gregor & the code of claw

gregor & the code of claw
gregor the overlander series #5
suzanne collins
fiction/ya/fantasy/adventure
scholastic
published 2008

Everyone in the Underland has been taking great pains to keep the new prophecy, The Prophecy of Time, from Gregor. Gregor knew from the beginning that it must say something awful, but he never imagined just how awful: The prophecy calls for the warrior’s death. The warrior, of course, being Gregor. Now, with an army of rats approaching, and Gregor’s mom and his sister still in Regalia, Gregor must gather up his courage in the face of this terrifying prophecy to defend Regalia and get his family safely home. But, soon Gregor learns that leaving won't be as easy as he thinks. 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 to contend with, Gregor’s burgeoning dark side, and a war to end all wars. In this action-packed and suspenseful final installment in the acclaimed Underland Chronicles, Suzanne Collins unfolds the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor the Overlander, in a manner that can only be described as masterful.

Here is what I know of Suzanne Collins to be true now that I have read both The Hungers Games trilogy & the Gregor the Overlander series:

1. She likes to kill people
2. She writes endearing and wonderful characters
3. She writes crappy endings

I loved this series, just as I loved The Hunger Games, but like THG things happen that bring to mind a sort of 'well, what the fuck was that for?' moments.  And just like THG when it was over I was completely unsatisfied with that sort of blah ending.  Collins certainly has a writing style.

I don't agree that this is good for ages 8 & up.  Maybe 12.  Maybe 16.  Maybe that's the parent in me wishing to keep such darkness, so much death from my kids for as long as I can.  For this was certainly dark and mostly full of death.  The line I remember the most was 'A little girl missing an arm stared at them with empty eyes.'  It wasn't just the missing arm part that was hard to swallow, but a 12 year old kid recognizing the empty eyes.

I cried.  I cried a lot reading these books.  I pretty much cried throughout Part 3 of this one.  I sat ramrod straight in my seat read.  I couldn't keep my hands from intermittently flying to my mouth to cover the horror my eyes were taking in.  I can't soothe the hurt.  It's like this actually has happened.  That these books are history and not fiction.

It be unforgettable, it be.