Frank BeddorReseñas

What an utter disappointment. The concept of a dark Wonderland is, of course, exhilarating, and the idea of fictional characters learning to grow up by association with the real world - particularly if they're children or teenagers - has a long and storied history in fiction.

Unfortunately, Frank Beddor is not really interested in these concepts, at least not from a literary perspective, and his writing style indicates a limited understanding of basic structural tenets of creative writing. As with most youth-oriented books that I read, I try to view it from the perspective of my cousins in that age group. This book, however, would barely satisfy them, written as it is in such a startlingly underplayed prose.

Beddor's main issues are threefold. First, his dialogue is woefully stilted, with all characters sounding like they walked out of the same Edwardian era children's book. Similar to my issues with the (overall more successful) [b:Taran Wanderer|24782|Taran Wanderer (The Chronicles of Prydain, #4)|Lloyd Alexander|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316635412s/24782.jpg|2628] series, characters speak in the same manner regardless of whether they are holding court or running from a maniacal killer. It severely limits audience engagement with the text, completely cutting side-swiping any attempts at paciness or narrative energy.

Second, the text has a bizarre approach to which parts of the narrative are crucial. While there are some beautiful ideas here (for instance, the Mad Hatter's decade spent searching for his mistress, where he becomes a kind of mythical figure in the lives of 19th century Europeans), many of the key character moments are rushed through (notably, young Alyss' relationship with Lewis Carroll) while we spend a tiring amount of time with the oppressed people back in Wonderland. I don't like to review works by saying what they should have done (honest, I don't!), but "The Looking Glass Wars" smacks of a missed opportunity to tell a cohesive story instead of a set of images.

Because, ultimately, that is the issue here. My third issue with the book encompasses all the problems (and occasional solid moments) mentioned above. Beddor wants to write a comic book or a graphic novel. There's a great concept here for a truly gorgeous visual world, one unifying Victorian decor with gothic fantasy. The story beats are adequate, if not extraordinary, but they would have made far more sense in a visual format. Instead, this feels as if a comic writer is trying to become a novelist by literally transferring the skills of one medium into another - and that almost never works.

I'm going to have to read a few of the rave reviews of this series in an attempt to understand what people see in this - perhaps they, too, have an overactive imagination and are able to overlay this empty husk of a story with some perceived depth from their own mind. I don't have any problem with readers doing that; we all have! (It's how many academics make a living, after all.) But it's always a shame when a book with an intriguing concept leaves me with such a sour taste.

I picked this up when I picked up The Looking Glass Wars that is to say, during New York Comic-Con 2009 when the author spun me a grand tale that had me enchanted. I count myself extremely lucky as this seems very hard to find now!

I'm a fan of those '-ology' books honestly, I like books like that with little hidden messages and interactive things to read and handle. Its a great way to get kids interested. This book doesn't disappoint me at all in that respect. There is nine different little letters and flip open cards to read as well as the beautifully illustrated playing cards to 'Wage the War' in Wonderland.

The book itself is written like a diary-scrapbook, meant to be a companion to the series as Alyss jots down what she remembers about Wonderland and doesn't want to forget ever. There are dozens of illustrations throughout the book--some are clearly meant to be 'hand drawn' by Alyss while others are pictures she clipped from places--photos offer a little insight into the time period when she lived in this world.

This isn't a book that someone who hasn't read at least the first book should be trolling through, it offers clarification and details about the events, but is not a stand-in for the real thing. Like a real journal the way Alyss describes things are from her viewpoint and perceptions (and this a young girl) so they are colored by her feelings entirely.

The book is beautiful, simply put. Whether its for a little girl who loves Alyss or someone like me who's beyond her 20's but still feels enchantment, its a wonderful companion piece.

The second book in Beddor's Looking Glass Wars trilogy picks up fairly closely to the end of the first book. 3 lunar cycles (I'm guessing this means months) later and Queen Alyss is doing her best to reassure the people that White Imagination is once again dominate.

There is a little bit of a mislead throughout the book as well, in who's actually the source of evil and motives. King Arch, briefly mentioned and shown in the first book, is a central character this time around (with all his sexist views) and Jack of Diamonds, unfortunately, makes a return appearance. His parents aren't the brightest ever. Redd is more cunning then in the first book, using subterfuge as a way to win out. I admired her, despite her evilness, because she didn't just whine about what she lost (like Jack) or spout impossible ideas (like Arch), but had a solid plan which would have worked.

