Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
Q: More than 40 foreign language editions, two New York Times bestsellers, multiple fan-sites, a Japanese manga version, and now a movie in the works: Congratulations! The Tunnels series has really gained a foothold in children's literature. Now that Freefall, the third book in the series, is about to be published in the United States and the fourth, Closer, is soon to be released in Great Britain, has book-writing become your "day job"? Do you keep a regular writing schedule?
BW: Thank you! It's true: Writing the series has been just about all we've done since we began on the first book, Tunnels, in September 2003. People generally express surprise when we tell them this, as if writing for a living is reckless behavior. It was neither very sensible nor rational to embark on such a career, and there was no grand plan when Roderick and I began, or any great expectations of success. Just a blinding obsession that they had to be written, as if the stories had chosen us to write them.
RG: But I don't regard writing as a "job" — I had one of those in corporate finance for nearly twenty years, and writing is something else completely, something far more vital and important to me. As for a regular schedule, I write at all times of day, but particularly at night. I have a tendency for my hours to become nocturnal, working straight through till dawn. Although it's not very conducive to family life, it does mean that I'm not interrupted by the telephone.
Q: How would you say the friendship between Will and Chester has changed since the first book, Tunnels?
RG: In Tunnels and then in Deeper, their friendship is tested to the limits by everything they're forced to endure, and as a result the relationship has indeed "deepened" considerably by the time Freefall takes place. Each knows he can rely on the other, and each has also learnt from the other's strengths. At the beginning of the series, Will was far more rash and prone to jump feet first into situations, whereas Chester would be the voice of caution, urging him to use restraint. Now, Will is more careful, while Chester has grown braver and more confident.
BW: The appearance of Elliott has thrown the dynamic of their relationship a little off-kilter, but that's all I'm going to say, because I don't want to give away any of the plot of Freefall!
Q: Do you ever find yourselves growing frustrated or bored with your own characters? If so, what do you do? Do you essentially like all of your characters at the moment of conception, even the evil ones?
RG: We have to live with our characters — sometimes they become more real to me than living, breathing people around us – and, yes, it is our job to make them interesting. So I never find them boring, because they all have a part to play, even the minor characters. And the characters have to interact convincingly with each other: If they didn't, then there wouldn't be a place for them in the books. But I have to admit they sometimes infuriate me. There's a certain person in Freefall who drove me to distraction, although I'm not going to say which one.
Q: Will is quite frustrated with someone close to him in Freefall; perhaps readers can find a clue there.
BW: No comment! And I think the evil characters — the "bad guys" — if not exactly likeable, are still interesting. You've got to admire their pure and uncluttered sense of purpose, and the style in which they go about getting what they want!
Q: Speaking of evil, there are the indestructible Rebeccas; and Elliott is a girl of few words. How do you think girl readers can relate to the characters in the series? Or do you consider these stories for boys?
BW: The books aren't meant just for boys at all, and we receive tons of letters and emails from girls who love the fact that the Rebeccas and Elliott are so strong — they certainly aren't damsels in distress!
RG: Quite the opposite: They can hold their own against the boys, and most of the time are far more effective and more capable than them.
Q: What's your own opinion of Freefall in relation to the other books in the series? Of the books so far, do you have a favorite?
BW: It's difficult to pick a favorite, but I do look back with fondness on all the excitement of collaborating on, completing, and then actually publishing the first book, Tunnels.
RG: The second book, Deeper, was written when I was dealing with some serious family issues, and consequently it's darker than the others, and far more personal than the first book. And then Freefall is different again, because we were able to further develop the characters and reveal more of the Styx's secrets, while at the same time making the action faster-moving and more dialogue-driven.
Q: Over the course of the story in Freefall, Will discovers everything from a cache of old military equipment to underground Mayan-style temples and quaggas: What extra research did you do to make sure all your information was accurate?
BW: Much of the detail is dredged from our addled memories - odd items and facts that have caught our attention in the past.
RG: I always go back and check to make sure the detail is as accurate as I can make it.
