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From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–With more than capable narration by actor Paul Boehmer, Suzanne Collinss second novel in the Underland Chronicles series (Scholastic, 2004) practically vibrates with excitement and adventure. It takes a bit of time to catch up on characters and events from the first book, but enough hints are dropped along the way to make this accessible to new listeners. Gregor is an Overlander, an 11-year-old who lives in New York City. Boots, his toddler sister, disappears into the Underland, a vast world beneath the city thats populated by enormous bats, cockroaches, and rats, while sledding in Central Park. Gregor knows he must return to the strange underground kingdom of Regalia to rescue her. Boehmer gives each character a distinctive voice, and he has the tone and timing of toddler Boots down perfectly. His voice reflects the change in Gregor as he matures under the weight of his responsibilities. A good choice for fantasy fans in school and public libraries.–Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-8. In this exciting, fast-paced sequel to Gregor the Overlander [BKL O 15 03], 11-year-old Gregor and his little sister, Boots, return to the Underland to battle the evil giant rats, which have conspired to kill Boots in order to destroy Gregor, their primary obstacle to conquering all the Underland. To save his sister, Gregor sails across a subterranean sea with his bat and cockroach allies to find and kill the prophesied rat leader of the Underland war. Most of the action takes place on the water, including a memorable battle with a sea serpent, and there are plenty of suspenseful moments and exciting developments. Gregor, of course, is courageous, selfless, and ultimately triumphant. Readers unfamiliar with the first novel will be at a disadvantage; Collins assumes knowledge of the characters and developments from the first book. But fans will not be disappointed with this exciting, action-packed sequel, whose ending suggests more adventures to come. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible series and book.,
By
This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: Book Two-in the Underland Chronicles (Paperback)
This series is absolutely riveting. The story runs at an amazing pace. The details of the Underland geography, scenery and creatures are amazing. It has only been a few months since Gregor, his sister and father have returned from the Underland to New York City. Christmas is fast approaching and Gregor is doing what he can to help his family out. His father has a strange illness he brought back from the Underland and has not returned to teaching. His mother is working hard to support his family. His grandmother's health is still ailing. Their kind neighbor Mrs. Cormaci has been hiring Gregor to help her out on Saturdays. He always brings home some money, a lot of food and usually some hand-me-downs for the family. But things are still tight and Gregor cannot stop worrying about what will happen next.Then it does happen. He has taken his littlest sister Boots to Central Park to go tobogganing and he gets distracted thinking about the Underland for a few minutes. And his sister disappears. There are signs that it was the giant roaches from the Underland. Soon Gregor is back in the Underland reunited with his Bond, the bat Ares, and Luxa the soon-to-be Queen. They go on a perilous journey in the Waterways and through a Labyrinth at the far end of the Rat's domain in search for the Bane, a legendary white rat that is prophesied to be able to destroy the whole of Underland. But unlike the Prophecy of Gray, the Prophecy of Bane does not indicate how many and what species should make the quest, and how many they will lose. The prophecy states: "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." It is not as clear as the previous and open to more interpretations. All Gregor knows is what is at stake - his life, his sisters and all of Underland. That is a lot to put on the shoulders of a teen-aged boy, but Gregor manages and even seems to thrive under the pressure. This is a great book in an amazing series.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane,
By
This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: Book Two-in the Underland Chronicles (Paperback)
"Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane" by Suzanne Collins continues months after the first book "Gregor the Overlander" ends. Gregor takes his younger sister Boots to Central Park in New York to go sledding. In one moment of distraction Boot is kidnapped and returned to the Underland; Gregor has no choice, but to revisit the Underland. Once in the Underland he sets out on a quest to fulfill the "Prophecy of Bane". It is only by fulfilling the prophecy that he and Boots will be able to return safely home; but the prophecy is tricky and may not appear as straight forward as the Underlanders think, Gregor denies their desires and faces the consequences of his actions.This is a wonderful, exciting series to read. It is full of many fascinating creatures and it is action packed. The only problem I have, as I mentioned in my review of the first book, is that it is hard to believe that Gregor is only eleven years old. My daughter prefers to think of him as being about fifteen or sixteen, and I tend to think of him of being that age also when I read the books. What a great read, loads of fun.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (66 customer reviews) 14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
one word.. stellar,
A Kid's Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: Book Two-in the Underland Chronicles (Hardcover)
This book was by far one of the best books I have read in the past few years. Why you ask, because of the story's richness in creativity. The way Ms. Collins wrote this wonderful tale of adventure, sibling love, and fantasy made it actually seem as if you were in the underland. If Harry Potter made you question if magic really exisited, "Gregor and the Prophesy of Bane" will make you want to get out of where ever you are go to New York with the fastest form of transportation possible and search for hours just to find the portal from reality to a whole new world. I absolutely love this book!
