Tag Archives: The UNDERLAND CHRONICLES

#BookReview ‘Gregor and the Code of Claw’ by Suzanne Collins #fantasy #adventure

5 Replies

Gregor and the Code of Claw is the fifth and final book in the Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. From the first page there is no preamble, no explanation of the back story. If you’ve got this far in the series, you know who Gregor is, where he is, and you know that what happens next may kill him. If you don’t know what I mean, start at the beginning with Gregor the Overlander. Suzanne CollinsGregor could turn his back on the Underland, ignore his destiny and return safe to the New York streets above. He could, but will he? Of course not. An army of rats is closing on Regalia, deep beneath the New York streets, and Gregor cannot abandon his friends. This is the war to end all wars. Central to the defence of Regalia – where the humans have put aside generational divisions to join with their allies; bats, mice, spiders, cockroaches and Ripred the rebel rat – is breaking the rats’ version of the Enigma code. If the humans can unlock the Code of Claw and read the rats’ military messages, they believe they can win the war. According to a prophecy the Princess, who everyone says is Gregor’s youngest sister Boots, will unlock the code. But Boots is causing chaos in the code room until Lizzie, Gregor’s other sister, arrives.
This is a fast-moving story of war and it doesn’t all go Gregor’s way. He’s struggling to be what everyone expects him to be, the Warrior who will save Regalia. At last he has achieved some level of competency at echolocation, useful when fighting in the dark, but he is deemed a limited fighter as he only uses his right hand. His relationship with his bonded bat, Ares, another outsider in Regalia, is close and touching. So is his growing closeness with Luxa. There is also the verbal jousting with Ripred to enjoy.
The final battle is, inevitably, Gregor versus the Bane. The white baby rat which made its appearance in the second book in the series is now a mad giant. How can Gregor defeat him?
Collins doesn’t shy away from the brutality of war, or sad endings, and some favourite characters are lost. There are spies, traitors and resistance fighters, lots of blood and strange animal fluids, and some pretty gruesome injuries. And like life, the ending does not have neat conclusions.
An inventive series that brings adult themes of war, death and betrayal plus love, loyalty, bravery and friendship, to a tweens audience. Well written and thought-provoking.

Here are my reviews of the first four books in the series:-
GREGOR THE OVERLANDER #1UNDERLANDCHRONICLES
GREGOR AND THE PROPHECY OF BANE #2UNDERLANDCHRONICLES
GREGOR AND THE CURSE OF THE WARMBLOODS #3UNDERLANDCHRONICLES
GREGOR AND THE MARKS OF SECRET #4UNDERLANDCHRONICLES

And try the first paragraph of THE HUNGER GAMES, also by Suzanne Collins.

If you like this, try:-
‘Viper’s Daughter’ by Michelle Paver #7WOLFBROTHER
‘Dark Earth’ by Rebecca Stott
‘The Bear and the Nightingale’ by Katherine Arden #1WINTERNIGHT

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview GREGOR AND THE CODE OF CLAW by Suzanne Collins https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7zj via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Heather Morris

#BookReview ‘Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods’ by Suzanne Collins #fantasy #adventure

5 Replies

A plague is circulating in the Underland and every warm-blooded creature may die. In the third book in the Suzanne Collins series, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, hero Gregor returns to Regalia, the land below New York, to find people he loves are dying of the deadly disease. Suzanne CollinsThe world below the streets seems familiar now and it’s great to see Gregor join up again with familiar characters; rats Ripred and Lapblood, cockroach Temp and human Vikus, newcomers Hamnet and his blue-green giant lizard, Frill, and a surprise appearance by someone thought lost. After listening to the Prophecy of Blood – as undecipherable as the previous prophecies – Gregor, without his bonded bat Ares who is desperately ill with the plague, sets off on his quest to find the starshade plant. Thought to be the only cure for the plague, it is said to grow in the dangerous Vineyard of Eyes. The team must survive poisonous plants – it’s a struggle for Gregor to get his little sister Boots to understand she mustn’t touch the pretty flowers – deadly jungle animals and the ferocious cutters, five foot long and two foot tall red ants.
Themes of selflessness, empathy and courage run throughout these books as Gregor is forced to confront wrong assumptions he has made, the danger of rushing to judgement, the hurt caused by making casual ill-thought throwaway statements, and the truth of his own nature. Can he set free his inner ‘rager’ to defend his friends and sister when the cutters attack. And will the Regalians admit how their past behaviour in the Underland has caused some of the hatred and resentment with the other peoples that live there.
The Underland books are about family, siblings, parents and also the extended family of friends and neighbours. As this book draws to a close, the fourth instalment is anticipated as Gregor’s family is once again under threat. But help may come from the most unexpected places.

Here are my reviews of the other books in the series:-
GREGOR THE OVERLANDER #1UNDERLANDCHRONICLES
GREGOR AND THE PROPHECY OF BANE #2UNDERLANDCHRONICLES
GREGOR AND THE MARKS OF SECRET #4UNDERLANDCHRONICLES
GREGOR AND THE CODE OF CLAW #5UNDERLANDCHRONICLES

And try the first paragraph of THE HUNGER GAMES, also by Suzanne Collins.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Magician King’ by Lev Grossman #2THEMAGICIANS
‘The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden #2WINTERNIGHT
‘The Secret Commonwealth’ by Philip Pullman #2THE BOOK OF DUST

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview GREGOR AND THE CURSE OF THE WARMBLOODS by Suzanne Collins https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-6P5 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Stephen Spotswood