Gregor the Overlander

Underland Chronicles, Book 1

By: Suzanne Collins

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, the New York Times-bestselling Underland Chronicles unfold the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor. Suzanne Collins is also the author of the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.

When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, and cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it, until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.

©2003 Suzanne Collins (P)2005 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Collins introduces her young heroes Gregor and his little sister Boots into a wonderland....A fantastically engaging place." (Publishers Weekly)
"Collins creates a fascinating, vivid, highly original world and a superb story." (Booklist)

I love this book, but...

I love the book and it's my favorite series. But the guy who narrates it (Paul Boehmer) sounds like a total perv. Its a real turn off to the whole story. I just HATE how he does Boots' voice. And it's Luxa. LUCK-ZA. Not LOOKSAH. omg

Get this for your kids who hate reading!

I loved this book. got me into reading as a kid. the sequels also rock! highly recommend this for any parent looking to get their child interested in books.

Shocked At How Much I Liked It

My boyfriend recommended me this book he read when he was a kid. He couldn’t remember much, but he remembered it being somewhat gory and rather dark for a kids tale. I was personally looking for romance or a murder mystery so this wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I gave it a shot. The first few minutes, I kind of was interested in a different book, but before I knew it this was the one I went to whenever I had a spare moment to listen. Despite it being a book for young teens or so, I could say I enjoyed it. Some parts made me laugh, some made me cry, and toward the end I was already eager to read more from the series. Upon playing the audible version to my boyfriend, he did complain about the speaker of the book, but I feel that goes to personal preference since I had no issue with him. Overall, it was enjoyable and I look forward to reading more from the Gregor Series (:

EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this book and the entire series i so badly wish there were more I could read. It was awesome !!!!!!

I waited too long to read this one!

So yes this book has been our for awhile. And yes I should've read it a long while ago. And yes my daughter has told me for years I should read it. And yes I'm glad I finally did!

I picked up this book, finally, a bit over a week ago and started reading. My son is in soccer and swimming lessons, so I've had a lot of sitting time to read (yes I'm the bad mom that reads instead of watches intently every second). I couldn't believe how quickly I was moving through the story. It was such a fast read!

Here's what I liked:
I loved Gregor. He's sweet and brave and smart and he treats his little sister so well!
It made me care about a cockroach! I mean how great must the book and writing be if I actually care about a cockroach!
It's fast paced - no dragging things out
I loved the Underworld. It was well created and described but I want to know more about it!
It has heart. From Gregor's little sister Boots to the whole story about his father - it had heart and caring.
It ended in a NON-cliffhanger! Yes there are more books in the series but I could stop here and not feel like I was left with a ton of unknowns.
Ok I think that about sums it up. If you like something with action and nice well-rounded characters I suggest you pick it up.

A treat for the imagination

Any additional comments?

This was definitely a breath of fresh air after the Book Thief. I think I needed to delve into my imagination as therapy after that, and this book definitely delivered. I found out about it on Goodreads and was shocked--I had loved the Hunger Games, but I had no idea that Collins had written anything else.

This was an excellent pick for an audiobook as I could go about my household chores and errands in a whole different world. The Underland is engaging, the characters are believable, and the two-year-old is not as cumbersome as I thought she would be (although the voice the man reading the book gave her is a bit creepy!!). As a reviewer on Audible said, I never thought I, as a person with a lifelong hatred of them after growing up in Georgia, would empathize with giant cockroaches!

If you're looking for a diversion into the land of imagination that's entertaining and engaging but not too heavy or demanding, this makes really good escapist reading (and I use escapist as a compliment here!). I've already purchased book two in the series. I want more!

Been on a binge of books from my childhood. I remember my fifth grade teacher reading these books aloud to us.

I find the whole story interesting yet simple at the same time. I look forward to finishing the series.

Husband & I enjoyed

Who would have thought "beeg bugs" would be so entertaining! My husband and I listened to this whole series together before we had kids. Now we are listening to it with them.

This is by far the best coming of age story

The story is solid. Great character development and really about Gregor and the love and responsibility he feels for his family. I have three sets of hardback books sets just waiting until my nephews turn 11 y/o. Collins wrote this way before the hunger games and it by far is her best work. I love RipRed and Liszt. There is a character for everyone to fall in love with. It is the best way to have kids learn about the tragic results of prolonged exposure to violence. You have to read all five books. I’m glad Collins has refused to have this made into film or animation. It has to be read or heard

Margery Facklam should have co/authored.

This is for 4th graders through 8th graders. I believe that age group will really like the book, but it is not that good for adults. I believe it could have been, The writing is good, but there are large holes. I will say I liked the whole take a bath so they rats don't smell you. That is true for different cultures. My wife went to college with some Nigerians. They said that all Americans have a smell, because we eat so much meat. About half way through the story gets more interesting when they are joined by Rip Red, I liked his character. There were also some surprises I did not see coming.

I did feel she should have gotten someone like Facklam to help her write the story. This mostly takes place underground and the only animals she mentions, are people, rats, roaches, fish and spiders. Of all the animals and insects that live underground , this was all she could fit into the story.

A little girl gets sucked down a grate in a laundry room in New York City and so did a full grown man. The explanation for that did not take place until the end of the story and then it was not very good. I would like to know why a group traveling through dangerous territory did not post guards when they slept, where did the roast beef come from, where did he get cab fare and how come the kid who should be in her terrible two's is so good? I know this is meant for a young audience, but does that mean it has to be sloppy. Don't our kids deserve better.