Escape from Furnace is a series of five novels written by British author

Alexander Gordon Smith Alexander Gordon Smith (27 February 1979, Norwich, England) is an author of children's literature, children and Young adult fiction, Young Adult fiction. Early life During his teenage years, Smith went through what he calls a "rough patch". He ...

. The books are written from perspective of the teenage protagonist Alex Sawyer and describe his

incarceration Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

in the fictional

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

prison Furnace Penitentiary. ''Escape from Furnace: Lockdown'' is followed by ''Solitary'', ''Death Sentence'', ''Fugitives'' and ''Execution''. Smith followed up the series with a

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

, ''The Night Children'', which tells the story of the 17-year-old

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

Kreuz (known as Warden Cross in the series) and his meeting with Alfred Furnace, the prison's founder, and his creatures in the Belgian woods during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Escape from Furnace is the United States title of the series, as in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

the series is known as just "Furnace".

Plot overview

''Lockdown''

Furnace Penitentiary, in the distant future, is the world’s most secure

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

for young offenders. It is buried a mile beneath the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

’s surface. One way in and no way out. Once you're here, you're here until you die, and for most of the inmates that doesn't take long - not with the sadistic guards and the bloodthirsty

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

s. Convicted of a

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

he didn't commit, sentenced to life without

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

, ‘new fish’ Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Only in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the

is a place of pure evil: where creatures in

gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mask ...

s stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming

inmates The Inmates are a British pub rock band, which formed after the split of The Flying Tigers in 1977. In 1982, they had a medium-sized international hit with a cover of The Standells' "Dirty Water", and a UK Top 40 hit with their cover of Jimmy M ...

into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood drenched tunnels below waiting to kill. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

, a man as cruel and as dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates - some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers - Alex plans the

prison break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...

to end all prison breaks. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex's actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that's hidden from the eyes of the world...

''Solitary''

Alex, Zee and Gary are on the loose in Furnace tunnels and caves but are eventually found by the

, the blacksuits and their hounds. Alex and Zee are condemned to a month in the 'hole', the

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

, while a wounded Gary is taken to the

infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambu ...

. In the pitch black hole, where all the worst nightmares come true, Alex and Zee manage to stay sane by communicating to each other by banging on the steel

pipes Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...

and the frequent visits of Simon - he yanks them out of their

cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

and works with them and his friends in order to make an escape attempt: first through a

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

, later through the

incinerator Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...

. In the prison's underground mazes Alex and Zee discover the dark truth: the inmates are

lab rat A laboratory rat or lab rat is a brown rat of the subspecies ''Fancy rat, Rattus norvegicus domestica'' which is bred and kept for scientific research. While Animal testing on rodents, less commonly used for research than mice (see laboratory mo ...

s; the wheezers perform procedures on them in order to become blacksuits but these experiments sometimes fail so they're either turned into 'rats' which seek only for

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

and

revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

or 'mutants', half rats half boys, who are harmless because they remember their old lives. In the

Alex finds Gary and Donovan (who is later smothered by a

pillow A pillow is a support of the body at rest for comfort, therapy, or decoration. Pillows are used in different variations by many species, including humans. Some types of pillows include throw pillows, body pillows, decorative pillows, and man ...

) who are turned into blacksuits. Alex's second escape plan doesn't go smoothly either: Zee is taken to the

but is later saved by Simon and Alex, the steeple doesn't lead to the outside but to one of the rats' lair and on their way through the

Alex, Zee and Simon are caught by the blacksuits.

''Death Sentence''

Alex undergoes the blacksuit procedure, while Simon, Zee and Ozzie are locked up. With the 'nectar', a dark

liquid A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...

full of tiny golden flecks, in his veins, Alex starts to forget things - his life prior and in Furnace, his friends and even his

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...

- and what's left is a cruel, merciless hatred toward the weak and a lust for power. But to become a real blacksuit, he has to pass a test, in which he successfully kills many rats and Ozzie. As a new recruit, he finds out other secrets: the existence of the 'berserkers' (creatures that are bigger, stronger, more merciless and with no rational thoughts as the blacksuits), and the nectar - the essence of it (the darkness that lies in someone's fear of death) and the motives behind it (to create perfect soldiers without fear, pain nor pity). When he has to pass another test by killing Zee, Alex starts to remember his name so he attempts to escape for the third time along with Zee and Simon, this time through the

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

that connects the prison with the main

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

. After a while, he starts to feel weak due to the lack of the nectar; without it he can either become a boy again or completely lose his mind and become a merciless killer, worse than a berserker, but Simon takes care of it. In the prison's 'gen pop' they and the other prisoners successfully defeat their enemies sent - first the blacksuits, later two berserkers - and reach the main gate. They are finally free. Hearing the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

, Alex, Simon and Zee run for it while in Alex's mind there's Furnace's voice screaming ''I am coming for you''.

