Execution (Escape From Furnace #5)
Alex Sawyer has escaped his underground nightmare to discover the whole world has become a prison, and Alfred Furnace is its master. Monsters rule the streets, leaving nothing but murder in their wake. Those who do not die become slaves to Furnace’s reign of cruelty. Alex is a monster too. He is the only one who can stop Furnace but in doing so he could destroy everything....more
Hardcover, 312 pages
Published
November 13th 2012
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(first published March 3rd 2011)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Nov 29, 2012
Skyla
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
ya,
gas-masks,
monsters,
best-buddies,
best-world-building,
books-i-own,
cannibals,
fucked-up-science
This cover is awesome!! I have to wait until November for this?

What a brilliant ending to a brilliant series. I laughed, I cried, I got scared and hid under the covers of my bed and my cat thought I was trying to play and felt the need to pounce on me a few times, I hugged the book to my chest and cried because it was over.
Execution finds Alex pumped up on nectar once more and heading for the island where Alfred Furnace lives, except now we have a crazy army scientist lady to deal with and she i...more

What a brilliant ending to a brilliant series. I laughed, I cried, I got scared and hid under the covers of my bed and my cat thought I was trying to play and felt the need to pounce on me a few times, I hugged the book to my chest and cried because it was over.
Execution finds Alex pumped up on nectar once more and heading for the island where Alfred Furnace lives, except now we have a crazy army scientist lady to deal with and she i...more
This series is really too amazing. I probably cried a little too much reading this book. I won`t reiterate what I have been saying about it in my reviews of the previous books. It`s been a while since I`ve read a series as memorably impactful about human nature and the bonds that tie us together in life.
I felt like the story enabled me to empathize with the characters` journey. I could feel their pain, their desperation, their despair, and most of all, their growth. They were just children. But...more
I felt like the story enabled me to empathize with the characters` journey. I could feel their pain, their desperation, their despair, and most of all, their growth. They were just children. But...more
In 2004, the year I graduated from high school, "young adult" was a wishy-washy label attached haphazardly to all sorts of books, the most popular being Harry Potter, that were, yes, geared towards younger audiences but were also clean and slightly patronizing. Sure, Harry Potter learned some valuable life lessons, faced down seemingly invincible foes, and grew as both a wizard and a person--what teenager can't relate to that in some way?--but overall the books in that series, as well as most ot...more
Apr 12, 2013
Alicia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
boy,
dysfunctional,
mystery,
outdoor-adventure,
politics,
science-fiction,
series,
war,
urban
A very complex struggle takes place in the last installment of the Escape from Furnace series. Alex, who has always been the reluctant hero, again, takes up the war between the government/military and Alfred Furnace's creations. While it is very gruesome and grotesque and definitely much more violent and gory than all of the others combined (albeit a bit unnecessarily), the story is still the mystery of who really Alfred Furnace is. Alex is determined to find out and with memories being fed to h...more
Alexander Gordon Smith has created a perfect series ender with Escape From Furnace Execution. It started out slow but then it started to get intense in the middle and the ending. Alex Sawyer does not know what he is up against in the final book.
Alex and his friends finally got out of the prison and now they have to fight for their lives against the military and the creatures they released from the prison with them. Alex has only one goal on his mind, it is to kill the man who caused this all to...more
Alex and his friends finally got out of the prison and now they have to fight for their lives against the military and the creatures they released from the prison with them. Alex has only one goal on his mind, it is to kill the man who caused this all to...more
I'm just going to go straight into the story. Execution is the fifth and final book in the Escape From Furnace series.
The Story-
Alex Sawyer is no longer human, he is a monster. Everyday he struggles to control the dark nectar from taking over his mind. The military has captured him, and he hopes they mean to help him and his friends. But, what Alex discovers, is a mad scientist, masquerading as a doctor.
Alfred Furnace controls the outside world, his monsters killing and causing havoc. Alex knows...more
The Story-
Alex Sawyer is no longer human, he is a monster. Everyday he struggles to control the dark nectar from taking over his mind. The military has captured him, and he hopes they mean to help him and his friends. But, what Alex discovers, is a mad scientist, masquerading as a doctor.
