Gears of Wonderland by Jason Anderson

"Whether you believe in something or not doesn't change the facts.  Once upon a time,  I would believe up to six impossible things before breakfast.   It didn't mean that they were true, just because I believed them." ~ White Queen

 

Gears of Wonderland is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  It takes place well after Alice has left Wonderland, with a new "outsider" named James.  What could be his purpose in Wonderland? 

James had just gotten into a silly fight with his fiancé and turns to his buddy Melvin for a place to crash.  Once there Melvin is brutally murdered and James runs for his life when he comes head to head with a man dressed in a strange Victorian style.  Suddenly James is falling down a hole, and awakens to what appears to be Victorian London, but different somehow.  He begins meeting various interesting characters such as the Mad Hatter's daughter: Kara. She aides him on a journey to meet Caterpillar to discover who he truly is, and what is his purpose in Wonderland.  There is a new King of Hearts who has been attacking the other kingdoms, seeking to rule all of Wonderland.  James, Kara, Torre and the rest of the resistance must find a way to stop Lahire's reign of terror and restore Wonderland to it's peaceful nature.  James plays a major role in Wonderland, but what that role is no one knows, will he be able to discover who he is and how he can help Wonderland when he is an Outsider?

The Alice in Wonderland stories have always been a favorite story of mine, so whenever I find adaptations on the classic tale, I tend to gobble them up.  Gears of Wonderland is no different.  I couldn't wait to begin this story, and now that I finished it, I hope, wish there will be more to the tale.  Jason Anderson takes Wonderland and makes it something new and unique; he makes it his own world.  I enjoyed that he kept many of the same characters, but turned them into his own.  I enjoyed Caterpillar and Torre (Red Rook) a great deal as well as the idea that wonderland was split into 6 different kingdoms and each member having a mark to distinguish which kingdom they belonged to and their rank.  I would have liked a little more to James' background with Wonderland and his purpose there.  I do hope there is more to the story, or at least another novel within this world.

I have read several books that were difficult to read because they were choppy and ragged, but not with Gears of Wonderland. Jason's writing was smooth and easy to read. The story was well paced and information was released at good times.  Anderson built the suspense and desire to know things.  I found myself eager to know what will happen next, how will Wonderland be affected by the characters' actions.  I found the idea of having Wonderland alter based on the "Outsider" and interesting idea, and would have liked to see that utilized more in the setting descriptions.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good story.  If you love Wonderland this book needs to be a part of the collection.  I would give this novel a 4.5 out 5 rating.  Jason did a great job creating his own story out of one known so well.  If you enjoy adaptations of this classic tale also check out Splintered and Alice In The Country Heart.  Both are great adaptions of the tale and create something new.

Alice in The Country Heart

Title: Alice in The Country of Hearts by QuinRose, Soumei

Media: Paperback: 3 volumes

 

Rating 4 out of 5

 

Recommendation:  I would recommend this manga to anyone who enjoys not only manga, but those who enjoy Alice in Wonderland.  Those who like a good storyline and a different look at a classic tale.

 

We all know the story of Alice's adventures in wonderland, this manga series is a different take on that tale.  In this rendition, Alice is dragged into Wonderland by the White Rabbit, who turns into a handsome man once the enter the rabbit hole.  Alice enters a world where men fawn all over her, and eventually fall in love with her.  Wonderland is split into different kingdoms; all of which are at war with each other.  Blood Dupre (Mad Hatter) basically runs the mafia and owns a third of the kingdom.  another third is controlled by Vivaldi (the red queen), and the last third is controlled by Mary Gowland's amusement park.  Right in the middle is a neutral zone which houses a watchtower where Julius; the clockmaker resides.   The characters are divided into two categories: those with duties and those without.  Those with duties have names and faces.  While the latter does not and when they perish, they turn into clocks.  This rendition of the classic tale has several darker undertones along with the high spirited fun of White Rabbit trying to pursue Alice.
 

 I have always loved Alice in Wonderland and all the renditions of the tale.  Alice In the Country of Hearts has become one of my favorite renditions.  It took the tale and made it into something new.  The only elements that are the same is Alice going down a rabbit hole and the characters.  After that, it becomes a whole new story.  Not much is revealed in the first volume, but after reading the whole series everything falls together.  The characters are more violent than the traditional characters, I mean Mad Hatter is a mafia boss.  Throughout the series we see the classic characters as well as some new ones like Nightmare, Ace, and the Julius the clockmaker.  Each character becomes their own personality and readers become to loving every one of them.

One interesting element is that Peter White (White Rabbit) speaks in rhymes through the series.  I wonder if it gives him a more Wonderland feel even though none of the other characters have a quirk like that.  The Tweedles consistently refer to Alice as "Lady,"  it seems a little odd and  I would assume they would refer to her as something other than "lady."  I believe it reflects the Japanese word of "one san,"  but it does not come across as intended if that is the case. 

The series is based off of a dating simulation game which is an interesting concept in itself.  Some say the series is confusing if you don't already know the background from the game, but I didn't find that to be the case.  I highly enjoyed this series and cannot wait to continue with Alice in the Country of Clover.  Lets see where this story takes us!