Seeing Redd (Looking Glass Wars Series #2) » (Reprint)

Frank Beddor is a film producer, screenwriter, ski champ, online gamer, and novelist. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Alyss of Wonderland's rules has only just begun and already those who prefer chaos to peace are threatening to destroy everything worth imagining. Trailed by newly appointed Royal Bodyguard Homburg Molly, Alyss is doing her best to keep pace with the non-stop demands of being Queen while attempting to evade Molly for a few private moments with Dodge. Alyss's life is already a challenging mix of duty, love and imagining when a series of phantom sightings set fire to an urban myth of her imperial viciousness's return and have everyone...Seeing Redd.

NARRATOR BIO:

Gerard Doyle is an award-winning narrator of audiobooks. He was born of Irish parents and raised and educated in England. His career in repertory theatre includes The Crucible, The Tempest and Fiddler on the Roof. He has toured internationally with the English Shakespeare Company and appeared on Broadway. He lives with his wife and two children in Sag Harbor, New York.

VOYA

In this follow-up to The Looking Glass Wars (Dial, 2006/VOYA October 2006), Alyss Heart reigns over Wonderland after seizing the throne back from her traitorous Aunt Redd, who has escaped to Earth to regroup. Alyss struggles with her feelings for Dodge, her childhood friend who seems to believe himself too lowly for the Queen, while Hatter Madigan, the elite fighting Milliner, learns something astonishing about his past. Meanwhile seemingly random attacks in outlying areas of Wonderland signify that Redd might still pose a threat. As with the first book, this sequel is all style and little substance. The villains are a joke: Redd insists that her minions call her "Your Viciousness," and the King of the misogynistic Boarderland carves his dictates, such as "Boarderland men do not cry when watching sentimental crystal-vision programs with their wives," into his kingdom's cliff-faces. Even if this parody can be considered successful, other elements are difficult to take seriously, such as when Alyss interprets her personal bodyguard's prolonged absence as sulking instead of realizing that something is wrong. There is no hint of a resolution, making the book entirely incapable of standing on its own, but libraries should be prepared to stock it because its marketing and production values will likely yield a significant demand. As a side note, an Alyss Heart picture book for younger readers is slated for fall 2007 publication, thus expanding this flashy but thin series even further.