Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky [Marissa Meyer]

Of all the characters in Marissa Meyers’ The Lunar Chronicles, there is no question that I am most fond of Carswell Thorne. It is perhaps for this reason that I am also a massive fan of the short story she wrote featuring him exclusively. Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky features adolescent Carswell making decisions that are perhaps not the best and shedding light on one of the stories that Cress cited regularly for why she was so in love with him before she’d even met him.

I love having further insight into characters via extra backstory. As my favorite character of the series, having this piece of his history was something I eagerly snatched up. In fact, the worst thing I can say about this story is that I’m sad I did not get more featuring Carswell as the center-focus.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky follows our young Captian in high school as he navigates the world he is expected to be a part of and the person he wants to be. Failing grades in math prompt him to flirt quite heavily with a fellow classmate, Kate Fallow, and dreams of owning his own spaceship lead him to some rather shady business dealings with some less-than-ideal classmates. And as expected from a high school experience, there’s some bullying involved and a chance for Carswell himself to be a hero.

The thing about this story is that it really sets Carswell up for who he is when we first meet him at the beginning of Scarlet. We see the conflicts of his life and how the influences he had shaped him. But we also see the potential within Carswell for good, for being a compassionate and wonderful human being. And, of course, we also see his humorous side.

Truthfully, I remain quite in love with this boy.

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