The Looking Glass Wars

By: Frank Beddor

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

The "true story" behind Alice in Wonderland! Princess Alyss Heart is brutally cast out of Wonderland by her vicious Aunt Redd, who beheads Alyss' mother ("Off with her head!" she cries!) and begins to rule over Wonderland with an iron fist. Alyss escapes from Wonderland and is exiled to another world entirely, Victorian London, where she is adopted into a new family, renamed Alice, and befriended by Lewis Carroll. At age 20, she returns to Wonderland to battle Redd, reclaim the throne, and lead Wonderland into its next golden age of imagination.©2006 Frank Beddor (P)2006 Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

Critic reviews

"Doyle artfully animates a large and diverse cast of fantasy and real-life characters....[He] juggles an eclectic and other-worldly ensemble, never letting anything hit the ground." (Publishers Weekly)
"Doyle's use of onomatopoeia through the numerous battle sequences guarantee that listeners of all ages will enjoy this first in what promises to be a wild and wondrous trilogy." (AudioFile)

wonderful

I absolutely loved it. I have read the book and loved it and I have enjoyed listening to it. I love how the narrator was able to add life to all the characters. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Must Read For Wonderland Fans of ALL Ages!

I was a little reluctant to select this book due to the altered perspective of the original story. Being as it may the story has more of a base of the Alice in Wonderland Tim Burton film but it is written in such a way that you grow to have sympathy for the characters and are completely drawn in! I couldn't wait to hear what happened to dear Wonderland under the tyrannical rule of the Red Queen and if Alice found her way back home. The reading by Mr. Gerald Doyle, is exquisite and has few minimal sound effects to enhance the reading experience. But most amusing was when Mr. Doyle performs the sound effects verbally! It really made the story a true joy. This is an excellent book for all ages (young and old). I highly recommend this and I will definitely proceed to the next in the series.

New Twist on Favorite Story

This is probably the best Alice in Wonderland spin I have ever read. Beats out the movie and the long drawn out sequels in a heart beat. This book isn't for Toddlers, it is definitely for a more mature audience. It adds the reality of what power struggles and war can do to a world, a people, even in a place as whimsical as wonderland. I reccomend to young and old alike, it is a great book.

for younger audiences, I think

I am one of those adults that can happily enjoy a children's story. Loved Harry Potter, enjoyed Eragon, even Septimus Heap was cute.
When I bought this I was thinking it would be like Wicked The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. (not a children's story) Or else like Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories. (a children's story that every adult should read) I was wrong.

This book is odd because the themes are maybe a bit much for a 7 year old, and the read is a bit too silly for anyone older. Also, I wish, I wish, I wish that authors/ editors would be mindful and stop using black/white imagery to mean good and bad. The "heroes" in this story are using white imagination to fight evil black imagination.
No one, writer, editors, publishers said hey, that sounds offensive lets search the depths of our own imaginations and come up with another image?

Gripping! Loved it!

This book was fun and gripping, highly enjoyed it. However, I am currently listening to the second in the series, "Seeing Redd" and it's horrid. LGW was fun, interesting and enthralling, the 2nd so far is dark, dark, dark and the protagonist's story is the least compelling while the villain’s are the most, when it was the protagonist (Alyce) whom one grew to care about in the first. If it were a library book I'd return it. If it were a bookstore book I'd return it. I don't know the return policy at Audible, but I'm looking in to it for #2. So if you like, read #1, it's awesome, and wikipedia the other books to find out what happens without polluting your brain.

Fun listen

Any additional comments?

Intended for younger teens, it is still a fun time for adults...a clever take on Alice in Wonderland.

great book and narrator

love this take on Alice in Wonderland. So much more exciting!! The narrator does a great job and kept my attention.

Intriguing and well performed!

I really enjoyed this narration, as the orator excelled at capturing different voices without sounding cartoonish. He did a great job of keeping his characters straight making it very easy to follow and kept me entertained on my drives! The story was a great reimagining Of the flip side of the “Alice” we grew up with…well done all around!!

Great story telling!

I loved how the author could start with a simple story (Allison in Wonderland) and build a whole new universe and back-story about it. This was well thought out, and the writing well done.

Best so Far

A must for any lover of fantasy or literary inspired fiction.It is very well narrated as well. So far it is my very favorite audible series.