Gregor and the Code of Claw (Underland Chronicles, Book 5) [Paperback]

Suzanne Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008 | Age Range: 8 and up

The stunning conclusion to Suzanne Collins's Gregor the Overlander series will have a fresh new cover on July 1st!

The final book in the NYT bestselling Underland Chronicles!

Everyone in the Underland has been taking great pains to keep The Prophecy of Time from Gregor. Gregor suspected it says something awful but he never imagined just how awful: It calls for the warrior's death. Now, with an army of rats approaching and his mom and sister still in Regalia, Gregor the warrior must gather up his courage to help defend Regalia and get his family home safely. The entire existence of the Underland is in Gregor's hands, and time is running out. There is a code to be cracked, a mysterious new princess, Gregor's burgeoning dark side, and a war to end all wars.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Underland Chronicles

A New York Times Bestselling Series

A USA Today Bestselling Series

A Book Sense Bestselling Series

*"Gregor's luminous, supremely absorbing quest takes place in a strange underground land. . . . Creature depictions are soulful and the plot is riveting. Wonderful." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"Collins does a grand job of world-building, with a fine economy of words. Unlike Gregor who cannot wait to leave, readers will likely find [the Underland] to be a fantastically engaging place." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"[An] exceptional debut novel, a well-written, fast-moving, action-packed fantasy. [S]ure to be a solid hit with young fantasy fans." —Booklist, starred review

From the Author

SUZANNE COLLINS’s debut novel, Gregor the Overlander, the first book in the Underland Chronicles, received wide praise both in the United States and abroad. Also a writer for children’s television, Ms. Collins lives with her family in Connecticut. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439791448
• ISBN-13: 978-0439791441
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Suzanne Collins has had a successful and prolific career writing for children's television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains It All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Collins made her mark in children's literature with the New York Times bestselling five-book series for middle-grade readers The Underland Chronicles, which has received numerous accolades in both the United States and abroad. In the award-winning The Hunger Games trilogy, Collins continues to explore the effects of war and violence on those coming of age. Collins lives with her family in Connecticut.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#14 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#1 in Books > Teens

#14 in Books

#14 in Kindle eBooks

#35 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

#1 in Books > Teens

#14 in Books

#14 in Kindle eBooks

#35 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All earthly things must end -- but why so soon? May 2, 2007

By molly VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Wow. There isn't much else to say after finishing this book, other than, "Why can't there be any more?" For all the fans of the Underland Chronicles: realize that if you thought this book would help wrap things up in a way that left you satisfied with just five books, you shall be very disappointed. Sure, things are wrapped up, but the ending is sad. Heartbreakingly.

I don't even just mean the deaths, almost-deaths, and debilitating illnesses that happen to characters we've known and loved since they stole our hearts in book one -- though certainly there are enough of them. Just the sadness of leaving this behind is awful enough. Never since Lord of the Rings have I been so miserable to leave a world behind. While many people agree that certain parts, particularly a certain romance brewing since book 3, were not wrapped up nearly to their liking (and I agree! Wholeheartedly!) I also think that there is definite room for imagining here. Better yet, why not write a sequel, Ms. Collins? There are plenty of discussion threads on this page to give you ideas.

Loss is a key theme in this book, almost as key as the theme of War -- right or wrong? Gregor experiences loss of a kind he has never imagined. Sure, there were deaths before, but apart from a few he has never experienced agonizing, why-do-I-get-up-in-the-morning pain. And in this book he gets far more than his share of it.

Despite the fact that this book doesn't end happily, (the Underlanders' farewells were much too short for me) it has given us our share of good memories. How many books will ever make us feel affection for a roach or a mouse or a giant, sarcastic talking rat, for heavens' sake? How many times have we found ourselves thinking about ways the Underland could actually exist? Who can forget Ares saving Gregor in book one, Gregor's first prophecy, the ever-misleading Prophecy of Bane, Luxa's Coiler to escape from the spinners, Hamnet's relationship with Solovet, the cutters destroying the starshade and all hope being lost before Temp thought to say, "Not the cradle, unless this be, not the cradle," Hades Hall, the killing of the nibblers, Luxa and Gregor falling in love, and pretty much every single one of Ripred's lines -- who can forget how much pleasure, bittersweet as it sometimes was, that we all got from these books?

So, even if you were disappointed with Code of Claw, read it again. You might find that, despite the disheartening end, there are just as many reasons to love it as the previous books.

Rating: Masterpiece

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars /I / I/ \ \ . II\ I// \ / . /I II/ \ . I/ \ I// II\\ / \ . May 1, 2007

By Amanda Richards HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

/I / I/ \ \ . II\ I// \ / . /I II/ \ . I/ \ I// II\\ / \ .

Ha! Got you there, haven't I?

The title of this review is written in the Code of Claw*, so you'll have to read the book and then listen for my scratching, scratching, scratching and the tapping, tapping, tapping, but I warn you - TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!!!

The fifth and final installment in the Underland Chronicles brings everything together in epic scale, as foretold by The Prophecy of Time. This prophecy contains two lines that everybody has been hiding from Gregor, the twelve year old New Yorker now known as the Warrior.

WHEN THE MONSTER'S BLOOD IS SPILLED,
WHEN THE WARRIOR HAS BEEN KILLED

As you can see, a grim fate awaits our hero - or does it? As readers of the series will know by now, the prophecies of Bartholomew of Sandwich are sometimes open to many interpretations, but as this one seems pretty cut and dried, Gregor has to make the decision to stay in the Underland, or return to the relative safety of the Overland.

Several factors limit his options, and this would have been a very short book had he chosen to flee, but things get even more complicated with the arrival of another member of the family down below, bearing bad tidings of those above.

Meanwhile, the Gnawers have joined forces with a long forgotten group of Underland creatures, and spurred on by the insane Bane, they have launched an all out war against Regalia. An alliance has been formed between the Humans, Fliers, Crawlers, and Nibblers, with a little help from the neutral Spinners, but the key to their survival lies in breaking the Code of Claw, which the Gnawers are using to transmit information.

Be warned that lots of blood and other fluids are shed in this final episode, but there are also lots of surprises, both pleasant and unpleasant, that neatly wrap everything up by the closing chapters. The ending may or may not be what you've been hoping for, but there's no doubt that The Underland Chronicles is one of the most imaginative and ground breaking series available in current children's fiction. You'll need to read the first four books before tackling this one, but at least now you can read them one after the other and not have to wait like those of us who have avidly followed the series from book one.

Highly recommended for young readers, and those who are young at heart.

Amanda Richards, May 1, 2007

*The simplified version straight from the Tree of Transmission

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Awesome Book!! Wih an amazing ending! April 13, 2007

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

I absolutely LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!! I love this series and this is the best book in the series!

Continuing the ending from Gregor and the Marks of Secret, Gregor reads The Prophcy of Time, and learns of his death. From then, Gregor is trained to battle the Bane. Along the way, Gregor learns tht his mom is slowly recovering. Also, the Code of Claw, a code that enlists a team of different animals to crack it. And an unexpected visitor joins Gregor, Ripred, Howard, and Luxa for this final war. But when the code is figured out, and the war begins, not everyone will survive.

In all, Gregor and the Code Of Claw is a winner! I loved to read about Gregor and Luxa's relationship progress in the most satisfying way. Every chapter left me on the edge of my seat, and I got teary-eyed when I read of the characters killed off. I was really sad that this was the final installment of the series, but the ending was amazing! Suzanne Collins is my favorite author, and I love her writing! I think she should do a spin-off series, like what happened in the Underland after Gregor left. But I recommend this book to anyone, young or old, who enjoys reading. An excellent book!

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