Tunnels (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Tunnels Books)

14-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 Dad mysteriously vanishes, Will is compelled to dig up the truth behind his disappearance. He unearths the unbelievable: a secret subterranean society. "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 cultlike overclass, the Styx. Before long--before he can find his father--Will is their prisoner....

a Thrilling Adventure Story About A Mysterious Underground World, Read By Jack Davenport. Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows Lives With His Parents And Younger Sister Rebeccain London. He Has Little In Common With Any Of Them, Except For A Passion For Digging, Which He Shares With His Father, A Museum Curator And Doctor Of Archaeology. When His Father Suddenly Disappears After A Row With His Mother, The Police Believe He Has Just Gone Away For A While To Cool Down. But Will Is Unconvinced, And Decides To Investigate With His Best Friend Chester.

publishers Weekly

although It Arrives From The U.k. Amid Plenty Of Fanfare-and To Fandom Here, Too (see Galley Talk, Dec. 10)-this First In A Planned Series Seems Full Of Holes, As If Its Raison D'être Were To Set Up The Action For Future Books. The Plot Builds On A Secret Subterranean Culture, A Cruel, Hierarchical English Society That Is Deeply Hostile To Topsoilers. As The Book Opens, The Punningly Named Will Burrows And His Archeologist Father Are Tunneling Beneath A Disused Train Station, As This Is Dr. Burrows's Passion. Their Bond Established, These Two Major Characters Soon Go Off In Different Directions; As They Do Later, The Authors Lengthily Follow One Protagonist And Seemingly Abandon The Others. Dr. Burrows, Having Discovered Underground Passages In Local Cellars, Disappears After A Quarrel With His Useless Wife; Will And A Friend Go After Him. Encumbered By Verbose And Flat Descriptions (his Whole Being Emanated Evil, And His Dark Eyes Never Left Will's, Who Felt A Wave Of Dread Wash Over Him.... {will] Was Unable To Tear His Gaze From The Sinister Man, Whose Thin Lips Twisted Into A Sardonic Smile), The Novel Is Nearly One-third Over Before The Boys Enter The Underground Colony-where They Are Promptly Imprisoned And Tortured. The Narrative At Last Begins To Twist And Turn, But The Authors Still Have Trouble Tracking Their Cast-and Because The Offstage Characters Seem To Figure So Punily In The Others' Thinking, Readers Have Little Incentive To Stay Invested In Their Fates. Ages 8-14. (jan.)

copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

14-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--is he also about to ignite a revolution? Un jeune garçon de 14 ans, Will Burrows, vit à Londres et partage une passion avec son père : ils adorent creuser des tunnels. Mais, un jour son père disparaît au fond d'une galerie inconnue. Will et son ami, Chester, se lancent dans une enquête qui va bientôt les amener dans les profondeurs mystérieuses de la terre. Là, les attend un terrible secret qui pourrait bien leur coûter la vie .. When Will Burrows and his friend Chester embark on a quest to find Will's archaeologist father, who has inexplicably disappeared, they are led to a labyrinthine world underneath London, full of sinister inhabitants with evil intentions toward "Topsoilers" like Will and his father. SUMMARY: When Will and his friend Chester embark on a quest to find Will's archaeologist father, who has disappeared, they are led to an underground world full of sinister inhabitants with evil intentions toward "Topsoilers" like Will. Le thème de la terre creuse est bien employé en ce roman d'aventures qui met en scène un père et son fils. [SDM]