The Looking Glass Wars
No idea what the hell I am talking about? Then let's start with the story.
Frank Beddor's The Looking Glass Wars
A little girl named Alice tumbled down a rabbit hole and proceeded to have a charming adventure in the delightful, made-up world of Wonderland...Now discover the truth behind Alyss of Wonderland...
Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, was forced to flee through the Pool of Tears after a bloody palace coup staged by the murderous Redd. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author [Lewis Carroll] to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life only to see it published as the nonsensical Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alyss had trusted Lewis Carroll to tell the truth so that someone, somewhere would find her and bring her home. But Carroll had gotten it all wrong. He even misspelled her name! If not for royal bodyguard Hatter Madigan's nonstop search to locate the lost princess, Alyss may have become just another society woman sipping tea in a too-tight corset instead of returning to Wonderland to fight Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.
While Alice in Wonderland tells us the story of mischievous cats, tea parties and mad hatters, The Looking Glass Wars tells the story of Wonderland in a different, more brutal, and supposedly more realistic light. Instead of riddles we are given a battle for power. Aunt Redd violently murders Alyss's mother when she completed her coup for the throne. Alyss, who remains the young but rightful heir to the crown, is forced to run away with her mother's bodyguard through the Pool of Tears. The travel causes Alyss and the bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, to become split as both arrive at different locations on our very own planet Earth.
From that point on the story takes place in three locations. Most of the time is spent with Alyss as she is forced to suppress her imagination, change her name and forget who she was back in Wonderland; nobody on Earth believes her anyway. The second character followed is Hatter Madigan. The bodyguard's sole purpose on Earth is to find Alyss and help her return to Wonderland. Fortunately for him, Lewis Carroll publishes Alice in Wonderland; a novel that puts Hatter on the right track to finding Alyss. The third character is Dodge Anders, a boy in love with Alyss still stuck in Wonderland. Dodge's father is killed by The Cat, an assassin with nine lives loyal to Redd, causing the character to seek revenge while leading a group of Alyss-less followers. It will take years for all three of these individuals to find one another.
By reworking the 'conspiracy' behind Alice in Wonderland, Frank Beddor displays a skill of tact and imagination. The story in The Looking Glass Wars is far beyond creative and is written in a manner that should pull readers along at a pace similar to the Harry Potter novels. Beddor teases us with information and, though you already have a good idea on what will happen by the end, you race to get there.
The Looking Glass Wars is a fast read that should remind our pop culture here on Earth that Wonderland still exists.
Stay tuned for updates.
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