Tunnels

Tunnels #1

by Roderick Gordon, Brian Williams

Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows has little in common with his strange, dysfunctional family. In fact, the only bond he shares with his eccentric father is a passion for archaeological excavation. So when his dad mysteriously vanishes, Will is compelled to dig up the truth behind his disappearance. He unearths the unbelievable: a subterranean society that time forgot. "The Colony" has existed unchanged for a century, but it's no benign time capsule of a bygone era. Because the Colony is ruled by a merciless overclass, the Styx. Will must free his father—but is he also about to ignite a revolution?

KIDS DIG TUNNELS!

"My eyes were my gray metal shovel and my dark unexpected tunnel was the book. I kept digging my way deeper into the plot to find out what was going to happen next."—Alexa, age 12

"...a unique mix of fantasy and adventure that keeps you wondering what's going to happen next....the vivid descriptions will transport you to a whole new world."—Matt, age 14

"...I was on the edge of my seat until the last page. It was intricately mystifying. Full praise to TUNNELS—I want more!"--Garrett, age 12

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction, Mystery, Middle Grade

496 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 2, 2007

About the author

Roderick Gordon is the author of the Tunnels series of books. Born in 1960, he grew up in Highgate, North London, and eventually went to University College where he dabbled in genetics and listened to Joy Division. After graduating without the faintest idea what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, he spent some time in the wilderness when he played in a few bands, then somehow fell into a job doing corporate finance for an investment bank in the City of London. He genuinely thought this was all that the future held for him until he was made redundant in 2001.
But Roderick surprised himself by working on a book with help from an old university friend and, in 2005, he self-published it as The Highfield Mole, which caught the attention of Barry Cunningham, founder of Chicken House, a publisher of children’s books. Following a period of editing, Barry republished it as Tunnels in July 2007. After intense media interest around its launch, Tunnels was published in almost forty countries and was a New York Times Bestseller, achieving sales of more than a million copies worldwide. Shortly after publication the film rights were purchased by US-based Relativity Media, and Mikael Håfström has been appointed as director. Roderick followed Tunnels with further books in the series, Deeper, Freefall, Closer, Spiral and, finally, Terminal in 2013.

He has just released a new book called Summerhouse Land in a very limited run of hardbacks. Please see www.summerhouseland.com for more details.

Reviews

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Omg okazało się, że nie cierpię tej książki xd

[give me books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nie jest to do końca moja książka, ale może miłość jeszcze nadejdzie

[Mohammed Arabey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you think It'll be just tunnels, like any ordinary old ones...

Well...Think again and enter, you're welcome..
Welcome into the Tunnels

A mysterious city cities underground..some with people living in..very mysterious inhabitant with their mysterious guardians, mysterious law and rules, mysterious past ...

and other cities, abandoned ancient ones...

....and here we are with 14 years old Will Burrows who is searching into these deep tunnels for his father who disappeared 'mysteriously'...

Will inherit from his father the love , passion for digging tunnels so he's okay with doing so with his friend..but of course what he saw was beyond his imagination..

So far seem nice BUT actually, it's Not...

Despite many saying The beginning was slow, It was what I really enjoyed most , Loved the mystery at this first 1/3 of the novel before Will start digging the tunnel to the city underground.

His father was trying to uncover the truth of the mysterious strange foreigners walking around his city "Highfield"...
Also to find out about the mysterious subject that came to his possession which radiating green light in the dark places...And the mysterious chimneys that serve nothing in the buildings it's in..

I loved it so far,with the introducing the weird family of Will, but after that I really felt "God that's so exhausting"..
The next 300+ pages was a good plot that went bad with the super long and repeated scenes....or scenes that wasn't add much to the plot...300 pages 'total was 470' can be easily just 200 maximum and it'd be superb novel..

And above all, what really really did BUG me is no mystery any of the mysteries been solved by the end of book one...not a single one ....but just more questions appeared...in these 300+ pages

******************************
With few characters , and with intent to keep more mystery to be solved in later books, there was no need at all to make all these pages just describing the long escapes from and into the city

It really board me unexpectedly , I love detailed description of places and characters, as in J.K.Rowling novels...but when it and the plot deserve it...
Remember Harry Potter book one was 320 pages only

The strange thing is this novel, part one, is a reprint to a limited editions 'The Highfield Mole' which published before this one in only 344 pages...
I'm sure it was a much much better one....

***********************************
* The Setting *
---------

The Setting was great, you'll feel it dark green , really the atmosphere of the novel is very well written after all...

Also as I said before, the early part of the novel in Highfield was very nice, I tried to Google if there's an actual city in UK..It was the best in the novel really.

