Der Tunnel: Roman

The novel opens on a spectacular night in early‑20th‑century New York, where the newly built Madison‑Square Palace throws its inaugural concert. Thousands crowd the streets, honking cars and shivering ticket sellers battling the cold to sell seats that cost more than a small fortune. Inside, the salon glitters with silk, furs and priceless jewels under a blinding flood of electric light, while a massive orchestra of two hundred and twenty‑two world‑class musicians prepares to perform under the baton of a celebrated German conductor.

Amid the opulence sits Mac Allan, a practical engineer from Buffalo who has rented a modest loge for free, not for the music but for a ten‑minute meeting with the nation’s most powerful railroad magnate, Lloyd. Allan’s purpose is far more than social; he seeks the backing for an audacious infrastructure project that could reshape the continent. As the crowd’s anticipation builds, the stage is set for a clash of ambition, wealth, and the daring vision of a man determined to tunnel beneath the earth.