What if those fantastic stories children read were actually true? In The Looking Glass Wars, Frank Beddor extends the world created in Lewis Carroll?s classic fantasy, Alice?s Adventures in Wonderland, with the idea that such a place exists.

Alyss Heart?s world is one of the magic of imagination and hope. As a princess she is destined to some day rule Wonderland as queen. Alyss? world shatters when her Aunt Redd forcibly seizes the throne and murders her mother and father.

In order to protect the young princess, Hatter Madigan, the late queen?s bodyguard takes Alyss to our world. They become separated during the journey leaving Alyss to fend for herself in a strange environment.

At first, Alyss tries to convince someone to believe her story. Such an opportunity comes when she meets Reverend Charles Dodgson who promises to write her tales under the penname Lewis Carroll. The resulting book crushes Alyss; the Reverend she thought believed her had taken her story and twisted it into a ridiculous tale.

As the years pass, Alyss gradually pushes her memories of Wonderland away, half-convincing herself that it never existed, in order to keep her sanity.

Meanwhile in Wonderland, Redd controls the country with an iron fist. Poverty defines the once prosperous cities, and Redd maintains her power through screens reminiscent of George Orwell?s 1984. Despite this, a group of rebels band together calling themselves Alyssians in honor of the princess they believe to be dead.

When one of these Alyssians, a childhood friend, finds a way to bring Alyss back to Wonderland, she is thrust into a difficult situation. The people she had tried to forget expect her to save a way of life she had long forgotten. Now Alyss must lead the rebellion to overthrow the reign of Redd.

In the new novel published this year, Beddor takes the upside-down world of Carroll?s classic and turns it into a believable world full of danger and adventure. He puts an original spin on well-known characters such as the grinning Cheshire cat, who appears in the story as a deadly assassin.

Despite the seemingly ridiculous premise of the book, the storyline keeps the reader?s interest. The three-dimensional characters have realistic emotions that keep the story going in slow passages. Overall, the novel exceeded expectations of a mediocre fantasy to provide a unique and enjoyable read.

Beddor is currently working on a second book in the series, Seeing Redd.