<P> Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane is a novel with many elements of high fantasy, and the second book in Suzanne Collins's critically acclaimed The Underland Chronicles . It was published in 2004 . The novel focuses on a prophecy mentioned at the end of Gregor the Overlander which the Underlanders believe requires the protagonist Gregor to hunt down and kill an evil white rat known as the "Bane". It is told in third person . </P> <P> Several editions have been published, including standalone paperbacks and hardcovers and a paperback boxed set including all five books of the series . Listening Library (a division of Penguin Random House) published an audiobook version read by Paul Boehmer on April 11, 2006 . It runs exactly 6 hours . The novel has also been released as an ebook, and is available from various online stores . </P> <P> Scholastic has rated its grade level equivalent as 5.3 and its lexile score as 680L, making it appropriate for the average 11 - 13 year - old . It has been praised as a sequel to the preceding novel and for showing the maturation of Gregor in the face of continually dark events . </P> <P> Several months have passed since the events of the first novel . Gregor is determined to never go back to the Underland, but another prophecy by Bartholomew of Sandwich predicts otherwise, and so the Underlanders bring him and his sister back down through an entrance to their world located in Central Park . Once below, Gregor learns of "The Prophecy of Bane", which the Underlanders interpret to mean that he must kill a white rat (the "Bane") of whom they have just received intelligence . Historically, enormous white - coated rats have appeared below every few centuries and caused havoc for the humans, so Gregor sails off on an underground lake to hunt the Bane in the Labyrinth . </P>

What is the theme of gregor and the prophecy of bane