Wonderland finally seems as if it’s getting back to normal. Queen Alyss is back on the throne, and reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Dodge. But the fight for Wonderland is far from over. King Arch, in nearby Boarderland, is conniving to overthrow everything for which Alyss and her friends have fought so hard. Even worse, King Arch has found an ally in the recently returned Redd, who has been biding her time and gathering new and evil assassins in the Catacombs of Paris. With enemies circling and danger looming, someone close to Alyss lets her down—and threatens the future of Wonderland forever.
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor is yet another look into Alyss' fantasic thrill-ride Wonderland. Ever since I've read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, I keep on wanting to go back into her amazing world where nothing makes sense. Beddor makes that possible with his Looking Glass Wars trilogy, of which Seeing Redd is the second. He takes on the risk of offending millions of Lewis Carroll fans by writing this series, but as far as I'm concerned Beddor's Looking Glass Wars trilogy is a great addition to Alice-in-Wonderland inspired fiction. Seeing Redd was never dull, except in very rare moments when King Arch got a little winded in his semi-long monologues. There are some sequels that I've read that are not as imaginative as the first, but Seeing Redd defies that stereotype and takes us on a journey through the written word. The plot just keeps getting better and better, such as a look into Hatter Madigan's family life, Alyss and Dodge's continued relationship, and Redd's devious mind at ceaseless work. If the second book is any indication, Archenemy, the third and last of the trilogy, is going to be the best yet.
