The Looking Glass Wars

This book gives quite a different twist from the original telling of Alice in Wonderland. Beddor takes the original story line and makes it more of a World War period piece, coinciding events of Wonderland with events of the 1800's England.
In the Looking Glass Wars, Wonderland is a real place, only separated from the Earth as we know it by imagination. If you love the original stories of Lewis Carroll, then this will surely surprise and entertain you. Or, even if you're unfamiliar with the tale, the constant action and interesting plot twists will keep you interested.

I wanted to like this book. My sister first recommended it to me, and as an avid Alice fan, the concept intrigued me. Also the author is going to be at DCC this year, which prompted me to pull it off the shelf where it has sat for some time. I really really wanted it to be good.

And some of it was. I like Beddor's explanation for Alice on Earth and the exploration of her character that occurs there. I like the theme of exercising your imagination, and what happens to an imagination that is not used. I like Hatter (who would be played by Benedict Cumberbatch in any sort of film adaptation).

But that's about it. The rest of the book was pretty forgettable. Admittedly, it started at a disadvantage because I'm pretty over the world redoing Alice in Wonderland. I've started to feel it's detrimental to the original story and the original message. Modern Alices are all about the wacky parts a book and not at all about the reason Carroll put those wacky parts in. This isn't just a fairy tale; it's a political and social statement. The modern world could use a new Alice, but no one is taking the reigns. They're just making more eye candy with pale girls and rabbits.

Though Beddor's work predates the Burton (who seems to have taken a lot from Beddor) and recent tv imaginings, it still falls ploy to a lot of the modernization traps. First and foremost, the introduction of technology to Wonderland. For me, and technology Carroll couldn't have imagined breaks the story. Steampunk card soldiers and bombs and rose rollers... they don't fit. Propaganda doesn't fit. Loud speakers spewing aphorisms don't fit. Hell, war really doesn't belong in Wonderland. That is way too organized for the universe.

On the same lines, Beddor's sense of humor is so opposed to the humor of the original book. Every joke felt so terribly modern that it threw me right out of the work. There was actually a gag about kicking a robot in the groin. It had to be painstakingly explained that the robot was confused by the tactic because it's not actually sensitive there. You'd think it also wouldn't be confused because it's a ROBOT. The humor is forced and unnatural and killed the story for me.

The characters feel like they are from some made for tv movie adaptation of Alice. Alyss' parents are perfect martyrs, her love interest is rogueish and troubled, the scholar is wise and convenient, and the antagonists are cookie cutters. Also, who names one daughter Redd and the other Genevieve? Is Redd short for something or where Alyss' grandparents just asking for it? Redd's character is one of my biggest problems. The Queen of Hearts (who is a different character from the Red Queen of Through the Looking Glass, but whatever) is a satirical symbol of the ridiculous abuse of political power. Redd is a Disney movie villainess seeking vengeance for imagined slights. It's just... not okay.

There are moments of fun, and I really did enjoy the chapters where Alyss had to turn into Alice, but the rest of the book just deflated. Rather than rejuvenate Wonderland, this book patronizes it. Carroll's wit and whimsy are nonexistent as are his messages. Beddor would have been better off creating his own Steampunk world if he had so little intention of honoring the original piece. Then his own strength would shine through, rather than holding up a looking glass at a superior piece.

This is the most negative review I've every posted to Goodreads. I have to go read something else in a hurry now.

Verdict: Not the classic Wonderland, but not the best re-imagining of it, either.

Rationale: I didn't enjoy the writing as much as the concept of this book. It gets a bit annoying when the author has a tendency to connect phrases with a comma, instead of using a proper conjunction.

By far, the most intriguing character is Hatter Madigan of the Millinery. I'd read more about him, as I found him more interesting and believable than Alyss, herself. SpoilerBeddor makes some pointed remarks in the beginning of the book about Alyss's Black Imagination tendencies, but these observations don't yield anything (unless this evolves later in the series). I actually question how Alyss became so pure of heart – perhaps due to her upbringing in the Reverend's family? - when she shows some signs of rebellion in her youth.

Final Thoughts: Beddor drops a few interesting hints as to where the story might go; I wish I had enjoyed his style of writing more, but at the moment I am not sure I will continue to the end of the series.