''The Lunar Chronicles'' is a series of four

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novels, a novella, and a short story collection written by American author

Marissa Meyer Marissa Meyer (born February 19, 1984) is an American novelist. A large portion of her bibliography is centered on retellings of fairy tales. She is best known for her series ''The Lunar Chronicles,'' which includes her 2012 debut novel, ''Cind ...

and published by

Feiwel & Friends Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

. Each book entails a science fictional twist on a classic

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

, including "

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

", "

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...

", "

Rapunzel "Rapunzel" ( ; ; or ) is a German fairy tale most notably recorded by the Brothers Grimm and it was published in 1812 as part of '' Children's and Household Tales'' (KHM 12). The Grimms' story was developed from the French literary fairy tale ...

", and "

Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...

". Set in a futuristic world inhabited by various species and creatures, tensions are rising between Earth and its former colony Luna, while both attempt to manage an ongoing pandemic. An animated feature film adaptation, to be produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and

Locksmith Animation Locksmith Animation is a British-American independent computer animation feature film studio owned by Sister Group. Headquartered in London, England with an office in Los Angeles, California, Locksmith is best known for producing and developing ...

and distributed by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...

, was announced in 2019 and will release on November 3, 2028.

Books

''Cinder''

''Cinder'' is the first book in ''The Lunar Chronicles'' and second chronologically. It was published on January 3, 2012. Linh Cinder (based on "

"), a

cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a female non-biological parent married to one's preexisting parent. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Culture Ste ...

and her two stepsisters in New Beijing of the Eastern Commonwealth, works as a

mechanic A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...

in a booth at the marketplace where she meets Crown Prince Kaito, who requests that she fix his personal former tutor android. After Cinder's younger stepsister, Peony, comes into contact with Letumosis, a plague taken place throughout the series, Cinder is forcibly volunteered for cure testing. As a result, many previously unknown details regarding Cinder's origins surface. At the same time, tensions are rising between Earth and Luna, a lunar colony where most of the citizens have special abilities, with Prince Kaito caught in the middle between his people and the villainous Lunar Queen.

''Scarlet''

''Scarlet'' is the second book in ''The Lunar Chronicles'' and third chronologically. It was published on February 5, 2013. Scarlet Benoit (based on "

") is the granddaughter of Michelle Benoit, a farmer and former military

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

who has suddenly disappeared, leaving Scarlet on her own. On Scarlet's journey to find her grandmother, she works hesitantly with a street fighter named Wolf, who is a genetically altered Lunar warrior. Unfortunately, as Scarlet's admiration for Wolf grows, his old Lunar pack puts them in unusual circumstances, testing Wolf's loyalties. Deeper connections surface as the pack's malicious intent is finally exposed. Simultaneously, Cinder joins forces with the

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convicts ...

, Carswell Thorne. As the search continues, Scarlet meets Cinder and becomes an ally in her plan to stop the tyranny of Lunar Queen Levana and her

thaumaturge Thaumaturgy () is the practical application of magic to effect change in the physical world. Historically, thaumaturgy has been associated with the manipulation of natural forces, the creation of wonders, and the performance of magical feats th ...

, Sybil Mira.

''Cress''

''Cress'' is the third book in ''The Lunar Chronicles'' and fourth chronologically. It was published on February 4, 2014. Crescent Moon, or "Cress" Darnel (based on "

"), is an imprisoned shell (a Lunar without special abilities and a Lunar that cannot be affected by mind manipulation) working with Sybil to aid Lunar ships in going undetected by Earth. Living alone on a satellite and harboring an enormous crush on Carswell Thorne, she secretly works to sabotage the wicked Lunar queen, and eventually, Cress teams up with Cinder and becomes entangled in her plot to save Earth. As complications arise and the crew is separated, they must do everything they can to prevent a royal wedding putting Earth into Queen Levana's hands and the commonwealth's leaving Prince Kai's. All the while, the plague has begun to mutate and even the Lunars (who were previously immune) are not safe.

''Fairest''

''Fairest'' is the novella book in ''The Lunar Chronicles'' and first chronologically. It was published on January 27, 2015. Fairest is a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to the other books in the series, telling the backstory and past of Queen Levana (based on

the Evil Queen The Evil Queen (), also called the Wicked Queen or simply the Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm. In the Grimm's story, the Queen is Snow White's stepmother o ...

from "Snow White"). ''Fairest'' begins when Levana is around 15 years old and covers about ten years of her life, ending about a decade before ''Cinder'' is set. Levana has grown up in a poisonous household and has a cruel older sister who has been mentally and physically abusive to her throughout her entire life. After her parents are murdered by a Lunar assassin (a shell), Levana's sister, Channary, is set to become queen. Channary's reign is short-lived, and with Channary's ascension, Levana begins an unexpected downward spiral to becoming heartless when it comes to anything but her people. She is a tyrant.

''Winter''

''Winter'' is the fourth and final book in ''The Lunar Chronicles'' and fifth chronologically. It was published on November 10, 2015. Winter (based on "

") is Queen Levana's stepdaughter. She has lived on Luna in the palace and has been raised by her

stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a female non-biological parent married to one's preexisting parent. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Culture Ste ...

. She has seen how Levana's use of "glamour" (an illusion to cause the user to look more beautiful) has turned her into a heartless tyrant. Winter decided to never use her gift, so she has not used her Lunar "glamour" since she was twelve. A side effect of not using glamour causes loss of sanity for Lunars, and Winter is afflicted with horrible visions. She often sees blood on the walls of the palace. Over the course of the novel, her mental state starts to slowly deteriorate. Winter's only source of comfort from the hallucinations is her guard, childhood friend, and crush, Jacin. Princess Winter and Scarlet become close friends. Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. Winter despises her stepmother and knows Levana will not approve of her feelings for Jacin. However, Winter is not as weak as Levana believes her to be, and she has been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that has been raging for far too long.

Supplementary works

''Stars Above''

''Stars Above'' is a collection of short tie-in stories set in ''The Lunar Chronicles'' universe. It was published on February 2, 2016. It includes four previously individually released novellas and five original stories: * ''The Keeper'': A prequel to ''The Lunar Chronicles'', showing a young Scarlet and how Princess Selene came into the care of Michelle Benoit. * ''Glitches'': A short story that takes place before the events of ''Cinder'' about Cinder coming to live with her new family at age 11, and the death of Linh Garan, Cinder's stepfather. It was released on January 27, 2014. * ''The Queen's Army'': A short story about Wolf and his brother Ran's past before ''Scarlet''. It was released on November 20, 2012. * ''Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky'': A short story detailing the incident between Carswell Thorne and Kate Fallow and the retrieval of her portscreen mentioned in ''Cress''. A glimpse at the young Carswell Thorne, his family life, and his teenage years. It was released on February 4, 2014. * ''After Sunshine Passes By'': A prequel to ''Cress'', showing how a nine-year-old Cress ended up alone on a satellite, spying on Earth for Luna. * ''The Princess and The Guard'': A short story about Winter and Jacin's friendship during their childhood. * ''The Little Android'': A retelling of "

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

" that takes place before the events of ''Cinder''. It was released on January 27, 2014. * ''The Mechanic'': A short story about the first meeting of Linh Cinder and Prince Kai, from Kai's perspective. * ''Something Old, Something New'': A short story set about 2 years after ''Winter'' during Scarlet and Wolf's wedding, in which Kai proposes to Cinder.

''Wires and Nerve''

''Wires and Nerve'' is a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

series written by Meyer also based in the world of ''The Lunar Chronicles''. Set after the events of the ''Lunar Chronicles'' but before the ''Stars Above'' epilogue, it features many of the same characters, with Iko as the protagonist. The first book, ''Wires and Nerve, Volume 1'', illustrated by Douglas Holgate, was released on January 31, 2017. The second book, ''Wires and Nerve, Volume 2'', illustrated by Stephen Gilpin, was released on January 30, 2018.

Origins

The idea for the series started with an entry Meyer wrote for an online ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction, also known as fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF, is fiction typically written in an amateur capacity by fans as a form of fan labor, unauthorized by, but based on, an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted ...

writing contest in 2008. The contest had a list of 10 things, in which she had to choose two things to use in a short story. From the list, she chose to use a fairy tale character and to set the story in the future. She ended up writing a short story that was a futuristic retelling of

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version ...

with ''Sailor Moon'' characters. It was the first time Meyer ever wrote science fiction, and it inspired her to give sci-fi twists to classic fairy tales. Meyer chose to adapt Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Snow White as she felt she had the best ideas for them. She chose different parts of the world to set the different books in, because she wanted the series to have "a really big global feel, in part because the issues the characters are facing are big global issues — there's this war happening between Earth and Luna that affects everybody on the planet, and there's this plague that has become an enormous widespread problem." She also wanted readers to know that "this wasn't just happening in this one city or in this one country; this was something that affects everybody." She planned to write a series, though she first envisioned it with every book being a standalone story, and it wasn't until later when she was brainstorming and started outlining the books that she decided it was going to become one continuous story in which different fairy tale characters would merge to take down the evil queen instead. Meyer developed the initial drafts of ''Cinder'', ''Scarlet'' and ''Cress'' for the November 2008

National Novel Writing Month National Novel Writing Month, often shortened to NaNoWriMo ( ), was a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that promoted creative writing around the world. Its flagship program was an annual, international creative writing event in which participa ...

(NaNoWriMo). However, all three of those novels had to be mostly scrapped and rewritten during revisions.

Reception

The series is a retelling of

fairytales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful being ...

where the female

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

s were originally passive participants. Due to the portrayal of strong female characters as an alternate to the conventional fairytale characters throughout its four books, this series is now considered an example of

feminist literature Feminist literature is fiction, nonfiction, drama, or poetry, which supports the Feminism, feminist goals of defining, establishing, and defending equal Civil and political rights, civil, political, economic, and social rights for women. It often ...

Animated feature film adaptation

has reported that the animated feature film rights for ''The Lunar Chronicles'' have been optioned and a film is in development at

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

. In February 2019, Meyer posted on her

Instagram story Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags, and be associated with a location via ...

that she was awaiting a phone call from her film agent, but no news, concerning a ''Lunar Chronicles'' animated feature film, has arisen since then. However, in January 2022,

and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation acquired the animated feature film rights to the novel series. In June 2023, it was announced that the four production companies will produce ''The Lunar Chronicles'' with

taking over the distribution rights from Universal. It was also announced that Noëlle Raffaele would direct the film and Kalen Egan and Travis Sentell would write it. On June 9, 2025, the film will now release on November 3, 2028 and that

Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American Film, motion picture visual effects, computer animation and stereo conversion digital studio founded by George Lucas on May 26, 1975. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lu ...

will do the animation for the film.

References

External links

Marissa Meyer's website

The Lunar Chronicles Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lunar Chronicles, The Book series introduced in 2012 Feiwel & Friends books American young adult novels Young adult novel series Fantasy novel series Young adult fantasy novels Children's science fiction novels American romance novels Novels based on fairy tales Novels about androids Cyborgs in literature Novels by Marissa Meyer Feminist literature Novels set in the future Space opera novels Young adult science fiction novels Fiction about mind control