the things they take for granted and they soon go mad. It's like ripping out the foundations of a house and watching it crumble. When you think about it, we're all insane, we just don't know it till we're given a little push in the wrong direction."

—Fugitives, P. 123

It's taken three books packed with extreme pain, trauma, and dark violence for Alex, Zee, and Simon to bust out of Furnace Penitentiary, a place of appalling physical and psychological oppression whose stifling claustrophobia comes from more than just its location a mile beneath the earth. False hope after false hope were snuffed out as Alex and his wrongly accused friends fought down their crippling panic to work toward a future on the outside, in necessary faith that the gore-splattered walls of Furnace were not the only sight they'd see for the remainder of their lives. It's the maniacal genetic tinkering of the Furnace elite that Alex has to thank for their escape, at least partially. When undersized fourteen-year-old Alex proved a problem to contain for Warden Cross and his gruesome minions, they began conducting ghoulish experiments on him, pumping his body full of the miasmic black nectar that fuels the berserkers and other genetically mutilated inhabitants of Furnace prowling below the general population sector. The nectar morphed Alex into a raging monster, constantly on the verge of losing his mind and murdering anyone in his way regardless of guilt or innocence, but it also infused his body with superhuman strength. Alex and Simon, who's also poisoned with the nectar, used their new brute power to bull rush their way out of Furnace, improbably leading the prison's general population back to the surface, where hundreds of suddenly freed inmates moved quickly to hide in mainstream society. Alex, Zee, and Simon want only to elude recapture, incapable of withstanding a return to hellish confinement after gulping the sweet air of freedom for the first time in months. But the warden and his crew are bound to regroup quickly, and our three protagonists had better not be in the vicinity when he does.

The police have every advantage of modern technology as they spread their net to capture Furnace's escaping convicts, so rapidly creating distance between themselves and the penitentiary is essential for the fugitives. Alex and his friends stay ahead of the game at first, but the authorities are hot on their tail, leading to several life-or-death showdowns within hours of exiting Furnace. The situation is more dire than merely a prison break in the heart of England, however: portions of the great city are ablaze, and there aren't sufficient human resources to dampen the fires. Worse, malevolent creatures from Furnace are wreaking destruction in the streets, killing indiscriminately in pursuit of the teens who busted out. And now Alfred Furnace, the warped mastermind of Furnace Penitentiary himself, has a direct line to Alex and Simon's thoughts via the nectar coursing through their veins. Through a series of sinister visions, Alex and Simon deduce that the violent aftermath of their escape is exactly what Alfred Furnace wanted. It's his chance to grab power over Great Britain and then set his sights on controlling the world. The city is burning and mayhem reigns, but it's all part of Alfred Furnace's grand design, not that of a few scared adolescent prisoners. Warding off deadly ambushes by Furnace's shuddersome monsters, Alex, Zee, and Simon meet a teen girl named Lucy who's as freaked out as anyone by the chaos surrounding her, and she joins their group as they seek refuge from recapture or massacre to buy time and figure out what happens next. As Alfred Furnace's visions persist in Alex's head and the magnitude of the national emergency deepens, it becomes evident that the only way to stop it is by confronting Alfred Furnace in person, and Alex and Simon may be the only people in the world strong enough to beat him. It could mean death for the heroes of our story, but they have to try to bring Alfred Furnace's horrifying plan to a halt. Where will that ultimate confrontation leave them at the end of this book, heading into the concluding volume of the series?

Fugitives explores the fight we all engage in to keep our worst impulses at arm's length, though the issue isn't examined as thoroughly as in book three, Death Sentence. Set in urban civilian England rather than the uncomfortably narrow confines of Furnace Penitentiary, the effect isn't nearly as intense, though the story has its moments. Like in the previous novel, Alex struggles against the nectar transforming his body and mind into grotesque perversions of what they used to be. Alfred Furnace assaults his mind almost constantly, pushing Alex to abandon the hope that got him through his prison ordeal and embrace Alfred Furnace's goal of global dominion. It would be easy for Alex to cave in to the wicked desires planted in his brain, but if he does that then he'll have become the irredeemable reprobate the legal system declared him to be when they sentenced him to rot in Furnace, and his freedom from physical incarceration will be meaningless in light of his bondage to unmitigated evil. Alex wrestles with his shameful lust to kill in the same way we all combat our bad side, but his skirmishes with the darkness carry consequences that no one imagines. The battle of wills with Alfred Furnace is exhausting Alex, but their fight has not even truly begun. The real clash between the two commences in the fifth and final book of the series, Execution.

Alexander Gordon Smith's writing is a spellbinding combination of roughshod velocity and startling beauty, though Fugitives doesn't quite measure up overall to the three books preceding it. Perhaps its setting outside of prison walls hinders the narrative from rising above the conventions of a typical action novel, whereas Lockdown, Solitary, and Death Sentence were each carried by the visceral urgency of our own feeling of captivity inside Furnace. We the reader felt imprisoned alongside the characters, a masterful writing accomplishment for Alexander Gordon Smith. The claustrophobic sensation of captivity within Furnace was a rare and magnificent thing. Though Fugitives lacks that raw, gut-wrenching immediacy, it's a more than competent bridge to the Escape from Furnace series finale. I have high hopes for Execution, and unwavering belief that Alexander Gordon Smith has the skills to end the series in a way befitting its incredible start. *Deep breath*... Okay, I'm ready to plunge back into Furnace one last time.

