The Underland Chronicles
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The Underland Chronicles is a five-part series of children’s books written by Suzanne Collins between 2003 and 2006. It tells the story of an eleven year old boy named Gregor and his adventures in a land hidden under New York City. The underland is inhabited by giant rats, cockroaches, rats, spiders, fireflies and other creatures.
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[edit] The Series
[edit] Gregor the Overlander
Gregor the Overlander (ISBN 0-439-43537-4) is the first book of the series. In the book, Gregor and his sister Boots fall into the Underland for the first time and meet the Regalians.
[edit] Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (ISBN 0-439-73137-2) is the second book in the series. Gregor must return to the Underland to slay a rat called "The Bane."
[edit] Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods
Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (ISBN 0-439-65623-0) is the third book. A disease comes into the Underland, and the Regalians must quest to find the cure.
[edit] Gregor and the Marks of Secret
Gregor and the Marks of Secret (ISBN 0-439-79145-6) is the fourth book. The Bane takes control of the rats, and Gregor and his friends must fight to stop him.
[edit] Gregor and the Code of Claw
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This article or section contains information regarding scheduled, forthcoming or expected future book(s). It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the product release approaches and more information becomes available. |
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Code of Claw is expected to be released May 2007. It will be the last book in the series. It is said to be a book about the last prophecy, the Prophecy of Time. The Prophecy Of Time is believed to say that Gregor will kill the Bane with Sandwich's sword. The cover can be seen here.
[edit] The Underland
[edit] The Sections
There are several sections in the Underland. The areas are each controlled by separate species. These include the sections that belong to the humans, the cockroaches, the Dead Land (a land that is uninhabitable) as well as several other sections. In Gregor and The Curse of the Warmbloods, Gregor sees a map of the Underland. Also, in the Gregor and Marks of Secret Luxa oftenly mentions the Uncharted Lands (Lands that have not yet been explored).
[edit] The Creatures
There are many creatures in the Underland. All are enormous versions of different species of animals that can be found on earth. There are rats, spiders, lizards, cockroaches, fireflies, bats and others. The bats have special bonds with certain humans that imply that they will help each other through life and death. In one of the books, when the bat Ares does not save his human, Henry, he is tried. Gregor, attempting to save his life, bonds with him and saves him.
When a human bonds with a bat, they are together forever. The punishment for forsaking a bond is banishment, which, in the Underland, soon means death. To bond with one another, the human and bat must recite a poem to their future bond, while holding hand in claw. A large feast signals the end of this ceremony. The poem is similar to this:
Ares, the flier, I bond to you
Our life and death are one, we two,
In dark, in flame, in war, in strife,
I save you as I save my life.
Gregor, the human, I bond to you
Our life and death are one,we two,
In dark, in flame, in war, in strife,
I save you as I save my life.
[edit] The Government
The government of the humans is a monarchy. It is ruled by a king and a queen. In the underland chronicles, Luxa is the queen. There is a representative government that Gregor attends. It is made up of various representatives for the various species.
[edit] Locations
- This is an incomplete list.
[edit] Regalia
Gregor first lands in the city of Regalia, where the humans reside. It is heavily guarded and is ruled by a council until Queen Luxa becomes sixteen years old.
[edit] The Fount
This is where Luxa's cousin Howard's family lives. They are without royal blood unlike Henry and Nerissa. There is also a colony of nibblers that live here.The mice also disappear without a trace in the fourth book.
[edit] The Dead Land
This is an unhabitated place in the rats' land.
[edit] The Jungle
This is a vast jungle where the plants are very deadly and seducing. Gregor went through this horriffic place to the Vineyard of Eyes to collect Starshade, the 'cure' in book three.
[edit] Hades Hall
Gregor enters this place when an avalanche cuts them off. He and his friends must go this way to go back to Regalia.
[edit] The Uncharted Lands
Luxa thinks in the fourth book that the rats will force the mice to live here. These are areas that have not yet been explored
[edit] Firelands
This is where the rats kill many mice. It is also the home of strong winds that can carry extremely heavy objects (such as boulders) in mid-air, as well as several volcanoes. Thalia dies of poisoning here.
