Gregor the Overlander: The Best Books You've Never Read (Intro)

Hello, I'm Oona, and I've been obsessed with The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins since I was in fifth grade. Join me and my friends as we discuss and analyze this powerful middle-grade book series a few chapters at a time. New episodes release Mondays. Learn more at returntoregalia.tumblr.com.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello and welcome to Return to Regalia, an Underland Chronicles reread podcast.

(00:14):
My name is Oona, and in this intro episode I'm going to tell you about the books I've
been obsessed with since 5th grade, and then I'll talk a bit about how this podcast is
going to work.
This episode doesn't have any spoilers for the series.
The Underland Chronicles is a 5-book series published from 2003 to 2007.
It was written by Suzanne Collins, who went on to author the Hunger Games a year later.

(00:37):
The first UnderChron book is simply titled Gregor the Overlander.
It follows an 11-year-old boy named Gregor, who falls down an air duct in his basement
and discovers an underground world called the Underland.
There he encounters giant talking animals like cockroaches and bats, as well as regular
sized humans who live in a city called Regalia.

(00:58):
And guess what?
The Regalians know about Gregor's father who mysteriously disappeared years ago, and
what's more, they have a prophecy about Gregor.
In fact, there are several prophecies about him, approximately one for every book in the
series actually.
In this way, the Gregor books are a lot like one of my other favorite series, Percy Jackson

(01:19):
and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan.
Gregor shares a lot of similarities with Percy.
For example, they both live in New York and are raised by single mothers.
They're both overflowing with snark and loyalty.
They both go on quests, wield swords, fulfill prophecies, and defeat evil.
However, the tone of the Underland Chronicles is much different than Percy Jackson.

(01:41):
Though there are some truly hilarious moments in them, the Gregor books are more grim and
feature less comedic relief than Percy Jackson.
Despite the giant talking animals, Gregor is in no way cartoonish like Percy, and the
themes it deals with are harsher and more gruesome.
One of the main things the Gregor books do is examine war from the point of view of a
child, and it's not fantasy violence like in Percy Jackson, where the monsters vaporize

(02:07):
when stabbed.
This is real blood and guts war.
These books are about starvation and biochemical weapons and straight up genocide.
I do want to make it clear that this series is not just unrelenting misery.
The books are full of heartwarming precious moments between Gregor and his family.
There is comedy and friendship and kindness and romance, and when there's tragedy, it's

(02:30):
never taken lightly or thrown out there on a whim.
Everything has meaning and contributes to the message the series is trying to convey.
These are powerful books, and they do amazing things with very simple straightforward prose.
If any of this sounds like something you might be into, I really recommend reading these
books.
It's like if you took the plot structure from Percy Jackson and mixed in the bleak social commentary

(02:53):
of the Hunger Games.
Personally, I do not recommend this series to people younger than 9 years old, but as
far as I'm concerned, there is no upper age limit.
I've been consistently re-reading the Gregor books since I was in 5th grade.
I've probably read through the whole series upwards of a dozen times.
The audiobook is so ingrained in my mind, I can't read the text without hearing Paul

(03:14):
Boehmer's voice in my head. Considering how few people seem to have read these books,
I may actually be one of the biggest fans on the planet.
I could literally talk for hours on end about the Underland Chronicles, so if you're a
longtime fan like me, or you just discovered your newest obsession, and you want to listen
to me talk for those aforementioned hours, please stay tuned.

(03:36):
Every week, I'll read and analyze a few chapters of the series in order.
I'll be joined by guests to help me discuss the plot and characters. I'll go off on
tangents about linguistic themes and color theory.
However, since this is a re-read podcast, I don't expect it to be spoiler free.
So, that's my pitch. Please read my favorite childhood book series, and when you do, please

(03:58):
join me and my friends as we analyze it chapter by chapter.
Episodes will release on Mondays and can be found at returntoregalia.tumblr.com.
Thanks for listening, and fly you high.