Gregor the Overlander Series by Suzanne Collins (2003)

Gregor the Overlander

Yes, it IS the same Suzanne Collins from the Hunger Games.
And yes, this is a kids' series. Published by Scholastic.

And there's nothing wrong with that. Yes, the entire time I was assessing how these kids' books had some pretty heavy themes and bunches of gore, and trying to relate that to the Hunger Games. I think I paid more attention to these books as YA/teen books then I did as a kids' series, and that's entirely my fault. It turns out that plenty of my friends read these books once upon a time, but I hadn't even noticed their existence until I saw someone with a copy of Curse of the Warmbloods.

Anyways, you're here to read a review! So I'll stop rambling about background info.

What I did not like about the books:
Until about halfway through the series, I was under the impression that this series had been a flop, and so Suzanne Collins drastically changed her style and genre to make the Hunger Games. But then I finally noticed all the lines about "New York Times Bestseller!" at the beginning of each book...But apart from having read the Hunger Games first, there were other reasons that I thought this series hadn't been a success. I thought of it as a Percy Jackson rip-off whenever it tried to be funny or ridiculous (for instance, whenever Boots needed a diaper change or Gregor's life was saved by a soda can). But there was less of that as the series went on.

I absolutely did not like the writing style (and no, I don't like the style in the Hunger Games, either). I felt constantly deprived of details, most of the Underland teens had the exact same personalities, and the peace vs. war theme seemed thrown in at the last moment and then hammered in mercilessly. Now, the war vs. peace theme got better as the series progressed. The rest was just as bad throughout. I'm willing to dismiss the lack of rich writing because the series is for a much younger audience. But that would contradict the ending of the series, when Gregor is left at a crossroads with no clear answers. All he's learned is to be disillusioned and to love thy neighbor. Sure, kids can't slog through words with five syllables, but they should already know not to kill people. By not having Gregor have any CLEAR and DEFINED hope at the end of the series, no one learns anything; either kids are too young to appreciate that there sometimes isn't a clear answer, or they're too young to think of a viable solution to the war vs. peace theme. Kids CAN be exposed to more adult, complex themes, but they still have to be walked through it. The book as it's left is simultaneously not thought provoking at all and too thought-provoking without providing answers, depending on how you view it. The message essentially is: the world sucks because of war, and we can only kind of hope that someday it won't be like that. That theme is not new. It might be new for kids to not have the moral spoon-fed to them at the end, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll stick with the question after the book is over, let alone find a meaningful answer to this problem. Even at that age, kids have already been overloaded with "war is bad" messages to the point where it doesn't mean anything; you can only make it mean something if you TURN IT INTO SOMETHING, which Collins does not.

On several smaller notes, I have other problems with the series. First of all: the romance. I know I hate saying this in my reviews, but THE ROMANCE IS BORING, CLICHE, AND PREDICTABLE. It just is. Gregor's chemistry for Luxa was added in during the third or fourth book, and it began with "a feeling he couldn't identify". Instantly, I know that there is no question about it; from that moment, I know there's a romance (after all, she's the only girl he hangs out with). But, of course, they can't be together because of their own social positions, yet still end up together in the do-or-die of a war. There's nothing new there. The romance isn't slowly evolved from any dynamic they've had since the beginning, or from some kindness that one hadn't seen in the other initially. Nope. It just kind of happens. You know, put two kids in a room together and they'll probably just pair up. To be fair, the romance DOES add to Gregor's personal development, which is more than I can say for most books/movies/shows/etc. The romance itself isn't that great, but Gregor's reaction to it is. The only problem is that Gregor was already developing because of his love for his family, not just for this Underlander girl. A bromance would have had the same effect.

Second of all: this book makes me feel old. Why? Well, my parents always gawked at my childhood books, with their 12 year-olds fighting demons, falling in love, and dying. It just wasn't realistic to them. Well, guess what I was thinking about 11-year-old Gregor? Yep. He's 11 or 12 the entire time, but here he is falling in love and training as a rager. The whole time. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson had the decency to let the character grow up. Here, the events take place over the course of a year! And the fact that I'm skeptical of that makes me feel incredibly old.

What I did like about the books.
Ripred. Every page that this rat occupies is my new favorite in the book. Normally I would say he's too overpowered, but Collins does a great job of fitting in a believable explanation. Heck, he even has a meaningful backstory, and one that doesn't affect him in a predictable way. He's great for comedy that doesn't rely on diapers, and he serves as the best role-model Gregor could possibly have.

Actual deaths. Just like the Hunger Games, there's quite a bit of gore. And realistic gore at that! I don't think this is really that bad for kids, especially since this is a book and not a movie, and there's an extreme lack of detail. In fact, at that age I would have learned a lot about wounds and battle techniques from this book.

The story does grow on you. One of the issues of having nondescript writing is that the characters don't really appeal to the audience much because they're not described much; you don't see their thoughts. It's just a mess. BUT by the fifth book, the characters have successfully become meaningful to me (well, not all. I still can't tell the difference between Howard and Mareth). I can't really explain this very well. I did feel like other parts of the story could have been better developed, but obviously the parts that Collins decided to focus on got through; by the fifth book I was honestly invested in the fate's of the worlds involved. I CARED. I almost wanted to scream when the book ended like that. Come to think of it, that's how many of my friends reacted to the ending of the Hunger Games, Mockingjay. They were outraged by all the deaths because they cared about the characters, especially Prim. I didn't, so I didn't mind. But here, I want to scream about the end because this book was SO close to teaching me something I could taste it!

The world. Now, it's been a while since a book like this has made me want to fantasize, but Collins managed it here. And, for me, that's a very important aspect. If you don't feel compelled to write fanfiction, then it's not worth your time. The feeling wasn't very intense with these books, most likely because not much of it was new to me, and there were very few happy moments. It was a darker series, and Gregor rarely enjoyed himself beneath New York City until the fourth book. But we still don't see much of it; we just hear about it. Yes, Regalia's got some cool pluming and bats, but that's about it. But if I had been younger and not used to the idea of riding bats or naturally running water, I would've eaten this stuff up. And I DID eat up that whole echolocation thing.

Overall?
I would recommend it. I think even teens my age would have something to gain from it, if you have the time. But if you are a super active reader and you're beyond middle-school or even elementary-school, I would avoid the books. I only decided to read them:

a) I saw the title Curse of the Warmbloods (**SPOILER** The curse is a plague that only affects mammals. That's all you need to know. The lizard on the cover is nothing special. Nothing to see here)
and b) The books mysteriously appeared on my Kindle.

So overall, if you don't agree with what I have to say and read a bunch, then I highly recommend it. But if you don't read much, it's not really worth your time. Go read something closer to your age group. Like, for instance, the Hunger Games.

What did you think of the new review format? Too wordy? Not enough sections? Just right?
Any of you guys read the Overlander series? What do you remember most about it?
Any questions, comments, or concerns are highly appreciated. Silence gains you nothing. Feel free to comment below, friends, newcomers, and strangers alike.