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When twelve-year-old Gregor finally learns the ancient prophecy, which foretells his death, he must gather his courage to defend Regalia from the army of rats, take his mother and sister home safely, and fight his own dark side.Tags
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Literally one of the greatest book series' I've ever read. Suzanne Collins doesn't hold back even if the genre is considered "Children's fiction"
The darkness and sadness but also love and hope Collins brought to these stories was phenomenal. Each story was better than the last and I speed read through all of them. Amazing characters and subtle character development over time is what is awesome about this story in particular.
I'll forever be attached to Ripred and Gregor.
So glad I was able to stumble upon this series.
5/5 (I would give it more if possible)
The darkness and sadness but also love and hope Collins brought to these stories was phenomenal. Each story was better than the last and I speed read through all of them. Amazing characters and subtle character development over time is what is awesome about this story in particular.
I'll forever be attached to Ripred and Gregor.
So glad I was able to stumble upon this series.
5/5 (I would give it more if possible)
As a series conclusion, this did not disappoint. I loved all the twists & turns that Collins threw in, exploring different interpretations of the prophecy, etc. Gregor deals with incredible stress for a twelve-year-old -- honestly, for anyone -- and still remains true to himself. Overall, I thought he was a great protagonist. My favorite characters are still Boots, who wasn't featured enough in this last installment, but there's only so much danger a 3-year-old can be exposed to, and Ripred, who is the most bad-ass literary rat ever, with a heart of gold hidden inside that tough exterior.
I don't know if these books will ever be made into a film series -- the success of Hunger Games could bring that about -- but I think that would be show more great...most likely an animated series considering the difficulty of producing all these creatures, settings & battle scenes in live action.
Notes on reading this to my almost-12 y.o. & almost-14 y.o. (which are kind of spoilery):
Both thought Gregor & Luxa are way too young to be "in love," although both of those characters' experiences have made them older than their 12 years. Also, I'm struck even more on this second reading by how scarred Gregor is from his experiences in the Underland, both physically and emotionally. The path forward for his family is unclear. They all care about each other, which is refreshing and amazing in a genre where parents are too often missing or terrible, but everyone has emotional baggage (except maybe Boots) and Gregor's parents are physically weakened. It's all pretty heavy stuff for middle grades fantasy. show less
I don't know if these books will ever be made into a film series -- the success of Hunger Games could bring that about -- but I think that would be show more great...most likely an animated series considering the difficulty of producing all these creatures, settings & battle scenes in live action.
Notes on reading this to my almost-12 y.o. & almost-14 y.o. (which are kind of spoilery):
Both thought Gregor & Luxa are way too young to be "in love," although both of those characters' experiences have made them older than their 12 years. Also, I'm struck even more on this second reading by how scarred Gregor is from his experiences in the Underland, both physically and emotionally. The path forward for his family is unclear. They all care about each other, which is refreshing and amazing in a genre where parents are too often missing or terrible, but everyone has emotional baggage (except maybe Boots) and Gregor's parents are physically weakened. It's all pretty heavy stuff for middle grades fantasy. show less
One of the most gruesome books (for people of any age) I have ever read. Interestingly, all the disturbingly graphic violence is included as (hopelessly simple-minded and naive) propaganda for pacifism. Not that propaganda as such is necessarily wrong, but targeting at children is (even if it's true, which in this case it's not). In any case, this series is absurdly inappropriate for its target audience---except, PERHAPS, for those relatively few (in this country, at least) unfortunate nine- to twelve-year-olds who've actually experienced war first hand (say, those who lived in New York City during September 2001) and are coping with its aftermath. But something like this might actually be even worse for them, I couldn't say one way or show more the other.
It's not that I didn't enjoy the series at all---there are parts that I did---it's just that it's wildly inappropriate as children's literature. The Hunger Games is in some ways even darker, but in other ways more hopeful---and at least it's not targeted at such young kids. And it's somewhat better written than The Underland Chronicles. show less
It's not that I didn't enjoy the series at all---there are parts that I did---it's just that it's wildly inappropriate as children's literature. The Hunger Games is in some ways even darker, but in other ways more hopeful---and at least it's not targeted at such young kids. And it's somewhat better written than The Underland Chronicles. show less
The final two books are really a disguised two-parter, and they are a slight notch above the first three. Which is already a bit of a feat, as this is truly excellent ten-to-fifteen-year-old type literature. The protagonist is likable, his siblings are likable, the stories are complex without being convoluted, and there's genuine emotional stakes and trauma to be had. As an adult reading it, it's obviously not as good as Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy written for a slightly older demographic, but for what it is, this is great. Two thumbs up.
