Fugitives: Escape from Furnace 4
By
Alexander Gordon Smith
If I could rewrite this book, I could
include every important plot element within 20-30 pages---- if I was being
really wordy.
I would say that 2% of this book is necessary
plot while 98% is way-too-long descriptions of violence.
Maybe that appeals to you, but it
certainly didn’t really work for me. And this from someone who generally enjoys
violence in young-adult literature.
I found myself skimming through chapters
just to get to any new plot device or bit of information that would advance the
narrative. It would come maybe once a chapter, MAYBE.
This book is clearly written by a guy for
young guys. It reminded me of a hundred horrible movies where cars get blown
up, helicopters fall from the sky, faces get ripped off, one-on-one combat
scenes on the edge of a rooftop, and you, as a viewer, don’t really know why it
is happening but it doesn’t seem to matter. You are there because you
apparently like this sort of nonsensical, gravity/biology/physics- defying
action, not because you give a shit about motivation and plot cohesion.
While reading this, I felt like I could
easily map out exactly what Gordon Smith was watching while he wrote. There
were almost identical moments or images from other movies- most obviously Dawn of the Dead, Hellboy, Silent Hill, The
Incredible Hulk, and so many others that I had trouble keeping track and
immediately regretted not writing them down.
This is the worst of the bunch so far. Yet,
I still can’t stop because now I have to know how Gordon Smith is going to
resolve everything. Even though I had to wade through WAY too many random fight
scenes, I still want to know if he will redeem himself. I have to remind myself
that these books were clearly NOT meant for my enjoyment--- and, I also feel
like I have to finish because the presence of mental illness in these novel is
so horribly offensive that it will be absolutely perfect for my dissertation! Horray,
time not entirely wasted!