The History of these underground places is still unclear, still mysterious but I'm sure there will be more next 5 books.
Well I bought first four ones, so I guess I'm stuck with Will undergreound...and have to read book 2..which is 'Deeper'..
Hope it's not that prolonged..

Ouh oh, it's 655 pages...

Wish me luck :)

Mohammed Arabey
From 31 Aug. 2014
To 9 Sep. 2014

[Jaclyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. This wasn't my kind of book at all. I was one of the multitudes who got sucked into the "next Harry Potter" hype and the one thing I've learned from the experience is that there isn't going to be a next Harry Potter, so I should just get over it.

Now, to the book. It's the story of Will Burrows, a Londoner whose great passion is conducting archaeological digs with his dad. When his dad goes missing, Will enlists the help of his friend Chester. Together they stumble on an entire underground civilization that exists in secrecy, miles below London. Sounds fantastic, right? GREAT story concept. The problem is, the book is missing several elements that, had it had them, would have made it a much better story and much worthier of "next Harry Potter" hype. First of all, the main difference I can see is that this isn't a story of good vs. evil. It's a story of moral ambivalence vs. evil. Yes, there are characters as vile and heinously brutal as Voldemort, but there's no trio, no Dumbledore, no McGonagall, no Sirius or Weasley family to balance them out. You root for Will because there's no one better to root for. (That's to the extent that you care enough to root for anyone.) Along with the lack of a good vs. evil story, there were no lessons to be taken from the book. Now, I don't need everything I read to be a parable or moral fable. But it would have been nice if, at the end of slogging through 464 pages of bleak, grim, dark and mucky ambiguity, you had something to show for it. You don't. There's no payoff, nothing to make you feel that the book was a worthwhile experience. Yes, I know it's a series, and I didn't expect a nice tight ending. But the Harry Potter books, while setting the stage for the next installment, all managed to come to a clear resolution and instill a sense of hope. "Tunnels" fails in this regard as well. There's also no humor. Where Harry Potter could be plenty dark in places, there were always light moments, jokes, scenes where Harry actually gets to be happy. NOBODY in the book is ever happy, and I counted a grand total of one joke. And that one joke came about 460 pages into the book, so at that point, I just said "har, har, har" and shook my head. If I wasn't a masochist, I probably wouldn't have finished the book. That said, if you're into dark and dreary, if you can read 464 pages without the slightest break from the dismal, and if you're not expecting the second coming of Potter, you might actually enjoy this. It just wasn't my speed.

As to whether I'll read the next one when it comes out, I'm undecided. I'll probably wait and see how I feel, but I know one thing: I'll take it out of the library. I'm not wasting another dollar on this series.

[Greta]

I don't remember who recommended this book to me, but I didn't really like it. It took sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long for the author to say anything. The action took so long to develop and when there finally was action, there was too much dialogue and unnecessary description that it took the reader out of the action. I was just groping my through it the whole time waiting for things to happen. I think the book had potential, but the writing was so bad I just went crazy. It's like it was void of emotion--of any kind. And for supposedly taking place in London or England, it sounded too American.

[Tea Jovanović · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bila mi je lošija od drugih knjiga koje sam u to vreme već pazarila za Lagunu, pa sam je prepustila drugim izdavačima... :) Ali je u Srbiji imala odličnog prevodioca :)

[Garden Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Por allá por 2007 más menos esta novela, "Túneles", inundó casi todas las librerías publicitandose como la siguiente "Harry Potter". Así que por supuesto decidí darle su oportunidad.

Dos veces intenté leerla y las mismas dos veces no fui capaz de avanzar más allá de unos cuántos capítulos. No fue sino hasta un reciente tercer intento, en el que decidí irrumpir como rinoceronte en cacharrería, cuándo finalmente logré terminarla. La trama simplemente se me hacía demasiado ilogica e incoherente ¿Alguien conoce, o tiene, un amigo que le guste andar cavando hoyos por ahí como poseso? Pues bien, creo que ya vamos entendiendo.

La trama es simple, Will, un niño con albinismo, que le gusta andar cavando hoyos casi porque sí, se ve envuelto en un embrollo cuando su padre desaparece de manera misteriosa. Will decide ir en busca de él, por supuesto, junto a su amigo Chester, descubriendo una sociedad con nuevos seres oculta bajo la ciudad de Londres.

Para empezar, la historia es extremadamente lenta al punto que en los primeros dos tercios de la novela no ocurre nada realmente relevante... y aquellas pocas cosas que los autores intentan colarnos como giros o revelaciones son tan obvias desde el inicio que solo consiguen aburrirte en vez de generar expectativa.

