To take Lewis Carroll’s timeless “Alice” books and a selection of their uniquely bizarre and unsettling elements and craft them into something which has the same rich taste but a new author’s seasoning is the move of a bold writer, I think.
Has Martin Baynton carried it off? Well, I would say from my point of view, yes. I mean, this is a very different book to Carroll’s but it’s a really good read with excitement and tension and some very dark moments indeed that have the flavour and essence of the original Alice; however, this book is something quite different, quite modern, a 21st century Alice book with science references and modern vernacular and it’s all the more enjoyable for Baynton’s insertions; I would add, though, continuing the food analogy, that it has a bitterness, a tang which the original “Alice” books may have had traces of but which were not so concentrated and which adds a darkness and less frivolous edge which will please modern readers.
This is the second book in Baynton’s vision of Wonderland and we are following Ali, who is not Alice but her great niece, as she re-enters this other world to find her father and help her mother’s friend, Waxstaff. She is in danger as are her associates in the outside world – Peter, Aunt Martha, Uncle Bertie, Dovecot – as well as those who help her in Wonderland – the Rabbit, the Hatter, the Queen.
This is fast-paced action from start to finish. I’ve not read the first so I will admit that the initial chapters required me to focus and try and thread together who the characters were, their relationships to each other and the back story which had obviously already been established in book one, but it wasn’t hard to work out who to trust and who are the bad guys.
Baynton has imagination in spades and is able to create characters who are smart and likeable and brave, who are resilient in the face of danger and give you a warm feeling as you are invested in them and their success. There are chases, tension, mysteries, riddles and reveals. There are some nice touches too, such as the identities of the boys (no spoilers here), which I rather liked.
I’m looking forward to book three, but first, I think I will make time to visit book one!
Rachel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC.
Scuffed Granny 