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    Tunnels
    Tunnels
    Tunnels
    Audiobook13 hours

    Tunnels

    Written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

    Narrated by Steven Crossley

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Originally self-published, this riveting fantasy became the stuff of legend before catching the attention of the publisher who discovered J.K. Rowling. Soon after it was optioned for a major film. When 14-year-old Will Burrows goes looking for his missing father, he discovers an underground world that time forgot. Ruled by a brutal class called the Styx, "The Colony" has not changed in a hundred years. Into this dark and mysterious place go Will and his friend Chester, unsure what they will find and oblivious to the dangers ahead. Before long their extraordinary adventure unearths a terrible secret-one that may cost them their lives. Hailed as the next big thing in fantasy literature, Tunnels grips the imagination while making readers think twice about the ground beneath their feet. Narrator Steven Crossley captures the authors' unique vision with his captivating performance. "Gordon and Williams will soon have legions of fans. Tunnels is just the beginning."-Guardian (UK)
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 18, 2008
    ISBN9781436115759
    Tunnels

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    Reviews for Tunnels

    3.5/5

    333 ratings23 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this book more than I did...It seemed way too long for what happened in it, and seemed a lot like other recent books, only those other books were better, in my opinion. However, it does have moments that really work, especially in the second half where the boys are running away and then running back to save their friend...I do think boys might enjoy this, if they can get through the slow start.
    • 5/5
      Tunnels, written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, is all about a teenage boy by the name of Will Burrows who went on a search for his father, Dr. Burrows, after he went missing. On his search with his loyal best friend Chester, the two boys discover a whole civilization of people- living in underground tunnels (hence the book title)! Upon arriving, the young topsoilers are arrested and thrown in prison. Will escapes, but Chester is not so lucky. Will's heroic quest to save his best friend leads him to discover his birth family and other surprizing things that he would never forget.This was easily the best book I have evr read. It was full of cliff hangers and surprizing turns that left me wanting desperately to read more. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, and encourage others who are interested in the book to keep reading. Five stars!
    • 1/5
      This wasn't my favorite book. I should probably stop there. But I won't. I didn't stop reading when I had the chance (and I had my fair share of chances) and I won't stop now. This book is turning into my mini-Everest.

