Underworld

by Cathy MacPhail

A school trip goes disastrously wrong when a visit to local caves turns into something far more sinister. Five students find themselves trapped beneath the ground. Their best chance of escape is to stay together. Then a member of the group disappears, and their hopes of leaving start to fade. Does one of the remaining four know more than they are letting on, or is there something evil lurking in the caves? The students find themselves struggling for dominance as well as survival . . .

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Catherine MacPhail

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underworld is about a group of kids that end up going on a school trip none of them wanted to go on. Axel - the school bully and thug. Angie - Fat, annoying and jolly. Fiona - a smoker and full of attitude. Liam - the nobody, weak and always the follower never the leader. Zesk - the know-it-all geek who loves himself. None of them get on or really like each other and Axel participially dislikes the teacher taking them on the trip, Mr Marks who isn't fond of Axel either. Mrs Soams, the cook at the compound they are staying at tells them of the Local Legend of the Giant Worm, which lives in the caves they are going to be visiting. But it's just a Legend, or is it? There is an explosion in the caves, then a avalanche leaving them trapped in the caves alone. They way out if blocked. Mr Marks has been knocked unconscious. They group has to find a way out. With Mr Marks unconscious the group fights for leadership, turning on each other. Will they be able to make it out alive? Will the worm get them? Or will they destroy each other?

Really enjoyed this book. It had everything. It had a Lord of the Flies feel to it and it was also funny, scary, exciting and hard to put down. The characters where well developed and had great and very differnt personality's which played off each other, bringing homour and drama. Each character develops throughout the book, each on their own personal journey letting you get to know the characters well and why the are like they are. The book kept me hooked throughout, having no idea how it was going to end. Great story!

[Clare Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had me laughing throughout and not in a good way. I was laughing at how terrible it was. It's full of over used cliches. The constant use of 'zonking' rather than swearing was cringE worthy. As someone who has worked with teenagers extensively I just kept thinking 'this isn't how teens speak' which is a problem in a lot of books I have read that is written by an older author. The use of the Scottish dialect I enjoyed however there wasn't enough of it. The tone of voice kept changing making the characters seem unbelievable. They were also all really annoying, I didn't root for anyone and found myself not caring if any of them lived or died.
The worst part was the 'big bad.' The blurb had sounded so promising and it could have went in many different directions instead it was a FUCKING GIANT WORM. Yes that is correct, the horror was a worm. No matter what you do you can't make a worm anything other than laughable. The book became an unintentional horror-comedy. You knew it was a worm from quite early on too as a supposedly 'scary' cook told the kids about it. I thought this was going to be a legend and what they were to face was something entirely different and a lot more terrifying as who gives away a detail like this so early? Alas no, you knew it was a giant worm and a giant worm it was. It's as if the author realised how ridiculous this was as you never even got a full description of it and why it was so scary or how it had come to be there and why. Was it a worm from hell? Was it some kind of evolutionary freak? Some kind of man made guard from the war (which was hinted at with the unnecessary flashbacks.) I'm giggling even as I type this, it was so zonking ridiculous.

[Erin Sterling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trying too hard to be creepy without succeeding. Flat characters and the story doesn't pick up for quite a while. Basic plot: the most unlikely of characters are forced together on a school trip (the rebellious punk girl, the nerdy guy, the asshole, the overly enthusiastic girl) that turns into something evil when they get stuck in a cave of terrible history.

[Cameron Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok storyline, a little predictable though. :/

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half of this book was a struggle to read, difficult to relate to the characters or setting, the storyline seemed shallow. The second half conveyed more realistic actions and emotions.

[Regg The Rock · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book seemed very interesting at first... It was kind of annoying that instead of cussing they would say "zonking" and also saying fags instead of cigarettes... "I could really go for a fag right now" But I got over it the story took way too long to actually get scary we can't even be sure if they actually encountered the worm ALSO ANGIE. We don't know anything about her was she dead the whole time or what? Angie's character altogether was very confusing all we know is she moves a lot and someone died during her last school trip she was killed off just to be brought back which also was very confusing the characters don't even encounter the worm until page 270..... There are 284 pages. the alternative story also seemed a bit useless? I don't think it was really needed at all this book could have been really interesting but the story took too long to take off the book kind of confused me (ESPECIALLY ANGIE) Does Axel never find out it was Liam doing the cruel things? Liam will never tell him then Rick and Zesh are just friends again after their huge argument that seemed like it HAD to be included that sense I wish it was more detailed too! We don't even know what the worm looks like also is Axel THAT dense to not realize you can die from not having an inhaler... HE'S NOT BREATHING AXEL??

