Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (2004) is the second book in Suzanne Collins’s Underland Chronicles series. The story continues as Gregor, a young hero, returns to the mysterious Underland to save his sister Boots and fulfill a prophecy that foretells his role in defeating a terrifying new enemy: the Bane. This middle grade fantasy novel combines adventure, mythical creatures, and a richly imagined subterranean setting to explore themes of destiny, bravery, and moral dilemmas.

This study guide refers to the 2004 Kindle e-book edition published by Scholastic Inc.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of war, illness, and death, including animal death.

Plot Summary

Eleven-year-old protagonist Gregor lives in a New York apartment with his father (who is ill); his hardworking mother; his younger sisters, Lizzie and Boots; and his grandmother (who has dementia). When he catches a cockroach, he thinks of the Underland, a fantastical underground world filled with giant, sentient cockroaches, rats, bats, and other creatures. A few months ago, Gregor rescued his father from the Underland after he was kidnapped by Underland rats, and now he’s ill, frail, and plagued by nightmares. Gregor, desperate to help out for Christmas, does odd jobs for his neighbor and takes care of his family while his mom works two jobs.

One day, Gregor takes his two-year-old sister, Boots, sledding in Central Park. While playing, Boots disappears, and Gregor follows a trail that leads to a hole in the ground. He suspects that the roaches took Boots to the Underland because they think she’s a princess. Gregor calls his dad and tells him that Boots is missing and that he must rescue her.

As Gregor descends into the Underland’s tunnels, he’s pursued by two vicious rats but, just in time, hears the voice of Ares, his bat from the first adventure there. Ares, Gregor’s bonded flier, takes him through a safer tunnel on his back. Ares explains that according to the “Prophecy of Bane,” the roaches kidnapped Boots to protect her from the rats, who planned to attack her. Ares takes Gregor to Regalia, the Underland’s human city, where he reunites with Vikus, a wise leader.

Vikus explains that the prophecy calls for Gregor to kill Bane, the leader of the rats, to prevent their rise to power. Vikus shows Gregor to the prophecy room, where they dissect the text of “The Prophecy of Bane.” Certain lines horrify Gregor: “DIE THE BABY, DIE HIS HEART, DIE HIS MOST ESSENTIAL PART. DIE THE PEACE THAT RULES THE HOUR. GNAWERS HAVE THEIR KEY TO POWER” (39). The rats plan to murder “the baby” Boots, which will weaken Gregor and leave everyone vulnerable to their rule. Gregor refuses to let that happen. He resolves to protect Boots, taking her on the quest to kill Bane.

Before they leave, Gregor undergoes training. He masters the sword, hitting every target with precision. Ripred, a fierce rat from the first book (Gregor the Overlander), arrives with his companion Twitchtip, a scent seer who can track anything by smell, even colors. Twitchtip will guide them through the Labyrinth, the rats’ maze of tunnels, to find Bane. Gregor and his group—Ares, Boots, Temp the cockroach, Luxa’s cousin Howard, the military trainer Mareth, and Twitchtip—set off on the quest, traveling by boat to avoid detection. The journey over the underwater ocean will take about five days.

In the Underland, it’s always dark, so the group uses torches, flashlights, and the help of two bickering fireflies, Photos Glow-Glow and Zap, to light the way. However, the journey quickly becomes perilous. During Gregor’s watch, a giant sea monster attacks, wrapping its tentacles around the boat and dragging Gregor into the water. Ares swoops down to save him, but the sea creatures are relentless. Gregor fights back furiously with a sword, entering a wild, beastlike, almost unconscious state.

Howard, who is from a water-dwelling area and has sea knowledge, sucks out the poison from Gregor’s tentacle wound. Gregor falls into a fever dream, and when he wakes, he’s surprised to see that Luxa, the queen heir of the Underland, has joined the group against orders. Luxa’s bat, Aurora, flew her to them. Mareth reprimands Luxa for disobeying orders, since her death would mean that the throne would pass to her frail cousin, Nerissa, and then to Howard. Luxa argues that she felt the need to assist them.

Twitchtip senses a strange smell in the water, one she can’t name: It’s a sudden whirlpool. They fight against the whirlpool, but their two ships nearly sink. To save the group, they let one boat go into the whirlpool. The bats lift the other ship out of the water to safety, but Twitchtip is left behind. The others want to sacrifice her, but Gregor’s morals are stronger: He insists on saving her, so they tie him to a rope, and he dives in and rescues the rat. Twitchtip tells Gregor that, like Ripred, he’s a “rager,” a natural fighter with overwhelming power and, similar to Ripred, can learn to control the combative skill and not fear being a killing machine.

As the group sails on, they reach an island that is home to a dangerous swarm of bugs. Pandora, Howard’s bat, explores the island, but is quickly devoured by the bugs, which turn her into a skeleton in mere seconds. Ares barely escapes with his life. Afterward, Howard grieves Pandora, and the group comforts him. They’re low on food, so Howard teaches them to fish.

The next morning, the fireflies have deserted the group. Twitchtip suspects that they betrayed the group, flying ahead to warn the rats of their arrival. Eventually, rats surround them from multiple tunnels above. The rats drop rocks to awaken the serpents in the depths. These giant, crocodile-like creatures attack the boat, putting the group in peril.

Gregor and Twitchtip narrowly escape the serpents, but the others—including Luxa, Boots, Temp, and Aurora—are swept away in the flood. They worry that Luxa, Boots, and the others have drowned or that the rats have killed them. Gregor is distraught.

Howard and Mareth escape the serpents, though Mareth has significant injuries. Gregor and Howard, both wounded, find a safe tunnel. The others treat their injuries, but Gregor insists that Howard return to Regalia to save Mareth, since the prophecy calls for Gregor to kill Bane. Howard reluctantly agrees, and Gregor, Ares, and Twitchtip continue.

Twitchtip, exhausted and injured, leads Gregor and Ares through the Labyrinth but is too weak to continue. Finally, Gregor and Ares come across a battle between two rats: a general named Snare and a female named Goldshard. They fight until both die, Goldshard calling to Gregor, “Don’t.”

Gregor discovers that Bane is a baby white rat, crying for his mother, Goldshard. Unable to kill the helpless infant and realizing that Goldshard was pleading for her child’s life, Gregor takes Bane and gives him to Ripred, hoping he can raise the rat to have good morals.

Returning to Regalia, Gregor is confronted by the Underlanders, who are furious about his decision to spare Bane. They put Gregor, Ares, Howard, and Andromeda the bat on trial. On the stand, Gregor defends his actions, noting that killing the baby rat would have been morally wrong. Nerissa, the new young queen and a seer, realizes the prophecy’s true meaning: The “baby” isn’t Boots but Bane. Had he killed the baby rat, Gregor never would have been the same. The trial ends, and Gregor is free to go.

The cockroaches return Boots, and Gregor is overjoyed to see that she’s safe. Vikus assures him that they’ll search for Luxa, Temp, and the others, who were separated from Boots. Gregor worries about his friends but must reunite with his family. Nerissa gives Gregor a copy of the “Prophecy of Bane.”

Before Ares flies Gregor back, Vikus gives him medicine for his father and a clock that Gregor wanted. When Gregor and Boots return to the Overland for Christmas, they find that Vikus filled the clock with money for his family. When Gregor takes the scroll Nerissa gave him from his pocket, he sees that it’s labeled “The Prophecy of Blood,” which hints at future adventures.