crepusculi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
fistofmoradin's review against another edition
3.0
cool art. didn't finish. Just couldn't get into the story this time around. Picked it up b/c I kept seeing it at the library.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
I received a copy of The Furnace in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Brought to you from the mind of Prentis Rollins (Green Lantern: Rebirth, Villains United, Survival Machine) The Furnace is a graphic novel designed with the intent of making you stop and think. It’ll do everything to make you do that, even going so far as to hit you emotionally, to draw obvious lines from current situations to potential future ones.
The Furnace is described as being perfect for fans of Black Mirror and Twilight Zone and after having read it, I must agree with that assessment. It’s set in the future and questions the limitations and ethical use of technology. How far will humanity let it go? When exactly, does it cross a line? And how to we fix things, once that line is crossed?
The Furnace is anything but a light read, and yet it is so very much worth taking some time out of your day to read. Even if you don’t agree with the point it’s trying to make, or the methods it’s using, the fact of the matter is it will make you think. I personally adore food for thought books, and this one takes it a few steps further than that.
Yes, it can get a bit preachy at times, and I would sure hope that some of the scenario shown here would never actually happen - realistically I think it would actually cost more in the long run, so would never happen. But that’s a sad reason for me not believing it as a possibility, isn’t it?
While it does explore the line between technology being useful and overused, it also explores the human condition, in its own way. That’ll make more sense in a minute, I promise.
This book could easily have been called the Prisoner, if they had wanted to. A brief description of the major dilemma will make that clear; a new technology for keep tracking of prisoners is invented. While it will allow them to leave the prisons, move out into the real world, and go about their everyday life…it won’t let them be seen or heard, or interact with humans at all.
But I had to ask myself, while the idea of ‘freeing’ prisoners sounds great; it’s basically a pretty version of solitary confinement, isn’t it? When has solitary confinement ever been okay for every waking moment of a person’s life? Even the most hardened criminals don’t deserve that.
That’s what I was talking about earlier though – how would humanity react to an invention like that? To seeing it in use? And what about the humans inside it? Forever prevented from talking and being seen, from interacting with the world. They wouldn’t be able to free or kill themselves. In short, they’d be doomed to live out that sentence. Would everyone just sit by and watch? Simply because they can’t actually see it happening?
I love all the moral and ethical debates this book brought up. I’m going to have to make somebody else read it so I can chat with them about it. I think it could lead to a lot of interesting discussions, and again I believe that regardless of what side of the argument you take.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Brought to you from the mind of Prentis Rollins (Green Lantern: Rebirth, Villains United, Survival Machine) The Furnace is a graphic novel designed with the intent of making you stop and think. It’ll do everything to make you do that, even going so far as to hit you emotionally, to draw obvious lines from current situations to potential future ones.
The Furnace is described as being perfect for fans of Black Mirror and Twilight Zone and after having read it, I must agree with that assessment. It’s set in the future and questions the limitations and ethical use of technology. How far will humanity let it go? When exactly, does it cross a line? And how to we fix things, once that line is crossed?
Spoiler
The Furnace is anything but a light read, and yet it is so very much worth taking some time out of your day to read. Even if you don’t agree with the point it’s trying to make, or the methods it’s using, the fact of the matter is it will make you think. I personally adore food for thought books, and this one takes it a few steps further than that.
Yes, it can get a bit preachy at times, and I would sure hope that some of the scenario shown here would never actually happen - realistically I think it would actually cost more in the long run, so would never happen. But that’s a sad reason for me not believing it as a possibility, isn’t it?
While it does explore the line between technology being useful and overused, it also explores the human condition, in its own way. That’ll make more sense in a minute, I promise.
This book could easily have been called the Prisoner, if they had wanted to. A brief description of the major dilemma will make that clear; a new technology for keep tracking of prisoners is invented. While it will allow them to leave the prisons, move out into the real world, and go about their everyday life…it won’t let them be seen or heard, or interact with humans at all.
But I had to ask myself, while the idea of ‘freeing’ prisoners sounds great; it’s basically a pretty version of solitary confinement, isn’t it? When has solitary confinement ever been okay for every waking moment of a person’s life? Even the most hardened criminals don’t deserve that.
That’s what I was talking about earlier though – how would humanity react to an invention like that? To seeing it in use? And what about the humans inside it? Forever prevented from talking and being seen, from interacting with the world. They wouldn’t be able to free or kill themselves. In short, they’d be doomed to live out that sentence. Would everyone just sit by and watch? Simply because they can’t actually see it happening?
I love all the moral and ethical debates this book brought up. I’m going to have to make somebody else read it so I can chat with them about it. I think it could lead to a lot of interesting discussions, and again I believe that regardless of what side of the argument you take.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
sardonic_writer's review against another edition
2.0
The more I think about this book, the more annoyed I get. The premise is interesting- small probes are assigned to maximum security prisoners to eliminate the need for the prison, with the catch being that they render the prisoner invisible and mute all sound from them. But the ethical implications are muddled by the intrusion of the ridiculously boring woe-is-me crappy father plotline, in which the protagonist moans about being a shithead to his wife. I guess it's supposed to inject humanity into him, but all it does is create a weak framing story and detract from the actual plot. Also the ending is a big load of nothing.
cathepsut's review against another edition
2.0
I read a 16 page excerpt of this comic and have to say that it didn‘t do anything for me. Based on the excerpt I have no interest in reading the full story. The art was ok, but didn‘t grab me.
And there was too little of the story to make an impact. Something about mobile prisons? Vaguely SF. Something horrible happens and bad choices are made?
Sorry, too short to form a decent opinion.
I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
And there was too little of the story to make an impact. Something about mobile prisons? Vaguely SF. Something horrible happens and bad choices are made?
Sorry, too short to form a decent opinion.
I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
novelbloglover's review
1.0
Not much I can say about the Furnace other than I didn't like. It wasn't any one thing for it was a combination affect; i didn't like the art style or the story and felt no emotional connection whatsoever to any of the characters, so a no from me.
romcm's review against another edition
5.0
HOLY SHIT. This was terrifying and absolutely brilliant. The story. The art. A true thriller.
ederwin's review
4.0
Sci-Fi story about the implications of a high-tech prisoner management technique. Instead of keeping them in expensive prisons where they can sometimes cause riots, etc., they are put under the charge of a floating metal sphere which creates an invisibility shield around them. The prisoner can then walk about freely in the world, but nobody can see or hear him. Any attempt he makes to escape or touch another person results in painful punishment. So while he is able to experience the world, he is still in solitary confinement. Forever. What would that do to a person? What would the guilt do to the people who created it?
The graphics are lovely and detailed, with subdued colors. An excerpt is available on the Tor.com website.
Oh how I love little free libraries! There are many, many of them in my town and I often stop to check to see what's inside. I love the randomness of finding books this way. I'd never heard of Prentis Rollins or this book, but it looked interesting, and it is! And I got it a month before it will even be put on sale. Now I'll spread the love by offering it to members of my comics reading group or putting it into another little free box.
The graphics are lovely and detailed, with subdued colors. An excerpt is available on the Tor.com website.
Oh how I love little free libraries! There are many, many of them in my town and I often stop to check to see what's inside. I love the randomness of finding books this way. I'd never heard of Prentis Rollins or this book, but it looked interesting, and it is! And I got it a month before it will even be put on sale. Now I'll spread the love by offering it to members of my comics reading group or putting it into another little free box.
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