Customer Reviews
Although imaginative, vivid, and swiftly readable, it ultimately compares in comparison to the source material. Not recommended 
2008-08-22
Alyss Heart is the princess of Wonderland, destined someday to be its queen. But on her seventh birthday, her exiled aunt Redd slaughters her family and takes the throne as her own. Alyss flees Wonderland and ends up in our world, where she must struggle through mundane life until she has the strength and means to return and claim her throne. The Looking Glass Wars is written as the "true story" of Alyss/Alice and Wonderland--some of the aspects are familiar from Carroll's books, but characters are reimagined and the story is completely new. The novel is vivid and engaging, swiftly readable, and imaginative. However, Redd is a comically exaggerated antagonist, and this book pales against Carroll's original Wonderland novels. It's a swift and harmless book, but I don't particularly recommend it.
Beddor's novel is based on the premise that Alyss (called Alice by her adopted family) told Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) the story of her life in Wonderland--and then Carroll wrote a book about it and got it all wrong. The Looking Glass Wars, therefore, is the true account of Wonderland and Alyss's life. The white rabbit becomes Alyss's albino tutor Bibwit Harte, the Mad Hatter is actually bodyguard Hatter Madigan, and so other aspects from Carroll's books appear, reimagined and reformed. The plot of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is entirely replaced by the story of Redd's reign of terror and Alyss's journey to take back the throne. This premise is intriguing, and Beddor fills it with interesting inventions, steampunk-esque world building, and battles--many battles and a fair amount of violence, which aim to make Alyss's journey both difficult and important. With all of the action and new ideas, the book is intriguing, vivid, and swiftly paced.
Unfortunately, Beddor's inventions aren't as wonderful as they first seem. Queen Redd brings ruin to Wonderland, but she is merely evil for the sake of being evil: she is so brash, so loud, so over the top that she becomes a comically exaggerated antagonist. Her comic nature overwhelms the threat and danger that she poses and strips all subtlety from the book. Even worse, Beddor's Wonderland simply pales in comparison to Carroll's original books (ironic, considering how disrespectful he is to his source material). There are some quirky inventions, some vivid characters, and an interesting plot, but Beddor simply lacks the wonder and true absurdity that Carroll writes so well. The Looking Glass Wars is a weak homage at best, and it's not particularly meaningful or memorable. The reader would do far better simply to read Carroll's books.
I love Alice in Wonderland--the original books, retellings, and works inspired by it as well. I did not, however, love The Looking Glass Wars. It's an interesting concept with many promising aspects, and the book reads swiftly. But Beddor writes only a weak mimicry of the absurdity, word play, transformation, and above all the sense of true wonder that makes Alice in Wonderland such a delight. Nor is his new interpretation particularly meaningful (his new Wonderland isn't particularly memorable, and the books themes lack subtlety), and his only brave act is to decry Carroll's source material as foolishly weak and incorrect. There's no harm in checking this book out if you're interested, and it's a good book to borrow from the library. However, I wasn't impressed and I don't recommend it. I wish I'd just reread Carroll's original books instead.
Imagination isn't just for kids anymore 
2008-08-21
I saw this book on a walmart shelf, and I immediately thought it looked good. But I don't usually buy books, let alone books of a trilogy, without previously reading them.
However, this one looked so promising that a few weeks later I got it at Borders. I just couldn't resist.
I am very glad that I did it.
This is the story of Princess Alyss Heart, a Wonderlandier whose tale is supposedly the true story of Alice from Alice in Wonderland. The bad guy (or should I say bad girl) is her aunt, Redd, who is much more threatening and believable than that chubby queen of hearts in the cartoon.
Alyss is destined for the throne after her mother, but her aunt decides that it's high time SHE got to run the Kingdom. Alyss gets sent to our world through the Pool of Tears, and pops up in London. Unfortunately, she's been seperated from her loyal bodyguard, Hatter Madigan.
Seven year old Alyss trys to find her way through life in an alien world all by herself, while back in Wonderland her aunt has taken control over the Queendom after murdering Alyss' parents. It's up to Hatter Madigan to search the world over until he finds Alyss once again and is able to bring her back to Wonderland before the Alyssians (the small group still loyal to Alyss) are completely exterminated.
Although this book is actually advertised as for children, I didn't find anything "childish" about it. I think it can be enjoyed by adults, teens, and tweens without any trouble. It has well thought out characters and objects to make up the enjoyable world of Wonderland; I especially like how the looking glasses in Wonderland are all connected and are a way of transportation. That was cool and very clever.