Segundo, los personajes son planos y sin carisma, incluyendo a los villanos Styx, que los autores parecieran no tener claro cómo definir ¡había que terminar de escribir rápido el libro, supongo! A los únicos que salvaría de la quema son Rebeca y Chester... y tal vez, tal vez, en menor medida al tío Tam, un personaje que intentan mostrar cómo "cool", pero que se queda a medio camino.

Tercero, la ambientación es tremendamente deprimente y sin vida... y me refiero a la Colonia y su gente. Todo es plano, aburrido y sin detalles únicos que te hagan sentir que entraste en una sociedad nueva. Con decir que lo más ocurrente que nos presentan son unas esferas de luz fría con las que los colones se iluminan. El resto es solo espacios vacíos, construcciones ruinosas y oscuridad ¿Qué las sociedades acaso no tienen cultura propia, fiestas, rituales, hábitos... etc? Bueno acá parece que no, carecen de identidad.

Cuarto, los motivos de la desaparición del padre de Will son ilógicos y no se sustentan. Que haya descubierto la sociedad subterránea con la que pretendía hacerse un nombre está bien, pero que luego decidiera irse a las profundidades de donde supuestamente nadie... repito, NADIE... regresa no tiene sentido. La prueba de su descubrimiento ya estaba a la vista ¿Por qué abandonar a su familia e hijo para ir a un lugar del que supuestamente nadie regresa? imagino que necesitaban un motivo para la secuela "Profundidades", no hay otra explicación.

Aún así, a pesar de todo lo anterior mencionado, he de decir que "Túneles" no es un mal libro... y esto es debido al último tercio de la novela en la que finalmente nos presentan un buen giro de trama, el único buen giro de trama de la novela, que se acompaña con una buena dosis de acción. Para mí esto logra salvar la historia, no de manera espectacular, pero si de una forma en la que al menos sientes que no perdiste tu tiempo invertido en la lectura.

Por lo demás, ese final también logra generar el suficiente interés como para querer continuar con su secuela, algo que probablemente haga más adelante... eso si, con la esperanza de que sea una mejor lectura que la actual.

¡Espero no equivocarme!

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "Tunnels" I found on a shelf in a public library, I read a little summary. I noticed that the book noted editor, who found Harry Potter, but it is the only link with Harry. It is a story about a boy Will Burrows and his father Roger who are mystified researchers history. His father was a curator at the museum, and with his son secretly engaged excavated and exploring the underground tunnels of London. Will is the skinny boy of fourteen years, has completely white hair and his skin is very sensitive to sunlight. For this reason, it is often the target of school hooligans, but there he meets his friend Chester with whom he becomes friends. Honestly Will family is completely dysfunctional, father is fully engaged in the research, a mother constantly lying in bed, and his younger sister Rebecca keeps the entire house on their feet making sure that her family is not hungry and clean. Wills father of an old man who frequently visits the museum receives a unique object and he begins to investigate its origin. Soon afterward his father disappears. Will with his friend Chester trying to find out where his father disappeared. This research will take them deep below the surface of London in a world that is not even a little bit in favor of people from the earth's surface. Frankly, a story written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams is dark, full of danger, hidden secrets, and lies. Everything was Will world will fade away like soap bubbles. This is a dark fantasy book do not expect the world of Harry Potter, the world in which to find Will and his friend, not even a little bit of hospitality, it is deadly and sinister. The dangers are real and ruthless enemies is real. I would recommend the book to all lovers of fantasy books, and I hope to continue to read because the story has just begun.

[Mitticus · Rating 3 out of 5]

+Reto Popsugar #13: Un libro cuyo título sea igual al de una película o serie pero que no estén relacionadas entre si.

3.5 don't-forget-your-torch stars

La gracia de este libro para mi es que es el primero que tenía en mi lista de TBR , desde 2011. YAY; uno menos.

Bien flaco favor le hicieron los publicistas a este libro comparándolo con la serie Harry Potter queriendo subirse a su popularidad. Desde ya les digo que no se le parece en nada. NO hay magos, ni seres de mitologia de cuentos por aqui; asi que tampoco se asemeja a Artemis Fowl II, pese a los subterraneos.

Pero el problema del libro no es ese. El problema es que ninguno de los protagonistas es simpático. De partida el padre me cayó mal, y no me digan el hijo, nuestro pseudoheroe. Asi que se me hizo muy pesado leerlo, recién en la tercera parte le tomé el ritmo, y eso por los Macauley y Jerome.