[edit] Waterway
A miniature ocean which is fed by a turbulent river. On this sea is an island that had insects which ate Pandora and wounded Ares.
[edit] The Garden of Hesperides
An apple orchard once given as a peace offering from humans to rats, it was destroyed by Hamnet, on the orders of Solovet. During a fight to get the garden back from the rats, the sluice gates of the dam were opened in an attempt to give humans the upperhand by making the rats "swim for it", but the entire dam crumbled, reclaiming the garden under 20 feet of water.
[edit] The Labrinyth
The labrinyth is a stone maze deep inside the rats' land.
[edit] Queenshead
Queenshead is beside the jungle and where Cevian the nibbler sent a crown to Luxa as a warning.
[edit] Main Characters
- Gregor: Gregor is a twelve-year-old Overlander (11 years old in books one through three) who accidentally found the Underland while chasing his baby sister Boots around the laundry room. He is the warrior that is described in Bartholomew of Sandwich's prophecies. Although he is reluctant, Gregor eventually accepted his duties to the Underland. Over the year that he has spent in the Underland, he has bonded with his own bat, Ares, fulfilled several prophecies, and developed a crush on Luxa, the queen (a relationship that Howard, Luxa's older cousin, highly disapproves of). He is also a rager-- ergo, a berserker whose senses become chronically acute in battle, while his mind becomes oblivious to anything except himself and his target. Although he states the he hates fighting, Luxa saw him smiling during a fight with twisters (snakes).
- Luxa: Luxa is the future queen of Regalia. She is the same age as Gregor and will become the queen when she becomes sixteen years old. Until then, Regalia is led by a council. Luxa is a wise leader, but can be sharp-tongued towards others. This changed, however, after the conclusion of Gregor the Overlander, when she took a more positive attitude to her companions. Although she is rash at times, she feels indebted to the nibblers (the Underland word for mice) for their hospitality. She has vowed to protect the nibblers, even going as far as declaring war on the gnawers (the Underland word for rats). She is currently going to find the nibblers with others.
- Ares: Ares was the bond of Henry, one of Luxa's cousins of royalty. After Henry betrayed the questing party in the first book, Ares chose to save Gregor from dying instead of his bond. In Regalia, he is put on trial. Gregor bonded with Ares to save him because he knew that Ares did not know anything about Henry's plot. However, after the first book, Ares is regarded disdainfully by the Regalians. In the third book, he gets the plague, but begins to heal after the cure was applied.
- Boots: Boots is Gregor's baby sister. She is kind and friendly to everyone, even to the enemies. Like many babies, she is completely oblivious to circumstances, such as someone dying. She has also developed a friendship with the crawlers (cockroaches) and stingers (scorpions). She is often referred to as the "Princess" when talking to the crawlers.
- Temp: Temp is Boots' probable best friend to her in the Underland, appearing in every single book, and questing every time as well. Temp is extremely loyal to Boots, as shown in the second book, where he defends her from the Serpents (plesiosaurs), then saves her life in the Dead Land. During the third book, he was, as Ripred put it, a "real champ about baby-sitting", and he even flew into Frill's face to get Boot's ball back.
- Ripred: Ripred is a gnawer who seems to be one of the only ones on the side of Regalia. He speaks with a biting wit and a world-weary air. Although many creatures resent him for this, Ripred shows much wisdom in time of need. He is a great fighter, and, like Gregor, is a rager. He gives Gregor lessons on echolocation, the skill of locating something using sounds, to learn to fight in the dark. He is with Luxa and trying to help the mice. Ripred's highest moral is mutual need.
- Howard: Howard is Luxa's older cousin from the Fount. His father is in charge there. He was introduced to Gregor in the second book with his younger siblings. Luxa did not like them, but eventually realizes that Howard is a great comrade. On the quest to find the Bane, Howard's bond Pandora was killed. Howard got the plague in the third book, but after getting the medicine for a few weeks, he bounced back quickly. Now he is working in the hospital to help others who have the plague. After the second quest he has been on (the first, on the quest to kill the Bane, the second to find the nibblers and help them), he joins Luxa and Ripred with Aurora and Nike to find the nibblers.
[edit] Other Underland Creatures
(Note: These are only the creatures listed in the books.)
[edit] Humans
In the Underland Humans are also known as "Killers," although they do not like to be addressed as such.
- Regalians
- Luxa - would-be Queen of Regalia
- Vikus - Luxa's Maternal Grandfather, Regalian Diplomat
- Solovet - Luxa's Maternal Grandmother, Regalian General
- Mareth - Regalian Soldier and trainer
- Henry - Luxa's cousin (Deceased)
- Hamnet - Luxa's Uncle (twin of Judith, Luxa'a Mother)(Deceased)
- Nerissa - Luxa's cousin (Henry's sister)
- Neveeve - Doctor worked in Labs under Regalia (Deceased)
- Dulcet - Nanny in Regalia, cares for Boots
- Hazard - Hamnet's son, Luxa's cousin (Halflander; mother was an Overlander)
- Miranda - servant
- Perdita - Soldier guards Gregor and fights Fangor and Shed
- Keeda (Deceased)
- Anchel (Deceased)
- Daphne (Deceased)
- From the Fount
- Howard - Luxa's cousin on her mother's side (eldest in his family)
- Stellovet - Howards sister (second eldest)
- Hero - Howard's sister (twin of Kent)
- Kent - Howard's brother (twin of Hero)
- Chim "Chimney" - Howard's youngest sister
- Susanah - Howard's Mother
- Overlanders
- Gregor- turned 12 at the end of the third book
- Boots - Gregor's sister (age 2-3)
- Grace - Gregor's Mother
- Gregor's dad
- Mrs. Cormaci - Gregor's neighbor
- Gregor's Grandmother
- Lizzie - Gregor's sister (age 7)
- Larry - Gregor's friend at School
- Angelina - Gregor's friend at School
- Mr. Otts (buys antiques)
[edit] Cockroaches
Cockroaches are known as "crawlers" in the Underland.
- Tick (Deceased)
- Temp
- Pend
[edit] Rats
Rats are known as "gnawers" in the Underland.
- Good Rats
- Ripred
- Twitchtip(Location unknown)(scent-seer, went on the quest to find the Bane)
- Razor(Deceased) (The Bane's main guardian, was killed by The Bane over a crawler carcass.)
- Neutral Rats
- Mange(Deceased)
- Lapblood
- Sixclaw (Pup of Lapblood)
- Flyfur (Pup of Lapblood)
- Makemince
- Goldshard(Deceased) (the Bane's Mother)
- Bad Rats
- Fangor(Deceased)
- Shed(Deceased)
- King Gorger(Deceased)
- Snare(Deceased) (the Bane's Father)
- The Bane (also known as Pearlpelt; egocentric and self-pitying)
- Twirltongue (Extremely persuasive. Advisor of the Bane.)
- Gushgore (Twirltongue's friend)
- Reekwell (Twirltongue's friend)
[edit] Bats
Bats are known as "fliers" in the Underland
- Bonded bats:
- Ares (First to Henry, then to Gregor)
- Aurora (To Luxa)
- Euripedes (To Vikus)
- Andromeda (To Mareth)
- Pandora (Deceased, but to Howard)
- Ajax (To Solovet)
- Non-bonded bats:
- Nike (Queen Athena's daughter, but might eventually bond to Howard.)
- Queen Athena
- Thalia (Was to bond with Hazard, but deceased)
- Hermes (Not known if bonded)
- Icarus (deceased, not known if bonded)
[edit] Other creatures
- Lizards - Called "hissers".
- Frill (Deceased)
- Fireflies - Called "shiners".
- Photos Glow-Glow-- arrogant, gluttonous, argumentative, and frustrating.
- Zap-- as above.
- Ants - Called "cutters".
- Moths- Called "eaters".
- Spiders - Called "spinners".
- Gox (Deceased)
- Treflex (Deceased)
- Queen Wevox
- Purvox
- Plesiosaurs - Called "serpents".
- Mice - Called "nibblers"
- Cartesian
- Cube (deceased)
- Heronian (status unknown)
- Cevian (deceased)
- Scorpions - Called "stingers"
- Snails - Called "slimers"
- Snakes - Called "twisters"
- poisonous frogs - encountered in the jungle
- the humans keep cattle and sheep-- cattle are mentioned in Books One and Two and in Book Four Luxa mentions having had a pet lamb once.
[edit] Halflanders
A halflander is a person who was born to an underland parent with an overland spouse. The only known halflander is Hazard, the son of Hamnet.
[edit] Prophecies
[edit] Bartholomew of Sandwich
Sandwich is an explorer that was the first European to discover the underland. He was a prophet and carved all of his prophecies on stone in a room. He is the one that wrote the prophecies that Gregor must fulfill. These prophecies may be read singly, as a series, or as one lengthy poem.
[edit] The Prophecy Of Gray
The prophecy of gray states that a quest must be fulfilled in order to save the underland from utter destruction. It introduces the warrior, "a son of the sun", who is Gregor.
Beware Underlanders, time hangs by a thread,
The hunters are hunted, white water runs red.
The gnawers will strike to extinguish the rest.
The hope of the hopeless resides in a quest.
An Overland warrior, a son of the sun,
May bring back us light, he may bring back us none.
But gather your neighbors and follow his call
Or rats will most surely devour us all.
Two over, two under, of royal descent.
Two fliers, two crawlers, two spinners assent.
One gnawer beside, and one lost up ahead.
And eight will be left when we count up the dead.
The last who will die must decide where he stands.
The fate of the eight is contained in his hands.
So bid him take care, bid him look where he leaps,
As life may be death and death life again reaps.
[edit] What it Means
Beware Underlanders, time hangs by a thread, A warning. time = life, it is in danger
The hunters are hunted, white water runs red. Two rats (hunters) were killed (hunted), and when they put the bodies in the (white) water, the water turned red.
The gnawers will strike to extinguish the rest. The rats will attack to kill all the humans.
The hope of the hopeless resides in a quest. The quest to save his father will be the only hope for the hopeless humans.
An Overland warrior, a son of the sun, The Warrior is Gregor, and he is the son of his father and an Overlander, making him a “son of the sun.”
May bring back us light, he may bring back us none. Light = Life, Gregor may save the Regalians or he may not
But gather your neighbors and follow his call Going on the Quest will be the only way to know
Or rats will most surely devour us all. or the Rats will surely have their victory
Two over, two under, of royal descent. who must go: two Overlanders, Gregor and Boots; two Royal family Underlanders, Luxa and Henry
Two flyers, two crawlers, two spinners assent. two bats, Aurora and Ares; two cockroaches, Temp and Tick; two Spinners, Gox and Treflex, must agree to go
One gnawer beside, and one lost up ahead. One rat, Ripred, guiding the party, and Gregor's Dad lost up ahead of them
And eight will be left when we count up the dead. of the twelve, four will not survive the quest (Treflex, Tick, Gox, Henry)
The last who will die must decide where he stands. refers to Henry, who must decide to stand with the Rats or the Humans
The fate of the eight is contained in his hands. Henry's decision decides the fate of the others; his decision to betray his people influenced the entire future.
So bid him take care, bid him look where he leaps, Henry did not look where he was going; he was caught up in the Rats chasing Gregor, and he lept into the Cavern
As life may be death and death life again reaps. Had Henry and Gorger Lived it would have meant death to the Underlanders; also Gregors life, saved by Ares, meant Henry's death. The Death of Henry and King Gorger meant Life for the Underlanders as the Rats fell into Chaos and stopped fighting at the news of Gorger's death.
[edit] The Prophecy Of Bane
The Prophecy of Bane states that a new leader of the rats may be emerging and that the warrior must lead a quest to stop him. The warrior, Gregor, tries to kill it but can't.
If under fell, if over leaped,
If life was death, if Death life reaped,
Something rises from the gloom,
to make the Underland a tomb.
Hear it scratching down below,
Rat of long-forgotten snow,
Evil cloaked in coat of white,
Will the Warrior drain your light?
What could turn the Warrior weak?
What do burning gnawers seek?
Just a barely speaking pup,
Who holds the land of Under up.
Die the baby, die his heart,
die his most essential part,
die the peace that rules the hour,
gnawers have their key to power.
[edit] What It Means
If under fell, if over leaped: Henry fell to his death, while Gregor, thinking he was meant to die, leaped off the edge of the cliff.
If life was death, if death life reaped: This means the same.
Something rises from the gloom/To make the Underland a tomb: This most likely refers to the Bane, which will rise from underground where he has been hiding. He will try to make the Underland a tomb carrying on from Marks of Secret, where he is trying to persuade the rats to take over.
Hear it scratching down below: Gregor did when he was in the bowl with Ares.
Rat of long forgotten snow/Evil cloaked in coat of white: The Bane has a coat of white, and in this prophecy it gives a hint that he will turn out to be evil, which leads to the next line.
Will the Warrior drain your light?: This could mean A) What Nerissa said, that war would rage out if the Bane was killed, but it could also mean B) That in not killing the Bane, Gregor has put the Underland in danger because of the white rat's Evil side. (In the Underland, light is a symbol for life)
What could turn the Warrior weak?: Obviously, the thought of killing the Bane.
What do burning gnawers seek?: Again, the Bane.
Just a barely speaking pup/Who holds the land of Under up: This also refers to the Bane.
'Die the baby, die his heart/Die his most essential part: If the Bane dies, Gregor would feel guilty and saddened. He mistakes the baby for Boots, when she disappears with Luxa and Aurora, but later finds out that the baby is instead the Bane.
Die the peace that rules the hour/Gnawers have their key to power: Nerissa said that if the Bane was killed, the peace that "ruled the hour" would be gone, and the gnawers would be able to wage war on the underland for destroying their new leader. However, the gnawers may have their key to power in the Bane, who lived and in Marks of Secret persuades (from lessons with Twirltongue) them to drive all the nibblers out, and to try, probably, the humans eventually.
[edit] The Prophecy of Blood
Warmblood now a bloodborne death
Will rob your body of its breath,
Mark your skin, and seal your fate.
The Underland becomes a plate.
Turn and turn and turn again.
You see the what but not the when.
Remedy and wrong entwine,
And so they form a single vine.
Bring the warrior from above
If yet his heart is swayed by love.
Bring the princess or despair,
No crawlers care without her there.
Turn and turn and turn again.
You see the what but not the when.
Remedy and wrong entwine,
And so they form a single vine.
Those whose blood runs red and hot
Must join to seek the healing spot.
In the cradle find the cure
For that which makes the blood impure.
Turn and turn and turn again.
You see the what but not the when.
Remedy and wrong entwine,
And so they form a single vine.
Gnawer, human, set aside
The hatreds that reside inside.
If the flames of war are fanned,
All warmbloods lose the Underland.
Turn and turn and turn again.
You see the what but not the when.
Remedy and wrong entwine,
And so they form a single vine.
[edit] What It Means
Warmblood now a bloodborne death/Will rob your body of its breath/Mark your skin and seal your fate/The Underland becomes a plate: All of this stanza is referring to the plague that in infecting the Underland.
Turn and turn and turn again: Once in the Vineyard, the travelling group must turn three times, therefore facing Regalia where the cure is.
You see the what but not the when: They know what the plague is, but not when it was started.
Remedy and wrong entwine: Neveeve set the plague on the humans by accident, but she also has the remedy for the cure.
And so they form a single vine: Which is Dr. Neveeve.
Bring the warrior from above/If yet his heart is swayed by love: To bring Gregor back into the Underland.
Bring the princess or despair/No crawlers care without her there: Gregor must bring Boots into the Underland, because the crawlers must come on the quest for the remedy but will not do so without Boots along.
Those whose blood runs red and hot/Must join to seek the healing spot: The warmbloods must travel together to find the cure for the plague, in the Vineyard.
In the cradle find the cure/To that which makes the blood impure: They will find the cure to the plague where it was made.
Gnawer, human, set aside/The hatreds that reside inside: The rats and humans must keep peace.
If the flames of war are fanned/All warmbloods lose the Underland: The cure will not be found and the Underland will not be saved if war breaks out.
It should be noted that Boots figured out part of this prophecy in a way. When Gregor mentioned turn and turn and turn again, Boots figured this to mean to turn literally.
[edit] Prophecy of Secrets
Dancing in the firelight
See the queen who conquers night
Gold flows from her hot and bright
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
Off they go I do not know,
if we will see another
Catch the nibblers in a trap
Watch the nibblers spin and snap
Quiet while they take a nap
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
Off they go I do not know,
if we will see another
Now the guests are at our door
Greet them as we have before
Some will slice and some will pour
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
Off they go I do not know,
if we will see another
What it means
Dancing in the firelight the light of the volcanos
See the queen who conquers night the largest volcano (the queen) erupts and makes it dark no longer
Gold flows from her hot and bright the lava flow from her
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother They were all mice families
Off they go The rats marched the mice from their homes into the Firelands
I do not know, if we will see another it could possibly be the end of the mice
Catch the nibblers in a trap catch the mice in a pit around the volcano
Watch the nibblers spin and snap watch them in a frenzy try to escape as the poison takes effect
Quiet while they take a nap all mice are quiet in death (the nap)
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother see above
Off they go see above
I do not know, if we will see another see above
Now the guests are at our door the rats are coming to attack Regalia
Greet them as we have before the Regalians will fight them yet again
Some will slice and some will pour some will fight with sword some will pour hot oil over the walls
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother see above
Off they go see above
I do not know, if we will see another see above
It should be noted that once again, Boots figured out part of this prophecy in a way. She thought that when the mice died, they were taking a nap, which was how Sandwich put it in the prophecy.
[edit] Symbology
[edit] Holocaust
In the fourth book, Gregor and the Marks of Secret, there is a very noticible link between it and Nazi Germany. For one thing, the Bane parallels Adolf Hitler in the sense that they are both intent on killing of a certain group; for Hitler it was Jews and for The Bane it was mice. In addition to that, both The Bane and Hitler were able to rally full support for their cause by blaming the wrongs done to them on their selected victims.
Another link between the content of Gregor and the Marks of Secret and Nazi Germany is the method of torture used by both the Rats and the Nazis. Both the Rats and Nazis used poisonous gases to their advantage; for the Nazis it was in concentration camps and for the Rats it was in the Firelands.
[edit] Greek Mythology
Several of the bats' names were taken from Greek mythology.
- Hermes, the Messenger Bat, Greek messenger god.
- Nike, the bat princess, Nike is the Greek goddess of victory.
- Euripides, Vikus' bond, greek tragedian.
- Pandora, Howard's bond, greek figure in myth, as in Pandora's Box.
- Ares, Gregor's bond, greek God of War son of Zeus.
- Aurora, Luxa's Bond, Ancient Greek & Roman Goddess of the Dawn.
- Andromeda, Mareth's bond, figure of Greek Myth
- Ajax, Solovet's bond, Greek hero, character in Homer's Iliad.
- Athena, Queen of the bats, Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War.
- Thalia, Hazard's would be bond, Greek muse of Comedy.
- Icarus, greek figure of Myth.
[edit] Children of Vikus
Throughout the series, the names of the children of the Regalian Human Vikus are revealed.
- Susannah, mother of Howard
- Hamnet, father of Hazard, twin of Judith
- Judith, mother of Luxa, twin of Hamnet
These are in comparison to the children of the famous English playwright, William Shakespeare.