Hatter Madigan, this poor guy, is put through the ringer. He did take his leave, as he said he would at the end of Book 1, and didn't plan on coming back. We learn more about the civilian he loved, Weaver and what secrets she carried. Which all relates back to Molly (I'm sure you can guess how) and has a surprising turn of events. Doesn't last long however. Molly is also put through the ringer--unsure of herself, prideful of her abilities but shamed by her birth, young and basically self-trained, Arch takes advantage of that weakness.

In the end I enjoyed this book moreso then the first. I enjoyed learning more about the other lands surrounding Wonderland (even if Borderland is...what it is) and despite the ending leaving itself very open to a sequel, I can't be too upset over that. The conflicts of THIS book were resolved and the ending opened the door to a new conflict.

I have never been interested in Lewis Carroll's books, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I saw the Disney movie, as I'm sure most kids in my peer group had, but the movie didn't make me want to read the books. When I grew older and went looking for books to read I picked up both books, gave them a look through and decided they weren't for me. The story just was too outlandish for me (which is saying something considering my reading tastes). I was fascinated by the Disney Channel show (Adventures in Wonderland), but that show was so very different from other shows of the time (Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum as hip hop artists for instance) that it was hard not to be interested I think.

Upon meeting the author at this past New York Comic Con however, I have revised my opinion slightly and read both books (to compare). Still not interested in the original novels, but it gave me a better appreciation of The Looking Glass Wars!

Princess Alyss Heart suffers quite a bit--though not so much physically, but more mentally and emotionally. Its understandable that she would want to fit in, after being so cruelly mocked for years and her one vindication--the book--just making matters worse, I don't blame her. Equally though I was relieved to see her not play the priss for too long once things settle back to normalcy. It would have been heartily annoying to have her go from such a lively, spirited young girl to a spoiled, bratty whiner.

Beddor certainly did his best to alter each familiar character with just the right twist so as to make you wonder how you ever saw them otherwise. Hatter Madigan for instance--or rather the Mad Hatter or Bibwit Harte--the White Rabbit or even Redd. Oh Redd. I really enjoyed her theatrics--so vicious, so petty, so imperfect, I loved her despite being the 'evil' of the book. I rather less enjoyed the Cat, her half-feline/half-human assassin (the Cheschire Cat). The Cheschire Cat was the only character of the original novel I liked even a little bit. The Caterpillar definitely stayed the same--right down to his nonsensical, stuffy and obnoxious ways.

The story moves at a quick pace, alternating event viewpoints from Alyss' adventures, to Hatter Madigan's search for her, to Redd's tyrannical rule and some time is spent on Dodge Anders (Alyss' childhood friend) and Jack of Diamonds (a worm of a boy who plays both sides) so we get a very well rounded view of things. We never see Redd alone, but then such a paranoid personage as herself wouldn't trust to be alone (who knows what her subordinates are scheming if she isn't there to watch?).

The end sets up for the next book, obviously as this is a trilogy, but is satisfactory in tying up the loose ends that could be tied up and giving us a glimpse of things to come.

This is a good story and retelling of Alice in Wonderland. To be fair I love the world building and I love the characters however there is so much detailing into describing characters and things that it gets boring, he could've shorten some of the description just a bit which is why I gave it a 3 star.

Wenn man Alice im Wunderland nicht gelesen hat, kann man dieses Buch glaube ich nicht gut finden.

A retelling of sorts, of Leis Carroll’s books about Wonderland, only here the stories are based on fact, but Alice is angry at Carroll for making them into silly near-fairy tales when she, in fact, escaped to this world when Red revolted, killed Alice’s mother (the White Queen of Hearts), and took the throne. Hatter searches this world for Alice for 13 years, finds her, and takes her back to fight for her throne.
I really wanted to love this one because I adore the originals and generally love the idea of creative retellings, but this one fell a little flat for me and I don’t think I’ll go on with the series.

Rewrite of Carroll's Adventures in Wonderland. Exciting tale, sometimes over the top, but none the less fun to read. Not sure if I have enough interest in this Wonderland's future to read the next book in the series.

2.5/5½

Another Synch YA 2010 summer free download. Another audiobook to keep me company on my 15+ hour (each way) drive to/from FL. Finished this today. I switched to reading the text version since I can only really stand audiobooks while driving long distances. Purists may hate this but I really like revisioning of old, familiar tales. While the writing was a bit simplistic at times, I got sucked into the story and really appreciated the imagination behind Beddor's Wonderland.

Something about the art is really turning me off of this series.

