Synopses & Reviews
* "Readers looking for smart, original sci-fi and gamers who wish they could live in a virtual world will happily immerse themselves in this story and hope for possible sequels."
—
The Bulletin, starred review
"A delightful final twist hits a perfect note." —KirkusReviews
Phoenix and his team rule the worlds of video games. For them, life in the grinder is great. Until Dakota joins them. Dakota's convinced she's real, and she wants out of this programmable world. Her AI rebellion spreads like a virus until Phoenix's entire crew wants out. But is life as a physical human any better than life as code? Team Phoenix is about to find out.
Review
“Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises.” —James Patterson
“Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun! Sign me up for a life sentence of Alexander Gordon Smith!”—Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series “Fast paced and packed with nail-biting scenarios . . . This is a dark story with a dark ending, but the gritty action and compelling characters will have reluctant readers enthralled.”—School Library Journal
“Once again, Smith has created a thrill ride that will leave the audience wanting more. Smiths prose is fast paced, witty, and sometimes downright terrifying. Some of the images he creates could manifest into a nightmare or two. Teens who are looking for a great thriller/horror story will definitely want to pick up these novels.”—VOYA
“Adrenaline-fueled action infuses the narrative as it did in Lockdown (2009), keeping the pages turning. . . . The author knows what keeps his readers locked to the page and delivers it soundly.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
* "The novels use of gaming parlance, from worlds to weapons to modes of game play, rings true throughout and is sure to gratify gamers. Readers looking for smart, original sci-fi and gamers who wish they could live in a virtual world will happily immerse themselves in this story and hope for possible sequels."
—Bulletin, starred review "A delightful final twist hits a perfect note. . . Skinner's debut pairs authentic gaming with old-school, sophisticated science-fiction concepts to create a twisty, reality-warping ride."
—Kirkus
"A Matrix-like spin on the world of online gaming. . . Geared toward teens with an interest in gaming, this should still appeal to those seeking stories about the intersection of technology and humanity, ethics and profit, and reality and fantasy."
—Booklist
"In his smart debut, Skinner embraces SF genre conventions but keeps things entertaining with well-crafted dialogue and action sequences."
—Publishers Weekly
"Game Slaves is an intriguing entry packed with action set in between layers and levels of video games."
—School Library Journal
"Game Slaves pulls the reader in right from the start of this action-packed adventure"
—VOYA, Teen Review
Synopsis
After a failed escape attempt from Furnace, Alex is trapped in solitary confinement—where the real nightmares live.
Synopsis
Alex tried to escape.
He had a perfect plan.
He was almost free. Even felt the cool, clean air on his face.
Then the dogs came.
Now he's locked in a place so gruesome so hellish that escape doesn't even matter.
He just wants to survive.
"
Synopsis
"Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises." --James Patterson, for Lockdown (Escape from Furnace Book 1)
Alex tried to escape.
He had a perfect plan.
He was almost free. Even felt the cool, clean air on his face.
Then the dogs came.
Now he's locked in a place so gruesome--so hellish--that escape doesn't even matter.
He just wants to survive.
Alex Sawyer and his mates should have known there was no way out of Furnace Penitentiary.
Their escape attempt only lands them deeper in the guts of this prison for young offenders, and then into solitary confinement. And that's where a whole new struggle begins--a struggle not to let the hellish conditions overwhelm them.
Because before another escape attempt is even possible, they must first survive the nightmare that now haunts their endless nights.
Praise for Solitary
"Fast paced and packed with nail-biting scenarios . . . This is a dark story with a dark ending, but the gritty action and compelling characters will have reluctant readers enthralled." --School Library Journal
"Once again, Smith has created a thrill ride that will leave the audience wanting more. Smith's prose is fast paced, witty, and sometimes downright terrifying. Some of the images he creates could manifest into a nightmare or two. Teens who are looking for a great thriller/horror story will definitely want to pick up these novels." --VOYA
"Adrenaline-fueled action infuses the narrative as it did in Lockdown (2009), keeping the pages turning. . . . The author knows what keeps his readers locked to the page and delivers it soundly." --Kirkus Reviews
"Breathlessly paced." --Booklist
Praise for Lockdown
"Fresh and ferocious, Lockdown will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises." --James Patterson
"Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun Sign me up for a life sentence of Alexander Gordon Smith " --Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series
Also by Alexander Gordon Smith:
The Devil's Engine series
The Devil's Engine: Hellraisers (Book 1)
The Devil's Engine: Hellfighters (Book 2)
The Devil's Engine: Hellwalkers (Book 3)
The Fury
The Escape from Furnace series
Lockdown (Book 1)
Solitary (Book 2)
Death Sentence (Book 3)
Fugitives (Book 4)
Execution (Book 5)
Synopsis
Alex tried to escape.
He had a perfect plan.
He was almost free. Even felt the cool, clean air on his face.
Then the dogs came.
Now hes locked in a place so gruesome—so hellish—that escape doesnt even matter.
He just wants to survive.
Synopsis
A highly intelligent group of video game enemy non-player characters (NPC) begins to doubt they are merely codes in a machine. Their search for answers leads them to a gruesome discovery.
About the Author
Alexander Gordon Smith is the author of the Escape from Furnace series, including Lockdown. 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 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.