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DEEPSTONE: A SAFEWELL MISSION: BOOK ONE
DEEPSTONE is the IAN (Independent Book Network) 2025 Book Of The Year Awards FINALIST!
Not even your worst nightmares can prepare you for the EVIL that rises from the darkness 4000 feet underground.
DEEPSTONE, the deepest underground iron ore mine in the United States, has been a popular tourist destination for decades.
Tour Guide John Lukkinen leads a small group down to Level 32 on the final tour of the day. But things do not go as planned when blasting from a new open-pit mine knocks the power out, trapping them thousands of feet beneath the surface.
And they are not alone.
A nearly indestructible creature from a world 46,000 feet below the mine hunts John and the tourists as they try to find their way through each dark and unused level.
Two well-equipped military teams are sent into the mine. One team is sent to kill everyone, the other to rescue them.
Can everyone escape the mine alive?
Read the horror thriller DEEPSTONE today!
Not even your worst nightmares can prepare you for the EVIL that rises from the darkness 4000 feet underground.
DEEPSTONE, the deepest underground iron ore mine in the United States, has been a popular tourist destination for decades.
Tour Guide John Lukkinen leads a small group down to Level 32 on the final tour of the day. But things do not go as planned when blasting from a new open-pit mine knocks the power out, trapping them thousands of feet beneath the surface.
And they are not alone.
A nearly indestructible creature from a world 46,000 feet below the mine hunts John and the tourists as they try to find their way through each dark and unused level.
Two well-equipped military teams are sent into the mine. One team is sent to kill everyone, the other to rescue them.
Can everyone escape the mine alive?
Read the horror thriller DEEPSTONE today!
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2025
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 11, 2025
In 1962, Milton works for Deepstone, the deepest underground iron ore mine in the United States. Many of its mining crew have had lethal run-ins with a Vorgroth, an underground creature that hunts in the darkness of the tunnels. Now he, along with co-workers Jacob, Marek, and Jan, has been tasked with blowing up the entrance to a hatch that will hopefully seal it in forever in Deepstone, book one of the SafeWell Mission series by Dean Lappi.
Years later, in 2025, Deepstone is owned by the state of Minnesota and has been a popular tourist destination for decades since it was permanently closed in 1962. Thornlandon Holdings has an interest in the mine and four days earlier sent a military team into the deepest levels of Deepstone. When they don’t return, a second group is sent in to investigate. They don’t make it out either.
Tour Guide John Lukkinen is getting ready for the next tour group when he notices a crack in the back wall of the elevator room on Level 32. Since the Onamuni mine had received clearance to begin blasting three weeks earlier, he calls the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of Minnesota.
They advise John to do one more tour and close early. When blasting from a new open-pit mine knocks the power out, it traps them thousands of feet beneath the surface, and they are not alone. The Vorgroth is out again and is hunting John and the tourists as they try to find their way through each dark and unused level.
At the same time, two well-equipped military teams go into the mine. Thornlandon Holdings sends one to kill everybody and destroy evidence, and SafeWell sends the other on a rescue mission. With a ruthless predator on the loose, everyone’s life is on the line.
In Deepstone, Dean Lappi has created a claustrophobic nightmare set in an iron ore mine where danger is everywhere. The dark itself is unnerving, but when he introduces a relentless, otherworldly predator from deeper below, it transforms the mine into a deadly hunting ground. Led by John, the tour group consists of married couple Larry and Ethan and their adopted teenage son Andy, adrenaline junkies Ben and Fiona, and an elderly couple, Claire and Milton. Each dealing with their own personal dramas, the routine tour into the mine turns into a fight for survival that they will never forget.
I was drawn to this novel because it features an underground monster and humans running from it unaware that it’s not the only threat headed their way. The SafeWell team goes down with the tourist group to investigate what happened to the previous two teams. Henry Skuggs is their boss. A rich retired military man, he formed his own private military grade rescue company as an investigatory and rescue group. The group’s mission is the rescue and recovery of scientists or corporate research teams who have gotten into trouble. By the first chapter, when it becomes clear that Vorgroth is a brutal killing machine and a formidable enemy that won’t be easy to stop, I was hooked.
The Vorgroth reached down and grabbed Jillian by the head, popping it from her body as easily as one would separate a flower from its stem.
Lappi skillfully captures the suffocating tension of the abandoned mine tunnels and the adrenaline as the creature closes in on its prey. With the addition of the human threat, it keeps the tension sharp as readers are unsure whose side the teams are on. The deep character development is impressive, most notably Andy, who begins the day as a selfish brat who won’t put away his video game. His creative mind, youthful strength, and stamina make him an asset, and he becomes John’s right-hand man. The pacing is steady, moving briskly from scene to scene while still developing a sense of dread, and the descriptive language brings the scenes to life:
They all silently glided down the tunnel, following Ficks like a ghost in the shadows.
Equal parts survival horror, monster thriller, and examination of the human condition, Deepstone is a thrilling start to the SafeWell Mission series. It explores the themes of survival, family, death, and corruption while giving readers primal and intelligent scares. A must-read, it’s recommended for fans of horror-thrillers like The Descent or Alien, who appreciate frightening subterranean settings and invincible monsters.
