Roland Smith's book, "Beneath," is the story of two brothers, Pat and Coop, and their adventures in the underground world below New York.
Older brother Coop has always been obsessed with the underground. As a teen, he dug a mile-long tunnel through their neighborhood and almost killed Pat when they hit a gas line. Since then, he has done his underground exploring on his own. After graduating from high school, their parents wanted Coop to go to college and make something of himself; instead Coop takes off. No one hears from him for more than a year.
Unexpectedly one day, Pat receives a package from Coop with a voice recorder and instructions for mail drops at a post office box. Coop explains he has been traveling and ended up in New York City where he is exploring the underground world. When Coop disappears once again, Pat knows something is really wrong. Not able to get either of his parents' help, he heads to New York on his own over Christmas break. In New York, Pat uses Coop's recordings to retrace his footsteps. He is introduced to the world of The Community, a group of people who live underground and off the grid, but still have dealings with the above world. They are much different from their counterparts from The Deep.
The Deep is located far below the streets of New York. It is led by Lod, whose real name is Lawrence Dane, a member of the Weathermen Underground. The Weathermen were a domestic terrorist organization in the 1960s and 1970s. It was believed they were all killed or captured, but Dane had escaped and spent decades in The Deep plotting to overthrow the government.
While in The Community, Pat meets Kate, a member of The Deep, who knows that Coop has been captured by Lod and agrees to help Pat rescue Coop from Lod's clutches. However, The Deep is nothing like The Community. They have cut all ties to the above world, but are still technologically sophisticated and deadly. They will stop at nothing to keep their world a secret, keep the inhabitants in and keep outsiders out. It is up to Pat, Coop and Kate to stop Lod and let the authorities know about his plot. First, they have to escape The Deep.
"Beneath" is an intense, at times claustrophobic, underground adventure. The fact there actually are underground places in New York like the ones described in this book and the Weathermen did exist made the story even more intense.
Roland Smith will be at Missouri River Regional Library to discuss "Beneath" and his other books at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Angie Bayne is the children's services manager at Missouri River Regional Library.