In the autumn of 1940, Andrew Meek is forced to work down a coal mine as he doesn't wish to fight in the War.

During a shift, Andrew believes he can hear a "heartbeat” under the rock but before he can investigate, the seam collapses, killing several people, among them his two brothers.

Sixty years on, Andrew still broods about that tragic day and the effect it has had upon him.  Instead of a stellar career in science he's led a humdrum life and never amounted to much.

Yet just as he's resigned himself to die ignorant, the “heartbeat” starts again.  Now, Andrew must choose whether to leave this phenomenon alone or to explore it…

Thrust into an amazing journey, Andrew heads back to his own origins while discovering shocking revelations about the Earth, and the location and nature of Hell itself…

David Morton, 9 May 2006