You may be familiar with Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles, a series that blends classic fairy tales with sci-fi and super hero conventions: at the center of the books is a character named Cinder, in whom you are sure to see shades of Cinderella, except that she’s a cyborg. Cinder and her friends , many of whom are also these terrific super hero takes on classic fairy tale characters like Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel, battle for their happily-ever-afters against terrifying and imaginative odds. It’s a series that has been optioned by Netflix for film, which is super exciting.

Marissa Meyer is also the author of the Renegades trilogy, about teen superheroes and villains working to redefine for themselves what is right and wrong in a world wholly corrupted by adults, with tons of girl superheroes for teen readers to celebrate. 

On today’s episode, we celebrate the recent release of Archenemies, the second book in what will be the Renegades trilogy. It’s a deliciously cryptic title as it may refer to the decidedly uneasy relationship between the series protagonists, Nova and Adrian.

We’ll spend the hour in conversation with Marissa Meyer, and we’ll also hear the terrific story “The Teacher in the Patriotic Bathing Suit” by Bil Lepp.