The Looking Glass Wars

So, Belle and I were at Borders one night. It was a rare, almost freak like date that we had. (She just asked me where the "freak" came from and I said it was because it was our second date in two years, yes, that's including our anniversary) When we first got together [courting, dating, interested in each other (you get the picture)] that was our Hot Date. We'd get a cheap dinner and then go to Target or someplace and then end up at the book store for an overpriced cookie and some Stuart's Orange and Cream.

I love books. I have always been envious of those libraries that you see in shows with thousands of leather bound volumes stacked to towering heights.

It was on that night when we were at Borders that this caught my attention

I guess you can see why.

Now of course, I was naturally suspicious. The whole "Fantasy Just Declared War on Reality" line will do that to you. So, I picked it up and read the back cover (it was the paper back edition) and my curiosity was further piqued, so I read the prologue, and then thumbed to about the middle and read a few pages and then thumbed toward the back and read a few more pages, and having done that, I decided that I wanted to read it. I checked the price: eight somethin'. No biggie. BUT, I have made a commitment that I will never buy another book without first knowing that it is not a waste of money. The last book I bought on a lark burned me. Did the whole skim through previewing and missed some junk. I don't even remember what it was much less what it was about. That's where those kind of books belong: forgotten.

So I did some digging and found it at one of the local libraries (we have three libraries within 12 miles) and of course I made a special trip and picked it up.

I was surprised. Not only did I like it, but it is actually really good.

It is written for about the 13 and up range. It's simple, without being juvenile, and engaging enough for me. Maybe I'm telling on myself too much. Hmm. It is in fact better written than many adult target books that I have recently read.

I know, I know, you're all demanding; "BUT, WHAT IS IT ABOUT?!"

It is about Alyss Heart. What really happened and how her true story came to be twisted and turned into a nonsensical thing called, Alice in Wonderland, by none other than Carrol Lewis (Yes, it's supposed to be like that).

I was expecting it to have witchcraft and magic, what with the word "Fantasy" printed on the front cover, but it didn't. Oh, what a relief. Imagination is the tool of preferred use and that only works in Wonderland, mostly. Oh, did I forget to mention that it takes place in both Wonderland and "our" world. It does. And I found it to be in keeping with Mr. Doug Phillips essay on fantastic writing. Black is black. White is white. And the author, Frank Beddor, makes some very good observations and statements. And from what I can remember of Alice in Wonderland (it's probably been fourteen years since I read it) it's better than the original. Just like the old saying: "The imitation of the original is better than the original, but the original is better than the imitation of the imitation." Of course, it is probably not that hard to write something better than an opiate trip induced hallucination.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the sequel (it's a trilogy), Seeing Redd. And it ended like a stand alone. I hate books that end right in the middle of major action and say: "Buy the next one to find out what happens, and we're going to make you buy another to really find out what happens."

So if it sounds interesting, read it, and we can Book Club it.