Q: Do you ever worry about crossing the line into incredulity for your audience? Sure, an underground world could exist, with strange sightless creatures and an enslaved society who mine the bedrock for precious metals...but how could the Rebeccas possibly keep cheating death?!
RG: It's a constant fear of mine that we've pushed the limits too far, but then, the reader wants to be thrilled, so we have to make sure the stories are exciting and unpredictable enough to retain their attention. I wanted to be a biologist when I went to university — I loved science — and so I do my very best to use logical and believable foundations for the stories. Everything that happens in them adheres to the laws of science and could maybe — just maybe — be possible. And I don't believe the Rebeccas have ever really been that close to death.
BW: They're far too clever and calculating to get caught! Though they might be more in harm's way in Freefall . . .
Q: Ben Wilbrahams is the first American character to appear in the series! Why him? And what can explain his elaborate toupee?
RG: Ben is a documentary filmmaker who has decided to settle in England, and because he's successful and works in the media, I just knew Mrs. Burrows would find him appealing. I suppose I'm tipping my cap to all the American TV shows and films I watched and loved as I was growing up - programs like "Lost in Space," "Land of the Giants," "Mission: Impossible," and such westerns as The Virginian and The High Chaparral. They were all such a big part of my childhood, and I probably learnt most of what I know about plotlines and scripting from them!
Q: Lots of excitement is building for the Tunnels movie: What can you tell us about it? Where you involved with the script? How has the movie-making process affected your writing?
BW: It's amazing news! Roderick and I don't allow ourselves to believe it's actually going to happen . . . although we are expecting an announcement from Relativity Media very soon.
RG: Awareness of the film hasn't affected how we go about writing — we've always tried to make each scene in the stories as visual as we can. Neither of us has been involved in drafting the screenplay — two great guys in the United States have been responsible for that, and everything we've heard or read so far has been impressive.
Contributor: Scholastic
Reviews
Freefall
Roderick Gordon, Brian Williams
In Book 3 of the bestselling "Tunnels" series, Will and his friends find themselves pushed into the Pore and are desperately looking for a way back Topsoil. The only problem is, however, that only one person has ever done it before. Will, Chester, and an unconscious Elliot must battle the native creatures of the Pore, including giant spiders as well as deal with the ever present Rebecca twins and the tunnels themselves. With each turn seeming more desolate than the one before and Elliot's health declining by the day, the boys are feeling hopeless when they stumble upon Martha- a mysterious old lady who dwells in the pore and is a new character in the series. The intricate adventure continues and characters from previous books continue to pop up when you least expect them in this popular phenomena created by Gordon and Williams. Readers will once again find themselves caught up in the never ending adventure that has become Will's life. His optimism, no matter what is thrown at him, propels his story forward and will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Readers just stumbling upon this book should definitely start at the beginning as the adventure is too far along to enter into in this third installment. Fans should look out for the upcoming movie version of Tunnels, though it will be hard to capture the intricate details of the story itself. February 2010, Scholastic, Ages 12 up, $18.99. Reviewer: Jeanna Sciarrotta (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-545-13877-2
Tunnels
Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
Set in a hidden world, deep below London, this tells the story of fourteen-year-old Will Burrows' adventures. Inspired by his father's love of archaeology and the thrill of discovering buried artefacts, Will is happiest when he has a shovel in his hand and he can dig, dig, dig. He takes care to always disguise the places he excavates and no-one ever knows exactly what he's been doing. His family are strange and when father mysteriously disappears down a secret underground tunnel, no-one but Will seems to care. He confides in a friend, Chester, and persuades him to reluctantly dig alongside when Will decides upon a subterranean investigation. They eventually discover a lost world, inhabited by a group of tall, shadowy pale people who seem to be stuck in a Victorian time warp. A chilling spiral of events here - only just beyond our everyday lives - is both fascinating and challenging. This book though, for me, is just a little too long, but the writing crackles with the heat and enthusiasm generated by the writers-in-tandem. There is the promise of plenty more gripping action. Category: Fluent. Chicken House. Reviewer: Jenny Blanch (Carousel 37, Autumn 2007).
Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows has a passion for digging around his small town of Highfield, which is so old it dates back to Roman times. He and his father, curator of the town's history museum and archaeologist, spend their spare time looking for ancient artifacts, abandoned underground train tunnels, or maybe something more interesting: evidence of ancient settlements. Outside of his exciting hobby, Will's life is dreary. His family is dysfunctional. His older sister Rebecca does all the shopping, cleaning, and cooking while their mother spends her time in front of the TV. Will's appearance works against him--he is pale with white hair, and his only friend is big, bumbling Chester who is also on the outside of teen society. Suddenly, Will's humdrum life turns dark and desperate. His father disappears, their family is without any money, and Will suspects that his father may be in danger connected with some secret excavation. Can he find his father with Chester's help? Some mysterious figures begin to tail Will; the new-found father's journal also mentions being followed by the same furtive strangers. Will and Chester persevere in their search and are suddenly thrust into a dark, frightening underground world filled with people who look like Will. Some claim to be his family. Some, the Styx, are truly frightening: they use torture to get information from Will and Chester. How will Chester and Will escape? Can they find Dr. Burrows? What about the foreign yet familiar underground people that claim to be Will's grandmother and younger brother? Meanwhile, what is happening topside to Rebecca and Mum? The underground world becomes deeper and deadlier and Will wonders if he will ever see the sky or sunlight again. This is a beautifully written young adult novel, so compelling and realistically drawn that the reader will not be able to put it down. Black-and-white illustrations add wonderfully to the dark fantasy world. A sequel, Deeper, is scheduled to be out in 2009. Wow! 2008, Chicken House/Scholastic, $17.99. Ages 9 up. Reviewer: Judy Crowder (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-439-87177-8
Deeper
Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
Some sequels are slow-paced clunkers that serve more as a bridge between books one and three than as a work of quality literature. Deeper, sequel to New York Times Bestseller Tunnels, is not that kind of sequel. Instead it serves to enrich the world created by the first book with more complex plots, more sinister violence, more frightening fun and deeper connections between characters. The introduction of two new characters further expands the subterranean world. The enhanced character and plot development, combined with a darker and slightly more violent story, make Deeper a fast-paced and compelling read. It is a rare book that can create an entirely new fantastic, harsh, creative yet believable world for readers to visit. This book is not only sure to be a hit with existing fans of the series; it will also attract new readers to this dark and twisty world. Highly recommended for purchase by school and public libraries. Order multiple copies--this book will be popular! 2009, Scholastic Inc, $18.99. Ages 9 to 14. Meagan Albright (Children's Literature).
This sequel to Tunnels (Chicken House/ Scholastic, 2008/VOYA October 2008) begins with Will's biological mother, an escaped Colonist, evading the merciless Styx above ground, while Will, Chester, and Will's brother Cal are on the Miners' Train, headed into the Deeps, a place of dread for the people of the underground Colony. Chester, Will's friend from Topside, was tortured and then banished to the Deeps. Will, accompanied by Cal, has gone to save him and to look for Will's adoptive father, an archaeologist who is happily exploring the Deeps. He does not know that his daughter Rebecca is a changeling, a member of the Styx assigned to watch Will while he was growing up. Rebecca also leads the search for Will's mother, who after twelve years of freedom, is finally captured and, mislead to believe that Will is evil, that he (instead of the Styx) killed her brother, has kidnapped Cal, and must be destroyed. Soon Will's mother also is in the Deeps, armed and dangerous and after her son. Fortunately Will and company have met Drake, a Topsider brought below by the Styx for his engineering skills, who escaped and now battles against them, and Elliott, a teenage girl trained to be as deadly as he is, especially with explosives. Their mission is to survive and to stop the biological plague the Styx plan to spread topside. The cliffhanger ending leaves readers anxiously awaiting book three, Freefall. This page-turner has lots of action and deeds of derring-do for fans of dark, dystopian fantasies. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2009, Chicken House/Scholastic, 643p., $18.99. Ages 11 to 15. Reviewer: Bonnie Kunzel (VOYA, October 2009 (Vol. 32, No. 4)).
ISBN-13: 978-0-439-87178-5
Added 06/28/10
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