Wonderland

Wonderland

Robert McKay

If the title of this book sounds familiar, it is. Wonderland is the story of Alice and the Looking Glass with a twist. A superbly science-fiction otherworldly twist. In McKay’s take on the classic Alice story, Alice is more than the humble Lewis Carroll version, she is a feisty 13 year old who seeks adventure and the life of a pirate. Her mother isn’t supportive of her daughter’s dream and this begins the adventure of Alice in an intergalactic setting.

Don’t be expecting a talking white rabbit in this story! In this adaptation, the White Rabbit is a pirate ship/creature that speaks, and is, of course, late for a very important date. The Cheshire cat is a cat-man, Tweedle-Dee and his brother Tweedle-Dum are characters that you might expect to meet on South Beach pumping iron and showing off their muscles. So if you are expecting a Disney cartoon type tale, forget it. This retelling brings new life to some characters we thought we knew.

It was nice to read a book where each and every character added to the overall story and plot movement. The characters were memorable and each one we remember from the Carroll novel, Disney film or other version has an integral part to play in Alice’s adventure. Even if you have never read the original or seen the Disney movie, this is a book you will enjoy reading. I even liked the evil Queen! What a solid and lovingly evil character she is!

All in all I enjoyed the plot, the story and characters, I found it intriguing the way he changed the feel and look of the story.