COVID-128

The Lunar Chronicles #Alternative universe

by Marissa Meyer

"Surprise! I wrote a new Lunar Chronicles short story, inspired by the prompt from @fiercereads asking what our characters would be doing during a time of social distancing. It was really fun for me to hang out with these characters again for a little while, and I hope you'll enjoy it!"

Find the story on the May 20, 2020 Fierce Reads blog.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Romance, Retellings, Dystopia

17 pages, ebook

First published May 20, 2020

About the author

I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.

Reviews

[Mrinmayi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend JOE GOLDBERG did actually send the RDJ meme when I was fangirling over wolf...


I must thank my friend Rachel for bringing this under my radar🥰
This was just what I needed right now ❤❤
It was great visiting the characters 😊


Wolf is still my favorite 😍
THIS WAS how I imagined WOLF



Thorne made me laugh even with the few lines he had




I did not think l would get emotional while reading it but when Cress says how grateful she is to have the crew during quarantine l couldn't control my weeping 🥺

Also, Scarlet binge-watching shows was soo relatable
She was watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S!!!!!
Another thing we have in common!!!!!
Which is one of my all-time favorite shows




I just want Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter to recreate that scene " The one with all the wedding dresses"

[~Calliope~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In the midst of this sickness, there’s nowhere I’d rather be quarantined than right here. On my ship . . . with my crew.”

[Rachel (LoverofTBR) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ‘The Rampion Crew’ 🌟

For anyone interested, this short story can be found on Fierce Reads website.

This short story had me like


It is year 128 and COVID has hit the Earth hard. The Rampion Crew are on the Rampion, except Jacin, and finding different ways to cope.

--Kai and Cinder are making video conferences to their people promoting the safety measures necessary to hinder the spread of COVID.

--Iko and Wolf, peculiar team for sure, have joined up to lead a very popular virtual wellness class.

--Scarlet has been obsessing over Earthen TV shows such as Friends to the point where Kai is like “Should we be worried about her?” 🤣🤣

--Thorne got some inspiration from Iko and Wolf and… His idea was to start a podcast called The Happy Captain with Captain Carswell Thorne, in which he spent literally hours explaining how his listeners could become more awesome . . . like him.

--Cress has experience with isolated living on a spaceship so she is trying to make games and fun activities everyday that the crew can do together. She is such a cinnamon roll and I just want to hug her! 🥰🤗

--Winter’s means of coping during their time aboard the Rampion had mostly revolved around stress baking. A whole lot of stress baking. Wolf has absolutely no problem with this!

--Jacin, my poor baby, is on Earth attending medical school and caring for infected patients, but he is certainly missing his crew. “I like when you have the rest of the crew on as special guests.” His voice was strained, as if it was physically painful for him to continue. “I guess I kind of miss all of you.” YES, he finally admitted it!! Also, that stunt he pulled on Thorne’s show for Winter was so heart touching. I had tears in my eyes like Winter at the sweet gesture. 🥰

Gah, this short story was not healthy for my heart, but I enjoyed every single word of it. Marissa Meyer, thank you so much for writing it!! For those of you who have grown attached to these characters in The Lunar Chronicles, you don’t want to miss this sweet, short story!

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know this was even added to Goodreads. But I have read this the minute I heard about its exsistence. I mean, how can I miss something like this. XD

It's always fun to revisit your favorite series and knowing about what your favorite characters are up too. Reading this was such a delight and made me want to start re-reading the entire series all over again.

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥]

Oh boy, how I'd love to read this!
I only read "Cinder" so far though and I don't want to spoil myself. >_<

Anyway: If you've read the entire series this might be super interesting for you!
So here I am, once again using my GR account to spread the word. *lol*

If I can't read it I can at least make some of you guys happy, right? ;-P

[Reynita ★ The Night Reader ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

MINI REVIEW

I read this short story in bed this morning. Wow. Maybe this is how it feels like to be hit with so many wonderful feelings. It’s so nostalgic. I still remember how I read the lunar chronicles series for the first time when I was in high school, and now I’m in my final year of college. I grew up with this series and it just warms my cold heart. 🥺

Yes, I did cry reading this short story lol. I wish it was longer. I loved it so much to be reunited with all the characters. It felt like reunited with old friends. And Thorne still kept making me rolling my eyes and laughing out loud. Cress still made me want to hug her and made her my sister. She’s just so adorable. AND IKO, I’m so proud of her. Cinder and Kai are also sweet. Scarlett and Wolf made me smile so much. Winter, I would love to taste her cooks and Jacin, made me tear up.

If you haven’t read this short story, I think you should! It’s such a heart-warming story in the midst of this pandemic. I loved this short story to pieces.