[J.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex and his friends may have finally escaped Furnace but they aren't the only ones. Now the streets are full of actual criminals, monsters and the army all fighting against each other.

The only way to stop the end of the world as Alex knows it is for him to finally face off against his biggest enemies.

The action just never seems to stop in this series and the monsters just keep coming.
This one did change things up a bit by finally being out in the real world.

While I didn't love the setting quite as much as the inside of Furnace, I did enjoy the end of the world scenario and big ending.

I'm going to be almost sad to read the next book knowing it will most likely be the last of Alex and his friends.

[Micah S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

"This series is starting to lose its edge."

How is this possible, do you ask? Because it's constantly taking that edge and trying to make it sharper and sharper and more and more exaggerated. Escape from Furnace is losing its edge because it's trying to be all edge all the time.

Take the monsters, for example. We're supposed to believe that every new monster is the biggest, baddest baddie we've ever seen. But when they're all described as 'impossibly big', you lose all sense of scale. From dogs to wheezers to blacksuits, then rats, and now berserkers. Smith is using the same language to describe everything, so instead of ramping up the horror-factor, he just creates an impression of everything being indescribably big and scary. Alex himself was 'impossibly big' when he came out of wheezer surgery, but now his weird mutated nectar-arm is swelling up and growing 'impossibly big' in proportion to the rest of his big self, but he's not nearly as 'impossibly big' as the other berserkers that are running around... Everything's big, everything's mean, it's all edge.

Speaking of 'all edge', the action sequences. Or, should I say, action sequence singular, because the pace of this book NEVER STOPS. It never slows down. Walking through a subway tunnel for two pages doesn't count. There's always something scary trying to bite someone, there's always some hallucination intruding on an otherwise quiet moment, everyone is always running, and EVERYONE is out to get EVERYONE else.

Plus I think the gore factor is just going for broke at this point. Ye gods, the blood drinking. I thought we were done at Warden stabs monster in armpit and nurses on its blood. (gag), but then we upped the ante to Alex greedily slurps blood from Warden's slashed throat (double gag). Why? Just...why, exactly?

The concept is getting more and more improbable, relying too much on that dangerous combination, "It must be working this way somehow!" (Example: So we know that Furnace can get inside Alex's mind and influence what he perceives and communicate with him, but we don't know how, but we somehow know that it's because of the nectar, but we don't know HOW it's because of the nectar?) The new nectar only bulking up the kids who'd already been exposed to original nectar makes no sense, red nectar having SENTIENCE makes no sense, creatures sparing Alex's life because everyone telepathically knows who he is makes no sense. Yet these are the conclusions Alex stumbles to, simultaneously presenting them as true, but he doesn't know why or how. It's the impossible dance of an author wanting to present more information to his readers than his own narrator is supposed to know. And it bothers me.

And this is the first book that the writing really starting standing in the story's way. The similes in this book are weird and distracting (You know that "blooming like a dead flower" is essentially flawed, right?), EVERY MONSTER'S FACE IN THE ENTIRE BOOK is compared to some sort of wood (old wood, warped wood, old warped wood, mahogany, old warped mahogany...), and the word 'toddler' is frequently used to describe 'the face of a nine-year-old'. One really has to wonder how long you can get away with calling a kid a toddler.

And I know I've said this before, but where are we drawing the line between British and American English, guys? Because you used the words "lorrie" and "telly", but you also are giving figures in "miles per hour" and talking about soccer practice. Leaving a few choice B.E. words in there just to lend your book some charm is like that infuriating kid you knew in high school who would fake a British accent all the time because they thought it was cute instead of WICKED ANNOYING. Either do the Potter thing and Brit-pick the series, or leave the English words in there and let us sort things out.

At the end of the day, I tried to hang onto my three-star opinion of this series, but Fugitives started to put too much friction between me and the writing. It distracted, it exaggerated, it tried to sharpen the already razor-sharp edge, and I was left frustrated and underwhelmed. It left no room for the rising action to rise anymore. Let's just wrap this thing up already.

[Aaron Batten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I really liked this book for a couple reasons. This was a horror book, but there was a little mystery to it as well. I still did not know who or where Alfred Furnace was.The new nectar was also a mystery. It made all of Alfred’s monsters even stronger and more obedient. With the new nectar, the berserkers followed what Furnace wanted. The berserkers would not attack Alex. At the start of this book, Alex was bitten by a berserker and given some of the new nectar. The berserkers would not attack their own, so they would not attack Alex.

