Product Description

Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows lives with his family in London. He has little in common with them except for a passion for digging which he shares with his father.   When his father suddenly disappears down an unknown tunnel, Will decides to investigate with his friend Chester. Soon they find themselves deep underground, where they unearth a dark and terrifying secret - a secret which may cost them their lives.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2904 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
Will finds his way into a frightening underground world in this fantasy adventure. Will's family may be dysfunctional, but he and his father are drawn together by their shared love of tunnels. Father and son dig not-quite-legal tunnels around London, unearthing Victorian jars, Codswallop bottles, 18th-century nails and other detritus of the city's history. When Will's father vanishes, Will and new friend Chester follow his trail into an underground city, the Colony. Will's fascination quickly gives way to dread, as the boys discover the Colony is peopled by xenophobic zealots and policed by the Styx, cruel magical despots. Will is determined to rescue Chester, and his quest leads him up against gruesome cruelties and startling betrayals. Dense but exciting. (Fantasy. 10-12) (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

Interesting but ultimately slow to develop
I read this because of all the publicity online and in the press and although it is engaging on one level and based on a clever idea, the story unfolded at a pedestrian pace that did not hold my attention, with a lot of background adult observation irrelevant to the story form. I'm sorry, it didn't live up to expectations.

Tunnels
Will Burrows loves a good adventure. His father was trained as an archaeologist but works in a second rate local museum. In their off hours, Will and his Dad do amateur digs in hopes of finding something really exciting, something really noteworthy. They've had a few interesting discoveries but nothing seems to pan out.

Bend on trying to find something really interesting, Will enlists the help of his buddy Chester. Every day after school the two work on an area that seems to have some potential. At the same time Will's Dad is also onto something huge. In secret, he has been doing research on a strange orb that he found in a cellar. It appears to be some sort of light made of materials that are very unique and have some very interesting qualities.

Will and Chester stumble upon Dr. Burrows work when the man suddenly disappears. Then, the real adventure begins. Will's world is turned upside down. Not only does he find out that his parents are his natural parents but that his sister is actually a spy sent to watch him and make sure that he never finds out the truth.

I highly recommend Tunnels and can't wait for the sequel. It's full of action and intrigue. A great plot and a well thought out world.

I don't 'get it' .....but my daugher liked it
A few days have elapsed since finishing 'Tunnels' and the feeling of being cheated has passed ;P

Ultimitely I realise that my annoyance isn't with the authors or the book itself....it's with whoever markets and hypes 'Tunnels'. I bought this book because it was hailed as the next Harry Potter. Now, granted, that was my own fault because I should have known that HP was one-of-a-kind, but just for a moment I believed in the hype. I think that sort of advertising is doing the authors and the book a disservice and is unfairly setting up some readers for a fall. It's NOT the new Harry Potter, there will never be another Harry Potter and why a new book can't just be touted as a great book in it's own right is beyond me. The comparison is letting 'Tunnels' down IMO.

To compare the 2 is one of the worst ploys this book's advertisers could have made. It's not an even playing field and I feel it's really unfair to put so much pressure on Tunnels when they're clearly nothing alike....neither in subject nor style.

As to how I feel about the book itself, well I'd be lying if I said I loved it. I'm not even sure I can say I liked it, but I did finish it so it can't be all bad. It had it's 'moments' but sadly, for me, they were all too few. If more (or even 'as much') time had been spent on characters as was spent on the surroundings, then perhaps I could have bonded with the people better. As it is, the only one that mildly interested me was the sister, and little was spent on her.

Having said that, the appeal is obviously there, judging by other reviews so maybe I'm just missing something.

I (might) even buy 'Deeper' to see how Will fares ;P

If this was made into a film it might have more appeal.....but as a book, it doesn't 'do it' for me..

I feel obliged to add that my daughter liked it, (although it was a bit scary for her), and since children are the target audience perhaps they are the best critics. That being the case, the rating reflects her appreciation alone.