[haniah · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT? WHY DID I NOT KNOW OF THIS TILL LIKE 2 SECONDS AGO?!?
*ferociously adds to TBR*
----------------------------------
🤣🤣 Ahh I just want to reread The Lunar Chronicles after that, it was so cute and funny!

It was heartwarming to see all my favourite characters again, dealing with the lockdown. And Thorne did not disappoint with his podcast in which he spent hours explaining how his listeners could become more awesome...like him. 😂

I also got some light shed on a question I'd had since the start of this whole quarantine:

"I'm embarrassed to think about how we handled Letumosis. Hardly any social distancing at all. Can you imagine - I even still held the annual ball!"

"And none of the markets shut down. I was working at my mechanic booth like nothing had changed."

I was wondering about that!! With Letumosis going around, why wasn't New Beijing at least in lockdown? At least Marissa Meyer has acknowledged that.

Overall, everyone who's read The Lunar Chronicles should read this because it's such quick, heartwarming read that I think everyone needs right now.

[mads]

I can't believe this is a thing that exists😂

[✨ Helena ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Marissa Meyer gave us a lifeline during this quarantine.

It was cute, sweet, and perfect as a little pick me up. I especially loved Cress in this. I just want to hold onto any chance I get to spend more time with my beloved Rampion crew. <3

[Lia Carstairs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwww this was such a cute story!🥰

It's nice seeing the gang stuck in isolation, each doing their own thing. Scarlet binge watching TV shows, Cress coming up with some games for them all, Thorne having his own live podcast about himself (not surprised about that😂), Wolf & Iko doing fitness videos, and Cinder & Kai making public addresses to try and calm down the public over the virus.

I really hope we get some more short stories like this!!!!😍

Link to story (if anyone wants it): https://www.fiercereads.com/blog/soci...

[Tucker Almengor]

[Credit: Julie Crowell]
I have chosen to not rate this book because it's a quirky, almost parodic short story but if I was, I would give it a painful, single star.

Listen, I love Marissa and the Lunar Chronicles and I understand the point of this story was to briefly entertain and bring a spot of joy in dark times. However, this was painful to read. It just felt like so many shoehorned references to already dated things.

The dialogue and constant references to disease and quarantine felt so forced and uncomfortable. Overall, I just wasn't feeling this story. I'm glad it was able to bring joy to so many readers but it just wasn't for me.

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[MischaS_]

Honestly? I'm absolutely loving all the authors coming with extra content for their beloved series/books/characters.

And I'm low-key making a list of authors and books I would love to see come up with something like this.

Anyway, this is killing me cause I still did not finish the Lunar Chronicles and it's painful not to read this. Maybe this will finally push me to read the rest of the series.

[✧ hayley (the sugar bowl) ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

➳ 5 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

giving this 5 stars just because of nostalgia and the fact that i got to hang out with these characters one last time 😭

i loved this so much even though i’m very late as this was published in 2020 but i just loved seeing these characters especially thorne and cress 🥹

i love this world so much and this almost made me miss quarantine 🎀🩰


୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆

[Cat Carstairs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was exactly what I needed! I've been missing the Rampion crew lately, and seeing how they spent their quarantine was just hilarious. I have to say, I relate most to Wolf and Iko with their at-home workouts. Chloe Ting crew where you at?

[Alex (The Scribe Owl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute quick read! I loved reading about what the gang was up to in their quarantine, and now I need to go reread the Lunar Chronicles. Also, this story alone boosted my opinion of Jacin. Why? You'll know if you read it!

Link: https://www.fiercereads.com/blog/soci...

[Diana DS. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how Marissa Meyer gave us a sneak peek at how the crew would be trying to cope with this COVID pandemic while caught in a lockdown aboard the Rampion. I have only finished reading the series recently, but to see how these cinnamon rolls have grown comfortable in each other's presence is just so refreshing. Also, I lost count on how many times I facepalmed at Thorne and his The Happy Captain podcast.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't lie, i mostly read this to help with my Goodreads goal!
It has been a while since i read the Lunar Chronicles though so it was nice to see all of the characters again!

[Joshita ❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Thorne had the brilliant idea to start his own project for the betterment of humanity. His idea was to start a podcast called The Happy Captain with Captain Carswell Thorne, in which he spent literally hours explaining how his listeners could become more awesome . . . like him."

ahhh this was so cute!

[andrea hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

FAQ for people who want to read this- yes, you do have to finish The Lunar Chronicles before you read this.

I love this so much...I missed my Rampion crew 🥺 this short helped me realize how much comfort The Lunar Chronicles gives me. I was just so happy to see them again.

