If you don’t know the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland I suggest you read or view it before you go on because Alice’s adventures are about to be flipped all over the place.

What if Alice’s adventures were real? What if Alice really did come from Wonderland and Carroll’s tale was just a farce to stifle a lost girl far from home? That’s the idea Frank Beddor had when he began writing The Looking Glass Wars.

Or, as Beddor puts it, he investigated the truth behind Alyss (renamed Alice when she slips into our world) and Wonderland for years, piecing together the evidence to make the story complete before he put pen to paper for The Looking Glass Wars.

Along with the truly imaginative plot in general the reader isn’t bogged down with too much information at once. We only get fleeting glimpses of complex emotions the characters seem to have. Instead of spending an insane amount of time walking a character through something heavy, Beddor gives you as little as is absolutely necessary to keep the story moving full speed ahead.

The thing that gives this novel its kick is the detail and even that seems to be given on a need to know basis. But the way Beddor has weaved the old Carroll tale into his own world is truly astounding. A great read and considering Tim Burton is filming a new version of the original tale due out next year Beddor and Alyss can hopefully expect a little extra hype.