[Annika Samuelsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skolan anordnar två skolresor. En till Paris och en som de kallar för vildmarksäventyr. De elever som får åka är det som lärarna anser har förtjänat det. oftast genom bra uppförande. Detta året visar sig bli annorlunda. Ingen blir förvånad när Zeshs namn ropas upp men när även skolans värsting Axel och hans anhängare Liam blir uppropade ihop med nyinflyttade Angie och spydiga Fiona är det en del som höjer på ögonbrynen.

Resan har inga större chanser att bli lyckad men att det skulle bli en total katastrof kanske ingen räknade med. När hela gruppen blir instängd i ett grottsystem med sin svårt skadade lärare finns det bara ett sätt de kan komma ut på. De måste börja samarbeta för att kunna ta sig ut, men de avskyr varandra och vill ha så lite med varandra att göra som det bara går. Och enligt legenden så finns det mer i grottan än bara mörker....

[Adam Cleaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel kind of bad giving this a 2 star, however, it didn't really allow me to score it higher.
Now I know its aimed at teens, but it was very simplistic in its writing. Also, the way the teens spoke felt as if they were how an older person thinks teens talk. And the use of "Zonk" in place of swearing was just funny and breaks the flow of the story.
It takes quite a while to get going, probably only gets good about half way through the book. But then once they are in the caves it does get much more interesting. I did like the whole danger and "lord of the flies" style, every man for himself!
But then let down in the last couple of chapters. The end just felt silly and very rushed.
All in all a nice simple read and not too bad for a relatively short story.

[Natasha Fulcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A school trip takes a turn for the worst leaving a bunch of students and an unconscious teacher trapped in a cave. Terrified by the horror stories the witch-like lunch lady told, they have to work as a team which is a challenge for the teens! Will they all make it out alive?

I wasn’t too intrigued by this book to begin with but wow! It was certainly evidence of why not to judge a book by its cover! By the end of the first couple of chapters I was constantly thinking about what was going to happen next, asking myself questions, and telling anyone I saw about it! As I’ve only recently started to read I’m still learning what I enjoy the most and I wasn’t expecting this to be my cup of tea but I was definitely proven wrong!

[Deb Hauberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose if I were an early middle-school aged Scottish kid, I might give this a 4. If The Breakfast Club was set in a deep dark Scottish cave instead of a US Saturday school session, this could be the result. While there were suspenseful elements, it kind of fell flat for me at the end. I also did not fully understand how the intertwined war story was relevant to the story of the camp-going hikers, other than the obvious cave markers (which, by the way, how could the man have done those in rock if his commander kept pressing on?). If you have a preteen that likes suspense, this may be GOOD read for them, but they may need to do Google vocabulary search periodically to figure out the Scottish teen slang. overall, it was just OK.

[Sandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember liking this book when i was around 11 so I decided to reread it (I’m 16 now). Only now do I realise how badly written it is. The writing style is very simple and, frankly, quite dull. The characters are one dimensional and stereotypical, especially zesh- the Asian boy who’s a teacher’s pet with perfect grades and a stoic, controlling father. The plot was predictable and i found all the characters annoying. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It technically left an impact. The nature of this impact is yet to be determined. The book is, ultimately, poorly written with a ridiculous plot line. However, I found this book both hilarious and incredibly memorable- despite how mediocre it was.

The plot revolves around a group of students getting stuck in a tunnel with A Really Large Worm. Not ideal for anyone. Most complex and interesting character was definitely the worm.

[Mahshid Saghatchi · Rating 1 out of 5]

not artistic and poor writing structure

[Zahki · Rating 5 out of 5]

want to read

[Ashe · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing is awful, cliche, offensive and there’s grammar mistakes throughout. It was quite captivating though in the worst way I guess

[Alice Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely meant for kids but I was entertained

[Katie GrazingPages · Rating 1 out of 5]

