Now That Was a Good Book

Man, I loved Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins. I stayed up until twenty after twelve one night to finish it.

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane is the second in what is supposed to be a five-part series called The Underland Chronicles. It's called Underland because the stories take place...uh...under the land. Under New York City to be exact. The Scholastic author's bio makes a comparison to Alice in Wonderland. I totally missed the connection when I was reading this book and its predecessor, Gregor the Overlander. But now that it's been pointed out to me, I can see it. Except the Underland Chronicles are more logical and realistic. Once you've accepted that people can live undetected well below ground and once you've accepted the existence of giant intelligent rats, bats, and fireflies, of course. I didn't have any problem doing that. It worked for me.

The Underland Chronicles are very intense and I guess I'd have to say even violent books. They are journey stories and the journeys are dangerous. Characters die. One death in The Propecy of Bane was just plain breathtaking.

Collins writes as much as she has to. Her books are not bloated with unnecessary detail and scenes that don't move the story along like those of She Who Must Not Be Named. In just a few lines of dialogue Collins can portray a character. And her characters and the world they live in are unique.

Of course I can find some little flaws, because I can always find flaws. I am the master of flaw finding. Nonetheless, the third volume in the series came out this summer. I cannot wait to read it.

Fly you high, faithful readers.