2021 EDIT: Reread: Still a fantastic children's book. Funny and heartfelt, and now I recognise the more significant references to 'Metamorphosis'; it's not only the bug theme and the characters' names. It's also basically a retelling of 'A Wrinkle in Time', only set underground instead of across the universe. It also teaches lessons about racism without being preachy. And speaking of, I've caught on that Gregor and his family are people of colour! How did I miss that the first time reading?
'Gregor the Overlander' - one of Suzanne Collins' early books, and highly underrated. Read my original review for more of my thoughts, which remain unchanged.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'Gregor the Overlander' by Suzanne Collins is a children's book (or Middle Grade fiction in the US) that's a mix of 'Alice in Wonderland', 'A Wrinkle in Time', Kafka's 'Metamorphosis', 'Dinotopia', and Blue Sky's animated film 'Epic'. In my opinion, 'Gregor' is superior to over half of the comparisons I've just mentioned, and some more that're unmentioned. It is great, unforgettable fun for all ages.
And there are bats. And bugs - lots and lots of bugs. And rats. I would have frigging loved this if I'd read it in middle school.
So yeah, I checked this book out solely because the author of 'The Hunger Games' wrote it, I won't deny it. It's Suzanne Collins's first novel. And while the writing and story progression certainly isn't perfect, I can see where she will improve in her most famous series that will put her on the YA map. 'Gregor' has similar themes of fighting for survival, bonds of friendship, and prejudice: specifically racism, which is always important for children to learn about and to understand why it is wrong and dehumanizing.
'Gregor the Overlander' borrows some recognisable children's story tropes - such as the ordinary kid hero falling down a hole into another world - from other works, and keeps them from being stale by making the characters believably human and sympathetic, even when they make bad choices. Even the creatures possess identifiable traits.
An adventure begins: One day in their laundry room at the start of the summer holidays, impoverished siblings Gregor and little Boots stumble upon the world of the Underland (no relation to Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland (2010)' adaptation, thank goodness). This is a dark but fantastic society where pale-skinned and purple-eyed humans live among giant talking bats, cockroaches and spiders. But the one species they live in fear of are the nasty rats. There is also an ancient prophecy that is, at last, about to be fulfilled...
I love Gregor (who, despite being in a story where there're giant bugs, never gets turned into one himself, sorry Kafka fans). He is an eleven-year-old boy who, after his father disappeared two years before the start of his adventure, had to grow up quickly as the man of the house. He has to look after his two little sisters and senile grandmother. Mom tries her best, but everyone's confused and saddened by Dad vanishing and not coming back. Gregor is a responsible yet temperamental and snarky young man, but he has dreams and fears and doubts that a lot of children can relate to. His greatest weakness - apart from the anxiety issues caused by his dad being gone from his life - is heights. So to suddenly enter an underground world where flying on giant bats is the norm and tall buildings and crevices and chasms are everywhere, his acrophobia and other worries are challenged. No matter how Gregor may try to escape the Underland, he needs to confront his demons, as any hero should. He even first sets out on his quest for a rat attack for the selfish but understandable objective of finding his dad, who also fell to the Underland two years earlier; hence his disappearance.
Gregor also has flashbacks to the times he spent with his eccentric but loving scientist dad. And to his schooldays when he thinks about how he regards and treats other kids who have bigger problems than him. These are written in appropriate moments throughout the book and succeed in making Gregor a well-rounded, three-dimensional character to root for. Overall 'Gregor the Overlander', among other things, is a fully-realised coming-of-age tale.
Gregor's two-year-old sister Boots (real name Margaret), who is the first to fall down the laundry room air duct to the Underland, is absolutely adorable. A cuteness factor and comic relief, she is hilarious, and even thought-provoking. Boots is the embodiment of early innocence, and she holds no fear or prejudice towards anything, not even giant cockroaches, who she ends up making valuable friends with. She sees everyone and everything as her friend, and while that is a naivete expected of a toddler, if everyone had that attitude, both the Underland and Overland would be better places to live in.
