The Looking Glass Wars

The Looking Glass Wars – Frank Beddor

Evan’s ESS = 9 out of 10

Erin’s ESS = out of 10

Content = PG-13 (Violence, Adult Concepts, Dark Imagination, Ninja Cats )

“I think I speak for all of us when I say, ‘Huh?’”

“All due respect your majesty,” said general Gangor, “but that’s crazy talk.”

Why: Okay, let’s get a few things straight.  First, it’s Alyss and NOT Alice – thank you very much.  Second, Hatter Madigan is NOT some nutter who likes to throw nonsensical tea parties.  Third, Wonderland is NOT some bizarre dream world invented by Charles Dodgson and written under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll....

 Enter, The Looking Glass Wars. 

Eleven year old Alyss Heart’s world is thrown into chaos when her Aunt Redd attacks the peaceful city of Wonderland and establishes herself as Queen.  After witnessing her mother’s demise, Princess Alyss is forced to flee through a wormhole type portal called The Pool of Tears.  Friendless and scared, she is transported to earth to begin a new life.  Not surprisingly, no one believes the true tale of her past or the details of her homeland.  Worse, she encounters the real life Lewis Carroll, who takes her story and patches it into a woefully inaccurate, yet highly successful line of fantasy books.  The future appears rather bleak for young Alyss, yet for Wonderland to be restored to glory, she must embrace her destiny.   

In a word: really impressive.  The Looking Glass Wars is one of the most imaginative works of fantasy we’ve encountered in a while.  The novel was fast paced and truly unique in its conception.  We loved how the novel even addressed the motivation behind Lewis Carroll’s original work.  And while many of the characters remained consistent, they all received a makeover in awesomeness.   The Mad Hatter is now Hatter Madigan: Imperial Bodyguard.  The Cheshire Cat is now The Cat: Ninja Assassin.  The Red Queen and The Queen of Hearts are merged into one super villain named Redd Heart: Black Imagination Extraordinaire. 

The Looking Glass Wars also introduces many fascinating concepts, but most interesting was the idea of the imagination.  The reader is introduced to White and Black imagination, and the power of imagination warfare.  Yep, it’s all that it sounds and more.  Weapons and fighting techniques as vast as your imagination...  Still, speaking from experience, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Editor’s Note:  Okay, so the above 2 quotes are actually from book 2 in the series, but we really, really liked them.  We apologize to anyone who may have been mislead.  Please send written complaints to the below address.  Thank you.