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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
94 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Next Harry Potter? No. But the next "Tunnels"? Yes!,
By Michael Mihalik "Author, Debt is Slavery and ... (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tunnels (Tunnels 1) (Paperback)
Barry Cunningham is best known for being the publisher who brought Harry Potter to the world by signing then unknown writer J.K. Rowling after she had been rejected by numerous other publishers.
Since then, I'm sure he's been on the lookout for the "next big thing". Apparently the wait is over. In what's touted to be the "next Harry Potter", Mr. Cunningham has signed another unknown author, or rather pair of authors, Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. Gordon and Williams had previously self-published their book as "The Highfield Mole". After what I'm sure was exhaustive marketing analysis, the book's title has been changed to "Tunnels". It's an unfair comparison to call a new book the "next Harry Potter". It's akin to saying a company is the "next Microsoft" or an up-and-coming band is the "next Beatles". There is no way any book will live up to the hype. And this book should not be compared to Harry Potter. It is its own animal. And it's pretty good. "Tunnels" is interesting and entertaining - eventually. I won't recap the plot here because you can read the official description above. The problem is that it takes 170 pages before anything happens. I almost gave up on it. None of the characters introduced in the first third of the book are compelling. They just don't come to life. Also, the writing in the first part of the book isn't that great. It's too wordy and over-laden with adjectives. It also suffers from "adverb disease" ("Will said quietly", "Rebecca said triumphantly", "Chester said awkwardly"). It's a chore to read. Then Will and Chester go underground. The writing improves in the second half of the book as things begin to happen and some interesting characters emerge. "Tunnels" is good, but you're left hanging at the end, waiting for Book 2, which is supposed to be published in 2008. I predict that "Tunnels" will find its audience, but it will not be a huge success. The universal appeal of Harry Potter was its magical world, co-existing with the regular world, but hidden from us Muggles. The magical world was whimsical, mysterious and fun. Readers escaped into that world and, when they were finished reading, couldn't wait to visit again and again and again. "Tunnels" also has a hidden world, but there's nothing magical about it. It is mysterious, but it is also brutal and violent. People are tortured and killed. Vicious dogs attack with intent to kill. Even the regular world depicted in "Tunnels" is bleak. Here is a sample description of a neighborhood near Will's house: "It was also the favoured spot for kids on their track bikes and, increasingly, stolen mopeds, the latter being run into the ground and then torched, their carbon-black skeletons littering the far edges of the Pits, where weeds threaded up through their wheels and around their rusting engine blocks. Less frequently, it was also the scene for sinister adolescent amusements such as bird- or frog-hunting; all too often, the creatures were slowly tortured to death and their sorry little carcasses impaled on sticks in sadistic youthful glee." Yuck. One of the main characters, Chester, whiles "away the time...by swatting bluebottles and wasps with an old badminton racket, easy targets as they grew lazy in the noonday heat." Later, he flicks "the mutilated remains of a large fly off the frayed strings of his racket." Yuck again. Does this sound like someone you'd want your kids to hang out with? Regarding the physical book, I have one major complaint about the softcover edition. I have an original copy of "The Highfield Mole" that includes many illustrations by Brian Williams. The softcover edition of "Tunnels" contains almost none of these illustrations. What a shame. Finally, I couldn't help feeling a sense of déjà vu while reading "Tunnels". It evoked memories of Jeanne DuPrau's "The City of Ember". I recommend "Tunnels", but be aware of what you're getting yourself into - bleakness, darkness, dirt, grime and violence - with the promise of a rip-roaring adventure story.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tunnels - FANTASTIC,
By
This review is from: Tunnels (Tunnels 1) (Paperback)
I can't believe that there are so many reviews saying it's poorly written and dull. Give them a try they are fantastic. This was a really exciting read. I had to go straight out and get the next 2 in the series and now I have a long wait till the 4th one comes out. It is a really good storyline, with loads of twists along the way. Both myself and my 11 year old son have loved them. Since reading Alex Rider and Harry Potter he's been trying to find a worthy alternative and this is definately it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome,
By
This review is from: Tunnels (Tunnels Books) (Hardcover)
Few books that I have read were as compelling and addictive as this one, and with 3 more published in the series and a 5th on the way, it will provide many more hours of entertainment. This book was hard to put down. I just kept saying to myself as reading, one more section, one more chapter, and yet kept reading when I should have put it down. I had to stop reading it at work because I would not want my break or lunch to end. The story is fast paced, the plot twists uncanny, the characters incredibly interesting and the concept chilling.
Will Burrows (pun intended I am sure) is obsessed with archaeological digs, a passion his father has encouraged. His father is the curator at the local museum and dreams of finding something to put his academic career back on track. But they dig in secret, hiding their tunnels and their finds. Will works on projects for his father but also has his own side digs in areas of interest for himself. And in some ways he feels more at home underground than above. But when his father goes missing, and Will discovers a mysterious tunnel and journal, he and his friend Chester go digging, looking for Dr. Burrows. What they find will surprise them and just might cost them their lives. The greatest strength of the story is the uniqueness of the story line. The plot is so enticing. Discovering an underground world and civilization is not a new plot, but how this one came about, and its interactions with topsiders, is unique and fascinating. Overall it was an excellent read and I cannot wait to read more books in the series. (Note this book was originally published as The Highfield Mole.)
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