Think you know the story of Alice in Wonderland? Not even close, according to Frank Beddor's new Looking Glass trilogy. First off, Alice is actually Princess Alyss of Wonderland, whose evil Aunt Redd's invasion has forced Alyss, the heir to the throne, to flee. With the aid of her trusted bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, she escapes through the Pool of Tears and finds herself in another world, namely, Victorian London. Of course, no one believes her fantastical stories about her kingdom and Alyss can find no way to get back. She finally thinks she has found a friend in the Reverend Charles Dodgson (pen name, Lewis Carroll) and tells him her whole story, but he completely changes the details till it is an unrecognizable children's fairy tale. Alice feels betrayed and begins to believe it was all a dream.
Meanwhile, Wonderland is falling apart under Redd's rule, with all of Alyss's mothers laws thrown out and evil and chaos invited in. A small faction of loyal "Alyssians" fight where they can and wait for the day when they can avenge the princess and return Wonderland to peace and glory once more.
The plot moves rapidly and keeps you hooked the way a well-paced movie does (not surprising since one of the author's previous day jobs was a movie producer). Like many fantasy movies, the characters are more ">archetypes than fully developed individuals, but their emotions--love, grief, revenge, wonder, lonliness, honor, loyalty--ring true and lend the story a universal feel that all great fantasies need. Seeing Redd is the next book in the series (and you can bet I'll be starting that tonight) and the third book comes out next fall. There is a companion graphic novel called Hatter M that details the bodyguard Hatter Madigan's adventures during the thirteen years he searched the human world for the missing Princess Alyss. There is also an extensive companion website to the trilogy, complete with book soundtrack, videos, artwork, video games, and other fan freebies (making the series trend on with the new "transmedia storytelling"). To check out the marketing madness go to: http://www.lookingglasswars.com/.
Many thanks for your enthusiastic leap into the Pool of Tears assisting Princess Alyss and Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan with their harrowing adventures into pop culture.
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