The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Bedder
01/04/2007 . Source: Laura Kayne 
pub: Penguin Young Readers/Dial Books. 358 page enlarged paperback. Price: $16.99 (US). ISBN: 0-8037-3153-1. Buy The Looking Glass Wars in the USA - or Buy The Looking Glass Wars in the UK  check out website: www.penguin.com and www.lookingglasswars.com
Everyone knows the fantastic story of 'Alice In Wonderland', but imagine if it were true. What if Princess Alyss Heart had watched her Aunt Redd murder her parents before escaping into Victorian England where she would eventually meet Lewis Carroll? And what if he had gotten it all wrong? This is Alyss' real story.
On her seventh birthday, Alyss' Aunt Redd breaks into the Crystal Palace, killing her mother and taking the throne, denouncing good White Imagination for Black. With the help of the Queen's personal bodyguard, Hatter Madigan - whose Top Hat transforms in a series of deadly circular blades, Alyss escapes through the Looking Glass and the Pool of Tears to eventually end up in Victorian London.
There, her story is ridiculed and she slowly loses faith in her power of imagination. She is adopted by the Liddell family and, in one last chance of being believed, trusts her story to Lewis Carroll. But he creates a flight of fancy and even gets her name wrong. In time, she even begins to doubt the story herself.
Meanwhile, a rebellion is growing, hiding out in the woods of Wonderland while followers of White Imagination are sent to the Crystal Mines in order to produce statutes of the new Queen. They are led by Bibwit Harte, who bears a strong resemblance to a large, white rabbit; General Doppelganger, who has the useful talent of being able to split himself into two and Dodge Justice, son of the former Head Guardsman of the Crystal Palace and childhood friend of Princess Alyss. Along with loyal Chessmen, they battle Queen Redd's army of technologically advanced Cards, The Cut, the robotic Glass Eyes and the most deadly of assassins, The Cat.
Hatter Madigan, having accidentally exited the Pool of Tears through the wrong puddle, finds himself in nineteenth-century Paris, where he begins a thirteen year hunt across the globe for Alyss, visiting hat-shop after hat-shop. When he comes across Lewis Carroll's book, he knows he finally has some hope of returning the rightful heir to the Wonderland throne.
Although Alyss is located, the solution is not that simple. She no longer believes in Wonderland or in herself and what good is that against the Redd Queen and her powerful Black Imagination? Alyss must find it within herself to become Princess Alyss once more and lead the fight against the Redd army.
'The Looking Glass Wars' is an entertaining idea, playing with Lewis Carroll's classic text in both major and subtle ways, sure to delight fans of the original. The original tale itself being a statement on imagination and childhood, story-telling and fantasy, it is fun to think of the well-loved make-believe land actually existing. The intermixing of Wonderland and the 'real world' inclusion of the Liddell family, Lewis Carroll and other biographical details surrounding the writing of 'Alice In Wonderland' is clever. It adds to the depth of this story about what is real and what is imaginary, the power of imagination and the necessity of growing up. All themes of the original here covered in a slightly different way.
'The Looking Glass Wars' is also a fantasy adventure, complete with heroes, villains, battles and obstacles. It is a fun and enjoyable read both for young readers and older fans of the original book. It is rich in detail and characters, easy to read and with a reasonably satisfying ending.
Laura Kayne |
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