Lockdown

By: Alexander Gordon Smith

Narrated by: Alex Kalajzic

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

Beneath heaven is hell. Beneath hell is Furnace. Furnace Penitentiary. The world's most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth's surface. One way in, no way out. Once you're here, you're here until you die, and for most of the inmates that doesn't take long - not with the sadistic guards and the bloodthirsty gangs. Convicted of a murder he didn't commit, sentenced to life without parole, 'new fish' Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Only in Furnace, death is the least of his worries.

Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and as dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates - some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers - Alex plans the prison break to end all prison breaks. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace's deeper, darker purpose, Alex's actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that's hidden from the eyes of the world.

©2009 Alexander Gordon Smith (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Boys will love it!

Would you listen to Lockdown again? Why?

I probably wouldn't listen to Lockdown again because it was very suspenseful and made me nervous...just the type of book teen boys love!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lockdown?

The boys are locked away in a underground prison called, Furnace. Sometimes, never knowing when, the boys are subjected to horrendous creatures roaming the halls, stopping at cells of prisoners to take and torture. Every time this happened I wanted to pull a blanket over my head so I wouldn't be seen.

What about Alex Kalajzic’s performance did you like?

Alex Kalajzic's voice pulled me into the story, making me one of the characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me sweat! I knew when I was finished listening to it that it was a winner for the boys in my school. They love this kind of stuff.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book to hook a reluctant reader. Audiobooks usually work pretty well, but this story is truly dynamic.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

LIKE WOWZERS MAN!!!

Any additional comments?

I really liked the premise of this book and kind of had it on the back burner. For some reason I started it the other day and WOWZERS!!! This story completely and 100% KICKS ASS!!!!! I think Smith did a great job making believable characters (the main protag — Alex Sawyer — as well as the other boys in the prison), that I not only care about, but can't wait to invest more time in by reading this entire series. I suspended my usual aversion to cliffhanger endings because I think it really works in this case. The pace steadily increases throughout the book like Evil Knievel racing towards the ramp; faster and faster 'til his motorcycle blasts into the sky like a rocket and......tune in next time. The fearsome Warden Cross and the Blacksuits are great villains, but the Wheezers are beyond disturbing. They added a menacingly nightmarish tension to the story that left me on the edge of my seat in agony. I F'N LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I will read them all and most likely anything Mr. Smith has to offer. My favorite book of 2012 thus far.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Graphic, but excellent suspense

The violence in this can be a bit extra gory, about on par with what a pre-teen boy would find sufficient, but the suspense is well written and I'm interested to see where the next book in the series takes these characters!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Unbelievable

The premise is interesting, but the story is not believable and characters simply don't act as they likely would if the world actually existed as described. The characters often act very irrationally and many actions aren't followed by natural-seeming consequences. There are a lot of good YA books out there; this sadly is not one of them, especially as it doesn't even tell a complete stand-alone story.

This book was amazing

This book was the most thrilling book I have ever read! I actually cried a little bit when Donovan got taken. And the narration was amazing! I liked how he used different voices for the different characters. overall this book was outstanding! I am definitely going to read the next book.

Creepy Sinister Suspense

I was referred to this book by a friend and it was quite an interesting suspense story. Some definite horror elements mixed in with an incarceration vibe. It was a lot like Lord of the Flies and Shawshank Redemption got together and decided to throw some nightmares in the mix.

Everyone needs a good prison story now and again.

Good prison book, well written, good dialogue and pacing. Characters are believable and drive the plot, a refreshing change from the herd of dystopian novels.

Not Quite "The Hunger Games

Pretty good teen fiction for a male audience.
Setting could be anywhere but the narrator uses British accents throughout.
There are virtually no female characters except Alex's mom who only appears briefly early on.
This story reminded me of the Hunger Games novels with a bit of a ghastly, Sci Fi, horror bent.
The book ends at a climactic scene intended to lead you into the next volume in the series.
I am not certain that I will continue with the series.
Worth your consideration, anyway.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

dreadful!!!

one of the worst books i have downloaded in about 5 years with audible. the story itself is not too bad, but the narrator is quite bizarre. odd pauses, weird inflections, strange emphasis, incomprehensible accents!! where do i stop. is this bloke a native english speaker? is he even human?

i absolutely forced myself to finish it - really dont know why. it just suddenly ends. i resent the time i wasted on this one as much as the wasted credit. do yourself a favour and AVOID.

you have been warned!!!

3 of 7 people found this review helpful

Why oh why did we listen to this to the end

Not worth the time. The characters are intriguing yet are poorly developed. Surprised to find it was a young adult selection once I started listening.

2 of 5 people found this review helpful