Plot: This was the fourth book in the Furnace series. It was about Alex, Zee, and Simon right after the prisoners escape. Alfred Furnace released his berserkers all over the city. The berserkers were superhuman beasts that left devastation everywhere they went. They had a new type of more potent nectar. It made them stronger than the old black suits and the rats. The berserkers followed Furnace’s orders, unlike the rats. With the new nectar Alfred’s monsters were smarter. They would not attack each other like the creatures that had the warden’s nectar. In this book Alex, Zee, and Simon were content with finding and killing Alfred Furnace.

Characterization: Simon was Alex's friend and ally all throughout this book. He was also a prisoner of Furnace. He was taken during a blood watch before Alex arrived in furnace. Simon was experimented on by the wheezers. It turned out some people were immune to the nectar. His arm changed into a muscle filled ligament. The rest of his body did not change from the nectar. Simon was also changed mentally during the time he spent in Furnace. Simon was a normal kid until he was convicted of his crimes and sentenced to Furnace. During his time in Furnace he became more jumpy, stern, and serious. Once he escaped, he had a much greater appreciation of the people who helped him out. Throughout this book, Simon lightened up to Zee and Alex. Simon was less serious than when they were trapped within Furnace. He was still very focused on escape from Alfred Furnace and his monsters.

Impact of Setting: This book took place in two present day settings. At the start Alex, Zee, and Simon had just made it out of Furnace. They scrambled into the city seeking refuge. The majority of this book took place in an unnamed metropolitan area. The prisoners hid from the police, the black suits, and the berserkers. The second main setting was where the book ended. Alex went to the black tower in his visions. It was presumably were Furnace was staying. It contained thousands of black suits and wheezers which made the new nectar, berserkers, and black suits. This was where Alex killed the warden and where the book ended.

Thematic Connection: There were two strong points that made the theme of good versus evil apparent in this book. The first was the struggle for Alex to keep himself from becoming Furnace’s newest tool of destruction. Every time Alex was given more nectar, it became harder to come back from the blood lust and power the nectar gave him. The nectar tried to make its victims bloodthirsty mindless beasts of Furnace. The second theme of good versus evil was the evils of Furnace versus the army, Alex, Simon, and Zee. Alfred Furnace wanted to destroy the world as it was and make it something new. His main goal was to erase all weakness on Earth.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to male or female teenagers who like science fiction or horror books. Thirteen to fourteen year olds would probably understand and enjoy these books the most. I gave this book five stars. It was a great book for anyone who likes a thrilling horror story.

[Thien Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal book in that it was extremely fast pace. If you’ve ever been a kid and wanted to write about some crazy story that was completely farfetched but totally awesome, and you never get around to it and you wonder why no author has ever published a book like that? Well this one has! The whole overall mood of the story is sort of dark and apocalyptic, and since it is about genetic mutations eating adults alive and infecting children to build their army it would sound weird if it wasn’t. He also has a way of defying Camble’s archetypes by making the main character a former bully who robbed houses and beat up kids smaller than him. On top of that he has a living breathing organism substituting his blood called nectar that is constantly trying to turn him into a psychopath. The nectar is helpful when facing the warden’s army but at the same time his greatest enemy. The author uses the nectar to symbolize how anger can help and destroy us in real life. Another theme he brings up is how emotions can turn normal people into monstrosities. For example in a church, people that were normally parents start trying to listen to a crazy janitor and attempt to burn him just out pure fear. The last thing I want to mention is the way he tells the story. He relays a TON on the first person element because he is in a constant battle with the nectar and how certain scenes remind him of others. He gives just the right amount of imagery that gives you a good image but still lets you use your imagination.

[Jess Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this series, so it is difficult for me to say anything bad about this particular book. However, compared to the other books in the series, I think Fugitives fell short. It was not nearly as interesting and it seems that this book has been dedicated to the set up of the conclusion. While there is certainly nothing wrong with that, I didn't feel the emotion that I did whilst reading the other parts of this series. I know that the 5th book won't disappoint, but I'm really terrified about who might not make it to the end. We'll have to see!

[Aniya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first three books, but this one was a bit of a disappointment. Too much action, too little mystery and tension. And every monster is the biggest, creepiest and ugliest... until the next one enters the stage.
Also I don't really like the whole "Nazis did it" thing. Maybe it's because I'm german and Nazis are a big part of our education (rightfully so). It's bad enough that there are actual fascists in our government right know, I just don't want them in my fiction.

[Tatiana Campos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just when I think Smith has backed himself into a corner and nothing more exciting or dangerous can happen to Alex, I'm proven otherwise!

Constant with the first three books, this keeps up the fast-paced gory action that is Escape from Furnace! I had no idea where the story would be going once the trio escaped or what could possibly happen next. Obviously no happily ever after, but it was nothing I expected!

Twisted and disturbing in a whole new way. I enjoyed every minute of this read.

[Phair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this as much as previous books (2.5*). Too much focus on a prolonged chase/battles with Furnace's minions. I think these books have gone too far into the grotesque for me to care a lot. The whole premise is now beyond my ability to suspend disbelief and it's getting to the point where I don't care that much what happens to Alex although having said that, I will undoubtedly read the next installment anyway just to see how/if he wraps this up.

