Smith, Alexander Gordon. Execution: Escape From Furnace.

Smith, Alexander Gordon.  Execution: Escape From Furnace.  Macmillan/

Farrar Strauss  2012  312p  $16.99  978-0-374-36224-9  hs     Science Fiction  VG  

This fifth and final book in the Escape from Furnace series ramps up the action -- and the horror.  As with the other books in the series, the mayhem and cruelty are unrelenting.  The author has a deft hand for creating unbelievable horror.  Alex Sawyer has been turned into a monster, but, unlike some others of Furnace’s creations, he still has  some control over his mind.  He must kill Furnace to stop the mayhem, but will he lose his soul and his small thread of humanity in the process?  From the first book on, Alex and his friends have been sliding downhill.  Not for the faint of heart, but the series is extremely well-written and creates a visceral connection with its fans.  Humor is lacking, and the horror is vivid.  In some ways, it is surprising that the series has been so popular.  But this volume has something the others lacked, for all their popularity -  hope.  Readers will not be able to put this volume down.  The fifth book is on par with all the others, and is a fitting conclusion.

Prisons-Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction              --Pat Naismith