At just 14 years old, Bailey M. Walker has become one of Patrick County’s youngest authors with the release of his debut science fiction novel, “The Underlands.”
“The Underlands” is now available on Amazon and Kindle.
Walker said the book combines his love of science fiction with original ideas.
“It’s about a guy named Jack, and he is trying to survive with his friends. They go onto the surface, and basically there was a war nobody knew how it started or how it ended. They just know that basically the world ended,” Walker explained.
The book’s synopsis introduces Jack as a cadet training to explore the largely uncharted surface world, which has been abandoned since a war over 200 years ago.
“Jack does not know the perils he will face as he completes his training. A mysterious murder haunts his existence, and he places his friends in constant danger. He must overcome the worst the “Underlands” has to offer, as well as the most terrible things from the surface,” the synopsis reads.
Crafting the Story
Walker began writing the novel last year.
“I just wanted to write a book, so I sat down and started writing it one day. It was pretty difficult. After a while, I started running out of ideas,” he said.
Using Google Docs, Walker initially completed the manuscript at 69 pages. When formatted for the Kindle app, the book expanded to 120 pages.
Encouraged by his first venture into publishing, Walker plans to write a sequel.
“Possibly a trilogy, or just a two-fer if people like it or not,” he said. “I was going to do the sequel mostly for my friends because they kind of liked the first book. Also, they were in the first book, so I decided to continue that.”
A Young Talent
Walker’s talent for writing earned recognition in 2023 when he won The Enterprise’s annual writing contest for his age group while he was a seventh grader.
His mother, Gabrielle Walker, said the win marked a significant milestone.
In addition to his sequel to “The Underlands,” Walker has started working on another novel unrelated to the series.
“The Underlands” is available for purchase on Amazon and Kindle.
