This one gets all the stars! This was so good. I have read the Alice in wonderland book once and seen various versions of the movie. I can honestly say the only one I like is the animated movie. But this book took the story and kicked it in the butt!
This book is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of violence and some gore. There is all manner of cruelty toward humans and animals and there is rape (although not graphically depicted). This is one of the books where you root for the protagonists and the characters don't make stupid decisions that piss you off and make you happy when it inevitably comes back the bite them.
The story follows Alice, who is from the New City. She ventured into the Old (forbidden) City with her best friend Dor. When she returns she has been raped, her face is scarred, no one knows what happened to Dor, and Alice is somewhat mad (as a hatter). She is put into an asylum and meets Hatcher through a mouse hole in the wall between them. For years they keep one another company and help each other maintain a modicum of sanity. When a fire breaks out, Hatcher and Alice escape and thus their adventure to stop the Jabberwocky begins.
This is just really great storytelling. We meet the characters of the original book, the Rabbit, Cheshire, Tweedle Dee and Dumb...only they're all very twisted and dark versions of themselves. The ending is actually satisfying, but also leaves the door open for the sequel, which I will be starting immediately because I need to know what happens next for Alice and Hatcher! This is an excellent retelling, which may even convince me to give the source material another try.
This book is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of violence and some gore. There is all manner of cruelty toward humans and animals and there is rape (although not graphically depicted). This is one of the books where you root for the protagonists and the characters don't make stupid decisions that piss you off and make you happy when it inevitably comes back the bite them.
The story follows Alice, who is from the New City. She ventured into the Old (forbidden) City with her best friend Dor. When she returns she has been raped, her face is scarred, no one knows what happened to Dor, and Alice is somewhat mad (as a hatter). She is put into an asylum and meets Hatcher through a mouse hole in the wall between them. For years they keep one another company and help each other maintain a modicum of sanity. When a fire breaks out, Hatcher and Alice escape and thus their adventure to stop the Jabberwocky begins.
This is just really great storytelling. We meet the characters of the original book, the Rabbit, Cheshire, Tweedle Dee and Dumb...only they're all very twisted and dark versions of themselves. The ending is actually satisfying, but also leaves the door open for the sequel, which I will be starting immediately because I need to know what happens next for Alice and Hatcher! This is an excellent retelling, which may even convince me to give the source material another try.
This is a really dark story about Alice in Wonderland. It's not a sequel, per se, but it does take place after the first book (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) but in an alternate way. There is magic and dark deeds (mainly rape which is aluded to rather than shown, except in one instance where it's a bit hazy whether it would be considered rape or not). The Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat are actually people instead of animals. The Dormouse is Alice's friend Dor, who leads her into harm's way and the Mad Hatter becomes the Mad Hatcher.
Alice is led into the Old City by Dor when she is 16. The Old City is where the degenerate and unpoliced live. After 2 weeks, Alice stumbles out (without Dor), covered in blood and she can only say The Rabbit did it. She is locked up in an insane asylum where her only real human contact is with Hatcher, who is in the cell next door. They converse through a mouse hole. Hatcher has his own demons, including that he can "feel" the Jabberwock and that terrifies him. When a fire engulfs the asylum, Alice and Hatcher make their way out and into the bowels of the Old City. Hatcher wants to help Alice discover what happened to her and he needs to escape the Jabberwock.
It was well written and maybe even deserves more than 4 stars because of the writing. It did keep me enthralled neough to finish it but I can't really say I enjoyed it. I believe there are other books in this series.
Based on the quality of the writing alone, I will give it 4 stars.
Alice is led into the Old City by Dor when she is 16. The Old City is where the degenerate and unpoliced live. After 2 weeks, Alice stumbles out (without Dor), covered in blood and she can only say The Rabbit did it. She is locked up in an insane asylum where her only real human contact is with Hatcher, who is in the cell next door. They converse through a mouse hole. Hatcher has his own demons, including that he can "feel" the Jabberwock and that terrifies him. When a fire engulfs the asylum, Alice and Hatcher make their way out and into the bowels of the Old City. Hatcher wants to help Alice discover what happened to her and he needs to escape the Jabberwock.