I have to admit, I teared up a little at the end. This whole story and its theme hit a little too close to home, and I really needed more of this content in my life.

It was all so relatable too: from Wolf and Iko's workouts to Scarlet's binge-watching (when she referenced F.R.I.E.N.D.s and Tiger King I laughed out loud) and Winter's stress baking. Also, we all have that one friend/parent who always wants to set up activities and games (aka my obnoxious dad).
One thing I can say is that everyone there seemed to miss Jacin...and let me tell you I did not miss Jacin 😂 I feel like Marissa Meyer practically left him out of this story for a reason.

Lastly, when she mentioned 'Dr. Faucini', I-
In short, this is a cute and fun short story that many Rampion fans will enjoy! It took me like eight minutes to read (I don't even know if I should count this on my read books) and it was so much fun! I hope you enjoy!

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, and very accurate, spin off short story of the Lunar Chronicles. The well-known characters return, now in quarantine, doing all those things that we do during this crazy period. Everything looks so familiar, and I'm not referring to the characters, which makes it comforting. And it was nice to "hear" from the Lunar couples again. Plus, there were some cute Thorne Cress interactions!
Thank you Marissa Meyer!!

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry I’m not gonna cry

*choking on pent up emotions*
Oh my goodness, my babies. I can’t with this-

THIS IS THE REASON WHY I DONT READ SHORT STORIES ABOUT MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS.
I CANNOT FUNCTION AFTERWARDS

[Lamaleluna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relato corto de los personajes de las crónicas lunares durante el Covid. Me dió ternura!! Gracias Marissa! 😍😍

[Zoeisbookhooked · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute short story! I always want to see more from the Rampion Crew and was so excited to see this! They all had the quarantine roles😂
Kai and Cinder were like the Government.
Cress was the obsessive game player.
Thorne was the create a talk show from home guy.
Jacin was one of the people working on a vaccine.
Winter was the obsessive baker.
Wolf was the obsessive eater.
Scarlet was the show binger.
And Iko was the gym zoom call host😂

MM nailed all the roles of quarantine down. And she definitely made my isolation happier!
And I definitely loved seeing my Thorne again😭

READ IT HERE:
https://www.fiercereads.com/blog/soci...




“Kai chuckled humorously, dragging just hand through his hair.”


“Didn’t get much sleep last night, but I had to finish the tenth season of FRIENDS.”

“What’s Friends? asked Kai”

“Oh, this thing, it’s called a sitcom. They had a lot of them in the second era. It’s kinda like a net drama but—happier.”


“In the midst of this sickness, there’s nowhere I’d rather be quarantined than right here. On my ship . . . with my crew.”

[Momo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The existence of this short story is both wonderful and weird.

[rose]

very cheesy, very cute! a little cheer up for us all :)

///

WHAT

[jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sounds like a fluff fanfiction but if you see me fangirling over the Rampion crew... no you didn’t ❤️

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute short story taking places after the events of The Lunar Chronicles, following the crew being closed on their spaceship after a disease outbreak and how they each act in the quarantine.

The theme of Thorne's podcasts was not at all surprising tbh. xD

3.5 stars

[Veronica Alvarez · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is just a non-sense.

I don't even know where to start, first let's say I'm not a huge fan of The Lunar Chronicles, so I knew this novella wasn't going to be my favorite but let's enlist this trash:

* First we see them doing a conference to the world "to be safe" because there's a NEW disease, and what is that one? We don't know, its basically corona, but they don't explain how this diseae was created, we don't see if they were doing okay before the new one, we just see there's a new disease, I also I was waiting that they mentioned at least "it was created as an alternative of the first one" but we don't know absolutely nothing of the backgroung of this new one.

* They also mention the words "wash your hands" like soap and water are really important, but they just mentioned that and of course, it's only for the humans, and they didn' even mention droids, does droids also wash their hands? Not even Cinder said anything, like girl, how does that work for them?

* And on top of that we just see that, we don't see if they have a new cure or something, or how long does it take, because the only thing we see is that "they're working on it" so what if this disease never ends? Like how is that possible if we don't see how this ends? I just don't understand at all.

The only good thing is to see how the characters would react in a quarantine (that doesn't mean I like them or I was entertainig by it).

I'm so sorry but the end of the novella was just cheesy and a little cringy I couldn't even read it with a straight face.

They don't bring absolutely NOTHING new AT ALL.

This whole novella was just a pro-fit of 2020.

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute short story to address COVID19 lockdown/quarantine issues.
Not as fun as the books, but still nice to get a smidge of time with the MCs.

[Angelica]

why I no one informed me that Marrisa Meyer had written about the Lunar Chronicles????