[Brett]

I love this book. It is a great book because of all the mysteries and wonder. This book is about Alex getting out of furnace and back into the real world but The warden and Alfred Furnace unleash their beasts into the world to totally wipe out the weak and build a new world out of only strong people. Alex, Simon, and Zee all have to fight the warden and save the world from total wipe out.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the author could have wrapped this story up with 2-3 books. 5 feels a bit excessive & the story seems to be dragging. I’m invested though, so I’ll be starting the last book to see how the story ends. 😊

[Erica Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this continuation. It was more horror than any of the other books so far. The characters and their birds are just brilliant! I can't wait to read the conclusion

[Collin baehnman]

Personal Response:
I thought that Fugitives was a great continuation of Lockdown. It showed the reader how hard it was to break out of the Furnace and what happened because of breaking out. The reader was also shown how Alfred Furnace had control over the berserkers and how he communicated with them as well. The reader was more or less impressed by the decisions given to the characters and how the characters decided to deal with the problems that arose.

Plot:
When the trio escaped the Furnace, they started something earlier than anticipated. Alex, Simon, and Zee thought the Horrors of the Furnace were over when they left the fences, but the battle had only just began. Alex, Simon, and Zee were on the run with the police and SWAT on their heels. They were also chased by Furnace’s nightmarish creatures. They were trying to get as far away from the prison as possible; Alex, Simon and Zee hid in a mall first. Then they later hid in the subway where they met Lucy. After encountering some infected, Alex was bitten by a red-flecked berserker that causes him to teeter on the brink of insanity thanks also to Alfred Furnace's voice and visions. Furnace wanted Alex to be his right-hand man in the new “Fatherland.” Alfred Furnace started the war that he told Alex about. Soon they realized that the city was in a state of chaos and destruction. There was a war between Furnace’s infected and humanity. After an attack of the infected in St Martin's Cathedral that Alex, Zee, Simon and Lucy survived, they are brought by Annabel and another soldier to a supposed safe place of PMCs, later revealed as the black suits. During their short capture, Alex, Zee, Simon and Lucy discovered an inconvenient truth: the red-flecked nectar had been created by Alfred Furnace and was more powerful than the Warden Cross’ nectar. The Furnace Penitentiary was not the only place where blacksuits were created. Alex, Simon, and Zee decided to destroy Furnace's tower with Furnace and his creatures in it. When Alex came to meet Furnace, he found Warden Cross who filled himself with the red-flecked nectar. Warden Cross fought Alex but was eventually defeated. Drinking from Cross' blood, Alex became a berserker. Alex promised to find and kill Furnace on the roof of the tower while it was being bombarded by the armies of the world.

Characterization:
The characters in Fugitives were Alex, Zee, Simon, Alfred Furnace, and Warden Cross. The characters that changed the most in Fugitive were Alex and Warden Cross. Throughout the book Alex was fighting the symptoms of withdrawal from the nectar. If Alex didn’t get enough nectar to keep going, he would either die or go insane. Alex was bit by one of the new berserkers, and later his arm was shot off. Alex gained a new one via the nectar. Warden Cross was also bit by the same berserker and now turned into one as well. Warden Cross took it a step further, and he drank the red flaked nectar out of a open wound on the berserker.

Setting:
The Setting of Fugitives took place in modern day London. London was a beautiful city that was now war torn between the Black Suits and the Armies of Earth. The Furnace was a hellish place that now has released its portion of hell on Earth into the streets of London. The time frame was in the present or very short future. The modern day medicine, military equipment, cars, and radios show how modern this was.

Thematic connection:
One of the main themes in Fugitives was the illusion of power. The illusion of power was prevalent throughout the series and especially through Fugitives. The illusion of power was shown through the nectar which was given to Alex, Simon, and many others. Alfred Furnace asked for Alex to go to the tower and command his new army. After a while he does, but he tried to fight back. Alex doesn't want to turn into the monster that Furnace wants him to be.

Recommendation:
I would recommend Fugitives to boys and girls in high school and above. The Escape the Furnace series has been known to have harsh situations, like Alex being torn apart and put back together, Alex watching someone get ripped apart by a Hellhound; Fugitives was no different. The characters are starting to turn on each other because of the nectar. I would give this book four and a half out of five stars.

[Carter Dittmann]

Personal Response: I thought the book, Fugitives, by Alexander Smith was a very interesting book. The author really does a great job capturing the reader’s attention and I just wanted to keep reading. Smith does a good job explaining everything in detail down to the bitter end of it. Smith also keeps everything in a nice, even flow to help the reader stay in touch with what is happening in the story.

Plot Summary: The boys, Alex, Zee, Simon, and Donovan escape furnace and they are back to the top in the real world. They are continually being chased by police and law enforcement personnel and ultimately, Alfred Furnace himself. The boys are put in situations to truly test their mental and physical abilities to pull themselves out of the situations that they are put into. The officer drops them off at what she called a “safe place”; however, when they got there, Alex knew immediately that it was the blacksuits.