It was well written and maybe even deserves more than 4 stars because of the writing. It did keep me enthralled neough to finish it but I can't really say I enjoyed it. I believe there are other books in this series.
Based on the quality of the writing alone, I will give it 4 stars.
This was really a demented retelling of Alice in Wonderland. It really does not use the classic Alice or Wonderland but sets the story in a fictional place called the Old City which is run by a set of gang bosses who may be named after characters in the original Alice but are far more deadly and perverted. These include Cheshire, the Walrus, the Caterpillar, and the Rabbit. The book starts out with Alice in a mental hospital communicating through a wall with Hatcher, a man who remembers little of his life but becomes friends with Alice. When a fire at the asylum allows them to escape, Alice and Hatcher set out to the Old City in search of the Jabberwock, a monster who kills malevolently and who is tied in some way to Hatcher. They are also seeking the Rabbit who Alice had encountered years earlier and who left a scar on Alice so she would be recognizable when she returned to the Old City. The Rabbit may also have a weapon than can be used against the Jabberwocky and information about Hatcher's past.
The story is full of violence and perversion. The Walrus is probably the worst of the bunch...he captures young girls so he can rape and eat them! The story meanders along with Alice and Hatcher getting involved in one violent encounter after another and along the way Alice discovers that she has special gifts to help in their quest.
Overall, this was an interesting twisted take on the Alice story but I would not recommend it for the squeamish! I know there is a sequel to this one called The Red Queen which continues Alice and Hatcher's quest to find some of Hatcher's past and I'll probably be reading it as some point.
The story is full of violence and perversion. The Walrus is probably the worst of the bunch...he captures young girls so he can rape and eat them! The story meanders along with Alice and Hatcher getting involved in one violent encounter after another and along the way Alice discovers that she has special gifts to help in their quest.
Overall, this was an interesting twisted take on the Alice story but I would not recommend it for the squeamish! I know there is a sequel to this one called The Red Queen which continues Alice and Hatcher's quest to find some of Hatcher's past and I'll probably be reading it as some point.
Probably the worst digital review copy I've received/reviewed in over a hundred (looked like a bad photocopied hard copy and text could not be resized on an e-reader).
After struggling for a bit, I am tapping out on page 38.
Trigger warning/spoiler alert:
If you have issues with sexual assault, this is probably not the book for you. 2 mentions (a memory & another attempt) within 30ish pages is a bit much and more than I can currently handle, so this is not for me.
*Digital review copy provided by the First to Read program & the Publisher.
After struggling for a bit, I am tapping out on page 38.
Trigger warning/spoiler alert:
If you have issues with sexual assault, this is probably not the book for you. 2 mentions (a memory & another attempt) within 30ish pages is a bit much and more than I can currently handle, so this is not for me.
*Digital review copy provided by the First to Read program & the Publisher.
Alice in Wonderland was my favorite book as a child.
Ten years later, Alice escapes from the madhouse where her family has left her, because of what they believe are her hallucinations. She leaves in the company of an axe-murderer/seer. And the Jabberwock.
At first, terrified of everything, Alice eventually finds her own inner-strength and the ability to face her past, deal with and defeat the Jabberwock.
Excellent, if at times unsettling, story.
Ten years later, Alice escapes from the madhouse where her family has left her, because of what they believe are her hallucinations. She leaves in the company of an axe-murderer/seer. And the Jabberwock.
At first, terrified of everything, Alice eventually finds her own inner-strength and the ability to face her past, deal with and defeat the Jabberwock.
Excellent, if at times unsettling, story.
I got this book for Christmas and have been wanting to read it forever. I love Alice in Wonderland retellings and this was a very good (if very dark) one. Although it is more of an extension of the Alice in Wonderland story than an actual retelling.
Alice has been locked in an asylum for years. Right before being institutionalized she was found raving about a Rabbit and something very bad happened to her...something involving tea-parties and a man with long ears and blue green eyes. Her only companion in the asylum is an ax-murderer named Hatcher whom she talks to through a tiny hole in her cell. When the asylum burns down Alice and Hatcher escape but they aren't the only thing to escape...a deep dark violence escapes with them...a violence known only as the Jabberwock.
