When I first heard about The Looking Glass Wars I was curious but leery. The idea of a new take on Wonderland was intriguing, but I was left wondering what an author could really do with it. Apparently a lot, but I was left asking why it was necessary. But I picked it up anyway.
Frank Beddor, the author, has a vivid imagination, but everything he does truly springs out of Lewis Carroll's novel. He has some amusing twists and capricious renderings of characters, events, and hardware in Wonderland, but ultimately I was disappointed with this one. There just really wasn't enough of a difference, and the differences that were there flew in the face of everything I loved about the book.
The idea of an adult Alyss (see, Carroll gave us the incorrect spelling after London schoolteachers forced Alyss to change her name to Alice) going back to Wonderland to lead a revolt against Queen Redd was interesting, but just didn't really come to life. Beddor's world-building seems good, and his pacing is excellent, but I would have liked to read something wholly original by him. He's a good writer, but being enamored of Wonderland doesn't do him justice in some ways.
Beddor begins his tale with Alyss as a child in Wonderland. Her imagination is her power, and that talent runs to the royalty of the realm. I enjoyed Beddor's take on Hatter Madigan (the Mad Hatter, of course) as a faithful bodyguard to the crown, and Beddor's reindition of the Cheshire Cat. But those images kept jarring with what I'd read, and with Walt Disney's interpretation on those iconic characters. Her mother is quickly assassinated in a revolt and Alyss has to jump into a magical pool that sweeps her off to 19th-century England.
Article comments
1 - Katie
I bought this one a while back but still haven't read it. Your review though is the first one I've read that didn't think this book was perfect in every way. Thanks for the honesty Mel! I'm still going to read it since I have a copy but maybe it can wait a little longer.
I just can't believe that this guy got a deal to do a video game, movie, comics the whole thing from the start. He must have a good agent.