Below the Wire
Above them, men fight a war. Below the wire, a family fights to survive.
- Historical Fiction
- Adventure
- Literary Fiction
Beneath the blood-drenched chalk of the Western Front in 1916, a different kind of war unfolds. Harold Giles is a scarred trench rat who wants only to protect his mate, Enid, and nurture their newborn litter. But the subterranean maze of rotting duckboards and collapsed dugouts offers little safety. Above, heavy artillery and poison gas relentlessly batter the earth. Below, a monstrous rival rat named Victor Gunn hoards stolen rations and violently executes any who challenge his reign. When Harold discovers that an impending Allied offensive will tear the earth apart with catastrophic subterranean mines, time runs out. As detonations shatter the trenches and lethal gas floods their tunnels, Harold must lead his fragile family into the nightmare of no man's land. Across a cratered expanse choked with rusted razor wire, sniper fire, and predatory forces, they embark on an epic quest toward the forgotten green pastures beyond the slaughter. Below the Wire is an unforgettable, deeply poignant saga of resilience, unexpected kinship, and the enduring will to live amidst the madness of humanity's darkest hour.