¿De qué trata? El doctor Roger Burrows es un arqueologo desvalorizado que maneja un pequeño museo de cachivaches, obsesionado con el 'gran descubrimiento que le hará famoso'. Ha contagiado esta mania a su hijo Will. Will Burrows, el protagonista tiene 14 años, es albino y sufre acoso escolar por su aspecto, y lo único que le interesa es excarvar. Es un adolescente egoísta y no ve más allá de su nariz. Su amistad con Chester Rawls, un chico grandote y leal, le salva de los matones y Will terminará arrastrando a Chester en cosas que... La dinámica familiar de la familia Burrows llama la atención, la madre no se mueve en todo el dia del sofa frente al televisor, el padre cuando no en el museo esta en sus excavaciones cercanas, el hijo mayor preocupado de excavaciones y de que su padre lo aprecie, y la hija menor, Rebecca, de 12 años es quien lleva la casa, las cuentas, el lavado, compras, aseo y hasta la cocina. Ni al padre ni al hijo se les ocurre colaborar en la casa, no digamos ya la irresponsabilidad del padre, y la abulia del hijo que encuentra esto lo más normal. Machismo al cuarto. Por ende, cero simpatia por la dupla de la pala.

Cuando el doctor Burrows empieza a notar algunas cosas raras como los hombres de sombrero y gafas, más varias cosas como sotanos que dan acceso a lugares demasiado extraños, vamos por donde va esto. Y de pronto el doctor desaparece.

Es una fantasia con un misterio a descubrir, que de hecho nos deja al final del tomo con muchas preguntas pendientes.

Will , que ha convencido a Chester a unirse en su club de Toby de excavadores, se desepera por encontrar a su padre y es aqui donde mete a su amigo en enormes problemas.

Lo que hallan debajo de Londres es toda una cultura subterranea con sus propias leyes, y aparatos extraños que hablan de ciencia alejada a la conocida. La Colonia parece estar en tiempos de Dickens, acuden a un culto que desprecia y repele a los de Arriba, y sus lideres son llamados "Styx"(los mentados hombres de negro). Los habitantes de abajo tienen el pelo blanco y tienen ciudades extensas, hay menciones de otros seres abajo, la fauna esta adaptada a las profundidades, aunque tienen mucho más contacto con los de arriba de lo que parece a primera vista



Por ratos esto se me asemejaba a The Village, y esto de los styx hasta me sonaba a los Morlocks de la Maquina del tiempo... Pulp , que se va a poner más violento. Mucho odio, prejuicio, clasismo, y bueno como digo la parte final se me hizo más llevadera. Hay un par de giros inesperados, pero lo voy a pensar mucho si sigo con esta saga. Como dije, cero simpatia por los protas. Y son seis libros de los cuales ya me spoilee el final y wtf!! srly!

-----------------------------

The grace of this book for me is that it is the first one I had on my TBR list, since 2011. YAY; one less.

Publicists did this book a disservice by comparing it to the Harry Potter series wanting to rise it in popularity. I already tell you that it is not at all like it. There are NO magicians, nor beings of mythology of fairytales around here; so it does not resemble Artemis Fowl II, despite the underground.

But the problem of the book is not that. The problem is that none of the protagonists is nice. From the beginning, I disliked the father, and don't tell me about the son, our pseudohero. So it was very hard for me to read it, only in the third part did I pick up the pace, and that for the Macauley and Jerome.

What is it about? Dr. Roger Burrows is a devalued archeologist who runs a small junk museum, obsessed with the 'great discovery that will make him famous'. He has passed this mania on to her son Will. Will Burrows , the protagonist is 14 years old, he is albino and suffers bullying because of his appearance, and the only thing that interests him is digging. He is a selfish teenager and does not see beyond his nose. His friendship with Chester Rawls , a big and loyal boy, saves him from bullies and Will ends up dragging Chester in things that ... The family dynamics of the Burrows family attracts attention, the mother does not moves all day from the sofa in front of the television, the father when not in the museum is in his nearby excavations, the older son worried about excavations and that his father will appreciate him, and the younger daughter, Rebecca , 12 years old, is the one who take care of the house, the accounts, the washing, shopping, cleaning and even the kitchen. Neither the father nor the son occurs to collaborate in the house, let alone the irresponsibility of the father, and the abulia of the son who finds this most normal. Machismo at it best. Therefore, zero sympathy for the pair of shovelers.

When Dr. Burrows begins to notice some weird things like the men in the hat and glasses, plus various things like basements that give access to really strange places, we realize where this is going. And suddenly the doctor disappears.



It is a fantasy with a mystery to discover, which in fact leaves us at the end of the volume with many pending questions.

Will, who has convinced Chester to join his little diggers club, is desperate to find his father and it is here that he gets his friend into huge trouble.

What they find below London is a whole underground culture with its own laws, and strange devices that speak of science far from the known. The Colony seems to be in Dickens' time, they go to a cult that despises and repels those from Above, and their leaders are called "Styx" (the so-called men in black). The inhabitants of underground have white hair and have extensive cities, there are mentions of other beings below, the fauna is adapted to the depths, although they have much more contact with those above than it seems at first sight spoilers >

For a while this was similar to The Village, and this of the styx even sounded to me like the Morlocks of the Time Machine ... Pulp, it is going to get more violent. Much hatred, prejudice, classism, and well as I say the final part became more bearable. There are a couple of unexpected twists, but I'll give it a lot of thought if I stick with this saga. As I said, zero sympathy for the MCs.

Five more books? Nevermind.

[Andreea (booksstopia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

Au trecut 12 ani de când am citit ''Tunele''...for real tho.
Prima oară când am citit-o aveam 12 ani și îmi aduc aminte cât de fașcinată eram de copertă. O văzusem într-un catalog Corint și știu că i-am rugat pe ai mei să mi-o cumpere. Zis și făcut!
Până atunci eu citeam cărți doar de la biblioteca din orașul meu natal, iar Tunele a fost prima carte din biblioteca mea....de la ea a început colecția.

Will Burrows este un băiat de 14 ani ce are o pasiune mai bizară. Îi plac săpăturile! Împreună cu tatăl acestuia, Will sapă tunele pentru a putea face descoperiri dar și pentru că are o anumită atracție spre...adâncuri.
Totuși, în momentul în care tatăl lui dispare, Will merge într-un tunel împreună cu prietenul lui cel mai bun Chester pentru a îl salva pe Dr. Burrows....descoperind astfel o lume periculoasă și plină de secrete.

Am recitit cartea acum la 24 de ani și....mi-a plăcut! La nebunie! Sunt conștientă că am fost influențată și de alți factori (copilărie & faptul că eu deja cunosc personajele), dar tot consider că este genul de carte care poate fi apreciată indiferent de de vârsta pe care o ai. Până și tata a citit-o și o recomandă :))
Povestea este una inedită și interesantă, iar autorii au reușit să contureze o nouă lume complexă care te face să vrei să aflii mai multe detalii. Pur și simplu nu poți să lași cartea din mână.

Primul volum se concentrează foarte mult pe world building și pe prezentarea personajelor importante, ca mai apoi, în vol 2 și 3 acțiunea să prindă mai mult contur. O să vedeți că, dacă îi oferiți o șansă, o să aveți parte de cea mai faină aventură. Pinky promise!

[Lavinia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of fantasy but it was ok.
Poor Chester😭

Nu stiu s-a intamplat, dar cand eram mica mi-a scapat aceasta serie. Cred ca eram mai mult into printese sau vampiri pe atunci haha.
Asa ca m-am bucurat mult cand am vazut ca o reediteaza editura. Plus ca stiam ca e super recomandata de o prietena draga.. Asa ca am zis sa o citesc.
Nu stiu cum am facut, dar am reusit sa strang si cativa #readingbuddies si am citit- o intr-un weekend (plus luni in cazul meu) si a fost o experienta misto - am schimbat pareri si reactii pe parcursul cartii :)

Cum spuneam si pe instagram, nu prea m-a prins. Nu a reusit sa ma captiveze decat pe la pagina 150 si foarte greu si atunci. Nu am rezonat cu personajele, am urat personajul principal din primele pagini- Will e egoist, nu se gandeste inainte sa actioneze si nu-i pasa decat de propriile interese.
Cartea aceasta este incadrata la middle grade si cica se poate citi de la 10 ani in sus... Am 26 de ani si pot spune ca m-au luat fiorii la unele descrieri (MULT prea lungi de altfel) dar totusi am vazut si elemente specifice cartilor de copii.

Firul narativ e usor de ghicit, dar am reusit sa fiu surprinsa in legatura cu un personaj, neastaptandu-ma la schimbarea aia.
Unele lucruri nu aveau logica, erau descrise prea mult, unele erau super scarboase.. unele erau de neimaginat.. A fost asa un talmes-balmes :))

Howeveeeer, daca eu nu am reusit sa rezonez cu povestea, asta nu inseamna ca voi nu o s-o faceti. Unii dintre prietenii cu care am citit-o au avut pareri mai bune, altii la fel ca mine, de asta nu trebuie sa ne luam dupa parerea unui cititor. Cateodata trebuie sa ne avantam si sa citim, indiferent de gandurile altor persoane.
I-am dat totusi 3 stelute fiindca am apreciat lumea si ideea originala. Mi-a placut mult de Tam si de pisica aceea... ah, si pentru dragul de Chester care nu merita nimic din ce i s-a intamplat :))
Daca o cititi, sa-mi spuneti si mie parerea voastra. At the end of the day, sunt sigura ca mi-ar fi placut mai mult la 12 ani :)

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this is the last YA (type) book I'm planning to read in the foreseeable future, and I'm just as glad. I've read several lately that have disappointed me. This had also.