Characterization:
Alex is the main character in the story, and he is the one that is injected with the almighty black nectar to become like a blacksuit. Ultimately, he has overcome the mental part of becoming a blacksuit and his sanity is still in check and he is stronger than ever. He shows his strength by being able to take on berzerkers and blacksuits to help defend himself and the other guys because they do not have the power that Alex does.

Alfred Furnace is always trying to make Alex slip up and fall into his trap to becoming a blacksuit. Alred Furnace is the bad guy in the book and he is the one trying to make them slip up so he can turn them into one of his own warriors.

Setting: This part of the series takes place above ground in the real world as opposed to being underground in Furnace where the other books take place. The urban city setting, with a lot of people, makes hiding from the law easier for the boys escaping Furnace. They sneak through town down through the subway stations and drains in the road to find their way out the end and hopefully to safety. They eventually get to the north side of town and they think they are pretty much home free. The time period is not specified because they were underground for so long.

Thematic Connection: The theme for this story is loyalty. All of the boys stay by each other’s sides know matter what problems they face. There are times when they are forced to break up, but in the end they always get back together. Together they are able to conquer anything in their path. Furnace tries to break down everyone mentally; however, they stay together and nothing breaks their bonds.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to both genders who like to read a story about criminals escaping captivity and running away from law enforcement. The story is not too long to read and would be suitable for some younger readers. I recommend Fugitives to ages twelve and older because of some on the language usage throughout the story. Overall, I thought this is a great book that suited my reading level and kept me wanting to read throughout the whole book.

[Abby]

Personal Response:
I thought this book was okay because it was hard for me to get into. This book was hard for me to get into because I thought it didn't describe very much. One thing I liked about this book was the ending.

Plot:
In the beginning of this book, Alex, Zee, and Simon were hiding out in the mall. While they were at the mall, the police found them. Once they escaped the police, they ran into the subway. While they were in the subway, they met up with some skulls. A berserker came down into the subway and bit Alex. The berserker then killed all the skulls except for one, Lucy. The four of them decided that the subway was not safe. Once they got to the surface, they were met by more Berserkers. These Berserkers were filled with the new nectar that had a red glow. As the book went on, they decided to go to a church for safety. While in the church, the priest tried to burn Alex and Simon alive because they were “infected.” After they escaped the church, there was a military person they ran into. The military person was bringing them to a safe place when they got hijacked. After they got hijacked, Alex lost his arm and the nectar turned his arm into a knife. Slowly as the book progressed, the bite mark on Alex started to deform his body making him stronger. As the book continued, Alex decided to go to the tower in town. Once he got to the tower, he went to the penthouse of the tower. Waiting at the penthouse for him was the warden. Alex and the warden fought. At the end of this book, Alex killed the warden and was on his way to find Furnace.

Characterization:
The main character in this book was Alex. Alex was a blacksuit who later turned into a deformed blacksuit mixed with a berserker. Alex's main goal in this book was to kill Alfred Furnace. Another main character in this book was Alfred Furnace. Furnace was the leader of Furnace Penitentiary. Furnace tried to control Alex through the nectar in his body.

Setting:
This book was hard to tell where it took place because everything was destroyed. Even though it was hard to tell where this book took place it would have taken place in the future because of the technology Furnace used. This book took place in Alex's hometown because furnace had guided him to a tower that was in his hometown.

Theme:
One of the biggest themes in this book was learning to accept who is different. This was a big theme because Alex was always different from his friends. Alex had learned that he was stronger and had to protect his friends from the berserkers.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the other books in the series. I would recommend this book to high schoolers and above due to the stronger language that younger students should not hear. I would also recommend this book more to males because they tend to like more action than females do.

[Thomas]

Personal Response: The book Fugitive Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith was really interesting. There were so many surprises in the plot of this book. I did not expect Alex to run back to furnace to fight the Warden. I was also not expecting him to beat the Warden in a fight. The book kept me on the edge of my seat.

Plot: Alex lead the escape from Furnace Penitentiary. He was out of prison and he wanted to kill the madman behind his imprisonment, Alfred Furnace. Part of Alex was scared and wanted to just run and hide. The other part of him was mad and wanted to take revenge. Alex, Zee, and Simon decided they needed to get out of their prison uniforms, so they took refuge at the local mall for the night. Luckily, no people were there. The morning after they escaped, the three were ambushed by SWAT. Alex, Zee, and Simon made a narrow escape in a car that was on display on the first floor. Shortly after they got out of the mall, they discovered that rats and berserkers were roaming the streets and killing anyone that stood in there way. Alex and his friends were ambushed by armed black suits. They fought the black suits off, but during the fight Alex's arm was blown off by a shotgun. Amazingly, his arm was healed by the nectar. Instead of healing normally, his hand turned into an obsidian blade. He killed all the black suits. After the fight, Alex had a vision of a tower with a beast on top of it. He looked through the city and found the tower. He thought it was where Alfred Furnace was hiding. He headed for the tower. The black suits welcomed him to the tower and he was escorted to the elevator. Alex headed up to the top floor. He walked to a huge door and opened it. Furnace was not in the tower, but the Warden was waiting for Alex.

