T.C. Robson - reviewed on 3/7/2008 + 147 more book reviews

The first in an unexpected spin-off series to the legendary Alice in Wonderland tales, The Looking Glass Wars offers an insider's look into what really happened that wasn't recorded in Lewis Carroll (a.k.a. Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)'s children books. Part one of the intense adventure tells of how Heart Palace fell to the evil rule of Princess Alyss Heart's aunt, Redd. Part two commences where the attention-grabbing prologue leaves off, in which Alyss becomes miffed for Reverend Dodgson's conversion of her life story into a light-hearted anecdote, changing the names and identities of several of her Palace friends into lovable, huggable characters and even misspelling her name. And the action only speeds up from there...

Beddor provides interesting insight into Carroll's previous accounts, making the characters more real and vulnerable. Though Alice in Wonderland fans will surely love this thrilling piece of literature, it probably isn't suited for youngsters - realism is implanted into the vicious wars and battles 'The Cut' and 'Alyssians' face, conjuring a vivid image of blood-spattered combat, both in the favor of White Imagination (the power followers of the Queen of Hearts use) and against.

I was particularly thrilled to start this book a few days back, only having the chance to read a few of the short chapters a night. The suspense built up deeply within me as the tale led Alyss, her protectors, and attempted captors from the expanse of the Chessboard Desert (multi-colored patches of sand included) to the beast-infested grounds of the Volcanic Plains. Beddor shows the expanse of his imagination in this tale, and I am sure will do the same in its recently released follow-up, Seeing Redd, which is what I'll be diving into next.

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