Review of "ArchEnemy"

"ArchEnemy": Looking Glass Wars Series #3
Frank Beddor

4

Pub. Date: October 15, 2009
Pages: 384

Synopsis: The Heart Crystal’s power has been depleted, and Imagination along with it. The people of Wonderland have all lost their creative drive, and most alarmingly, even Queen Alyss is without her powers. There is some comfort in the fact that the vicious Redd Heart seems to be similarly disabled. Amazingly, she is attempting to team up with her enemy, Alyss, in order to reclaim Wonderland from King Arch. Alyss might have no choice but to accept Redd’s overtures, especially when she begins to receive alarming advice from the caterpillar oracles.

Page-turning and complex, this culmination of the Wonderland saga is intensely satisfying.

I am so glad I finally got a chance to read "ArchEnemy" because I was DYING to learn how "The Looking Glass Wars" Series ended. This book seriously kept me guessing, I had a feeling of whom the good and bad guys were, but Frank Beddor kept me on my toes. There were so many twists and turns in this book. I was shocked at the first chapter and was dying to know how Alyss got herself in such a hopeless situation. I kept rewinding the audio book I was listening to in the car to make sure I understood correctly because I just couldn't believe how the book was starting off. It was pretty fantastic.

I was a bit worried I might be let down by this final book in the series, but I wasn't. The book moved fast and characters were constantly surprising me. It was interesting to see Dodgson again and I liked how the book kind of came full circle in that way. I liked seeing the change in Hatter as he tries to take on the role as father; it was kind of amusing at times. Alyss is a strong character from beginning to end and yet her actions were still able to surprise me down to the last page.

To me this book had everything I was looking for in the final book. We spend more with the caterpillars, which was fun, even though they were confusing at times. Part of the ending was a huge surprise while other parts I saw coming. It ended in a satisfying way without over explaining anything. It leaves some room for a spin off series, but I don't know of one in the works. This is probably just wishful thinking on my part. There is of course the "Hatter M" graphic novels spin off, but for some reason that doesn't appeal to me very much. Beddor has created a world that could be delved into deeper and has endless possibilities. I really hope we get another chance to experience his vision of Wonderland. If not, I may just have to pick up the "Hatter M" graphic novels.

Review of "The Looking Glass Wars"

"The Looking Glass Wars"
by Frank Beddor

5


Pub Date: September 26th 2006
Pages: 384

Synopsis:
THE MYTH
Alice Liddel was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carrol 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's 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.

My friend at work was bugging me for months to read this book and I am so glad it finally made its way to the top of my to read pile. I loved Beddor's twist on "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass", he was able to take a classic world and make it his own, while still keeping the magic of the original texts intact. Beddor was able to recreate the fanciful Wonderland setting upholding it as a realm where the impossible is possible. His characters were vivid with huge personalities, all of them were unique and really helped bring the book to life. I was going to name my favorite characters; however, I would have ended up listing pretty much all of them. I really love how Beddor used white and dark imagination in the book, it was so cool to read about the battles and seeing how each side harmed their enemies. That sounds kind of cryptic, but Beddor was just so inventive in the fighting scenes.

Alyss's quest to find her place in the world, whether it is Earth or Wonderland, and her identity struggles are concepts readers will relate to. Even Alyss's family issues on Earth and in Wonderland will reverberate with audiences. Redd is a tyrant who rules Wonderland as a fascist state telling people what they will believe and how they should act. Her unethical treatment of citizens and Wonderland's ecosystem reflect some of the major conflicts that our own world has gone through in the last century. Beddor is able to add a lot of substance to the book without slowing down the story or taking away from the fantastical world that is Wonderland.

This book would not have worked if the writer did not have a wonderful imagination and was not intimately familiar with both of Lewis Carroll's Alice books. I am so glad that Beddor took the risk of writing this series because he created pure magic. I have already started the second book and am really enjoying it so far. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of "Alice in Wonderland", as well as to people who enjoy fantasy and adventure.