Alfred Furnace controls the outside world, his monsters killing and causing havoc. Alex knows...more
Execution: Escape from Furnace, By Alexander Gordon Smith, is the finale in a quick paced series. The ride you get from this series is so fast that at time it feels like you will wind up with a case of whiplash.
In this story the whole world is going to hell. The insanity and destruction of the city and outlying areas are too much to bear as all the main characters, Alex, Zee, Lucy and Simon, are whipsawed trying to stop Alfred Furnace and his insane plan for Alex. In this world the good and the...more
In this story the whole world is going to hell. The insanity and destruction of the city and outlying areas are too much to bear as all the main characters, Alex, Zee, Lucy and Simon, are whipsawed trying to stop Alfred Furnace and his insane plan for Alex. In this world the good and the...more
Alex Sawyer can still remember his name and his mission - to kill Alfred Furnace. But now he is a prisoner of the military - a fanatical colonel who wants to use the enhanced nectar to create her own army of berserkers.
Helping Alex are Zee, Simon, Lucy, and Alex's own memories of Donovan. As the story progresses, Alex learns what turned Alfred into the monster he is. Alex himself becomes monstrous as he develops affection for the poor children Alfred and the stranger have experimented on. Finall...more
Helping Alex are Zee, Simon, Lucy, and Alex's own memories of Donovan. As the story progresses, Alex learns what turned Alfred into the monster he is. Alex himself becomes monstrous as he develops affection for the poor children Alfred and the stranger have experimented on. Finall...more
Jun 28, 2012
Ms. Yockey
marked it as to-read
Macmillan
Nov 2012
Ask Anne for copies of books 1-4 and her opinion
This is the final and 5th book in the Escape the Furnace series.
Book 1 review:
Booklist (February 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 11))
Grades 6-9. Positing a near-future backlash against teen crime (and teens in general), Smith sets his series opener in a squalid prison for juvenile offenders built deep underground and patrolled by surgically altered supermen with vicious, skinless dogs. Framed (like a suspicious number of his fellow inmates)...more
Nov 2012
Ask Anne for copies of books 1-4 and her opinion
This is the final and 5th book in the Escape the Furnace series.
Book 1 review:
Booklist (February 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 11))
Grades 6-9. Positing a near-future backlash against teen crime (and teens in general), Smith sets his series opener in a squalid prison for juvenile offenders built deep underground and patrolled by surgically altered supermen with vicious, skinless dogs. Framed (like a suspicious number of his fellow inmates)...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
May 04, 2012
Steven R. McEvoy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-best-of,
read-2012
It is always a little sad when you come to the end of a series of books that you really enjoy. That is how I approached this fifth and final book in the Escape from Furnace series by Alexander Gordon Smith. It has been a wild ride as we have followed Alex Sawyer go from a young child really, being framed for murder, to seeing him challenge Alfred Furnace for control of all who have been infected with the Nectar. This series was dark, gripping and compelling. Every time I started one of the books...more
This is the fifth and final book in the Escape from Furnace series, following Lockdown, Solitary, Death Sentence, and Fugitives.
Spoiler alert for this book and the series in general.
Here is the Goodreads summary:
Spoiler alert for this book and the series in general.
Here is the Goodreads summary:
Alex Sawyer has escaped his underground nightmare to discover the whole world has become a prison, and Alfred Furnace is its master. Monsters rule the streets, leaving nothing but murder in their wake. Those who do not die become slaves to Furnace’s reign of cruelty. Alex is a monster to...more
I liked this book and wanted to give it more stars but there were some MAJOR holes in the plot that I just can't overlook. I really did enjoy this series though as a whole, and I really like the author's writing style. I will definitely check out some of his other stuff.
