Furnace: Amazon.ca: Books

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Customer Reviews

45 Reviews

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not my favorite, Sep 17 2001

By	TorchRedCorvette (Grand Forks, ND United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Furnace (Hardcover)

Other reviewers related the story so I'll stick to my critique...The story itself isn't too bad. I didn't expect the twist toward the end; the book was interesting enough to keep me occupied in the airport.
I didn't care for her gory description in the beginning, about the baby who got run over by the main character's truck. Anyone who is the least bit squeamish will most likely feel ill if they also have a good imagination like I do. I also thought it could be scarier, it just didn't feel believable to me. (for instance, I like Stephen King because some of his material is closer to reality and the way people actually act.) Other reviewers also had good points about some of the language being a bit different.

Basically, it's okay if you have nothing better to read.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Maybe not original but highly readable, Jun 24 2001

By	Hans Spahr (York, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Furnace (Mass Market Paperback)

This book may not be very original, but the characters are believable and things keep moving along. There is a fairly entertaining twist at the end of the book involving a major character that I didn't see coming. The description of the demon/elemental was decently scarey. I also liked the the protagonist was an alchemist and not a witch; I thought that was an interesting twist on the genre. Recommended.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, if predictable, May 26 2001

By	Jamie L. Henderson "IPHY" (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Furnace (Mass Market Paperback)

Furnace is an enjoyable read for those who are into the less gory and more creepy type of horror fiction. While not quite achieving Stephen King-esque complete lack of style, Gray does use very straightforward storytelling, which is so effective in horror novels. The story is generally engaging, despite being utterly predictable. Predictability in itself is not a bad thing (it's what puts the suspense in an Hitchcock film) but it loses its luster when you are not supposed to have "figured it out".

On a couple of occasions Gray is a tad too aware of the fact that she is writing a horror novel and embarrassing phrases like "It was Hell calling" sneak in. Characters are nearly three dimensional, but mostly boil down to walking stereotypes. The reader does get a sense of the main character, Josh Spiller, having some depth to him; however he is about the only one who does and it's not particularly well-explored.

Nevertheless, I did find Furnace to be an "page-turner" and would recommend it to others with the above caveats in mind.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Plot, Great Book
I started to read furnace on a camping trip, and let me tell you not much camping was done. I was so into this thriller that i left my camper and headed off into the woods to go... Read more

Published on May 15 2001 by Nick Rider

4.0 out of 5 stars My third review
Okay, it's the third time I've reviewed this book, but this time it's with new knowledge and one less star - the incredible originality of 'Furnace' is knocked one notch lower... Read more

Published on April 2 2001 by Andy Gill

3.0 out of 5 stars The misspellings!
Nothing jerks me out of a story faster than a misspelled word. "Foul" for "fowl", and "jewellery" for "jewelry"? Come on, folks! Read more

Published on Mar 13 2001 by Pam Gearhart

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally convincing and gripping horror
I totally disagree with the reader from New York. I'm actually from the place that Gray writes about,the Shenandoah valley, in fact I even know the real places she talks about. Read more