Seeing Redd
The Looking Glass Wars
Writter: Frank Beddor
Website: www.lookingglasswars.com
Publisher: Dial Books
ISBN: 978-8037-3155-4

Reviewed by Shawn Swanson

Frank Beddor brings us back to Wondertropolis with “Seeing Redd”, the second installment of “The Looking Glass Wars” trilogy, and I couldn’t be more pleasantly surprised by a novel then I am right now.

Just in case you have never read “The Looking Glass Wars”, (and if you haven’t you really should), the premise is very interesting: the Lewis Carroll classic “Alice in Wonderland” is wrong. Alice is “Princess Alyss Heart” and she was lost in our world for many years, not the other way around. “The Looking Glass Wars” tells the story of Alyss’s years while on earth and her subsequent rise to Queen of Wondertropolis.

“Seeing Redd” begins only a short time from where “The Looking Glass Wars” left off, and there is a lot going on. Wondertropolis is in the midst of being rebuilt and rejuvenated. Alyss is finding her feet as a queen, and honing her powers of imagination. Homburg Molly has been appointed the Queen’s royal bodyguard. Hatter Madigan has disappeared, all the while Redd seems to have resurfaced with a vengeance. That at least is a nutshell version of where we stand. If you have read the first book of this series then by saying too much I would ruin the tale. I will say this though: if you are a fan of “The Looking Glass Wars”, then “Seeing Redd” will cement your fandom into place. If you have never read “The Looking Glass Wars” and you read “Seeing Redd”, you will become a fan.

“Seeing Redd” personifies imagination, and its complexity never overwhelms the reader. The book has such an easy pace. The characters are interesting and colorful. The story is enthralling and its landscape is detailed and textured. I loved this wondrous world that Frank Beddor has painted for us. It tastes authentic.

“Seeing Redd” departs from the dreamlike Wonderland of the past and creates a picture of a Wonderland that is real, while our lives become the dream. Isn’t that why we read a novel or go to a movie? Isn’t it a joy to be lost in another place - waist deep in a reality that is not our own? This book is exciting and dark and romantic; it’s everything I hope to find when I’m peeling back the first page of a novel. If you long to loose yourself, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of “Seeing Redd”.