Short Story Sunday #2: Glitches & The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer

Short stories are awesome.  They give us in-depth insight into characters, providing anecdotal proof of why some characters are they way they are.  They entertain by creating a certain mood or focusing on a singular effect...some instance in a previous body of work (or one to follow) that might have been glossed over or ignored completely in a longer novel. 

And so, every Sunday for the foreseeable future, I would like to highlight short stories and novellas set in worlds I've already come to love and learn a little more about some of the secondary characters in my favorite novels.  I'll be underscoring some of my favorite aspects of these short works of fiction, in addition to offering up a mini review of each work.

In light of the fact that I didn't create a SSS post last week and the fact that the short stories I read for this week were around 20 pages long and from the same author and encompass the same series, I'm combining them in one post:

Title: Glitches
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles, book #0.5 (prequel)
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: December 5, 2011
Source: free edition (read for free online at Tor.com)
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. In “Glitches,” a short prequel story to Cinder, we see the results of that illness play out, and the emotional toll that takes on Cinder. Something that may, or may not, be a glitch...

Short and sweet, this prequel story shows us Cinder's introduction to her new family and not only her reaction but their reaction to her.  I think it was pretty evident in Cinder that Adri was not happy with Cinder's addition to her family, but Glitches presents a little more background as to why.

I thought it was rather endearing to see how Cinder was acclimating not only to her new role in a family that mostly objected to her presence but also to her new status as a cyborg.  She can't remember the accident or much of anything of her life before coming to New Beijing, but it's obvious to her how very different she is now.  I loved Cinder's character in the first full-length novel in this series, and it hurts my heart to see how her  situation in that novel came about.

Rating:  

Title: The Queen's Army
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: Lunar Chronicles, book #1.5
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: November 21, 2012
Source: free edition (read for free online at Tor.com)
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

It is time. The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen’s army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen -- and to himself -- that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack.

I would be fine if we never encountered the Lunar queen again in this series, but I know that's not going to happen.  Having the ability to compel others to bend to one's will makes a person a very worthy adversary, and so I know we have much more of Levana's presence to tolerate.  Though, I do hope she gets her comeuppance, especially now that I know the full extent of the atrocities she is willing to commit.

I did like the introduction to Z in this short story, and I hope that his character is featured prominently in the upcoming Scarlet.  Possibly as Wolf?  Scarlet is a retelling of Red Riding Hood, so it would make sense.  And after reading this short story, it seems totally possible that Z becomes known as Wolf, who is described in the synopsis of Scarlet as "a street fighter" who "clearly has a few dark secrets of his own".

I can't wait until February to find out!

Rating:  

Meyer's writing is phenomenal.  She conveys emotion so beautifully and she has captured my heart with Cinder's story, as well as Z's.  If you haven't started this series yet, I highly recommend you check out these free short stories (which can also be purchased from ebook retailers for $0.99 each, if you prefer to read on an ereader).  And if you have read Cinder and you've read these short stories and you're itching for more in this series, you can download the first five chapters of Scarlet RIGHT NOW for free!!!  Just choose your favorite ebook retailer from the drop-down menu and you're good to go.

Labels: cinderella, favorites, lunar chronicles, marissa meyer, must-read, red riding hood, retellings, sci-fi, short story sunday, tor teen