I found the book mildly interesting as it opened with the "supposed" father son digging team stocking the little museum and saving their own prizes. But the book takes a turn and becomes something totally different. This (of course) isn't necessarily a bad thing, it could have been a very good thing. But if a book uses this ploy, what it changes into needs to be, "good". I didn't find this so.

This book was a strange combination. It sort of lost my interest yet still annoyed me. I'd like to see the reaction of some of the people who were so "down" on Harry Potter (Books by the way I like greatly) to this tome of depressing betrayal, fouled up parentage, poor friends, disintegrating families and violent hate filled mobs. I'd like their comparison between any negative scenes they may have seen in Rowling to the dual to the death with machetes we get here.

I don't plan to follow this up with anything else from the author. I got through to the end, it is readable and I'm sure some will like it greatly, I'm not one of them.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

Like his father, fourteen-year-old Will Burrows has an obsession with archaeological digs.

When his father disappears, Will is determined to find him. With the help of his best friend, Chester, Will discovers a network of tunnels under modern-day London. As they follow the tunnels deeper and deeper into the earth, they discover a dark underworld.

But the inhabitants don't want them there.

Will never dreamed his digging would unearth dark family secrets . . . secrets that should have remained buried.

I enjoyed reading TUNNELS. The dark caverns of this book were filled with twists and turns that took me deeper and deeper into the story. I found myself completely submerged in the underground world and the lives of the characters.

It was a little slow going at first, and there were a few rough spots to get through, but this is to be expected when tunneling to avoid collapse later on. Once the story broke through into the underground, it was fast-paced and exciting with surprises around every turn.

I am looking forward to the sequel so I can go DEEPER.

[Gabriela Sikora · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,75/5

cool ale nie zostanie na długo ze mną, ma vibe filmu akcji i jest dość wciągająca, nigdy nie przewidziałabym strony w której poszła fabuła. To nie mój typ książki ale nie zakuje ze po nia sięgnęłam

[Patrycja · Rating 5 out of 5]

CUDOWNA KSIĄŻKA<3
Na pewno do niej jeszcze wrócę!!Kolejne tomy są już w drodze;))

[Alex Freitag · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Will’s father goes missing, he teams up with his best friend Chester to find him. Through their search, they discover a dark world existing beneath the topsoil of our own. This unlocks new mysteries, new revelations about Will… and new dangers.

Tunnels was a childhood favorite of mine that flew under the radar for most people. I was continually promised with “soon to be a major motion picture” and perpetually disappointed when that never came to fruition.

These books are probably longer than they need to be, and I believe I only got halfway through the series. Maybe I’ll return and finish it whenever I’m feeling particularly nostalgic!

[Ghanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

N-am citit cartea asta în copilărie, când a apărut prima dată, dar am vrut s-o citesc acum, dacă tot au reeditat-o cei de la Corint. And it's cute, dar e ceea ce e: e un roman pentru copii, care nu prea mi s-a potrivit, citindu-l mai târziu.

Nu mi-a displăcut, povestea e foarte cute și emoționantă pe alocuri, super înfricoșătoare prin altele (nu-i sânge pe pereți, dar daaamn, nu mă așteptam să fie așa dark). A avut un aer de „un băiețel și prietenul lui pleacă într-o aventură” (fără vreo fată după ei, totuși, so no Harry Potter trio here)

All in all, e o carte simpatică copii, așa că o recomand mai degrabă pentru cei de 8-10-12 ani :)

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not that this book isn't well-written, that part works fine. It's just the story! When I finished it, I was speechless. It had gone from bad to worse and then just ended. The happy resolution never happened. The goal of our little hero was never achieved. The book ended with a murder. I was left feeling dismal and cheated.
And this is a children's book! I picked it up for my kids and previewed it because the cover is so grabbing - the light and the title seem to shine out of the cover, but I haven't recommended it to any of them.
Adam, my most voracious reader at 16, read it anyway and was as appalled as I was. And this is the worst part: I had an opportunity to buy the newly released sequel at half off and so I did (the cover pulls one in) in the hope that all would come to a happy resolution. I haven't read it yet, but Adam got half-way through and quit. The second book is called Deeper in case anyone wants to know what to avoid.