Alice and Hatcher are determined to stop the Jabberwock before it wreaks too much violence on the streets of Old City. Alice is also determined to find the Rabbit and find the pieces of her memory she is missing.
This is an interesting retelling of Alice. The book is set in a very dank and dark old London type of setting. There are a lot of gangs and much violence going on. This is definitely a book for adults the violence and gore is pretty explicit and there is quite a bit of sexual violence and discussion of rape.
I loved how the different elements of the Alice in Wonderland tale are woven into this story. All the main characters from the story play questionably noble (Cheshire Cat) or very sinister roles (the Walrus, the Caterpillar, and the Rabbit). The book is more magical realism blended with horror than straight-up fantasy. At least in the beginning of the story you can't quite tell if these characters are just dark and greedy gangster types or if they have some dark magic at their disposal.
I absolutely loved both the characters of Hatcher and Alice. Hatcher is the Mad Hatter character and (as portrayed in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland) he is both noble and insane. He was a fascinating character and I really enjoyed his unpredictability and his respect and faithfulness to Alice. Alice was also intriguing; she undoubtedly questions her own sanity at times but she grows a lot in confidence as the story progresses. Both characters have the unshakable ability to do what needs to be done to protect otheres...no matter how awful or vicious that deed has to be.
The story is well written and stops at a good place. I am incredibly eager to continue reading the adventures of Hatcher and Alice.
Overall a very dark and incredibly well done extention of the Alice in Wonderland story. I enjoyed the characters a lot and loved the dark and dank world. The gore and violence does get pretty intense and there were quite a few scenes that had me cringing (so not for the weak at heart). I would recommend to Alice in Wonderland fans who enjoy horror. If you enjoy this book I would also recommend A.G. Howard's Splintered series (which isn't quite as dark but is delightfully creative) and of course the Alice in Wonderland movie by Tim Burton (which is absolutely stunning).
Alice has been locked in an asylum for years. Right before being institutionalized she was found raving about a Rabbit and something very bad happened to her...something involving tea-parties and a man with long ears and blue green eyes. Her only companion in the asylum is an ax-murderer named Hatcher whom she talks to through a tiny hole in her cell. When the asylum burns down Alice and Hatcher escape but they aren't the only thing to escape...a deep dark violence escapes with them...a violence known only as the Jabberwock.
Alice and Hatcher are determined to stop the Jabberwock before it wreaks too much violence on the streets of Old City. Alice is also determined to find the Rabbit and find the pieces of her memory she is missing.
This is an interesting retelling of Alice. The book is set in a very dank and dark old London type of setting. There are a lot of gangs and much violence going on. This is definitely a book for adults the violence and gore is pretty explicit and there is quite a bit of sexual violence and discussion of rape.
I loved how the different elements of the Alice in Wonderland tale are woven into this story. All the main characters from the story play questionably noble (Cheshire Cat) or very sinister roles (the Walrus, the Caterpillar, and the Rabbit). The book is more magical realism blended with horror than straight-up fantasy. At least in the beginning of the story you can't quite tell if these characters are just dark and greedy gangster types or if they have some dark magic at their disposal.
I absolutely loved both the characters of Hatcher and Alice. Hatcher is the Mad Hatter character and (as portrayed in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland) he is both noble and insane. He was a fascinating character and I really enjoyed his unpredictability and his respect and faithfulness to Alice. Alice was also intriguing; she undoubtedly questions her own sanity at times but she grows a lot in confidence as the story progresses. Both characters have the unshakable ability to do what needs to be done to protect otheres...no matter how awful or vicious that deed has to be.
The story is well written and stops at a good place. I am incredibly eager to continue reading the adventures of Hatcher and Alice.
Overall a very dark and incredibly well done extention of the Alice in Wonderland story. I enjoyed the characters a lot and loved the dark and dank world. The gore and violence does get pretty intense and there were quite a few scenes that had me cringing (so not for the weak at heart). I would recommend to Alice in Wonderland fans who enjoy horror. If you enjoy this book I would also recommend A.G. Howard's Splintered series (which isn't quite as dark but is delightfully creative) and of course the Alice in Wonderland movie by Tim Burton (which is absolutely stunning).
Love the author, disliked this book. I was bored.