Setting: The setting took place in England during modern times. The setting began in a prison named Furnace. Alex and his friends escaped and the setting changed to a city in England. The setting is important to the plot because Alex was seeking revenge on the person that Furnace Penitentiary was named after, Alfred Furnace.

Characterization: Alex was the main character in this book. He lost his arm and it grew into something stronger. The stronger arm gave Alex more confidence. He was not the small, scared boy he was before. Zee was a normal average boy and did not change throughout the book.

Theme: The theme of this book was facing darkness. Alex wanted to run away after he escaped from the evil Furnace Penitentiary. Instead, he fought his fears and came back to fight the Warden. He fought and killed the Warden.

Recommendation: I recommended this book to male and female teens from ages 12 to 18 because it was very descriptive. The details were insane. I think that anyone younger would not be able to handle the violence.

[Cody Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal response:
I really liked Fugitives, by Alexander Gordon Smith, because it had a lot of fighting scenes. I also really liked this book because it showed you how difficult it was to escape Furnace, which was a high security prison ran by nazis. This book really made me want to read the next book.

Plot:
The book started with Alex, Zee, and Simon who were getting chased by the cops. They got away from the cops, and stole a vehicle. They drove the car to the train station. When they got to the train station there was other inmates there also. They explained that the trains were going fast and would not stop. They decided to stay down there for awhile. A Berserker attacked them in the train station. The Berserker bit and took one of them away and Alex killed the Berserker and drank its nectar. Alex went mad and tried to punch a moving train. Then they went to the surface and found a kid they recognized. They had to kill him and realized there was red with the black nectar. They had never seen it before, but they realized it was Alfred Furnace’s invention. Alfred Furnace started the war and plague of monsters. Alfred Furnace created a better dark nectar than before which turned them into monsters really quick. Alex fought the Warden and killed him. Alex got turned into a Berserker and was determined to destroy Alfred Furnace’s tower.

Characterization:
Alex was one of the main characters of the book. Alex started out in the beginning of the book getting chased by the cops. At the end of the book Alex tried to defeat Alfred Furnace. Alex had bravery and leadership skills. Zee was the other main character of the book. In the beginning of the book, Zee broke into the mall and stole a car. Zee was the smartest of all the characters, but was not affected by the nectar.

Setting:
The setting of the book started at a mall in London, and they went all over the place running from the Warden and cops. The book took place around present time because they had modern technology. They had modern technology like computers, cameras, and guns.

Thematic Connection:
My thematic connection was the illusion of power because Alfred Furnace was able to control people through the dark nectar. Alex tried to fight off the voice of Alfred Furnace in his head but he eventually gave in.

Recommendation:
I recommend this book to people who enjoy action and adventure themed books because it had a lot of fighting scenes. I recommend this book to 13+ year olds, because there was people that got killed in the book. I rate the book a 5 out of 5, because Alexander Gordon Smith did a great job with describing scenes and how the creatures looked.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

They somehow made it past the Warden. They even managed to elude the berserkers. They could see the sky and feel the sun and air on their faces. They had freedom in their sights.

All they had to do was stay hidden and not get caught.

But how could they remain free when there was nowhere to hide? Where could they go when the world was on fire and the enemy was closing in?

And were they really free in the first place when the world outside of Furnace Penitentiary simply felt like an even larger prison with Alfred Furnace calling all the shots?

They may have thought they earned their freedom, but freedom always comes with a price. And the cost may be more than any of them are willing or able to pay.

***

Fugitives is every bit as dark, dangerous, chilling, exciting and brimming with action as each of its predecessors. Author Alexander Gordon Smith has managed to squeeze in what feels like a lifetime of activity into less than one day in the life of his characters, making this one incredibly fast and furious read.

Once again there is no break in the timeline. Fugitives picks up right where Death Sentence left off with the mass exodus at Furnace Penitentiary. But while the inmates may have freed themselves from Furnace, it does not mean they’re free.

As the title suggests, they’re fugitives. But it’s not just the law they have to worry about. Alfred Furnace is coming. He sees this as the perfect opportunity to send out his creations. To test their abilities. To show the world their power. And to get back what’s his.

No longer constrained by the world within Furnace Penitentiary’s walls, Fugitives introduces readers to new places, new characters and new dangers. And with the atrocities that took place in Furnace now exposed for the world to see, everything quickly descends into chaos.

Alexander Gordon Smith has written yet another book in this series that continues to surprise. The world he’s created has gotten darker and deadlier with each book, with an even more dire predicament and even less of a chance at a happy ending. And Fugitives is definitely his darkest, bloodiest and most terrifying book yet in this series.

From the outset, the author tosses readers right into the middle of the fray and keeps them there to the bitter end so they can experience just what it’s like to be on the run, hunted, and facing a never-before-seen enemy with an ability that could change the fate of the entire world.

Fugitives is riveting, suspenseful, intense, shocking, brutal and gruesome. It leaves readers on the side of a pretty big cliff awaiting the final book in the series. There are quite a few twists and turns, many things left up in the air and many questions still unanswered about the man that is Alfred Furnace and the fate of Alex Sawyer.

As with all three previous books in the series, Fugitives is an absolute must read.

On a personal note:

This far into the series I had some idea of where this next book would be headed. Especially after I read the sneak peek at the end of Death Sentence. I knew that things would only get darker. I knew that I wouldn’t be left smiling.

What I didn’t realize is just how absolutely insane things would get in this book. The entire book crammed in so much action into such a very short time span. So many, many things changed – for the worse, of course – in just a blink of an eye.

It was sheer chaos. Madness. Hopelessness, though not complete hopelessness. Because with each and every one of these books, I am always hopeful. I’m hopeful that things will work out. I’m hopeful for a happy ending. Yet I know I’m deluding myself.

I read the entire book in total suspense. Waiting for a confrontation. Waiting for something really bad to happen. I started getting that sinking feeling in my stomach early on and it just kept growing until that really bad thing did happen. And I was devastated.

There are so many things I want to talk about. But nearly everything will spoil the earlier books in the series and quite a few of those things will spoil what happens in Fugitives. Which is why my personal opinions section keeps shrinking and gets more cryptic with each book I read. Not because there’s not even more to talk about, but because I can’t.

What I will say is that even though the events take place in such a short amount of time, the story definitely gets moved forward. Pretty significantly, actually. And some seriously major stuff happens to the characters. But even more major stuff happens in their world.

All my “favorite” characters are back – Alfred Furnace, Warden Cross, the dogs, the rats, the berserkers and the wheezers. And if you haven’t guessed by now, there is once again a new kind of baddie. A more dangerous, more horrific, nightmarish type of being that is even more dead set on destruction.

The lead up to the ending and the ending itself are shocking, gruesome and completely nerve-wracking. The action throughout the story made me devour this book at record speed. And I could not put it down until I read the entire sneak peek for the next book in the series. Because the way things were left… Oh no!

Every single book in this series so far made me cheer, made me hold my breath in anticipation, made me cringe with disgust, kept me hopeful for something better for the characters, left me heartbroken when things just sometimes got worse, and made me wonder what could possibly happen next. Fugitives was definitely no exception.

I am dying to find out how the series ends, and after seeing that there is an epilogue on the author’s website, I’m so so tempted to read that now. I really hope that Alfred Furnace and his seriously creepy army of black suits and other monstrosities don’t come out the victors, even if it means losing a few of my favorite characters along the way. I’m really not so sure I can wait until the fall to get my hands on this book….

Though, as desperate as I am to read Execution, I am also sad that the next book will be the last book in the series and that I will have to leave this world and these characters behind.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again… This series is so awesome and was a total surprise in the very best way when I discovered it last fall. It tops quite a few lists and will forever be a series that I consider a favorite. And I really don’t want to have to say goodbye.

[Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thought on the book was that it was amazing, the author Alexander Gordon Smith way of writing the book made me feel like I was in the book and made me think what I would do in a situation that the characters faced. I loved this book so much that i wouldn't even notice how much time I spent on reading the book . Like everyday I looked forward reading this book in Literarure Class, I even asked the teacher if I can take the book home so I can continue ready but also for the reason that I to finish reading it by date: )

The book is about a kid named Alex and his friends escapeing Furnace Prison Penententry, Alex and one of his friends were framed. At this point of the story Alex was an experiment which had nector running through this veins. The nectar made people rage and kill other people but Alex was able to control his rage making him unique. Alex and his friends caused a prison outbreak causing the police to intervene by killing any prisoner. Their prison break caused the Warden( prison owner, bad guy) to unleash his experiments like rats and berserkas to escape to civilization infecting and killing other people. Alex main point to escape the prison soon vanished and change because he wanted to escape to live a "normal" life but with the experiments causing mass destruction their was no way of living so his objective changed to kill the Warden who conducted these experiment that made once human prisoners into monsters and for "improving" him. Him and his friends face berserkas and rats a long their way to find and fight the Warden Alex find the Warden and sees that he has been waiting for him to fight him. They both starte to fight spitting nector everywhere and they kept injuring each other but the nector kept healing and them but then the Warden finally grabs hold of Alex by the neck coking him,at this point Alex is really tired and injured . What happens next u MIGHT ask well can't tell you not allowed to spill the beans: ) sorry.

This book compared to other books I have read is one of the greatest book I have read usually I don't read fictional books but I gave this book a try and I don't regret giveing it. I would recommend people that like reading fictional book and I would recommend teens to read it.

[Evan Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex is finally free from the furnace. They have made a big break and breached the surface of the furnace while trapping the warden deep in the furnace. The former prisoners of the furnace penitentiary are now running wild in the streets causing chaos on every street and in every ally. Alex soon questions whether it was better to keep all the prisoners or to breaking out of the furnace along with all of the other prisoners who are causing lots of trouble in the city. How will Alex survive the streets? Will he ever truly escape from the Furnace or Alfred Furnace himself? Read Escape From Furnace Fugitives by Alexander Gordon Smith to find out. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was hard for me to put it down because the action never stops and I always had to turn the page to see what was going to happen next. Some things that happened in the book I didn’t understand right away but later in the story they made sense and that is one thing I really thought was better in this book than the first three books of this series. Alex still is my favorite character in this book because he still doesn’t give up on surviving and escaping and he doesn’t give up in himself either. I recommend this book to any reader who has read the first three books of this series and any reader who enjoys reading apocalypse, adventure, or survival books.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that we're almost at the end of the series, Fugitives seems to have a similar drop in quality that Solitary. Solitary was the book that was used to set up the rest of the series and Fugitives is the set up for the end of the series. You'll notice my three star rating, the lowest yet. I was sad that I had to give this book a lower rating than the rest but what's done is done, and for good reason.

Alex and friends are finally free of Furnace Penitentiary, but not free of the man who built the prison. Alfred Furnace has marked Alex, Zee, and Simon and he has them in his sights. Unfortunately for our little group of escaped inmates being possibly sent back to Furnace is the least of their problems. The world outside Furnace is being turned to hell on Earth and the only possible way Alex can stop it is to stop running and confront Alfred Furnace himself.

Plot

If you look through some of the other reviews, I'm sure you'll see that a lot of readers share my sentiments about Fugitives. It's an odd thing, about Fugitives. It's the most action-packed book in the series yet; there's hardly any slow movements in it. Yet, Fugitives feels very... boring. It's more of a feeling than anything else. The story does continue on rapidly, the whole book actually spanning less than twelve hours, I believe, but not the actual plot. In the entire book the plot only moves foward a little.

On one hand I can see why Fugitives, the second to last book in the series, seems subdued. If you want something to end with a big bang you store a lot of potential energy and then release it all. This book is storing the energy, I believe. But the book setting up for the big finish does not a good book make. It's pretty common that the second to last book tends to be the one that feels the most "blah".

If I was Smith I would have made Fugitives shorter. Just like in Solitary, the big boom didn't happen until the very end. Like I said, I can see why Smith did it this way, but I know a lot of younger people probably wouldn't stick around to read the last book. I have faith that Smith will come through in the end. But I must admit that I do have a feeling that we'll be able to cut both Fugitives and Execution in half, mesh them both together, and it would make a much better book.

Writing

By all merits, the writing in Fugitives is still top notch. Smith still has a dickens of a time writing descriptions of things so that the reader can picture them, in my opinion. However, the biggest downfall in his writing yet has been with how slowly things seem to be happening. Fugitives seems like the physical embodiment of dreams where you're running as fast as you can but in actuality you're not moving much at all. The writing in this book was a lot of fluff. Enjoyable fluff, but fluff nonetheless.

I will say, though, that Smith is still very good at throwing curve balls. Even till the end he was keeping me on the edge with the twists. Kudos.

Characters

We still have our trio, Alex, Zee, and Simon, plus a new character, Lucy. There wasn't much in Fugitives in terms of characterization. This book focused more on the things happening to our little group instead of the group itself. I still enjoy Simon and Zee and hope that they'll make it to the end of the last book. Lucy is a character who spent half of the time hating our trio and the other half doing nothing, really. I can't really say much on her.

I'm starting to get a little annoyed with Alex, though. With his character, it's the same thing over and over with him. "I'm a delinquent and I deserve this", "I'm not a monster", "No, I am a monster", and so on and so forth. Alex's character continues to loop back on himself. He's keeps having the same arguments with himself over his humanity and whether or not he deserves what cards fate hands him. It's repetitive and dull, especially since he was a much different character in the first two books. I understand he was changed, but once he snaps out of his nectar-induced hazes, he's still Alex mentally even though he's not himself physically.

Things I Didn't Like

Things have gotten sort of repetitive in Fugitives. Smith uses the same descriptors over and over again. Each time we hear the berserker laugh it's described as "childish" or like a toddler's. Another reviewer pointed out that Smith is constantly comparing the faces of the berserker to types of wood.

There's also the fact that this was the type of book that said a whole lot without meaning a lot. A lot of stuff happened, but the plot didn't go very far. That, I'm assuming/hoping, was saved for the final book. This is my biggest problem with Fugitives; it was okay but not nearly as exciting as Lockdown or Death Sentence.

Diversity

Well, there's finally a girl character! But she's not a convict, and she's not really relevant to the plot at all. She doesn't advance the plot at all and it feels like she's just there to be there.

There's still no confirmed characters of color besides the very dead Donovan. However there are hints of PTSD from the characters, so there's still some mental disorders shown.

Overall

Fugitives really fell flat. It dragged on needlessly just to get to the big reveal at the end. A lot of the book was fodder and the book would have done better without it. I'm not going to give up on the series this far in. I'm way too invested and curious as to how Smith is going to regale me with the final book. I trust him to make Execution better than Fugitives.