''Fugitives''

The inmates are on the run with the

and the

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

on their heels, but are also chased by Furnace nightmarish creatures that carry the 'red-flecked' nectar - it has evolved into a

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

, so the infected creatures or

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s spread it by attacking and/or killing others. Trying to get as far away from the prison as possible, Alex, Zee and Simon hide first in a

mall Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India * M ...

, later in the

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

where they meet Lucy. After encountering some infected, Alex is bitten by a red-flecked berserker that causes him to teeter on the brink of

insanity Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

thanks also to Alfred Furnace's voice and visions - he wants Alex to be his right-hand man in the new 'Fatherland'. Soon they realize that the city is in a state of chaos and destruction, 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 survive, they are brought by Annabel and another

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

to a supposed safe place of PMCs, later revealed as the blacksuits. During their short capture, Alex, Zee, Simon and Lucy discover another inconvenient truth: the red-flecked nectar has been created by Alfred Furnace and is more powerful than the warden's nectar, and the Furnace Penitentiary is not the only place where blacksuits are created. They decide to destroy Furnace's tower with Furnace and his creatures in it. When Alex comes to meet Furnace, he finds instead Warden Cross who fills himself with the red-flecked nectar. He fights Alex but is eventually defeated. Drinking from Cross'

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

, Alex becomes a berserker. On the tower's

roof A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...

while the building is being bombarded, Alex promises to find and kill Furnace.

''Execution''

Alex is brought by the army, along with Zee, Simon and Lucy, to St Margaret's hospital where he, Simon and other Furnace creatures are studied by Panettiere and others while the plague's spreading through and out of the country. During the experiments, Alex drifts in and out of sleep where he experiences Furnace's memories. With Zee's visit, Alex realizes that he's expendable - he doesn't have any information about the nectar reproduction/annihilation or the whereabouts of then culprit. So Panettiere kills him but is resurrected by Sam. After Cross' death, Alex's considered Furnace's right-hand man, therefore, Sam and some berserkers help him and his friends to escape. With Panettiere and her army on their heels (they want to study Zee's immunity to the nectar), they spend the night in Alex's house, where he finds out that his parents haven't abandoned him as he remembers but have been trying to get him out of prison, and then they finally reach the island where Furnace is. At last, Alex meets Furnace who's still alive by being attached to a machine and wants Alex to be his heir - Alex is the only one who could handle the nectar and remember his history, and that's what the Stranger needs to survive. He accepts Furnace's offer, in doing so Alex's nectar is replaced by the Stranger's blood in Furnace's veins. Furnace is turned to dust and the Stranger manipulates Alex in continuing the war. However, with his friends' support Alex ends it by killing all of Furnace's creatures, including Simon, through telepathic images of freedom and peace. When Panettiere finally reaches them, she receives all of Alex's blood and dies while Alex's saved by receiving a nectar transfusion. Alex, Zee and Lucy are then brought to a military base where he's interrogated about what's happened. As time passes, the three of them and the whole world are trying to live a better, normal life, and Alex goes under the knife in order to become human again.

