The Atlantic Tunnel
By John Russell Fearn
Linford Mystery Library: Large Print, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84782-751-7
Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction
Reviwed by Boris Segel - January 25, 2010
The Atlantic Tunnel is a short novel written by the prolific writer John Russell Fearn. It is part mystery and part science fiction and the plot revolves around a tunnel being built that will run under the Atlantic ocean, connecting Great Britain with Canada. In building this tunnel, construction is begun simultaneously in Land's End and in Labrador, with the plan being for the two teams to meet up in the middle and connect the two tunnels, thus creating the longest and deepest tunnel ever made.
If the scientific, engineering, and political problems and dangers facing the project were not enough, the workers also have to face a seemingly insurmountable and unexpected problem - sabotage!
The Atlantic Tunnel is a fast paced story that is akin, in many ways, to the old pulp science fiction stories of the 1950s and 60s. The story is filled with lots of neat scientific contrivances, such as Steel-X, a super strong yet light weight form of steel that will become an essential component in the construction of the tunnel. Fearn is also great at finding acceptable explanations on how the construction teams dealt with working thousands of feet under the ocean and in providing sufficient air, tools, and other necessities to the workers. While the building of the tunnel is the meat of the story, the gravy is the investigation in the ongoing sabotage that is plaguing the construction. The saboteurs are serious about their task, a fact that is made all too clear as the body count begins to mount.
All in all, The Atlantic Tunnel is a fun book to read. Definitely not high literature, but a great way to wile away a couple of hours on a lazy day or for filling spare moments while traveling, waiting in line, or during any of the countless idle moments in the day that need filling.
The Atlantic Tunnel can be purchased directly from Ulverscroft, the parent company of the Linford Mystery Library.
Related Reviews:
Climate Incorporated, by John Russell Fearn.
After Brook invents a way of controlling the weather, his invention is soon stolen and he and his wife murdered. It falls upon their son to seek revenge for their murder, and to stop the thief from using the invention to hold the world to ransom.
The Lonely Astronomer, by John Russell Fearn.
Follow the adventures of Adam Quirke, a scientific detective who must discover who killed the famed astronomer Dr. Brunner - was it his lovely assistant, a fellow astronomer who wanted his job, the observatory's mysterious janitor, or a visitor from another planet?
