The Looking Glass Wars

August 14, 2006
Alice was real—although her name was spelled Alyss, one of the many details Lewis Carroll got wrong in the story told to him by the young queen of Wonderland, according to Beddor's imaginative opener to a planned trilogy. Seven-year-old Alyss Heart is heir to the throne of Wonderland, just beginning her training under her albino tutor Bibwit Harte (an anagram for "white rabbit," one of many such puns) when her evil aunt Redd, long ago banished to the Chessboard Desert, leads a violent coup that kills King Nolan, Alyss's father. Alyss narrowly escapes (via a looking glass, naturally) with the help of bodyguard Hatter Madigan, and ends up in a London orphanage. Here she meets Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a "gentle, shrinking-violet type of fellow," who will turn her story into a children's book; years later, Hatter finds the book during his quest to find the lost princess, and seeks out Carroll. While the girl (now Alice Liddell) prepares to marry Prince Leopold, life in Wonderland grows ever harsher under the reign of Redd, and the "Alyssinians" await the return of their young queen-to-be. Beddor makes ample use of Carroll-esque humor and wit, so much so that the thought of an entire trilogy is somewhat daunting; fortunately, the ending to this first entry allows readers to treat it as a standalone. Fans of the source material will find this an entertaining diversion, while those unfamiliar with it will miss much of the humor. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)
Agent: Barbara Marshall Ltd.

November 13, 2006
Narrator Doyle brings to life this fanciful re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
. The premise has young Alyss Hart, heiress to the Wonderland throne, chased from the "queendom" in a bloody coup mounted by her despotic Aunt Redd. Alyss escapes through a magical pool to Victorian London. There, no one will listen to her story except for Charles Dodgson (aka Carroll) who publishes his own take. A theater-trained actor, Doyle artfully animates a large and diverse cast of fantasy and real-life characters. He's especially menacing as the murderous Aunt Redd, each high-pitched syllable dripping with malice. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Doyle quietly captures the resignation in Alyss's tender voice as she grows older in exile. For the duty-driven royal bodyguard Hatter Madigan, he colors his delivery with a determined stoicism as he seeks his missing charge. Doyle also navigates the social echelons of 19th-century England—from street urchins to palace guards to princes. In some exchanges, the vocal residue of one character bleeds into the voice of another. But that is a minor quibble. Doyle juggles an eclectic and other-worldly ensemble, never letting anything hit the ground. Ages 9-up.

Frank Beddor's imaginative tale is definitely not your grandmother's ALICE. Herein, Wonderland is an alternate universe, the source of all creativity in our world. On Princess Alyss Heart's seventh birthday, her Aunt Redd seizes power in a bloody takeover. Alyss escapes to Victorian England. Outstanding as always, Gerard Doyle mirrors Alyss's fury at the Reverend Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) when he turns her life into a silly children's story. Doyle also delivers her desperate confusion as she begins to doubt her memories of Wonderland. Beddor's neat twists on the original clever weaponry, innovative solutions, a host of entertaining (if groan-producing) puns, and Doyle's use of onomatopoeia through the numerous battle sequences guarantee that listeners of all ages will enjoy this first in what promises to be a wild and wondrous trilogy. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine