The Queen's Army

Although The Queen's Army is listed as Book 1.5 in The Lunar Chronicles, I'm glad that I read it after Scarlet. I think a lot of the mystery and intrigue about Wolf would be missing had I gone in already knowing his background.

The Queen's Army is a well-written introduction to Ze'ev -- or, as he's more commonly referred to, Wolf. After reading this novella, I wouldn't mind an entire book from his perspective. We don't often hear about the Lunar side of things in the series, and getting more of a perspective on the Queen's Army and thaumaturges was a nice treat.

Here's to hoping Wolf is a major player in Cress!

As opposed to Glitches, which I didn't really feel was amazing and honestly didn't answer any of my questions, The Queen's Army is the complete opposite. Not only do we get some background into the Lunar Army that Kai and the other diplomats become aware of in Cinder, but I believe we might also have just been introduced to a character who's going to play a role in the remainder of the series.

I couldn't help but be struck by the irony of this story. Z, our main character, has been taken from his home, forced to undergo some physical transformations, and has come out of them perhaps more wolf than human. He spends all of his training years being neither the best or the worst, never wanting to fully embrace his animalistic tendencies, but show more also desperately wanting to avoid becoming the "mindless soldier" threatened by his pack's leader. I have to say that my heart hurt quite a bit for him and the others we see in this brief story, simply because of the circumstances they find themselves in all because of Levana's determination to conquer the Earth. It's scary to know she really has no limits to her thirst for power.

I found the last line to be the most thought-provoking, particularly since Z's actions at the end make you wonder precisely if he's avoided becoming what he feared after all. I'm curious to see what comes next! show less

Chronologically, this story happens before the other books in the series - it's Wolf's origin story - but it should really be read after Scarlet (in much the same way that I thought "Glitches", Cinder's origin story (or a part of it, anyways), should be read after Cinder. Reading the novel, then reading the story explaining how certain things and characters got to be the way they are is much more powerful than the other way around; reading the story before you'd even met Wolf and Ran and everyone else would mean that a lot of its significance would get lost. (Plus: major spoilers for some of the big "reveals" in Scarlet, although I'd figured most of them out ahead of their reveal anyways. But in retrospect, the story explains a lot show more about Wolf, and gives a lot of new insight into some of his behavior and attitudes, and makes my heart break for what he had to go through, and what it's cost him. Good stuff. show less

Set in Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles 'verse (read this after Cinder), The Queen's Army takes place on Luna, where twelve-year-old Ze'ev Kesley has just been conscripted into Queen Levana's Army - the army we first got a glimpse of in Cinder. Z awakes after nearly a month in a coma to find his body radically transformed; think: Beast from The X-Men, but with a less friendly and philosophical disposition.

Z swiftly joins his pack, which serves the Thaumaturge Jael. Life is bleak and brutal - all members must fight for food, respect, and to secure a place in the hierarchy - but at least he hasn't yet been fully transformed into a mindless beast. Z's is one of several dozen packs being considered for a special assignment, and for show more that they need their wits. But things go from bad to much, much worse when, several years into training, the newest and final conscript joins Z's pack: and it's none other than his younger brother Ran.

As with Glitches, The Queen's Army is a fun enough read, though I found myself wishing for more. I'd love to get a better look at Luna, for example, but most of the story takes place underground, in cavern bunkers. That said, The Queen's Army does have a leg up on Glitches in that it clues us into details not revealed in Cinder: I feel like I know a little more about the 'verse after having read it.

I suspect that these short stories will pack a greater emotional punch once they're all collected together in Stars Above. Until then, it's a great way to pass the time between books.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2015/10/16/glitches-and-the-queens-army-by-marissa-mey... show less

Ah, Wolf. I absolutely loved this backstory of Ze'ev, a.k.a, Wolf Kesley. What would have made it more incredible would have been the telling of the story up to the point where Wolf met Scarlet. However, I admit, I do have a bit of a soft spot for Wolf and Carswell, the only two male leads in the Lunar Chronicles that I thought were fully fleshed out.

Still, The Queen's Army was a look into how Ze'ev became a part of the special Luna soldiers and Alpha, as well as (slight Winter spoiler) insight into why Levana might have wanted to keep him around. Something I didn't quite understand in Winter.

Now this I liked reading. I think Meyer did a fine job in this novella. It has the potential to become a longer book or even a separate series. Not so sure about the original Cinder series, but the books in between seem definitely worth my time.

The Queen's Army is a short story about Wolf's history of how he became a soldier and the Alpha. It also gives insight into his relationship with his brother and how the Queen's army works. It is available to read for free online and also came included at the end of my copy of Scarlet. I really enjoyed this story. It adds some nice depth to Wolf's character that was missing from the main book. As for reading order, it could probably be read before or after Scarlet though I'd wait until after to avoid spoilers.