Undeworld. Oh how I hated this book. What too harsh? Maybe, but let me explain why it holds such a dramatic impression. Now the idea behind the plot is pretty interesting. A group of teenagers are taken down into a cave on a school trip when the entrance to the cave 'caves' in and they are trapped. They then have to find a way out, without the help of their guide and that's when things really start to go wrong. A legend of a worm is also unnecessarily added the plot which we then have to deal with. But for me the thing that really annoyed me about the book was the over use of the word Zonk! I now hate this word beyond belief. I'd start to enjoy the story then zonk, zonking, zonked or any other version of that word would be mentioned and my ears would ring and my blood would boil. Too extreme? No! Yes I fully understand that teenagers generally overuse words, and yes it is rather irritating but I can be irritated by that on my own, I don't need you, Cathy MacPhail, to remind me every two sentences. Plus what makes it even worse is that the term zonk is very outdated. I've always been a firm believer that certain things should be omitted from books, like the mention of TV shows for example, as they are too time specific, and speech is one of those things. Now I don't mean speech as in old english against 'new' english, I refer to speech as in slang. Slang is so quickly changed that within a year or less it can be outdated. But the word zonk is even worse. According to my Mum (the best source of knowledge) the word zonk was common when she was young and she's 50. Because of this super annoying word I cannot fully review this book as I cannot get past 'zonk' so if you care to brave it I'll leave you to make up your own mind about this book. But don't say that you weren't warned. Now I've only got to find something to do with this book as it's not going anywhere near my book shelf.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was an okay book. First of all, it took a long time for me to become hooked in the book (about 3/4th of the way through). Also, I found it a little confusing because it was written in the UK, so there were some British words in it. The book was about five students, who were completely different from each other, getting chosen to go on a school trip, but things started to happen when they went into the caves. The students names were Alex, Fiona, Angie, Liam, and Zesh. They had to go through and overcome rock falls, bats, arguments, betrayals, fear, and many more things. For instance, their teacher Mr Marks became unconscious from the first rock fall, so they had to carry him the rest of the way. Some of them thought about just leaving him behind, but others wanted to take him along. The book did not end the way I thought it was going to.

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a little bit too much going on which meant that the ending was rushed and a couple of the characters didn't have much presence. In fact, I did go, "Huh, seriously? Is that really the ending?" I had to look for a sequel because a lot of important things were left open.

The external conflict: Trapped in a cave where they may or may not be hunted by the Worm, a supernatural creature.
The internal conflict: How the characters treat and think of each other. The core of this book is about relationships.


There is one thing that niggled at me, though.
Angie, a character that had a very important role in how things turned out, was a red herring -- literally and figuratively. She just showed up in the story and then left it. I don't think that any of the characters really cared, either.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine MacPhail is one of my favourite authors. Her books often engross me for hours as she hooks me in with cliffhangers, three-dimensional characters, and original and creative premises. Yet, this "Underworld" tries far too hard to be macabre and unsettling, but is just mainly annoying, especially her overuse of the word, "zonking", which as we know, is a substitute for swearing. Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading it, and it wasn't complete utter tosh made by the devil himself, just annoying characters and F@*(^*G ZONKING! If I see that word again uttered by a character in any other novel, I shall obtain a large, very sharp machete and stab myself in the face with it, over and over in a continuous cycle. It falls short.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was just bad! I did finish this book, but in a way I wish I had just quit it - that ending was just awful!

The overall storyline for this book was not bad - a bunch of teenagers on a school trip go caving and get stuck with rumours of monsters - in this case a giant worm! But it was very poorly executed!

I hated every single one of the characters in this book! They were all a bunch of annoying little shits! I didn't even like the teacher. As it went on I was rooting for the worm and hoping it was going to eat them all! Instead I got a really crappy ending!

If I could give zero stars I would but I'm stuck with one! Definitely one to avoid!

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not bad... but not that great either. I get the point of this book, but to me, it was trying too hard to be more than it was, and consequently, failing to meet those expectations. The cover looks pretty cool, and the blurb does leave the reader wanting to read on, but the simplistic writing style will make any regular reader over the age of 11 a bit disappointed, in that aspect at least. Having said that, if you're looking for a quick, half-decent story... why not try Underworld.

[Raz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has the making of a good book. There are all the elements one would need - great characters, well-paced plot, description, action etc. - but they never seem to all be present at one point. Occasionally the plot will progress well and be beautifully written, but then the characters are all over the place and the speech is unrealistic. That being said, it is still readable and engaging, forming a bit of light relief from longer or more complex books.

[Gina Pooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of your books that I've read! I loved it straight away! My friend recommened it, she said it was "amazing" whcih I totally agree with! It was so good! It made me get such a strong picture with what was happening in the story, Loved it ao much, now one of my favourite books I've read, trying to read all of your books now! Love them so much! thanks :)

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoa... This book was NOT good. Yeesh. It sounded interesting enough on the inner flap, but it was way too farfetched. I could have handled the students getting trapped in the cave. Had it been left at that, maybe it would have yielded a higher rating. However, bringing the giant worm into the story completely ruined it.

[Hyeyeon Shin]

I just started this book but I don't really like how it starts because it's about school life and it's boring for me! But I'm curious about how the story will twist.
It was kind of boring so I abandoned it.

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing I can say about this book is that it was over quickly. The ideas behind it were good, but the characters were stereotypical and the novel needed to be creepier with more action. Only read this if you have absolutely nothing else to do and are insanely bored.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly readable but you have to bear in mind it's from the teen section of the library. Mildly creepy and quite a quick easy read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was good but I felt like there could have been more action or romance mor descriptive in the setting

[AJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

it seemed like a good idea to read this book but it wasn't it was rushed and kind of weird not worth the read at all