I have to agree with the one other amazon reviewer about a part in this book, though. This is the scene early on in the book where Alyss dances with her childhood sweetheart, Dodge. Dodge talks about how "sweet" she smells and feels. Come on; this is an 11 year old boy talking about a 7 year old girl. That was the only part that became completely unbelievable. I think the whole dancing part could have easily been believable if only the author had left out that stuff about the way she smelled so sweetly and the way she felt in Dodge's arms.
But that is only one small scene in a 300+ page book. It is quickly forgotten, and then one moves on to discover all the amazing characters, abilities, weapons, and locations that fill this book to capacity. Overall I definitely rate it 5 stars. I can't wait to read the next book in the series: "Seeing Redd".
This book is definitely worth your time, whether you are a fan of "Alice in Wonderland" or not.
What an amazing book! 2008-08-19
Wow wow wow! When I first picked this up I was a little uneasy about a retake on Alice in Wonderland, but that changed after the first page. This is a completely new, high-powered, thrilling, action-packed retelling of the classic story.
The book begins in the middle (sort of), there is this small bit in which the cat assassin reveils himself and starts killing people. The story actually starts when Alyss and her friend Dodge run away from her birthday party (to see the wonderland sites) when she returns however her crazy, murderous aunt Redd gets in the castle and kills Alyss's mother (she killed Alyss's father earlier) Alyss and her bodyguard Hatter Madigan (the Mad Hatter) escape from wonderland into 1800's england. Hatter is separated from her and Alyss gets adopted. Thirteen years later she is about to get married when Dodge (now a vengeful warrior) brings her back to wonderland where Alyss and the survivor's (the Alyssians) must overthrow the evil Redd.
As I said before it has alot of action and I garantee that you wont be dissapointed.
Not for kids 
2008-07-27
I personally loved it, but this is NOT a childrens book. My husband bought it for our son (10) for Christmas (without looking at it very closely). Our son only made it through a few pages, and it's not 'cause the book was too advanced (he's read all the Harry Potters).
I picked it up last week and really enjoyed the "Alice" twist, but understood why my son didn't like it. It's contains fairly graphic scenes of violence, that are NOT for ages 9-12. It's clear to me that who ever listed that age range did not read the book (and also doesn't have kids). I'd recommend it for highschoolers, at the youngest. Ok, maybe junior high, but certainly not elementary school.
My 2 cents.
The Looking Glass Wars 2008-07-27
Title: The Looking Glass Wars
Author: Frank Beddor
Summary:
The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss' parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.
Rating: 3.75/5
Good:
I have seen the Alice in Wonderland movie, but have not read any of the books or anything else, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. However, I thought this book was actually pretty decent. I liked the plot and the action, and there were even some humorous bits. I was also extremely satisfied with the ending. Somehow, Frank Beddor managed to end this book with some closure, but he left enough thoughts open to make me curious and want to read the sequel. To which I say, well done.
Bad:
There were some parts that seemed to go too fast for me. The action at the end sort of snuck up a bit on me, coming a bit too quickly. But other than that, the reason I give it a 3.75 rating is simply because it didn't keep me on the edge of the seat like I would hope a book full of action like this would. Also, it's not what I typically read, so I found it to be a little strange. But honestly, it wasn't too terrible, and I'll definitely read the sequel, Seeing Redd.
Mary Sue and Gary Stu stuffed in a comic book fantasy 
2008-06-25
The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss’ parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.
It's not Alice anymore... 2008-06-17
The Looking Glass War is a modern look at the Alice in Wonderland tale. However, rather than following The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Beddor turns the classic tale on its ear. Our main character is Alyss and is the daughter of the King and Queen of Heart (note: Wonderland is a Queendom where the Queen is the power of the land, in this case, Hearts is the most powerful of the Suites because they established the Queendom). Other characters who transfer from Alice in Wonderland are Hatter Madigan (the Mad Hatter), Redd (the Queen of Hearts in the original work), Card Guards (similar, but different), and the Cat (the Cheshire Cat). Alyss is a young princess who's forced to leave Wonderland and enter our world. While here her tale is made into the classic stories we know (Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass). All thru the story though, Alyss wonders is her original thoughts on Wonderland were correct.
