Tunnels (2007)

Tunnels is a subterranean fiction novel by British authors Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. It was initially published by The Chicken House in 2007. The story follows Will Burrows, a 14-year-old 'archaeologist', who stumbles upon an underground civilization called The Colony. Will and his friend Chester flee The Colony and set out to find Will's father, in the Deeps, a place even deeper in the Earth than The Colony.

Tunnels was critically well received, although some complaints about its lengthy, slow start were recorded. The book placed on The New York Times Children's Chapter Books Bestseller List in February and March 2008. It is the first book in the Tunnels series, and was followed by Deeper (2008), Freefall (2009), Closer (2010), Spiral (2011) and Terminal (2013). BBC Audiobooks and Recorded Books have released audio editions.

Plot

The main influence in fourteen-year-old Will Burrows' life is his father, Dr. Burrows, and together they share an interest in archaeology and a fascination for the buried past. When Dr. Burrows begins to notice strange 'pallid men' where they live in Highfield, and then promptly goes missing, Will and his friend Chester go search for him. They discover a blocked passageway behind bookshelves in the cellar of the Burrows home and re-excavated it, finding the passage leads to a door set into the rock, and beyond the door is an old lift that takes them down to another set of doors. A cobblestone street lies beyond, lit by a row of orb-like street lamps; houses that appear to be carved out of the walls themselves flank the street.

They are soon captured by the police of the subterranean community, known as the Colony. In prison, Will is visited by Mr. Jerome, and his son Cal. They reveal Will was actually born in the Colony, and that they are his real family; Mr. Jerome his father, and Cal his younger brother. Will is eventually released from the prison and taken to the Jerome's home, where Will and Cal's Uncle Tam is delighted to see him and informs Will that his adoptive father, Dr. Burrows, was recently there, and had willingly travelled down into the Deeps – a place even deeper in the Earth than The Colony. Will learns that the Styx, the religious rulers of the Colony, are either going to enslave Chester or banish him to the Deeps to fend for himself. Will refuses to abandon his friend, and Uncle Tam formulates a plan for him to rescue Chester and to take him back to the surface.

Will and Cal attempt to rescue Chester before he is sent to the deeps on the 'Miner's Train', but the Styx arrive and they are forced to leave Chester behind. During the botched escape attempt, it is revealed that Rebecca, Will's adoptive sister, is actually a Styx implanted in his family to monitor him. The boys head through a series of tunnels to the Eternal City, an old stone city, estimated by Will to be from Roman times, where the air is filled with deadly bio-toxins. They avoid the Styx soldiers, who patrol the city with their vicious stalker attack dogs, and eventually emerge on the bank of the Thames. Will makes for his home in Highfield, but there Will's health deteriorates, so Cal helps him to his Auntie Jean's flat where he recovers. Soon they return underground to find Will's adoptive father and attempt to rescue Chester once again. They encounter another Styx patrol, and Uncle Tam kills a member of the Styx, whom he calls Crawfly, but is mortally wounded in the fight. The strong-willed Uncle Tam chooses to stay behind to give the boys time to escape. With the help of Imago Freebone, a member of Uncle Tam's gang, Will and Cal escape to a small hiding place halfway between the Colony and the Eternal City. There, they rest and mourn for Uncle Tam; and are told by Imago that Chester's train to the Deeps will pass directly under their hiding spot shortly. They jump down into the train through a hole in the floor of the hiding spot and find Chester. Together they ride down to the Deeps. In the book's epilogue, Rebecca kills Imago, who was hiding on the surface, by poison.

Characters

Will Burrows: The main character who is an avid fan of digging

Dr. Burrows: Will's father

Celia Burrows: Will's mother

Rebecca Burrows: A Styx agent planted into the Burrows household. Secondary antagonist.

Chester Rawls: Will's friend

Speed: The school bully, a minor antagonist.

Bloggsy: Another bully, Speed's accomplice

Auntie Jean: A relative of Celia Burrows who Will and Rebecca stay with for a while.

Mr Jerome: Will's biological father

Caleb Jerome: Will's biological brother

Sarah Jerome: Will's biological mother

Bartleby: A Hunter, type of cat used by the Jeromes

Tam Macaulay: A hulking man who is a relative of the Jeromes

Grandma Macaulay:

Imago Freebone: One of Tam's allies

Joe Waites:

Jesse:

The Crawfly: Rebecca's biological father, a major antagonist

Terry Watkins: A man living on the top Earth level who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to the Colony, and is captured to be a slave along with his household

Abraham de Jaybo: A man who is sent even deeper into the Earth and returns critically sick. He talks about all kinds of different things he sees, but few believe him.

Heraldo Walsh: A minor antagonist who insults Will and fistfights with Tam

Clarkes: The Clarke brothers run a convenience store on the Earth surface, but are seen to co-operate to some degree with the Colony

Mrs. Tantrumi: A Styx agent, minor antagonist

Oscar Embers: A Styx agent, minor antagonist