Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis


Everyone in the Underland has been taking great pains to keep The Prophecy of Time from Gregor. Gregor knows it must say 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.

My thoughts:
This week we reached the conclusion of the Underland series.  I listened to this audio book in the car with my children.  Last week I was able to check out books one and two from a different local library so we are going to go back to the beginning of the series and fill in the gaps of what we know.  If I had it to do over again I would have waited to start at the beginning because I think knowing what we already do may get it in the way of the story having a lot of suspense and perhaps even take away some of the enjoyment, but what is done is done.

The ending of this story leads me to believe that the series is done, I don't see much of an opening to continue on with the story.  While reading series is fun, it is also nice to have a clear ending, otherwise some series seem to go on for way longer than they need to.  As with the Hunger Games series, which Collins is also the author of, it is clear that the story has ended and, while the characters will go on, there will not be anything as compeling as what they have already experienced to keep the series alive.

Gregor makes a lot of tough decisions in this book and some more important characters meet their end.  Luxa declares war on the Nars (rats) because of their execution of the Nibblers (mice).  Solevete takes over the armed forces once again and Gregor is not thrilled with the plan for him to be under her control.  Gregor's dad and grandmother both take a turn for the worse healthwise in the Overland and Gregor comes to believe that the Prophesy of Claw that calls for the death of the warrior is saying that he will die in the battle.  As with any story where there are battles, some of the fighting is graphic, perhaps more so than I would have expected in a children's book.  Then again, the fights in the Chronicles of Narnia could be just as bloody.  I think it is more so that these are not the books I recall reading when I was in this age group so I am surprised by how much blood and death there is. 

I am looking forward to filling in the what we don't already know with the first two books in the series.  Years ago, when I was still teaching first grade, I recall picking up Gregor the Overlander at a book fair and debating buying it.  At that time I put it back, but it is funny that now, years later, I have picked up the book again and am enjoying reading the whole series.

Product Details

Pub. Date: May 2008
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Format: Paperback , 412pp
Series: Underland Chronicles Series , #5
ISBN-13: 9780439791441
ISBN: 0439791448

Biography
Suzanne Collin's debut novel, Gregor the Overlander, the first book in Underland Chronicles, received wide praise both in the United States and abroad. All three titles in the series are available on audio from Listening Library. Also a writer for children's television, Suzanne lives with her family in Connecticut.