Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Underland Chronicles: Book Four - Gregor and the Marks of Secret Audio
Fiction
For ages 12 and up
Unabridged audiobook (Digital)
Performed/read by: Paul Boehmer
Listening Library, 2008
Life is relatively quiet these days for Gregor and his family. Often Gregor travels to the Underland to practice echolocation with his friend Ripred the rat. Luxa, who is now queen, is happy taking care of young Hazard. Indeed she is happier than Gregor has ever seen her. Gregor is hopeful that he and the creatures and people of the Underland will not have to worry about more confusing prophecies. He does not like to think about the possibility that he may have to pick up a sword and become the Underland’s warrior once again.
Then Luxa gets a message from her friends the nibblers, the mice. She, Gregor, Boots, Hazard, Temp the cockroach, Howard, and their bats set off to see what they can find out. Surely this will be a simple fact-finding mission and nothing more. The party soon find out that the situation is not as straightforward as they had hoped. The nibblers are gone and it would appear that the rats are the ones who have made them move on to some unknown location for some unknown reason. Since no one trusts the rats, they are worried about the fate of the nibblers. This concern becomes even more urgent when they find some special marks next to the dead bodies of some of the mice. Something is very wrong and Luxa is willing to go to war to protect her nibbler friends. Gregor cannot help fearing that he might have to take up that sword again after all.
In this fourth story in the Underland Chronicles Gregor comes to realize that though he is a rager, he hates violence. Unlike Luxa he is not willing to commit to war without knowing all there is to know. And yet at the same time he cannot bear to think of allowing the rats to follow through with their evil plans. Gregor’s feelings are conflicted and things are made even more complicated because of the feelings that he has for Luxa.
Once again Suzanne Collins has created an exciting story that leaves the listener looking forward to finding out what is going to happen next.
