The Underland Chronicles

When I first discovered The Underland Chronicles at my local library I was very pleased. Seeing that they were written for a young age and fantasy I assumed they would be interesting, like Suzanne Collin's other books, The Hunger Games, but probably less depressing. At the end of book one I decided they weren't as light weight as I had anticipated. By the end of book three I knew they were not going to end happily-ever-after. By the end of book five, the end of the series, I was entirely convinced that Collin's was incapable of writing something which does not make me cry. I tried to tell myself that I was just grieving for a rat, a bat, and a cockroach, and aside from that they were completely fictional but... I felt like bawling anyway.

Meet Gregor, an eleven year old New York City kid with two sisters, a haggard mother, and a bedridden grandmother. Gregor is just your average kid with an unaverage secret: His father went missing two years ago and though neighbors whisper, Gregor knows he would have never left the family. Then one day, Gregor takes his two year old sister, “Boots”, down to the apartment building's laundry room and watches in horror as his baby sister falls head over heals down the laundry duct. Making a mad grab at a falling sandle, Gregor too, drops through into a land of giant bugs, rodents twice his size, bats as large as small airplanes and...nearly see-through humans called the Regalians. Thinking his life could not get much more horrifying Gregor soon learns that he has a bigger purpose in the Underland than simply rescuing his sister. An ancient Regalian prophecy, carved into the palace's stone wall seems to point to Gregor as the human's savior, a person referred to in the writings as “the warrior”.

My opinion:

Book 1/Gregor the Overlander: Why can't the Regalian's just let the poor kid take his baby sister home?But no, they claim he is the “warrior” and therefore has a purpose in the Underland. The book is interesting and, despite the fact that it's fantasy, it is surprisingly realistic.

Book 2/Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: And Gregor is back in the Underland, a place he never wanted to see again. Things are not all peachy there either and Gregor is sent on a mission to fulfill another prophecy. That book ends on a cliff hanger. Gregor is disgraced, nearly everyone he loves is either missing or in fear for their lives and I can not wait to get to the library and get book three.

Book 3/Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods: Gregor knows he has to go back to the Underland, this time to save all mammals, not just the humans. But his understandably frazzled mother flatly refuses. She insists that they are moving to Virginia and away from a place that could kill her children. When a rather forceful escort it sent to the Overland she finally agrees to let Gregor and Boots descend again, on the condition that she accompanies them. Things start getting desperate however when she herself contracts the dreaded plague known as “The Curse of the Warmbloods”. By the end of this book I was thinking it was time Collin's ramped up the story line. It was beginning to feel drug out.

Book 4/Gregor and the Marks of Secret: Wish granted. Gregor sneaks off on a “picnic” which quickly turns into a long and dangerous adventure. Oh, and while Collin's is hitting the climax of her story she decided to add in a tiny bit of romance...between two twelve year olds. Granted it is a minor part of the story and despite their age they are given the responsibility of an adult but still, it is rather ridiculous. The book ends with a reference to a prophecy which foretells Gregor's death.

Book 5/ Gregor and the Code of the Claw: I read this book in just a few hours. Everyone you love dies. Well, not quite everyone, but the book ends leaving you mourning for at least one human, several rats, a mouse or two, one cockroach, and multiple bats. And while we are feeling depressed, Gregor and his whole family now have PTSD.

Overall I enjoyed these books immensely. Collin's is a fascinating writer and very true to life. As much as you want the books to end happily-ever-after, they can't. Some final, and traumatic thing must decided whether Gregor stays in the war torn Underland or returns to the questioning Overland forever. Naturally the horror of that event, as well as many other things both Gregor and his family have now witnessed scar them forever and they are left with nightmares, unpredictable panic attacks, and overall weakness of mind and body. A rather sad end but I felt that is was fitting. It had to happen that way or the rest of the books were seem trite and like a childish fairytale.

The only things I did not care for were the occasional references to evolution and the romance. Aside from that the books had zero language and nothing inappropriate. They are written for young tweens but enjoyable for all ages, even my nearly sixty year old mother is currently sucked into them!

Four Stars; Recommended for ages 10 and up.