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't put it down...,
By microjoe - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: Book Two-in the Underland Chronicles (Hardcover)
A word of caution, you can't put this book down. It is so interesting and exciting, the world that is created underground and its characters just draws you in. This is the sequel to the outstnding book, "Gregor the Overlander", and once again Gregor and his baby sister travel to the Underland to help save Regalia. The evil giant rats are at it again, and have discivered a long lost secret weapon. Gregor learns of a strange new power that he has, useful and frightening at the same time. Suprising allies and bonds form together to protect the warrior on his journey to the labyrinth. The company travels over an underground sea this time before riding on the backs of giant bats, with giant fireflys to light their way. Along their way they face an attack by flesh-eating insects, a huge whirlpool, undersea dinosaurs, stinging giant phosphorescent squids, and other dangers at every turn. After Gregor has again risked his life and everything he owns for the people of the Underland, he is (SPOILER ALERT) .....accused of something shocking! A third book has just been released, "The Curse of the Warmbloods", I can't wait to read it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
strong followup to good first novel,
By B. Capossere - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: Book Two-in the Underland Chronicles (Hardcover)
The Prophecy of Bane continues the strengths displayed in Collins' first book in the series, Gregor the Overlander. The book moves along quickly and smoothly with few if any slow spots; the major characters, if not minutely detailed, have enough personality and reality to hold one's interest and concern; and the setting, which as in the first is probably the weakest element in terms of vividness, is at least interesting enough in general terms so that its lack of detail is not much of a flaw.As in book one, Gregor enters the Underworld to save a family member. In book one it was his father; here it is his little sister Boots. One sees the freshness and originality early on in the book as the quest quickly changes from what the reader first assumes it will be--the search for Boots--to a more dark journey: Gregor's quest to hunt down and kill alone the Bane (the prophesied future king of the Rats). Without giving things away, there are other such surprises in store for the reader; not just surprises of plot but also surprises of genre, so one doesn't feel stuck in the same old young adult fantasy quest rut. The book is also darker than most young fantasy, and the darkness runs from start to finish, beginning with the fact that (as opposed to what one would expect in the genre) not all is well since Gregor's "successful" rescue of his father in book one. His father hasn't come close to recovering and the family is paying both an emotional and economic price. This sort of reality, and the attention paid to long-term effects (with his father's illness as well as other events from book one) is one of the ways Gregor is distinguishable from much of what is out there. Another way is how death is not simply an abstract idea in this book but a solid and saddening presence. The end or near-end is a bit weak in comparison to the rest of the book as it seems to have Gregor acting a bit unbelievably with only a nod to contriving an explanation (more detail would ruin a surprise). That's the only major weakness in the novel. Once again, a few of the characters could be more fully formed, the setting certainly could be more fully detailed, but one understands why Collins may have traded detail for speed and in reality, the flaws are relatively minor in comparison to how the story and main characters hold interest. Some of the lack of detail is also clearly intentional, as at least one more Gregor book is obviously on the way. If the first two are any judge, one can hope for even more. Strongly recommended for "older" young readers. Younger ones can certainly follow the book, but the context and setting (an world at their feet filled with giant mankilling rats) along with the few deaths might be a bit much--parents are the best judge. The parents themselves, however, might be pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoy it if they pick it up. |
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