Plot holes:
(view spoiler)...more
Plot holes:
(view spoiler)...more
Rating: 4.5
As the last book in the series, this was completely and utterly amazing. I loved it even more than I loved the first one, and I thought the first one was pretty great. Alexander Gordon Smith does a great job of making what we think its predictable, into a completely twisted and slightly antagonizing ending where you have no idea if the main character, Alex, is going to be a good guy or a bad guy, and you have no idea if the bad guys are really bad. It will completely corrupt your mind...more
As the last book in the series, this was completely and utterly amazing. I loved it even more than I loved the first one, and I thought the first one was pretty great. Alexander Gordon Smith does a great job of making what we think its predictable, into a completely twisted and slightly antagonizing ending where you have no idea if the main character, Alex, is going to be a good guy or a bad guy, and you have no idea if the bad guys are really bad. It will completely corrupt your mind...more
Maybe more of a 3.5. This is probably my least favorite book of the series--it really did get a bit over-the-top crazy at times, but I still thought it was a satisfying ending to the series. I liked the attempt to explain why Furnace was the way he was. I LOVED the friendships throughout this whole series and the shows of emotion from the characters. I also liked the pervasive theme of hope in each book (though a lot of faith, patience, and long-suffering are required of the reader in this serie...more
Having just finished this book series, I feel compelled to mention that while I gave it a 4 star rating, these books are NOT for the faint of heart or squeamish. Oh and there’s a bit of mild language too.
There were many times when I felt like throwing up just reading this but the author does an amazing job of telling Alex's story which compelled me to keep reading. You can't help but be drawn to Alex's plight. Alex fights against the devil himself and the author paints a pretty vivid picture fo...more
There were many times when I felt like throwing up just reading this but the author does an amazing job of telling Alex's story which compelled me to keep reading. You can't help but be drawn to Alex's plight. Alex fights against the devil himself and the author paints a pretty vivid picture fo...more
Dec 30, 2012
Johnp
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2012,
action-adventure,
hidden-world,
horror,
male-lead,
monsters,
special-powers,
violence
After the drastic turns in book 4 (Fugitives), things could only get worse - and they do! Book 5 concludes the ‘Escape from Furnace’ series with a whole new layer added to the story. Here, we get the backstory on Alfred Furnace, who he is and how he became the master of the nectar. It’s up to Alex to put an end to his plots, but, of course, it’s not that easy. Alex is captured and becomes a test subject for the government, who is determined to find out the weak link in nectar. This book gives yo...more
Feb 21, 2013
Kaitlin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
action,
addicting,
bromance,
need-to-read-again,
oh-my-god,
plot-twist-head-goes-boom

WOW. In all honesty this book made me want to 1.) kill myself and 2.) take over the world... I was

This book also made me want to tear it to pieces and then hug it at the same time.
Spoilers possibly but not that much
So, there were some little annoying things in this book, and I'm going to say it first so you can be annoyed at me, and then you read the good part and you feel extremely happy! Yay.
I didn't like how sometimes Alex changed emotions so quickly. Like...more
Nov 08, 2011
Casey
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Casey by:
goodreads
So this is my review for all 5 books. I've loved all of them, following Alex from his incarceration to his eventual escape and finally his defeat of Furnace and the Stranger was harrowing, it made me laugh and made me cry. Sometimes I didn't think there was going to be a happy ending, but I'm glad I read through to the end. The book doesn't end here, there is an epilogue on the authors website, and it is as good as the books. These books and especially the epilogue are beautifully written, and I...more
I'll say one thing for this book - it's the FIFTH in the series and although I haven't read any of the other books, I didn't have a problem following it. Like the entire series, it's very violent and bloody. (OK, I already said I hadn't read the entire series, but I've heard the rumors.) But for the most part the story didn't stall - at least until the end. The last 50 pages were kind of boring. And the language is pretty overwrought. OK, kind of cliche and so over-the-top that it gets silly. Bu...more
These books started out in a fantastic way and then completely fell apart. The ending was decent, however it seemed too much like it was tied up with a pretty bow. That was not the feeling that I got from the first books in the series. Those books delved into a despair that you felt and could relate to. I don't necessarily like never being able to see hope for a character, but sometimes the negative parts made me think more than just my usual happy go lucky attitude does. It was bland and extrem...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I ordered the UK version of Execution from Amazon because i just couldn't wait until it came out in the US, and it was absolutely amazing.
