The Lunar Chronicles: Where Fairy Tales Meet Science Fiction

     The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer are a brilliantly written set of stories.  In these novels, your beloved fairy tale characters – Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. – get a makeover with a sci-fi twist that ties together four classic stories into one over-arching plot line.  I loved these books – it’s another one of those series where you just can’t seem to read them fast enough!
    There are so many good things to say about these books.  On the one hand, Marissa Meyer created a wonderful cast of characters.  Like Twilight, I can absolutely see myself being friends with these people.  Kai and Cinder are adorable together, of course :-D.  Who doesn’t love watching a prince fall in love with a cyborg mechanic?  Plus, Princess Winter is a hoot.  Is she crazy?  Is she not?  It’s hard to tell sometimes ;-P.  And then there’s Iko.  She’s an android who thinks she’s a person.  You know how certain pets seem to forget they aren’t human?  That’s Iko – only she can talk!
     Another fantastic part of these stories is the masterful blending of sci-fi with traditional fairy tales.  I’m not necessarily a sci-fi person – don’t expect spaceships or intergalactic missions in any of my novels – but these were fun.  I actually made a point to watch for those classic “markers” of the original stories:  Cinderella’s glass slipper, Red Riding Hood’s cape, Rapunzel’s tower, Sleeping Beauty’s poisoned apple.  It was fascinating to see how the author retained and adapted them in her novels; I’m actually tempted to find and read the originals now, just to see how they compare!
        My only disappointment was not getting to see Kai and Cinder tie the knot.  I admit, I had hopes for a full-out royal wedding (some years down the road, of course, since Cinder starts these books at age 16), where Scarlet and Wolf are chasing around a set of twins, Winter is 8 months pregnant with Jacin constantly fussing over her, and Cress has *finally* gotten engaged to Captain Thorne.  Sadly, not all literary dreams come true :'(.  Of course, I haven’t done a wedding scene in any of my novels thus far, so I guess I shouldn’t complain!
    Happily, Marissa Meyer eased some of that I-finished-reading-the-series-and-now-I’m-sad-because-it’s-over pain by releasing a volume of short stories – titled “Stars Above” – to flush out some of the “before” and “after” aspects of the novels.  And this is actually something I have planned for my work.  Just because the novel is over doesn’t mean the full story has been told – there will definitely be some additional stories featuring Jesse and Alex that shed light on the many centuries before they meet Emer ;-).
          What do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!
          Until the next time, keep reading!
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