The Highfield Mole (later renamed Tunnels) is a book by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams which follows the adventures of 14-year-old Will Burrows in a tyrannical underworld to which he has travelled in an attempt to find his father, an archeologist who disappeared down a mysterious tunnel.
Plot summary :
The book follows fourteen-year-old Will Burrows who lives in a fictitious London borough called Highfield with his family. Will has little in common with them except for a passion for digging, 
which he shares with his father. When his father inexplicably disappears down a tunnel, Will decides to investigate with his newfound friend, Chester. Soon they find themselves deep underground, where they discover the Colony, a subterranean city in which people have been living since Georgian times. These people have a deep hatred of anyone from the surface, who they call Topsoilers, and they are ruled by a strange and fanatical group called the Styx.
which he shares with his father. When his father inexplicably disappears down a tunnel, Will decides to investigate with his newfound friend, Chester. Soon they find themselves deep underground, where they discover the Colony, a subterranean city in which people have been living since Georgian times. These people have a deep hatred of anyone from the surface, who they call Topsoilers, and they are ruled by a strange and fanatical group called the Styx.Publishing background and history:
Although the authors sent excerpts to various publishers under the title The Highfield Mole, they did not pursue that avenue as they decided to self-publish the book, which they did on 17 March 2005 with a limited run of 500 hardback and 2,000 softback copies, financed by the sale of Roderick Gordon's house. The book received some trade press attention before launch and the entire hardback run sold within a day. On 19 November 2005, Barry Cunningham, of Chicken House, announced that he had agreed terms to publish The Highfield Mole and a second book in the series. Cunningham, while working for Bloomsbury in London, famously signed up J. K. Rowling, and this connection led to the book being branded "the next Harry Potter". In June 2007, Chicken House announced that the book would be published in the United Kingdom in July 2007, and that they had also pre-sold the publication rights in 15 languages (it has now been sold to 38 overseas publishers). The authors and Barry Cunningham also decided to retitle 
the book Tunnels, to reflect that it had been changed by some limited editing. The United States publication would be released on 1 January 2008. With the announcement of the publication date, and press coverage in the UK, the price of the books from the initial self-published run jumped dramatically. A number of the copies are signed by the authors and 80 copies drawn from the 500-copy hardback run were numbered as part of a "Remarque" edition. These 80 numbered copies have a hand-drawn illustration by Brian Williams, an inscription by Roderick Gordon, and are signed by both authors. There is also a "Colony Leather Bound Edition" of ten hardbacks, numbered and signed, with a hand-drawn picture by Brian Williams bound into the book. T-shirts, postcards, art prints, and bookmarks which were issued as promotional materials at the time of publication also attract interest from collectors. The sequel, Deeper, was released in the UK on 5 May 2008 (scheduled for release on 3 February 2009 in the United States), and a third book, Free Fall, is expected to be released in the UK in 2009. The authors have not yet confirmed exactly how many books will be in the series.
the book Tunnels, to reflect that it had been changed by some limited editing. The United States publication would be released on 1 January 2008. With the announcement of the publication date, and press coverage in the UK, the price of the books from the initial self-published run jumped dramatically. A number of the copies are signed by the authors and 80 copies drawn from the 500-copy hardback run were numbered as part of a "Remarque" edition. These 80 numbered copies have a hand-drawn illustration by Brian Williams, an inscription by Roderick Gordon, and are signed by both authors. There is also a "Colony Leather Bound Edition" of ten hardbacks, numbered and signed, with a hand-drawn picture by Brian Williams bound into the book. T-shirts, postcards, art prints, and bookmarks which were issued as promotional materials at the time of publication also attract interest from collectors. The sequel, Deeper, was released in the UK on 5 May 2008 (scheduled for release on 3 February 2009 in the United States), and a third book, Free Fall, is expected to be released in the UK in 2009. The authors have not yet confirmed exactly how many books will be in the series.
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