Gregor the Overlander

Boots is a perfect diplomat—naturally loving—and from the very beginning, she sees everyone as equal. Boots is a two year old with heart and bravery. She immediately befriends cockroaches, bats, and humans alike. Her given name is Margaret, but Gregor’s family calls her Boots because, in the winter, she runs around stealing everybody’s boots. Boots, in many ways, acts as the embodiment of unconditional love for all beings in this story. Her heart is her special weapon: It brings the roaches along on the quest and ultimately opens Gregor’s father back up to joy and humanity. 

Luxa is 14-year-old girl with sass, attitude, and finesse, both on and off her bat, Aurora. Luxa is slated to become queen of Regalia, the human stronghold in the Underland, when she turns 16. Though she and Gregor don’t get along at first because Gregor finds her difficult, they form a friendship based on mutual trust. Luxa is genuinely brave and concerned with the survival of her kingdom. One of her driving forces is that her parents, the King and Queen, were killed by rats two years before Gregor arrives in the Underland. Their death was foretold in one of Sandwich’s prophecies. Luxa is one of the prophesied few chosen to go on Gregor’s quest. 

Luxa’s cousin, Henry, is royalty but is not slated to ascend the throne. He carries himself with a mix of arrogance and bravery. Henry’s philosophy of life is about aligning yourself with people who are more powerful than you, and eschewing those who are “weak.” In many ways he is a foil for Gregor, who shows compassion for all living things. At the story’s climax, Henry’s decisions make him the primary antagonist. 

Vikus is Luxa’s grandfather and a sage and counselor to Luxa and Henry. Vikus embodies the mentor archetype: a man of great wisdom, resolve and diplomacy who also shows Gregor there are many ways to create peace between species. At the end of the novel, Gregor admits that he’d rather be a diplomat like Vikus than a warrior with a sword. The author foreshadows this admission with Gregor’s lack of a sword throughout the novel and his use of intelligence to defuse heated situations. 

Luxa’s grandmother and Vikus’s wife, she speaks and acts gently, but in truth, commands the army of Regalia. She is also an expert healer, knowing what to do with physical injuries as well as being able to concoct a series of balms and herbal remedies. 

A rat that Vikus aligns with and invites on their quest, Ripred serves as a guide for Gregor and company to navigate the Rats’ territory and ultimately find Gregor’s father. It is clear that Ripred has fought in his fair share of wars and also that he has spent a good deal of time in the Overland, which makes him different than all the other characters. Ripred is lethal and feared, even by other rats, who have no defense against him. Trusting Ripred is the ultimate test of faith for Gregor, as he must see beyond Ripred’s species to what he can offer the group and the quest.

Gregor’s father is a scientist captured by rats two years and seven months before Gregor arrives in the Underland. This unnamed character is ordered by the rats to make weapons to give their species an advantage against the humans of Regalia.