Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins
(Book #2 of the Underland Chronicles series)
Rating: 🍁🍁🍁🍁
Overall: A grand adventure, with a dark edge. Both fun and substantial.
The Good Stuff:
1) One of my favourite things about this story is that the consequences of the events in book one are dealt with so realistically. Often, the hero returns home and nothing changes, which just doesn't seem true to life. Here, Gregor's family isn't suddenly wealthy. His dad is sick and struggling with a serious case of PTSD. Ares, though saved from banishment by his bonding with Gregor at the end of the first book, is still faced with the reality of being socially ostracized. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
2) It was great to see some familiar faces, like Luxa and Vikas and Ripred. As I mentioned above, this was especially true because they had all been affected by the events of Gregor's previous foray into Underland. I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn't a case of 'gather the ole gang, we've got an adventure to have.' Instead, we got to meet some very memorable new characters, like Tiptwitch, Aurora and the fireflies.
3) Ms. Collins actually managed to surprise me with the ending. I can't say too much because I don't want to ruin the experience for you, but it completely caught me off guard.
4) Can I just say again that Gregor is a truly amazing character? If my son turns out nearly as kind, strong and honest, I will be one proud mama. Not that Gregor's perfect - he still struggles with everything that's been dumped on him, and he lashes out at those around him when upset, not listening when given vital advice from his elders. That just makes me like him more, because he's REAL.
5) Underland is a fascinating and kinda scary place. What a richly detailed, fully developed world! I still feel like we've only scratched the surface of it (like the Ants that are mentioned in passing on the borders of the Rats' land), yet Ms. Collins avoids the temptation of info-dumping anything egregiously irrelevant to the plot.
6) There's definitely a darker flavour to this adventure. I am completely on board with that - it would be hard to justify a more carefree approach given the events of book one. Gregor knows what he's getting into now. He knows that some of his companions probably won't return. They're all still dealing with the ghosts of those who were lost on the last adventure (not literal ghosts, fyi). A significant proportion of the book covers Gregor's internal processing of it all in light of his new assignment. I'm not a believer in the idea that kid lit should be all happy rainbows and sunshine. Bad things happen. People die. Kids know this. As much as we'd like to, we can't protect them from that truth. What we can and should do is help them understand what it means and how it affects them. How it makes them feel. That it's okay, and their experience is valid and normal. Books are a valuable tool in this, since they allow kids to experience these thoughts and feeling vicariously, empathizing and/or identifying with the characters. Providing them with tools for coping with their own realities. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.
The Not-So-Good Stuff:
1) One of the things I liked most about the first book was that Gregor was just a normal kid - no special powers, no undiscovered abilities. Welp, so much for that! All of a sudden, Gregor is a super-fighter, surpassing the sword-fighting abilities of even Merith or Luxa. While I appreciate the way Gregor is totally freaked out by this, and abhors his inner berserker, the entire plot device feels lazy. I don't know - maybe it will make more sense in book three?
2) Okay, who was this Earl of Sandwich guy? And why couldn't he write his prophecies in plain English? The "misunderstood prophecy" thing is getting a little tired, having served as the premise for two books now (and promising to do so for a third, as is revealed at the end). Not a huge fan of this - again, it feels lazy.
3) I find it hard to believe that no one, not a single Underlander, waited to hear what Gregor had to say before attempting to stone him to death for not killing the Bane. You can't tell me that they are all reactionary, unreasonable people. Vikas keeps emphasizing that no one fully understands the prophecies - so why is everyone so gung-ho to kill Gregor right off the bat (ha!)? This just didn't make sense to me.
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