I read this series in such quick succession that it makes sense to review them as a group. This is an easy to read, enjoyable series for middle readers. There are strong and somewhat gender-bent male and female protagonists (girls who fight and boys who nurture, for example). As would later be the case in the Hunger Games trilogy, Collins engages in successful world building, with elements of the story that would otherwise be horror catalyzed by humor to become a more benign fantasy. It's fruitful to compare this series to the Hunger Games books. Both feature missing fathers, younger sisters who need to be protected, and a hero caught in a cultural tangle with rules s/he doesn't understand and bigger forces at play. If I had them to show more read again, I'd read this series first to appreciate Collins's more mature voice and more adult themes in her young adult dystopia. show less
A boy fights in a war in a fantasy world.
3/4 (Good).
It doesn't have any real surprises, but it's an exciting page-turner and falls just short of getting 4/4 stars. The devastating emotional realism of the ending is more than a little at odds with the Wonderland concept of the series, which started five books ago as a silly adventure story. (Somewhere along the way Collins forgot how to laugh and just started using this series as practice for The Hunger Games.) It still works; my disbelief was sufficiently suspended in the moment. But it's frustrating that the emotional maturing of the series didn't get a corresponding development of the world-building.
3/4 (Good).
It doesn't have any real surprises, but it's an exciting page-turner and falls just short of getting 4/4 stars. The devastating emotional realism of the ending is more than a little at odds with the Wonderland concept of the series, which started five books ago as a silly adventure story. (Somewhere along the way Collins forgot how to laugh and just started using this series as practice for The Hunger Games.) It still works; my disbelief was sufficiently suspended in the moment. But it's frustrating that the emotional maturing of the series didn't get a corresponding development of the world-building.
I devoured this series, and days after, still kept thinking about it.
There is no happy ending. (Oh, Ares. :( ) In fact, there is no neat ending. The image of Luxa possibly waiting and waiting for Gregor, it sticks to me.
I hated that this series is over. I didn't want to leave Underland. Well, it's a rotten place to be in, war-stricken and all, but I haven't been this attached to fictional characters in a long while. I want to see Hazard grown up. Maybe end up with Lizzie or Boots? My mind is already concocting fanfiction.
Brb going to find closure on fanfiction.net.
There is no happy ending. (Oh, Ares. :( ) In fact, there is no neat ending. The image of Luxa possibly waiting and waiting for Gregor, it sticks to me.
I hated that this series is over. I didn't want to leave Underland. Well, it's a rotten place to be in, war-stricken and all, but I haven't been this attached to fictional characters in a long while. I want to see Hazard grown up. Maybe end up with Lizzie or Boots? My mind is already concocting fanfiction.
Brb going to find closure on fanfiction.net.
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Author Information
46+ Works 233,532 Members
Suzanne Collins was born on August 10, 1962. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated from Indiana University with a double major in Drama and Telecommunications. Collins went on to receive an M.F.A. from New York University in dramatic writing. Since 1991, she has been a writer for children's television shows. She has worked on the show more staffs of several shows including Clarissa Explains it All, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby! and was the head writer for Scholastic Entertainment's Clifford's Puppy Days. Her books include When Charlie McButton Lost Power, The Underland Chronicles, and the Hunger Games Trilogy. Book one of this trilogy, The Hunger Games, became a major motion picture in 2012 with Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence portraying the main character of Katniss Everdeen. Catching Fire, book 2 of the trilogy, became a major motion picture in 2013. Mockingjay - Part One was released as a film in 2014 and Part Two in 2015. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Gregor and the Code of Claw
- Original title
- Gregor and the Code of Claw
- Original publication date
- 2007
- People/Characters
- Gregor; Boots; Lizzie; Ripred; Ares; Luxa
- Important places
- Regalia
- Dedication
- For Kathy, Drew, and Joanie
- First words
- Gregor's back pressed into the cold stone floor as he stared up at the words on the ceiling.
- Quotations
- Gregor sat on a bench. He had walked a lot today and all of his injuries were hurting. Seeing the news had made him think. He was safe for the moment, here in the playground, but people all over the world were suffering... (show all), starving, fleeing, killing one another as they waged their wars. How much energy they put into harming one another. How little into saving. Would it ever change? What would it take to make it change? He thought of Luxa's hand pressed into Ripred's paw. That's what it would take. People rejecting war. Not one or two, but all of them. Saying it was an unacceptable way to solve their differences. By the look of things, the human race had a lot of evolving to do before that happened. Maybe it was impossible. But maybe it wasn't. Like Vikus said, nothing would happen unless you hoped it could. If you had hope, maybe you could find the way to make things change. Because if you thought about it, there were so many reasons to try.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Hey. You can finally say my name."
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