DEEPSTONE

In Lappi’s horror thriller, a former iron ore mine turned popular tourist attraction becomes the hunting ground for a deadly subterranean creature.

Descending deeply into a former mine is a popular tourist activity in Angora Township, Minnesota. About 60 years ago, something happened at Level 43, and explosives were used to seal the entrance to levels below 32, and the mine was closed down. After tour guide John Lukkinen notices a large crack in the stone wall on Level 32, likely the result of explosions set off at another nearby mine, it’s decided to finish the day’s tours and then close down for inspection. Unknown to Lukkinen, Minnesota senator Ronald Young had recently sent two teams down to investigate possible damage to Levels 33 through 43, and neither crew returned. The senator contacts the rescue group SafeWell to perform an investigatory mission to locate the teams. Former Navy SEAL Morgan Fischer leads the mission. When a power outage occurs, Lukkinen’s group of tourists and Fischer’s team [need to come up with a contingency plan, which is tremendously complicated by the appearance of Bauwen, a “bogey of unknown origin” with four legs and a long tail. Further complications include a second, worse monster—the Vorgroth—that attacks and eats people who enter its space. The story shares similarities with the Godzilla narrative (about a monstrous reptile awakened in the water off Japan after years by nuclear testing) and Jules Verne’s classic subterranean novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, in which underground travelers encounter prehistoric creatures and other dangers. An abundance of characters overcomplicates the early part of tale, but the population soon dwindles due to the monsters’ destruction and appetites. In this thrilling read, Lappi features strong female characters, a variety of ethnicities, and a wide range of ages, from an eager teenage tourist with two dads to a spry nonagenarian couple.

Deftly mines monstrous thrills.