• Fiction.

By Jeff Long. Atria, $25.

Grade: B

Plot in a nutshell: Eight years have passed since Colorado author Long's novel The Descent chronicled the discovery of an underground civilization and the origins of hell. At the end of that story, a virus that didn't infect humans wiped out the denizens of the underworlds.

In Deeper, the Hadal population (those born and raised underground), who were thought decimated, have come swarming up from the depths to take revenge against the U.S. by stealing the country's children. A crusade is formed to rescue the kidnapped children, and so man again descends beneath the surface.

Among the cast of humans involved in this terrifying adventure is Ike, the former mountain guide and hero of the first book; Beckwith, a sniper who may be the children's only hope; and a deranged filmmaker named Clemens who wants to keep the children for his own ghastly reasons. And, of course, there's the archangel himself and, in a brief appearance, Satan's son.

Sample of prose: " 'Here I sit,' the angel says. His voice brightens. 'Not for much longer though.'

" 'Please explain, Lord.'

" 'Things have been set in motion.' The angel bends over a pool of still water. Ever so delicately, he drops a pebble into its center. The water ripples outward. 'My deliverance has begun.' "

Pros: Long knows how to write a real gripper of a story. By turns horrific and then more so, Deeper is more relentlessly thrilling than its predecessor. Also, while the real action takes place underground, Long makes use of the idiocy of talk radio and pompous politicians as they mouth off about the underground war being fought beneath them. Read carefully and the similarities to today's world will make this story even more frightening. (Also, look for name changes among politicians, such as a Democrat named Cheney and a Republican named Kennedy.)

Cons: Long weighs down his tale with prophetic back-stories involving a looming nuclear war with China.

Final word: Long's novel is the second in a planned trilogy. While I don't like being held hostage to forthcoming books,I guess if millions of Harry Potter fans can deal with it, so can I. Deeper reads like the middle of a story, and we can only anticipate, and hope, that the next book will be all climax.

Peter Mergendahl