My Likes
This is an interesting adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Mr. Beddor has done an excellent take off on the original story and twisted things very nicely. Character descriptions are nicely done with a lot of creativity. What amazed me the most was how easily Mr. Beddor transitioned from Wonderland to our world and back. He shows this very nicely when Hatter Madigan transitions between Wonderland and our world several times to save Alyss. I also found Mr. Beddor's portrayal of the Cheshire Cat very interesting...
My Dislikes
Mr. Beddor brought technology in a little quick. The initial projection we get of Wonderland is about the 1850's and aligns fairly well with our world. With Alyss coming to our world, Red runs amok with technology and we see many different items that grow far outside of what Victorian England would have been able to support (actually, some of it would be difficult for our era). While nice for young readers, adults may find this distracting. Another dislike was getting use to some characters supporting good that I didn't expect (Hatter Madigan is one) and others I expected to support good being with evil (the Cheshire Cat was there). I admit that some of prejudice with this is driven by the original book and by the computer game American McGee's Alice.
My Rating
For most youths I believe this book would be a 4 star book (8-12 years old +/- in age). The action is fast for them and should keep them entertained. I also believe that most youths will enjoy the technology that Mr. Beddor presents (it's interesting to say the least). For adults (or teens) I see this as a 3 star book. I was entertained, but the story is to choppy and contrived. There's also some major time jumps where we turn the page and several years have passed without a good explanation for the reader. I really wanted to rate this one higher (I do have a fascination with Alyss, but for a re-do on Alice I prefer Amercian McGee's look at Alice), but for me it's just not strong enough to be worth 4 stars.
Alice in Wonderland meets the Sci-Fi Channel 2008-06-16
A smattering of creative ideas and concepts punctuate an otherwise clumsy storyline and confusing plot in this inversion of Lewis Carroll's childish dreamscape. The landscape of the Wonderland dimension is interesting (though perhaps a little hard to believe that our world is the derivative and Wonderland the original), and the basic plot is simple enough, but be prepared for a much more violent adventure than even "Harry Potter", that begins with children witnessing a bloody coup and the brutal beheading and murder of their own parents. This might be a good pick for older kids who love comic books.
Not for all fans of the original books... 2008-06-03
If you're looking for a book that was written in the spirit of Lewis Carroll's original Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass books, this book is not for you. If you can read it as though you have never heard of the original Wonderland, as if it is an entirely different story, you may enjoy it.
I did enjoy the book, but other than the obvious name similarities among the old and new characters, there is very little of the original Wonderland here. But that's okay--the book stands alone as its own unique story.
Not a Novel, But A Film Treatment 2008-06-02
I really wanted to enjoy this book. I figured that the concept of Wonderland-as-reality is strong, and that surely Carroll's material would be a sturdy foundation for a trilogy of wonders.
Unfortunately, this book is more like the storyboard for a movie than a novel. Everything is described rather than experienced; events are driven by things that appear, rather than motivations.
For example, the various kinds of Evil Minions (Seekers, Glass Eyes, The Cut) have no point-of-view or reason to exist, except to attack our heros, who fight back and/or run away. Now this WORKS in a movie; visually you would understand the difference between a Seeker and a Glass Eye without any tedious explaining, but in a BOOK the author has to give us more than asserting that one critter flies and the other walks. There is no situation in the book in which one monster couldn't simply substitute for the other.
Likewise, the multiple chase scenes are tediously unmotivated. At one point, Dodge flees through the Crystal Continuum, chased by some Evil Minions (Glass Eyes? Card Soldiers? who cares?; nothing they do makes their identify matter.) It is a boring chase; all we really know is that he is being chased; we can't get emotionally involved and ultimately don't care that he escapes by a rather clever maneuver. Now in a movie, the visuals and music of the chase would supply plenty of emotion, but in the book, the author has to do more than was done here.
Another difficulty is that the Hero doesn't really do anything to deserve her ultimate victory, except to be born with super-powers and to follow directions. In the rather cloying ending, our Hero Alyss discovers a Valuable Lesson: that she can do anything if she has the imagination to do so. Or something. Visually, this might work in a made-for-children movie, but a book needs something of more substance, such as a sacrifice by the Hero to show she really does want and deserve her victory.
Perhaps the basic problem of the work is exposed by a running joke of no actual narrative consequence that would justify the space given it. The Evil Queen keeps forcing the hapless scholar to edit his book to suit her wishes, as he wrings his hands and reluctantly obeys. If only this book had had such an editor, it might have fulfilled its promise!
I really wanted to enjoy this book, and I hope it is made into the movie it carefully outlines, but for reading purposes, there are many novels of light fantasy better worth your time.
