Dark Terror

by John Wilson

Alec Shorecross is 14 and has already left school to work in the local mine. He's paid 13 cents an hour to toil in the underground darkness. When war breaks out, Alec ships overseas in search of a different life and a way to contribute. He dreams of doing something heroic but soon Alec finds himself underground again. While soldiers and aircraft engage in battles on the ground and in the sky, down, deep below the surface Alec joins the invisible crew of combatants who risk their lives building tunnels so that they can place mines beneath enemy territory. This dramatic and realistic story shows us a little-known side of war and the role of one brave and determined young man.

141 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2015

About the author

John Wilson, an ex-geologist and frustrated historian, is the award-winning author of fifty novels and non-fiction books for adults and teens. His passion for history informs everything he writes, from the recreated journal of an officer on Sir John Franklin’s doomed Arctic expedition to young soldiers experiencing the horrors of the First and Second World Wars and a memoir of his own history. John researches and writes in Lantzville on Vancouver Island. There are many more details in his memoir, Lands of Lost Content, https://www.amazon.com/Lands-Lost-Con...

Reviews

[Fred · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent story and good history but the voice of the protagonist is wrong. Written in the first person, Alec Shorecross states he started working in a copper mine at the age of ten. But Alec's vocabulary is far beyond what a reader would expect from a fifth grade education. An officer's handkerchief is "immaculate," and an "emotional spiral" is "futile." I was too aware of the author's prose to become fully invested in Alec's character.

I you like this sort of thing, the graphic novel Charley's War does a better job with a similar character and setting.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a between a 3 and a 4 for me. Fifteen-year-old Alec Shorecross doesn't particularly like his job working in the local mine, but his family desperately needs the money. When his friend Jack decides to join the Newfoundland Regiment and Alec escapes from a cave-in, both boys are sure that better times are coming for them. But being the allure of possibly being a pilot trumps being a soldier, and Alec applies for the flight corps. His application is rejected, and he ends up agreeing to work underground in order to contribute to the war effort. The irony of his position will not be lost on readers, especially since the author uses vivid description and some archival photos of the tunnels being constructed underground to make readers feel as though they are right alongside Alec. Since Alec and his fellow moles are planting explosives to undermine the German's war efforts, there is considerable risk involved, and some of the men with whom he works don't always behave in the most courageous way. I'm not sure how any of them found the courage to head back down beneath the earth each day, particularly since the German are often working close by, digging out their own tunnels. I'd give this one a higher rating if it weren't for the portions about Manon, the nurse who tends to Alec after he is injured, and how quickly he falls in love with her. Still, the book is recommended for anyone interested in a unique glimpse into WWI and how that was was fought. Dark Terror is the perfect title for this historical fiction title from Canada.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique perspective on World War I trench warfare. Wilson effectively depicts the claustrophobic, dark terror of the underground war and the coming of age of young men amid horrific battles.

[Karen Upper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked how this book took a little known group of soldiers from WWI and created a suspenseful and heroic narrative.
I would recommend this story to anyone interested in the back stories of WWI!