Like most two-year-olds, Boots has the odd tantrum, and she contracts illnesses; she isn't angelic purity personified or anything like that. However I can say with undoubted credence that 'Gregor the Overlander' would not have been the same in fun and originality without dear Boots. Her catchphrases: "Gee-go!" (Gregor), "Me out!", and "I poop!".
Out of all the other characters - in the majorly-set Underland - the one I feel I should make significant mention of is Luxa. Luxa is the next in line to the throne of Regalia, a city in the Underland, and she is a girl with exceptional flying abilities when on her bat, Aurora. While she is cool, haughty and not afraid to show her authority, through Gregor's eyes she is too cocky and mean for a girl (naturally it's okay for a boy like Gregor to have these qualities; "boys will be boys" and all *sarcasm*). But thankfully he learns to sympathise with her (her parents were killed by rats) and see a different side to the future queen when she joins him on his quest to find his dad and stop the rats from invading Regalia. She saves Gregor's life a lot and helps him to understand the prophecy which seems to have set him up as a warrior and saviour.
Also there's Ripred the rat, about whom I won't give away anything other than to say he is awesome.
Throughout this review, I've sparingly mentioned that 'Gregor the Overlander' has a prophecy in it, which becomes a driving force for the book. I would like to take this opportunity to rant a little about prophecies in stories, even though I still really like 'Gregor'.
Prophecies are not uncommon in fantasy stories and franchises, such as in 'Narnia', 'Harry Potter' and even 'Star Wars'. However, in my opinion, this is a plot tool and Chekhov's gun that has become tiresomely overused - especially nowadays in fantasy films made by Hollywood, where clichés breed and unique ideas go to die. Many prophecies in fiction are often very vague and in fact serve very little necessity in the grand scheme of a linear structured plot. Not to mention, they can be written in so easily, and prophecies can be used as excuses for making little to no effort on stuff like character growth and development: Heroes in prophecy stories are not made, but born. These heroes don't have to train hard in anything or even learn anything because, according to something that's already written down, they are special no matter what they do or don't do.
Just... why can't coincidences happen anymore? Why no more surprises in store? Why can't average, relatable joes work hard to be special and important, unless they are apparently born to be so? Prophecy stories easily become very boring very quickly, as no one likes a perfect hero who gets everything he or she wants without really earning it, and who we already know will succeed because a prophecy says so.
When a prophecy is lazily-written in, with unexplained origins, and paints the hero as a Mary Sue predestined for special-ish-ness, then it is part of a mainstream phenomena where it is simply unneeded in a story. I like to respond to this phenomena with: "Fuck the prophecy!" (Apologies, I don't usually like to swear, not least in a review of a children's book, but I think my point might be made clearer this way).
That isn't to say the prophecy in 'Gregor the Overlander' is poorly-written. There is an origin behind it, it is written well in poetic verse (reminding me of the tragic songs Katniss sings in 'The Hunger Games'), and Gregor does get to grow stronger and learn a lot about others - and himself - throughout his daring quest. I still don't think it's entirely necessary in a book already fantastical and exciting, but I'll let that slide since it was published in 2003, before prophecies were being used all the time.
And the high points of this novel are just too good to ignore. The ending is beautifully written too; ambiguous, and yet it fits everything into place.
Prominent low points include: The wise old man stereotype (but there is a wise old woman as well to balance it out); only the minor characters die; and the revealing of a character to be a traitor happens too suddenly, with typical and nonsensical motivations. Also, is Luxa going to be Gregor's love interest in the sequels? And will Gregor become a king? To me, that would be rather predictable for an intelligent children's book series.
Oh the fun and joy and laughs and tears of reading 'Gregor the Overlander'. A fine edition to the "falls down the rabbit hole" (or "fish-out-of-water") style of books for children, where the subject of racism is written in subtly and effectively. Therefore adults can fall in love with it as well.
We'll wait and see if I'll carry on with this series, though. Sometimes I hate being so picky. I mean, it's Suzanne Collins!
Final Score: 4/5
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