The Looking Glass Wars tells the ‘real’ story of Alice in Wonderland in full, dark detail. I’m not usually fond of retellings; I find them a bit gimmicky, particularly when it comes to authors who write nothing else. Alice in Wonderland is perhaps my favourite story in the world, so I read this with a combination of excitement and trepidation. I was very pleased with the end result.

It’s clear that a lot of thought and research went into this book. The author handled Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell’s undeniable existences wonderfully, weaving them into the story in a way that fit but still relied upon the actual history of the two.

The Wonderland in this book is dark. Redd (the Queen of Hearts, natch) is vicious, and “Off with her head!” is not just an empty catch phrase. Hatter Madigan is a fascinating, serious man, and I’m tempted to read the Hatter M. graphic novel just to see into the layers he’s clearly hiding. It’s hard not to feel pained at the relationship between Alyss and Dodge, despite the fact that their childhood together only lasts for a couple of chapters.

All in all, a great read, and I can’t wait for the sequel.