They had purposely searched out areas that filled them with dread and excitement, but never once, in all those experiences, had they felt they could ever truly be harmed. Now, in this mine, and for the first time in his life, Ben felt a mortal threat to his existence.
Years later, in 2025, Deepstone is owned by the state of Minnesota and has been a popular tourist destination for decades since it was permanently closed in 1962. Thornlandon Holdings has an interest in the mine and four days earlier sent a military team into the deepest levels of Deepstone. When they don’t return, a second group is sent in to investigate. They don’t make it out either.
Tour Guide John Lukkinen is getting ready for the next tour group when he notices a crack in the back wall of the elevator room on Level 32. Since the Onamuni mine had received clearance to begin blasting three weeks earlier, he calls the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of Minnesota.
They advise John to do one more tour and close early. When blasting from a new open-pit mine knocks the power out, it traps them thousands of feet beneath the surface, and they are not alone. The Vorgroth is out again and is hunting John and the tourists as they try to find their way through each dark and unused level.
At the same time, two well-equipped military teams go into the mine. Thornlandon Holdings sends one to kill everybody and destroy evidence, and SafeWell sends the other on a rescue mission. With a ruthless predator on the loose, everyone’s life is on the line.
In Deepstone, Dean Lappi has created a claustrophobic nightmare set in an iron ore mine where danger is everywhere. The dark itself is unnerving, but when he introduces a relentless, otherworldly predator from deeper below, it transforms the mine into a deadly hunting ground. Led by John, the tour group consists of married couple Larry and Ethan and their adopted teenage son Andy, adrenaline junkies Ben and Fiona, and an elderly couple, Claire and Milton. Each dealing with their own personal dramas, the routine tour into the mine turns into a fight for survival that they will never forget.
I was drawn to this novel because it features an underground monster and humans running from it unaware that it’s not the only threat headed their way. The SafeWell team goes down with the tourist group to investigate what happened to the previous two teams. Henry Skuggs is their boss. A rich retired military man, he formed his own private military grade rescue company as an investigatory and rescue group. The group’s mission is the rescue and recovery of scientists or corporate research teams who have gotten into trouble. By the first chapter, when it becomes clear that Vorgroth is a brutal killing machine and a formidable enemy that won’t be easy to stop, I was hooked.
The Vorgroth reached down and grabbed Jillian by the head, popping it from her body as easily as one would separate a flower from its stem.
Lappi skillfully captures the suffocating tension of the abandoned mine tunnels and the adrenaline as the creature closes in on its prey. With the addition of the human threat, it keeps the tension sharp as readers are unsure whose side the teams are on. The deep character development is impressive, most notably Andy, who begins the day as a selfish brat who won’t put away his video game. His creative mind, youthful strength, and stamina make him an asset, and he becomes John’s right-hand man. The pacing is steady, moving briskly from scene to scene while still developing a sense of dread, and the descriptive language brings the scenes to life:
They all silently glided down the tunnel, following Ficks like a ghost in the shadows.
Equal parts survival horror, monster thriller, and examination of the human condition, Deepstone is a thrilling start to the SafeWell Mission series. It explores the themes of survival, family, death, and corruption while giving readers primal and intelligent scares. A must-read, it’s recommended for fans of horror-thrillers like The Descent or Alien, who appreciate frightening subterranean settings and invincible monsters.
They had purposely searched out areas that filled them with dread and excitement, but never once, in all those experiences, had they felt they could ever truly be harmed. Now, in this mine, and for the first time in his life, Ben felt a mortal threat to his existence.
December 28, 2025
I really enjoyed Deepstone by Dean Lappi. This was one of those books that hooked me early and kept my attention all the way through. The pacing felt just right; not rushed, but never boring, and I was genuinely curious to see how everything would unfold.
The atmosphere is one of the strongest parts of this book. There’s a steady sense of tension and unease that builds as the story progresses, and it makes the whole experience feel immersive. I also appreciated that the suspense didn’t rely on over-the-top twists; instead, it developed naturally and felt earned.
The characters felt believable and grounded, which made their choices and the consequences of those choices hit harder. I liked that nothing felt unnecessarily complicated, yet the story still had depth and layers to think about after finishing.
Overall, Deepstone was a solid, engaging read that stayed with me after I turned the last page. If you enjoy suspenseful stories with strong atmosphere and smart storytelling, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out.
The atmosphere is one of the strongest parts of this book. There’s a steady sense of tension and unease that builds as the story progresses, and it makes the whole experience feel immersive. I also appreciated that the suspense didn’t rely on over-the-top twists; instead, it developed naturally and felt earned.
The characters felt believable and grounded, which made their choices and the consequences of those choices hit harder. I liked that nothing felt unnecessarily complicated, yet the story still had depth and layers to think about after finishing.
Overall, Deepstone was a solid, engaging read that stayed with me after I turned the last page. If you enjoy suspenseful stories with strong atmosphere and smart storytelling, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out.
October 26, 2025
Picked this up from the author at a local art fair; nice guy! Monsters are a bit of a stretch for me personally but loved the MN setting and author was good at creating suspense which was perfect for spooky season 👻
November 27, 2025
Fun, easy read. It pulled me in and was hard to put down. I bought this from the author, Dean Lappi, at the Ely Community Center’s Holiday Market. It was great to meet him and hear his enthusiasm for the book, he had just earned another award for this book. I love supporting local authors!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews