| Gregor the Overlander | |
|---|---|
The cover of the first edition. |
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| Author(s) | Suzanne Collins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Underland Chronicles |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
| Publication date | September 1, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 308 |
| ISBN | 0-439-43537-4 |
| OCLC Number | 66527121 |
| Followed by | Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane |
Gregor the Overlander is the first book of the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. It was published in 2003, and met with critical acclaim, including Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice and New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing selection.[1] It was featured by National Public Radio in the USA in 2005.[2] It was Nominated for a Nutmeg Children's Book Award in 2006 in the intermediate category and came in third place.[3] As of July 2008, users on Amazon.com had given the book a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.[4]
Contents |
Eleven year old Gregor is stuck at home with his poor grandmother and baby sister instead of going to summer camp like every normal kid. His mother has to go to work, as his father disappeared just over 2 years ago. He is stuck babysitting his sister and his slightly delusional grandmother, when he falls through a grate in the laundry room of his New York City apartment building. With his two-year-old sister, Boots (also known as Margaret), he lands in the Underland. Here giant spiders, rats, and cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. Because a prophecy foretells that an Overlander will play an important role in the uncertain future of Underland (which is on the brink of war), Gregor's arrival is treated as no accident. When he learns his father's disappearance may have something to do with the Underland, Gregor reluctantly embarks on a life-changing adventure.
New York City. Then later the Underland. The nominal ruler of the human city of Regalia is Luxa, a girl Gregor's age, who will fully assume the throne when she comes of age at sixteen. She is proud and aggressive. At first sight, Gregor believes her to be stuck-up and conceited; this feeling only increases when Boots asks her for a ball she had been playing with and Luxa will not let go of it. A royal cousin named Henry seems more friendly to Gregor, and another named Nerissa is nervous and claims to have visions of the future. Luxa's grandfather is a kindly man named Vikus, who leads a council that rules in place of the under-aged queen. Her grandmother Solovet leads the Regalian military, which includes sword-wielding soldiers mounted on large, intelligent bats. Solovet appears to have a gentle demeanor at first, but when it comes to battle tactics, she has among the finest of minds.
Gregor, growing tired of the Underland, attempts to escape and is attacked by rats (the main enemy of the humans). Luckily, the guard Mareth and some others (Including Luxa) save his life. Gregor then learns that, according to the "Prophecy of Gray," a group of Underlanders and Overlanders (including Gregor and his sister Boots) will set out into dangerous rat-controlled territory, in order to rescue an Overland prisoner, whom Gregor believes to be his long-lost father.
The first part of their mission involves recruiting participants from each of the various groups of underland creatures mentioned in the prophecy. First Vikus, Solovet, Mareth and others go to the cockroaches and recruit Tick and Temp (whom Boots somehow recognizes from their first encounter in the underland). They then journey to the bats, many of whom are ceremonially bonded to humans (a relationship that has both social and military benefits). After fending off another rat attack, the group goes to visit the Spinners(spiders), who promptly imprison them in a web. Luxa and her bat Aurora free the party by performing a complex aerial maneuver that shreds the web. Nevertheless, before long, the rat incursions motivate the spiders Treflex and Gox to join the quest.
When fully tallied, the party includes the Overlanders Gregor, Boots and (after his rescue) their father, the Underlander humans Luxa and Henry, the cockroaches Tick and Temp (who believe Boots is a princess); the spiders Gox and Treflex (who ally themselves with the humans to fight a common enemy), the rat Ripred (a fearsome fighter and strategist whose motives are never clear), and the bats Aurora (Luxa's bond) and Ares (Henry's bond).
Boots considers the quest a play date, and treats all her companions as equal playmates, even though the Underland humans see themselves at the top of a rigid hierarchy. While his main goal is simply to see the quest to its conclusion so that he can rescue his father, Gregor also makes conscious decisions that challenge the dominant opinions of the Underland humans. For instance, he socializes with the cockroaches, and he defends Ripred against Henry's unjust aggression (which includes an attempted assassination).
Of the twelve members of the party, the prophecy states that only eight will return alive. Early casualties include one of the spiders (Treflex, who dies almost immediately after joining the quest) and one of the cockroaches (Tick, who sacrifices herself in order to save Boots), Gox, (the other spider) who gets sliced in half by King Gorger's tail, and Henry, who turns out to betray the questers and jumps into the pit after Gregor. Henry is confident that his bat will save him, but Ares had no clue of Henry's motives. Ares lets Henry fall to his death and saves Gregor instead. Ares is let off the hook for breaking his bond for life, by letting Henry die, because he had no clue Henry was conspiring against the others, but only after Gregor bonds with Ares.
Gregor's father is ill but safe. With the rat King Gorger dead, the quest is a success. Luxa is shaken by Henry's betrayal, as are the other Regalians. Nevertheless, Ares is put on trial for one of two charges: Treason (Along with Henry) or abandoning his bond. Before the Regalian authorities can pronounce Ares guilty, the quick-thinking Gregor begins to recite the ceremonial words that will create a bond between Ares and himself. Ares finishes the ceremony, and the Regalians cease to prosecute Ares.
Gregor, Boots, and their father return to New York City, but not before Vikus hints that the warrior has not seen the last of the Underland.
The creatures mentioned are similar to those of the "Overland", with the exception of all being larger than is normal.