| Far below New York City is the The Underland; a world populated by giant cockroaches, bats, spiders and rats as well as several thousand descendents of the first humans to move to there in the 1600s. It was during that era when an English Stonemason, who had a vision of life on the surface of the earth being destroyed, led a group of settlers to this underground world. In today's New York, one of the few entrances to The Underland is through a loose air vent in the laundry room of a New York apartment building. It was through this air vent that 11-year old Gregor and his 2-year old sister 'Bean,' quite accidentally, made a decent to The Underland that started an extraordinary adventure.
Fortunately for Gregor and Bean the first creatures they encountered after their fall from the “Overland” were giant cockroaches who were quite friendly and who spoke passable English (as did all inhabitants of The Underland). Bean, a typically fearless 2-year old, was delighted to accept a cockroach ride to the center of human habitation in The Underland, the palace city of Regalia; the more squeamish Gregor was content to run alongside. In Regalia, Gregor and Bean were treated as royalty and learned of another “Overlander” who came to The Underland two years before and, while trying to find his way back home, was captured by the most detested species in The Underland, the rats. It so happened that Gregor and Bean's father had very suddenly disappeared just two years before so, assuming that this was their father, Gregor eagerly agreed to go on a quest to find him. The arrival in The Underland of Gregor's and Bean's presumed father, as well as their own arrival, had all been predicted by a prophesy that was written centuries before by The Underland's founder. This prophesy also told of a quest/rescue mission that would, if successful, save The Underland from destruction by the rats. Using bats and cockroaches as transport, the questers journeyed first to the territory of the friendly but somewhat cowardly cockroaches and then to the territory of the not so friendly, devious spiders to seek their help and finally, with the help of a rebellious rat, to the dangerous territory of the rats. Some of the questers died in the final confrontation but the battle was won and the prisoner was freed. | ||
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Plot & Themes FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes Explore: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Descript. of chases or violence - 20 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - a kid Main Adversary Identity: - animal How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some How sensitive is this character? Setting Terrain Earth setting: - general past Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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