[milena&#x1f9da;‍♀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Mewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

O. To było akurat naprawdę ciekawe! Nie jestem dobra w serie, więc pewnie nie będę czytała dalej, ale podobało mi się 😊

[Willy Hung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Burrows is a fourteen year old boy that lives in London, he has a dad, mom, and a sister. One day Mr. Burrows and Mrs. Burrows got into a fight, so Mr. Burrows stayed in the basement for some time, he never came out. Will and Chester goes into the basement to look around, they found a secret passage leading to an underground Colony. Not long after arriving at the Colony, the Styx, cult like leaders who rule the Colony, captured them, they locked them up in prison, and not long later Will was released and brought to his “real family”, the Macaulay’s, they told him that Cal was his biological brother, and Tam was his biological Uncle, and Sarah was his biological mom that brought him to London, to escape the Styx. Tam and Cal helped Will to save Chester, but it failed, because Rebecca, Will’s sister brought the Styx to stop them, Rebecca was the daughter of the head Styx, she was sent to spy on Will. Chester was banished, and was going to be sent to The Deeps, a dark and scary place. There were sightings of Dr. Burrows going to The Deeps; this caused Will to want to go to The Deeps to find him, on the way to the Miner’s train, Tam got killed trying to protect Will and Cal from the Styx leader, Rebecca’s dad. Imago, Tam’s friend, later helped them go to the Miner’s Train, at the Miner’s Train, Will got reunited with Chester and they travel DEEPER underground to find Dr. Burrows.

This is a pretty interesting book, it describes how life is like underground, the story is good!! It's a little boring at the beginning but it get better and better towards the end!!

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped at page 22.

Ten pages in and I hated the language...there is a lot of 1+1=1/2 going on writing wise. It makes it VERY hard to read. It's not that what is being said is "bad" per se, it's just too many words for what is happening. I'm also starting to question the world and it's events before I even get out of the setup...for example, how is it that Will digs a massive mine tunnel by himself! And to get to a subway station where nothing exciting even happens. I'd be so pissed at my dad... And mind you, this is TEN PAGES into the book!

BOTTOM LINE: Okay ideas, stupid setup, horrid writing.

[ℳ]

❌ dnf 56%

[nuitdusabbat · Rating 4 out of 5]

bardzo fajna książka, mega giga podoba mi się świat przedstawiony i suopr się bawiłam przez bohaterow,polecam serdecznie mordeczki

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk voor de nostalgie, maar dat was het dan ook wel.

[Airina · Rating 4 out of 5]

NUOTAIKA perskaičius knygą – patiko fantastinės dalies idėja, detektyvo dvasia ir netikėti siužeto vingiai.
Jauniesiems skaitytojams knygos pradžioje gali pritrūkti veiksmo. Suaugusiems – pabaigoje imtų kliūti teksto konstravimo dirbtinumas ir daugiau pasakai, o ne romanui tinkančios kai kurių situacijų atomazgos. Tačiau jei apie daktarą Barousą ir jo sūnų Vilą būtų sukurtas filmas – jis turėtų patikti visai šeimai.

[Veronica - I need a husband, to have a fancy last name · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nie ma to jak recenzja pisana w tramwaju XD
W każdym razie... Hm. Idk co myśleć. W sensie. Bawiłam się bardzo dobrze (tym bardziej jak wezmę pod uwagę fakt, że czytałam to i jednocześnie słuchałam i notowałam na seminariach XD (multitasking - wersja - zdesperowany student debil)). Ale. ALE.
Po prostu zapamiętałam to jakoś lepiej. I bawiłam się lepiej jako dziecko. Wtedy nie miałam tyłu przemyśleń i przez to, że miałam to na audiobooku. I po prostu przez to wyszło to jakoś lepiej. A teraz... 🤷‍♀️
I mean... Żeby nie było: rozrywka 10/10 (zwłaszcza z moim zawalonym poczuciem humoru), ogarnianie co się dzieje 8/10 (ale to moja wina, bo multitasking nie zawsze wychodzi dobrze).
Ale po prostu mam jeden duży problem z tą książką. Dorośli bohaterowie. Jakby... Nie. Proszę. Autor lepiej by na tym wyszedł jakby Will i Rebecca (I hope że teraz nie pomyliłam imion, I'm sorry jak tak) nie mieli żywych 'rodziców' (XD). Jakby autor się pobawił w pisarza z wattpada/wydawnictwa niezwykłego. I ograniczył występowanie dorosłych do minimum. I to serio minimum. Bo I swear to god. Za każdym razem jak Mr Burrows się pojawiał (tym bardziej jego pov 💀), to coś we mnie umierało. On i jego żona to są tak źle napisane postaci, se ja nie mogę. I mean... Ich osobowość to telewizja/kopanie w ziemi (i mean w skrócie ale no kurde... Z drugiej strony dosłownie tak było) + zachowują się jakby mieli mniejsze IQ niż te dzieci (i mean, ja wiem, że czasami tak bywa i to, że ktoś jest dorosły nie oznacza wcale, iż jest inteligentny... Ale no bez przesady). I jakoś tak mnie to wkurzyło, że nie mogłam aż tak bardzo się zachwycić tym tomem jak kiedyś. (tho Bart (? Koto-pies XD) jest wciąż wspaniały i jestem w szoku, że tak dobrze pamiętałam sceny z nim i, że wciąż były mnie w stanie rozbawić... Well... Dobrze dla mnie i dla tej książki I guess).