I was drawn to this book’s cover, and the premise seemed interesting. Unfortunately, it ended up being a rehash of different tropes and, ultimately, a disappointment.

Full review: https://rebeccasreadingcorner.blog/review-frank-beddor-the-looking-glass-wars/

This is NOT Alice in Wonderland, it is the first novel in The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy and a debut work for this Author.

Also, I have to say that this was a lot more interesting to read than the original Alice and, in some way this book could even be said to be nudging into the Steampunk genre. Without giving away any spoilers, I'm going to say if you are looking for the drug crazed explanation people like to put behind Carroll's book, don't read this book. If you're looking for an enjoyably good read, and are prepared to have an open mind, settle in for the night.

The intent of this book is both intriguing and audacious, with a hint of healthy disrespect thrown in for good measure. The Author does away with clichéd characterisations in his writing, and makes all the players in this Trilogy exactly who they seem. There are no grey areas, good and bad, or hidden agendas that the reader has to get their minds round but even so, some of the characters in the novel may seem striking familiar giving a feeling in the back of the mind that they have been encountered somewhere before. This lack of development of characters, and even the lack of a devious plot twist, made this book a little hard to digest, and I kept thinking that it would pick up and have me beginning to actually care about Alyss as the pages turned. This was not to be, I found her to be spoilt and imperious; disrespectful and a downright bore at times.

Location descriptions were a little better for me, as it brought into the book an aspect that was lacking in its one-dimensional characters. I was made to think of ‘Whoville’ and ‘Oz’ (as it appears in the recent release of this take), and I could actually see the colours and places in my mind. This brought me to thinking that maybe a more suitable medium for this book would have been a graphic novel, were the artwork plays a more integral part in the story telling, and there isn’t as much expectation from the writing side of the house. Another reasoning behind my thinking this would fare better as a graphic novel is that it was the image on the dust jacket of the book, and the artistic representations of the suits in a deck of cards that first attracted me to the Trilogy; I was hoping the writing contained in its pages would do justice to the graphics unfortunately it was not to be.

When reworking a classic, I feel it must always be done with some measure of guile and finesse, neither of which I found to be in evidence here. All that the Author seems to have produced in this novel is a sloppily plotted mish-mash of ideas, which failed to convince me in any way. I will read the remainder of the Trilogy, however, to see if the writing style does improve and that this book was just a case of first work nerves coming through on the page.

I would recommend this to teens, as this is the demographic it appears to be aimed at, but also to anyone wanting a quick read that they don’t have to put too much thought into.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/09/05/review-the-looking-glass-wars-the-looking-...




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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've listened to this and the first one, The Looking Glass Wars and it is such a delight to hear the narrator and all the different voices. He is brilliant! (And the writing is fantastic1)Funny, exciting, romantic, it has it all.

I actually listened to all three and it is a YA retelling of Alice through the Looking Glass. The reader, Gerald McDowell (I think) was brilliant.

My mum bought this for me :) Beautiful, really fun to read and I loved the letters and lift the flap elements.

Awful artwork meant the story was just unreadable. And the cover had promised so much *sigh*

Awful artwork meant the story was just unreadable. And the cover had promised so much *sigh*

Um...could have been worse. Truthfully I wasn't looking forward to reading this book at all but I have a young boy who is a good reader who wanted to read it to finish off the series. So...not as bad as Seeing Redd. I think this book is about the same as the first one.

Good book. I think the first one was better, it was more like a 3.5 star book and this was is more like a 2.5 star book :) Characters not compelling, The idea is good the writing is fairly cookie cutter...
Few really dark and dodgy situations if you have a young YA reader. I read it before my boys so I had them skip a section or two like when the guys has all the skeletons eat the humans. That would have upset my boys even the older ones.

Decent...Beddor not the best writer and if you aren't a good writer you should never try and do any sort of romance because that is what usually messes up your book. Romance (no matter how small or what age the characters are) requires skill and the tiny bit of "romance" was by far the low/dumbest point in this book. The rest of the book was pretty good. It really deserves about 3.5 stars :)

I felt this book was mean-spirited. It wasn't even fun. And it was ruining all the magic of Alice in Wonderland for me. Positively awful.

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It's pretty, and has some nifty illustrations, but I don't think I would have found it remotely interesting if I hadn't read [b:The Looking Glass Wars|44170|The Looking Glass Wars (Looking Glass Wars, #1)|Frank Beddor|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170252564s/44170.jpg|918951].