lately i have developed a sort of fascination with Wonderland. mostly, though, i have been reading and watching not the original Alice In Wonderland books and movies, but other versions of the story.
the one thing that i am enjoying most right now, though, is this series that i recently discovered while browsing in a used-bookstore.
it's by far the most interesting take on the classic Alice In Wonderland story that i have ever read. the storyline, the characters, the artwork... it's all delightful!
the story is about Princess Alyss Heart, heir to the queendom of Wonderland. in the beginning of the book, her jealous aunt, Redd, attacks Heart Palace and kills the queen, forcing seven-year-old Alyss to flee through the Pool Of Tears to England, where she finds Reverend Dodgson (AKA Lewis Carroll) and tells him her story in hopes that a Wonderlander will find it and help her get back home. the reverend turns it into a book, but he gets the story all wrong.
this series is, in a word, fascinating. i love how the author twisted everything around, the characters especially.
The Mad Hatter is turned into Hatter Madigan, head of the Millinery and bodyguard of the Queen. his top hat flattens down into a disk of blades, which he uses to fight, along with wrist blades and other various forms of cutlery.
there is also Bibwit Harte, whose name is an anagram of "White Rabbit". he's the royal tutor to the Heart family, and it is his job to teach the children in the monarchy to harness their imaginations to better the queendom.
the Cheshire Cat is known as just The Cat, a half-man half-feline assassin with nine lives. he works for Redd and his job is to kill Alyss.
the Blue Caterpillar from Alice In Wonderland is the head of a group of caterpillar oracles, who see the future and act as the guardians to the Heart Crystal, which gives all Wonderlanders the power of imagination.
the artwork for this series is simply beautiful. every book in the trilogy includes these full page drawings of Wonderland and the characters, and gah, they're gorgeous.
this is the Everlasting Forest.
Mount Isolation, where Redd Heart lives.
The Cat. those men around him are part of the Millinery.
Queen Alyss above the Pool Of Tears, which is located in the Everlasting Forest.
Boarderland, which is the kingdom right next to Wonderland.
the Mushroom Forest, where the six caterpillar oracles live.
oh gosh. SO PRETTY. i also wanted to include a picture of the AD-52s (Automatic Dealer - it's a gun that shoots razor-sharp cards), but unfortunately i couldn't find one online. but there's a picture of it in the third book and it's amazing.
now, the actual writing of this trilogy does not rival Carroll's in any way, but i will admit that they are a fun read and i thoroughly enjoyed them.
they were a delight! and i do believe that i shall forever be searching for Wonderland myself, now.
Mel, over&out :)
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