![]() ![]() I’d call it a gnat-sized irritant in the midst of an absolute smorgasbord of sci-fi, futuristic, female-powered adventure. The super-coupledom is really a minor issue, though. This one is from - check it out, there’s lots more! By the end of Cress, there are three clearly defined couples - all of whom seem to have achieved instant soulmate status - and the love story of Winter has been more than hinted at as well. With so much action, with the intrigue of this sci-fi world - full of new mechanical wonders, genetic mutations and manipulations, and political danger and strategy - we don’t necessarily need so many supercouples. Still, is it truly necessary for each book to match up its main character with her soulmate? This, I think, is where the fairy tale retelling maybe gets in the way a bit. Clearly, with fairy tales as their base, the romance will not be ignored. What maybe doesn’t work for me quite as much is the over-emphasis on romance and coupledom. The through-stories are never obscured by the fairy tale structure, so Cinder remains the key person of interest throughout the following books, even though the titles would indicate that they’re not about her. In Cress, there’s a girl with long hair locked away, and a dashing hero who is blinded in the rescue attempt - but also space chases, gun battles, kidnappings, and royal subterfuge. Likewise, in Scarlet, we have a girl in a red hoodie seeking her grandmother and menaced by a wolf - but also a secret army, mind control, a Big Brother-ish tracking system, and desperate fugitives. ![]() So yes, in Cinder, there’s an unloved stepsister, a ball, and a handsome prince - but beyond that, there’s a plague, the second-class citizen status of cyborgs, and geopolitical maneuvering that goes way beyond a rags-to-riches love story. In The Lunar Chronicles, the fairy tale framework is a supporting structure, but doesn’t dominate or force the story into a shape that restricts the characters or action in any way. Sure, maybe the story is set in a different time, but the overall story is preserved and presented more or less intact. In many fairy tale retellings, the fairy tale structure is too obvious. Why do I love these books? Many reasons, but for starters: Both relate to the Snow White story - the queen’s version and then the princess’s. Cress is a master hacker under the control of the Lunar high command, but her true sympathies lie with Cinder and her ragtag band… and the daring, wise-ass space captain Carswell Thorne who comes along to rescue Cress.Īnd now? Two more books are scheduled for release in 2015: Fairest, focusing on Luna’s evil Queen Levana, comes out in January, and Winter will be released in November. Cress has been trapped on a satellite in Earth orbit for seven years, completely alone (and with no sharp objects, hence no haircuts). In book 3, Cress (Rapunzel) enters Cinder’s world. Scarlet is tracked by bioengineered super-soldier Wolf - but she can’t quite tell if he’s the man of her dreams, or the most dangerous thing she’s ever encountered. When she catches the eye of Prince Kai, heir to the throne of the Eastern Commonwealth, a chain of events is set into motion that makes Cinder the planet’s most-wanted fugitive.īy the 2nd book, Cinder is joined in her struggle by Scarlet (Red Riding Hood), the farm girl whose grandmother was involved in a royal deception many years earlier. The Lunar Chronicles books take classic fairy tales and plunk them down in this futuristic landscape, creating a mash-up that’s surprisingly original - and which surprised me by how good it really is.Ĭinder herself (think Cinderella) is our #1 heroine, a lowly cyborg mechanic who’s discovered to have a secret connection to the Lunar world. This makes Lunars very dangerous and very scary to “normal” Earthens. The moon was settled and colonized generations earlier, and over the generations, the Lunar population has developed its own characteristics, most notably the ability to control bioelectricity - basically, the ability to control actions, perceptions, and emotions of others. And since then, I gobbled up Scarlet and Cress, plus the stories Glitches, The Little Android, and The Queen’s Army.įor those who aren’t familiar with the series, here’s the general idea: In a world set at some point far into the future, over a hundred years since the end of World War Four, planet Earth is divided into large commonwealths who live at peace with one another - but the Earthen peace is threatened by hostilities from Luna. And before I know it, I’ve read three novels, three short stories, and I’m pulling my hair out over the fact that THERE ARE NO MORE BOOKS. ![]() This is why I don’t let myself start new series. ![]() Curse you, Marissa Meyer! (Okay, not really). ![]()
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