Last Saturday’s Crystal Palace Children’s Book Festival was AWESOME. Not “only” did I get to meet all sorts of lovely people, including festival mastermind Alex Milway; not “only” was there a particularly brilliant and unusual DJ – but I also met and chatted with Alexander Gordon Smith, the author of a new book called Furnace: Lockdown. After hearing him read a passage from it involving skinless mutant attack dogs somehow I just knew I’d have to give it a try…!
After being framed for a crime that – for once – he didn’t commit, the book’s central character, Alex, is sent to the hardest, meanest, most brutal prison there is: FURNACE. I’m not going to tell you much more because I don’t want to spoil the story for you, but I will tell you this: if you like storytelling that grabs you from page one and pummels your brain like a punching-bag then be sure to read Furnace: Lockdown. You’re in for a treat.
When I was at school, one thing I loved was prison break stories (hmm, coincidence? I think not! ;p) One of my favourites back then was a (supposedly) true story called Papillon, by Henri Charriere. The fact that Furnace reminded me of that WITH MONSTERS! is therefore about the highest compliment I can possibly bestow. Furnace: Lockdown is currently vying with Invisible Fiends in my mind as THE MOST THRILLING BOOK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE I’VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR. Sorry to shout, but I’m very excited. Pick it up for yourself and see what I mean.
Meanwhile, I’m hoping that Gordon just might employ some of his ingenuity to help us poor TBM authors get away from our own captors’ clutches and make a break back to freedom at long last. He’s already contributed to Ali’s first poetry challenge. What do you think, Gordon? Could you come up with a cunning plan for us to escape these caves, by any happy chance??
01/05/2009 at 3:03 am Permalink
guess who!
that sounds like an amazing book!
i will hunt for it at a local bookshop or four. . . y’know. . .
in the case that i shouldn’t find it in the first one. . .
but i’m the geek with the book stores on speed dial XP
umm, what kind of monsters are you trapped by
and what do they eat?
do you know what they’re distracted by?
you can’t trick them unless you know something about them! haha
and you can’t trick them if you’ve never seen them, don’t know where they are, and don’t know where the exits are located.
you’re in a cave, correct?
rock or soil?
are there any rocks? stallagtites? stallagmites?(sp?)
any possibility of digging?
have you seen any light?
i’m getting way too into this
haha!
Keep up the good work! looking forward to your next book!
-Natasha
01/05/2009 at 5:57 am Permalink
Thanks, Natasha! BTW: I think in the US the book is called LOCKDOWN: ESCAPE FROM FURNACE. But it’s not out over there ’til October!
Your questions are great. Our answers? Not so great:
What kind of monsters? Er, pretty much /all of them/, by the look of it.
What do they eat? Anything. Particularly authors. The temptation not to throw one of our own to them and run like hell is a subject we’ve so far managed to avoid discussing. ;p
As to the exits, whenever the monsters bring us in or out they blindfold us and put us in sacks (‘sacs’, too, in some cases, as Joe will tell you – ew!) so we never get a chance to orient ourselves.
I’ll do my best to find out more, but if the monsters catch me or even see this comment, they’ll… No! NO! NOT THE SAC! AAARGHlp
01/05/2009 at 9:20 am Permalink
Hi Sam, thanks so much for the kind words – be careful, though, talking about escape will surely get you in trouble. Speaking of which, I’ll do my best to try and bust you out, but I’m not holding up much hope. I mean Furnace may be bad with its mutant dogs, wheezers and a warden who may or may not be the devil, but that place looks like a doll’s house compared with the dark, damp cave that you guys are trapped in. And even I wouldn’t dare mess with Gwyneth…
01/05/2009 at 10:58 am Permalink
*sigh* well i shall just have to wait then! Hah!
keep up the good work!
maybe you guys should sit down together (just throwin’ that out there)and list your possible tools. it’s amazing what you can do with something simple like dental floss or a shoelace. pocket knives are useful! good luck with the cave thing, hope all goes well
-Natasha
01/05/2009 at 3:49 pm Permalink
I saw Furnace mentioned on Sarwat’s blog and ordered it. Sounds like an exciting read.
So many books – so little time.
Your’s comes first though Sam.:)
27/05/2009 at 1:39 am Permalink
I’m from America, and browsing in a local bookstore I came upon an unpublished copy of Lockdown. The proprietor of the store turned to me and said “It’s two for one you know.” So I took the book, along with my other purchases. I sat down at home and began to read. I Could NOT put it down! I HIGHLY recommend this book. It made my heart race and palms sweat when I was reading, and it was hard to read at night without the hair on the back of your neck standing up. Sorry to rant, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I haven’t found a book so deliciously twisted since, and I really hope there’s more.