The Underland Chronicles Book One: Gregor the Overlander

Suzanne Collins

Apr 2005 · Underland Chronicles Book 1 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Paul Boehmer

About this audiobook

Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, the New York Times-bestselling Underland Chronicles unfold the fate of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor. Suzanne Collins is also the author of the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy.

When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New York apartment, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats--but the fragile peace is about to fall apart.

Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland's uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life. Little does he know his quest will change him and the Underland forever.

Rich in suspense and brimming with adventure, Suzanne Collin's debut marked a thrilling new talent, and introduced a character no young reader will ever forget.

Ratings and reviews

I first read this book in elementary school, and it is one of the pieces of literature that I have always held close. Suzanne Collins knows how to write an interesting story with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing without it seeming overdone. She isn't very wordy and at times the dialouge and writing seem very plain and I can excuse that considering the targeted audience. The author also creates a cast of diverse, interesting, and relatable characters. As a child, these books encouraged me to be brave and true to myself, and as a 25 year old I can say that I still get the same message. I really appreciate that the protagonist of this book is black- because we all know there isn't enough representation for people of color especially in YA novels. Overall, this is a very entertaining book with an interesting story.

I absolutely love this series and have read it multiple times! And was ecstatic to see it in audio form as it is easier to listen to versus actually sit down and read the books these days. That being said, the narration/the narrator has made me regret my decision in purchasing. I did not care for the way that he portrayed the characters and really turned me away, in all honesty I didn't even finish part 1 because of it. If you did enjoy the narration I'm glad you did, but I did not.

The story seemed alright and I like this author, but the narrator kinda sucked. Felt like i was being read a nursery ryme in preschool

About the author

Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows. Most recently she was the Head Writer for Scholastic Entertainment’s Clifford’s Puppy Days.While working on a Kids WB show called Generation O! she met children’s author James Proimos, who talked her into giving children’s books a try.Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, she was struck by how pastoral the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in urban surroundings. In New York City, you’re much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you’re not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Well, that’s the story of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her five-part fantasy/​war series, The Underland Chronicles.She currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard.

Paul Boehmer appeared in the acclaimed Broadway production of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband and on television in Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, Star Trek, and All My Children. He loves narrating audiobooks, and he lives and works in Los Angeles, California.