      I have one shelf here labeled abandoned books. There's only one book on it. This should have been the second. The thing is, though this might be the perfect book for the right audience, I'm not that audience nor are many of the readers I know. This book was dark. Very dark for the market it's from. Some people will like that. Not me though. I feel like this is one of those books where the protaganists being children is what decided its market, not the work itself. The torture always seemed a bit much, too graphic, too severe. The settings were always dark, dingy, and desperate. The outcomes of every scene were in some way downers. Not a lot of fun. Mostly depressing. I'm glad it's over.
    • 4/5
      I was pleasantly suprised with this book. It's entertaining from the very first chapter as Will and Dr. Burrows, his father, are digging up all types of mysterious tunnels around London. When Will's father suddenly disappears Will knows it has something to do with the tunnels and Dr. Burrows' latest journal entry about a spehere that is made from an unknown element deep from within the earth and the strange "outsiders" lurking around the city wearing sunglasses and black coats. Will finally coaxes his best friend, Chester, into unearthing his father's last tunnel and what they discover is truly original and fantastic. It might be a while before I read the second but it is DEFINITELY on my list. I wouldn't go as far as to say "Harry Potter fans will delight!" but if you're looking for an interesting series to get into try picking this one up. Also, you can ususally tell which sections were written by which author but Gordon and Williams do a fantastic job of co-narrating.
    • 2/5
      This franchise is marketed to be the "next Harry Potter" series. I've enjoyed this first volume, and I like the concept of this underworld. The problem I have with it is the Harry Potter books work very well as individual stories, whereas this has no proper ending, it just stops.
    • 4/5
      The action is underground again! This British import follows the pattern of City of Ember and the Gregor series taking the story into a labyrinth of tunnels under the city of London as Will and Chester search for Will's archaeologist father in the century old "Colony" ruled by the Styx. Good mix of fantasy and adventure.
    • 3/5
      Will Burrows loves to dig. When his Dad disappears, Will just knows that he has disappeared into one of the tunnels. To find his Dad, Will ventures underground farther than he has ever been before, and is surprised to find a world of people who believe he is one of them. Now, Will must decide which life should be his. It was a little stranger than I had imagined it would be -- very dark, but with a definite need for the love of "other-wordly." To love it you would need to love fantasy, sci-fi, and history...and that's just not me, but it was an interesting book and I wanted to find out what happened. I probably won't read the sequel.
    • 3/5
      “Tunnels” is a good adventure book. “Tunnels,” by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, is about a boy, Will Burrows, and his friend, Chester, who both love excavating underground. Will‘s dad is an archeologist who also loves going underground to excavate. One day when they go excavating, what they discover changes their whole lives. There is a lot of action, suspense, and a bit about the importance of family. The characters in “Tunnels” were very well-developed, and there were even a few sketched pictures. The book put you right into the story with its vivid descriptions of where the characters are at every stage of their adventure.The only parts I did not like were when the characters were in a conversation with one another because it was hard to follow who was talking. Also, the actions changed very quickly without any chapter change. Lastly, some of the fonts were a bit hard for me to read. I would give “Tunnels” three out of five stars. Overall, it was a good book, but at times it was confusing.
    • 3/5
      If you like mystery then YES read it! Instead if you don't, it is a descriptive fore shadowing book filled with suspense...not too bad.
    • 5/5
      Great book about a boy who finds out he is from an underground city. Is forced to run away when he tries to find his father who has been vanished.
    • 5/5
      This was a good book but i think it could of had more action and humor
    • 5/5
      Tunnels was an exciting book the kept me wanting to read.
    • 2/5
      This book is broken into 3 parts. Instead of reading Part 1 (about 200 pages), just read the back. You miss some foreshadowing but the basic story is there. Parts 2 and 3 are worth reading.
    • 3/5
      alright book
    • 3/5
      There are some good moments in this adventure story, but it takes a long time to get going. I understand that this book is intended to be the first in a series, but there are an awful lot of loose ends and unexplained coincidences which left me frustrated rather than looking for more. Characterization was also problematic and often sacrificed to plot. Why was poor Chester, a major character in the first half of the book, left in a jail cell for the second half? A note on the cover of the book says Tunnels will soon be a motion picture - I think that is what the authors had in mind from the beginning, and it shows in the writing.
    • 5/5
      Couldn't put it down and had to read the others in the series as well!
    • 5/5
      best book I have read so far!!!! this book will have you in so many twist and turns that you won't know what's comming!!!! grab your spade and get ready to dig!!
    • 4/5
      Last Word First: A bit of a slow starter, but great once it gets going. Dig in!Will Burrows loves to dig. He digs tunnels all over the place, sometimes with the assistance of his father, a museum curator who has dreams of making a huge discovery and making a name for himself. But when Will's father disappears and one of the tunnels is mysteriously filled in, Will's innocent hobby suddenly takes on a menacing cast. Will's quest to find his father leads him to discover a subterranean world he never could have imagined.Let me just say, Will's family will have you feeling awesome about yours. His father is obsessed with his failed career and exploits Will's digging in hopes of making a great discovery. His sister is an obsessive control freak, and his mother never surfaces from her TV viewing. Will himself is one of those characters that really annoyed me at first, but then I grew to like him and I can't remember why he bothered me. The best part of this book is the detail of the underground world Will discovers. There is an entire civilization below ground, but life there isn't perfect. An elite group called the Styx hold the colony in an iron grip. The tunnel world is dependent on and interconnected with the world above ground, but almost no one above ground knows it's there, and the underworld dwellers despise "topsoilers." I only wish I could have heard a little more about it, as I'm assuming I will in later books. Gordon and Williams do a great job in this story of building the suspense and then truly delivering on it. My husband also loved this book. With plenty of action, mystery and suspense, it definitely has plenty of appeal for the Y-chromosomed among us. My only real problem with this book was that it was a bit slow near the beginning. A lot of time went into establishing Will's (rather dysfunctional) family life, and then his family didn't really have much of a role in the story. At 472 pages, the book is long enough that I think they could have trimmed the fat a little here. Readers might be discouraged by the first few chapters and end up missing out on a good story.
    • 4/5
      I quite enjoyed Tunnels, though it was much different than I'd imagined. The world that Will finds under the streets of London was not what I expected, and I'm curious to see what will happen in the sequel when it comes out. If you like stories about hidden worlds and clashing of cultures, this story will be interesting to you. I highly recommend reading it.
    • 5/5
      Yay! For once a book about secret underground things that lived up to its hype. Some similarity to Holes in the writing style or the relationship between the friends or something, somehow. Watch for the sequel in 2009!
    • 4/5
      Will Burrows is a digger. He has gone with his dad on digs and has started one of his own. Will is thrilled when Chester shows interest in this activity too. When Will's dad disappears and they find these mysterious, shadowy people around town, Chester and Will start digging to find him. What they do discover is an underground world that is full of mystery, danger, and secrets. This book has twists and turns that caught me by surprise, and it was dark! It's clearly a set-up for a series as the end left me hanging a bit. The sixth grade book club enjoyed the book!
    • 3/5
      Will and his dad go on "digs" together in London where they have found underground tunnels. Will's dad is curator of a very odd museum, the kind people visit once and never come back, as Will states in the book. When Will's dad goes missing, Will and his friend, Chester, with clues, think they can find him. Will's sister, Rebecca, doesn't share their interests and the boys don't tell her what they are up to. The book is filled with fantasy characters, a London setting, underground labyrinthes. It was an enjoyable read, definitely something that would interest older children and young adults. It is being touted as the "next Harry Potter" by Scholastic, who also published Harry Potter novels. I can't see it. The Harry Potter books were very unique and appealed to youth and adult alike. I think someone has an option for a film, but it remains to be seen how the film fares.
    • 4/5
      Tunnels is a new book about a boy (Will Burrows) who has nothing in common with his family - except for a strange link with his father because they both have a strange obsession for archaeological digs. Will's father dissapears after some strange occurences and he must rely on his new friend Chester to help him find his father. Through out the book Will uncovers the strange truth about his family and begins to look on his life in a whole different way.This is a dark and exciting book that was an interesting read. It is a great book if you like science-fiction and fantasy.