In the beginning of Execution when Alex was on the top of Furnace's building in the city, I really thought that he had completely lost his sanity and turned into a berserker forever, and I was really glad that when he woke up in Penetierre's hospital that he hadn't. But the fact that he had to live as a guinea pig for Penetierre was just as bad as being down i...more
In the beginning of Execution when Alex was on the top of Furnace's building in the city, I really thought that he had completely lost his sanity and turned into a berserker forever, and I was really glad that when he woke up in Penetierre's hospital that he hadn't. But the fact that he had to live as a guinea pig for Penetierre was just as bad as being down i...more
Whenever a story that is as incredible as Alexander Gordon Smith’s Escape from Furnace, it is uneasy to accept the fact that it has come to its final curtains. The fifth book, Execution, continues to tell the destructive path of Alfred Furnace. Monsters and creatures are causing up a storm throughout the land. En route to the Army, Alex Sawyer and his friends discover Furnace’s minions are shredding through it. While the war between creatures of the nectar and normal civilians is seemingly going...more
First: Warden Cross is my favorite character. Still. He makes my inner fangirl happy.
But what you really want--the review, in which I see two options:
1) You've already read Books 1-4 in the series: It's a continuous story, and you've made it this far--read the fifth book already and get your ending.
2) You haven't started the series and you're looking ahead to see if it holds up until the end: I think it does. If you enjoy the first couple of books, I think it'll be worth your time to see it thr...more
But what you really want--the review, in which I see two options:
1) You've already read Books 1-4 in the series: It's a continuous story, and you've made it this far--read the fifth book already and get your ending.
2) You haven't started the series and you're looking ahead to see if it holds up until the end: I think it does. If you enjoy the first couple of books, I think it'll be worth your time to see it thr...more
Dec 22, 2012
James
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012,
2012-young-adult
I think I only read this book because I had started the series and wanted to see it through to the finish. The book (and series) was not all that good. In this book, Alex spends much of the time either unconscious or locked up. As a result, about 75% of the novel takes place in his head which is really lacking for an action/horror/thriller. As a result, dialogue is virtually non-existent and you learn virtually nothing about any of the other characters. I found Zee and Simon much more enjoyable...more
This review was first posted on my blog Escaping With Books
I am completely buried in a turmoil of emotions right now, having just finished this book, the last one of this series. Honestly, I have no words to describe how I'm feeling because there simply are no words, and I also want to keep this spoiler free.
Alex has become a completely different person, and has definitely grown -- literally -- a lot. I loved the way he never stopped striving toward whatever it was he wanted to accomplish, the w...more
I am completely buried in a turmoil of emotions right now, having just finished this book, the last one of this series. Honestly, I have no words to describe how I'm feeling because there simply are no words, and I also want to keep this spoiler free.
Alex has become a completely different person, and has definitely grown -- literally -- a lot. I loved the way he never stopped striving toward whatever it was he wanted to accomplish, the w...more
Jan 15, 2013
Rebecca Ann
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Teen Boys
Shelves:
teen-horror,
teen-science-fiction
Omg, I finished a series, lol. This may never happen again. I have to say, Smith's writing style feels very amateur and unpolished, but his story is compelling I powered through anyway. I think the level of "horror" he is going for is difficult to sustain over so many books, and this book was no exception. The ending was in keeping with the series but felt anticlimactic for me. (view spoiler) I did like the story of the...more
Wow. What an unexpected ending, in a good way. So many feels.
Alex is so different I'm not sure I recognized him. He has changed so much from the beginning of the series and is so brave. He makes a lot of hard choices in the book and stays true to himself and his humanity, his good side. Zee, Lucy, Simon and all the other characters are also very heroic and strong.
I really like how realistic this ending was. The mystery part of the plot was well done, exciting and surprising. Even though everyt...more
Alex is so different I'm not sure I recognized him. He has changed so much from the beginning of the series and is so brave. He makes a lot of hard choices in the book and stays true to himself and his humanity, his good side. Zee, Lucy, Simon and all the other characters are also very heroic and strong.
I really like how realistic this ending was. The mystery part of the plot was well done, exciting and surprising. Even though everyt...more
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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...more
More about Alexander Gordon Smith...
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“Hope. It is the most important thing in the world. I believe that now more than ever. Hope is what saved my
life, hope is what gave me the courage and the strength
to carry on. Hope – that unshakeable, golden belief that
things can get better.”
—
3 people liked it
life, hope is what gave me the courage and the strength
to carry on. Hope – that unshakeable, golden belief that
things can get better.”
“It surged inside me, setting every nerve ending alight, making me feel like I could snap my fingers and stop time, cut the stars from the heavens.”
—
1 person liked it
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