Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Suzanne Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: The Underland Chronicles, Book 2 (Book 2)

The action and adventure continue in this stunning fantasy from a rising literary star.

Gregor is summoned back to the Underland by the terms of a second prophecy. Spies have reported the sighting of a Rat King, a character who has been legendary since the Middle Ages. Recognizable by its tremendous size and snow-white coat, the Rat King is destined to bring a World War to the Underland. Gregor eventually comes face to face with the Rat King, and to his surprise, he finds he is unable to kill this creature. His heart tells him he's making the right decision. Will it be a decision he lives to regret?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Readers are quickly drawn into this sequel to Gregor the Overlander (Scholastic, 2003), which concluded with Gregor and his toddler sister, Boots, returning from the Underland, an underground realm populated by humans and giant creatures. When Boots is kidnapped and taken back to the Underland, Gregor follows her to the city of Regalia, where he is reunited with Luxa and her wise grandfather. Vikus tells the boy of the "Prophecy of Bane," which foretold of Gregor's return to the land to find and fight a legendary white super-rat. The siblings are joined by Luxa and other humans, as well as giant talking bats and cockroaches, in the quest to find the Bane. As in the first book, the questers face adventure, danger, death, loss, and change on their journey, and the surprising conclusion leaves room for another sequel. Interpersonal conflict and old enmities among the well-developed characters add depth, and the hazards and beauties of the subterranean Underland are fully realized and clearly presented. An urgent mood and a sense of impending danger are conveyed. This is a strong choice for fantasy fans, including reluctant readers, even if they're not familiar with Gregor's first adventure.–Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439650755
• ISBN-13: 978-0439650755
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,203 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one word.. stellar, August 25, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2) (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!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't put it down..., November 28, 2005

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microjoe - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2) (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, December 12, 2004

By 

B. Capossere (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2) (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.