Main characters

Alex Sawyer - The main protagonist, 14 years old. Despite his young age, he makes several bad choices that lead him to imprisonment: he becomes a bully with two other kids, a thief and a liar. After a burglary, he is framed for the murder of his best friend and is sent to Furnace with no possibility of parole. With a bunch of inmates he tries to escape twice, but fails. After the second attempt he is turned into a blacksuit, and during a test to prove himself as a black suit, he kills Ozzie. However, he remembers his name and he successfully makes the third escape along with all of the prisoners of Furnace. He is on the brink of insanity due to the nectar running through his veins, but with his friends' help he manages to stay true to himself. After the escape he's infected with a new type of nectar, defeats Warden Cross and is turned into a berserker. After escaping the army who wants the nectar for themselves, he kills Furnace by becoming his heir and receiving the stranger's blood in Furnace's veins. Taking control of the war, he manages to end it by killing all of Furnace's creatures with his friends' help. He then escapes Furnace. Zee Hatcher - One of Alex's closest friends, sent to Furnace at the same time as Alex. He is framed for driving into an older woman and prior to Furnace, he used to steal cars. He's immune to the nectar: to the warden in ''Death Sentence'' he's of no use (he is unable to be turned into a blacksuit), while the army in ''Execution'' is very interested in him (he could hold the key to the cure). Carl Donovan - Alex's cellmate, 16 years old, one of the first to be brought to Furnace. At 11 years old he murders his mother's lover with a candlestick - he couldn't bear his mother's beatings. In ''Lockdown'' he acts as a guardian angel for Alex, although he is loath to admit it, and takes part in the escape plan until he is taken away in the blood watch. In ''Solitary'' he is turned into a blacksuit and is killed by Alex. Throughout the whole series, Alex still thinks of him and has imaginary talks with him. Simon Rojo-Flores - A failed mutant who assists Alex and Zee with and after their escape plan from the hole. He is sent to Furnace because he accidentally murders the owner of a jewelry store during a robbery. He dies at the end of ''Execution''. Lucy Wells - A girl who tags along with Alex, Zee, and Simon after they meet in ''Fugitives''. Her father was a policeman who was killed during the ''Summer of Slaughter'', therefore, she hates them at first. Warden Cross - One of the main antagonists whose eyes are so full of madness, hatred and rancid glee that meeting them is like watching yourself die a million times over. He is over 100 years old, and was 'adopted' by Furnace during WWII. Since then, he has regularly taken the nectar. In Furnace Penitentiary, he has control over the wheezers, blacksuits, prisoners and other creatures. He takes orders only from Alfred Furnace, often referring to himself as Furnace's 'right-hand man'. Due to Alex's rebellion against him, Furnace attempts to use Alex as Cross's replacement. Warden Cross is eventually drained of his own blood by Alex and fed to the wheezers in ''Fugitives''. Alfred Furnace - He is the founder of the Furnace Penitentiary and the main antagonist in the series. He communicates telepathically with Alex and the other creatures through the nectar but he appears only in ''Execution''. Having been born in Hungary in the 18th century - thereby making him over 300 years old as of the events of the story - and has experienced this enhanced lifespan due to his usage of the Stranger's blood, the base product of the nectar. When he was a boy, he was framed for murdering his younger brother József - the real killer was the Stranger - and was crucified by the townspeople; instead of death he choose the Stranger's offer, receiving immortality through the Stranger's blood. For centuries, he traveled across Europe, creating soldiers with his nectar in order to make a world in which there is only strength and equality. However, Furnace isn't in control of his actions but is controlled by the Stranger. In ''Execution'' he finally dies and is replaced by Alex.

Side characters

Sam The Blacksuit - A blacksuit who turns out to be assisting Alex while he is in the base in "Fugitives." General Hamilton - A general in ''Execution'' who gives Alex, Zee and Lucy a lift from the island to a military base. Monty - An inmate that shows up the same time as Alex. At first he is aloof and shows no warmness to Alex even after he saves his life during a skirmish in the trough room but at the end repays the kindness by making him, Donovan and Zee a legitimate meal using leftovers in the kitchen. He is taken by the blood watch and turned into a blacksuit - he murders Kevin. At the end of ''Lockdown'', he saves Alex from Moleface and dies. Seconds before his death however, he tells Alex, "''Never forget your name''", and this would save Alex from turning into a complete monster many times later in the series. Alex and Monty seem to be the only characters in the series who remembered their names after being turned by the nectar (excluding Warden Cross). Toby Merchant - A boy who arrives at Furnace shortly after Alex and is framed for murder as well. In ''Lockdown'' he attempts to commit suicide along with Ashley but is saved by Alex. He helps Alex, Donovan and Zee with the escape plan, but during the escape he is badly wounded by the explosion. In ''Lockdown'' he dies during the attempted escape. Moleface - A blacksuit with a small mole on the chin. He is the one who frames Alex for murdering his best friend. Skulls - One of the many gangs in Furnace, particularly cruel to "new fish". Gary became their leader in "Lockdown". Fifty-Niners - One of the gangs responsible for the ''Summer of Slaughter'' and one of the first to come to Furnace Rats - Furnace inmates who undergo the procedure to become blacksuits; experiment fails. They completely lose their mind due to the pain caused by the procedure and are always in search for food, including human's flesh, and revenge against the blacksuits and the warden. Jimmy - He is framed for murder at the same time as Alex, Zee and Monty. In ''Lockdown'' he wants to escape with Alex, Zee, Toby, and Gary but fails and rats them out. His fate is unconfirmed - probably dead. Ashley - A boy who upon arriving at Furnace, commits suicide. Carlton Jones - Zee's cellmate in ''Lockdown''. His fate is unconfirmed - probably dead. Brandon - One of Alex's friends prior to Furnace. His fate is unconfirmed - probably dead. Toby - Prior to Furnace, Toby was Alex's best friend and partner-in-crime who loved Elvis Presley. During a burglary, Toby is shot and killed by Moleface.

References

{{reflist

External links

* http://www.alexandergordonsmith.com/ * http://www.escapefromfurnace.com/#/home * https://web.archive.org/web/20120408063346/http://www.allenandunwin.com/_uploads/BookPdf/TeachersReview/9780571240807.pdf * https://web.archive.org/web/20140628162106/http://www.alexandergordonsmith.com/epilogue.pdf * http://www.tor.com/2011/09/21/the-night-children/ Young adult novel series Science fiction book series British young adult novels Novels set in London Novels set in prison