The Underland Chronicles

The Underland Chronicles  ****

by Suzanne Collins
*This review has spoilers!! If you're interested in learning more about the series then check out my review of book one*

Book type: Children, Fantasy 

Series Summary: This series is written from the perspective of Gregor, an 11 year-old boy from New York City. One day he is doing laundry in his apartment complex's laundry facility when his 2 year-old sister falls through a grate in the wall. He follows after her, falling for miles under the earth. He discovers a race of pale skinned and purple eyed people, giant creatures including: rats intent on killing, spiders, cockroaches, ants, mice, and bats. Gregor discovers that the humans believe him to be the "overlander" of their prophecies known as "the warrior". Gregor has no desire to run around fulfilling the "underlanders" prophecies until he discovers that his father, who disappeared without an explanation 2 1/2 years before, is in the underland. He fell through the same grate as Gregor and has been trapped with the rats for most of his time underground. Gregor agrees to a quest in order to save his father. Once he fulfills the first prophecy the underlanders are convinced he is "the warrior" and must fulfill all of the other prophecies that mention his involvement and is therefore brought back to the underland over and over again. Gregor discovers that he is what is called a "rager", which basically means he is a natural born fighter and killer. He goes into a state of mind that allows him to see the weak-points in his opponent. So at 12-years-old Gregor has fought giant rats, discovered a cure for a plague, and battled to the death many times. When his time as the warrior is over, will Gregor die? Or will he live on? Will he choose the stay in the underland or return to the overland? To know what happens to Gregor and his family you will have to read the whole series! It is well worth your time!

My Review: Can I just say that I LOVE Suzanne Collins? She is brilliant! I could NOT put down the Hunger Games and this book was fantastic! It is technically written for children, but it had a lot more action and war/killing than I would have expected. However, I thought the main character was well rounded and easy to relate with. The plot and events are exciting and very enjoyable. Who knew it would be fun to read about giant rats and ::gasp:: spiders! But I thought this story was wonderfully written and thoroughly enjoyable! The characters and story are well developed and unique, making the series very easy to read. In the end I enjoyed this entire series. Each book had a similar plot in the fact that Gregor ends up in the underland fighting for his life and the lives of those he loves. But, the battles fought and the cause of his returns are different enough that the series is enjoyable all the way through. The one thing that annoyed me about this series is how Gregor always brings his two-year-old sister with him on his journeys. His sister is TWO. She should not be going on deadly adventures with her 11-year-old brother! It is annoying to me. But, other than that one detail, I really enjoyed each book. The stories were exciting, the characters were very diverse creating a beautiful and terrifying world. I was never bored with these books. If you are looking for a fun summer read full of lots of action that you can get though quickly, definitely pick up this series! :)