Ale no... Jak już dałam kiedyś tam te 4⭐ to zostawię. Nie będę wredna. Za samą radość z czytania myślę, że to odpowiednia ocena.

***

+muszę się przyczepić do tłumaczenia polskiego - i mean. Still uważam, że Chester może mieć równie dobrze pemfigoid, świerzb i inne choroby dermatologiczne. Ale przetłumaczyć eczema na łuszczyca to już... Damn. Co poszło nie tak? 😩
Dlatego już sobie ogarnęłam 2 tom po angielsku, bo szanujmy się. Nie pozwolę, żeby mnie okłamywali w kwestiach medycznych 😤

[Dhen Dhen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, first of all, I didn't expect this one to be really good. I just saw it in my shelf (God knows when I bought it!) and decided to read it to past the time, nothing much.

But oh my, I was so wrong. I was prepared to give it a 1star after reading 3-4 chapters. Because the idea of 2 teenage boys obssessed with digging tunnels doesn't appeal to me. I already predicted that they'll discover something from ancient history down there. They did. BUT IT WAS TOTALLY BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. Yep, that's how I feel about it. To think it has 5 more books following it! I better fetch some copies now.

I understand why some people keep calling it "the next Harry Potter" because of the similarity of the wizarding world with the colony, and the muggles and topsoilers. But please stop. There ain't gonna be a next Harry Potter. End of story.

There was a part in the book where I really needed to put it down: Chester's failed attempt to escaped. I almost cried. His chapters always want me to go and save him. He's my favorite character next to Caleb. I think they're the reason why the story moved for Will.

A lot more questions were left unanswered. I don't know how fate would save Will, he's totally stucked. Can't go to Topsoil, can't go to Colony, where to next? Where would you go if the only two worlds that exist you wants you dead? I'm so excited to read the other books!

Watch out for Rebecca. Keep your bitch radar alert at all times.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite a recommendation from a friend that this new series was reminiscent of C.S. Lewis' Magician's Nephew, this book was a huge disappointment. True there is an obsessed, uncaring relative of a boy who stumbles on to another world, but the similarities end there. Tunnels is the story of a family who is distracted, at best, and dysfunctional at worst. The father locks himself in the basement to get away from his family; the mother cares for nothing except her TV; and the sister is obsessed with cleaning and shoulders the whole burden of running the family. Will is a youngster with a passion for excavations and uncovering treasures. I could admire him for being a bit of a misfit and discovering the hidden world, but the problem was, the other world was no better than the world he left. There was no hope, nothing positive anywhere. The world underground is controlling, dark, and negative in every way. The last straw for me was when the entire community was forced to attend church where the evil Styx preacher, complete with a iron cross and rivets in the background, completely twists and misquotes Scripture. Seven hours into the audiobook, I shut it off and deleted. Very disappointing.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not truly terrible, just inconsistent and dumb. Sometimes people complain about stories where the author should show more and tell less. This one is perhaps the other way around-- the detailed world-building is shown, but not told. No one ever asks who the Styx are or what their motivations are (or why these creepy evil guys use the name of a totally cool musical group). Note that I can handle not getting answers to questions, but it does bother me that Wil never asks or wonders or thinks about it.

And things that we ARE told seem to contradict what we are shown. We are told that Wil rather likes his subterranean lifestyle, yet he is revolted by so much of it and we don't see him really enjoying anything.

I read to the end, hoping for some surprising redemption to the story, but all I got were weird plot twists that made me raise my eyebrows and think, "Okaaaaayyyyy,"