Hi everyone! Thought I'd post a little something that didn't have to do with cosplay and see how it went over. I recently had the pleasure of reading
“The Wizard in Wonderland,” written by local Kalispell author Ron
Glick. It's a brand-new adventure for the protagonists of two
timeless classics, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice in
Wonderland. In short, the Wizard disappears and Dorothy sets off to
find him, only to meet Alice. Alice is accidentally summoned back to
Oz in Dorothy's place, and Dorothy is led to Wonderland in further
search of the Wizard. As the two travel deeper in the other's world,
it becomes evident that outside, potentially sinister forces are at
play.
I'll admit, I first approached this
book with caution because I had very limited knowledge of these
worlds. I've watched “The Wizard of Oz” movie a couple times,
and performed a couple songs from “Wicked” in high school
orchestra. As far as “Alice in Wonderland” goes, I've seen the
Disney versions, as well as read a couple manga re-interpretations.
So I was a little nervous coming in that I would be totally lost.
Much to my relief, Glick does an excellent job of providing essential
history and backstory. What was provided was clear and succinct; I
was informed enough to be able to follow the current story and not
slowed down by an overly-lengthy recap.
Next, the characterization of the two
protagonists was excellent in my opinion. I remember Dorothy as
always acting rather shocked when she is surprised or caught
off-guard, whereas I see Alice as always taking things in stride and
going with the flow (which makes sense because she is convinced she
is dreaming half the time.) Glick stays true with these
characterizations, and it made the character interactions interesting
and lively as well. How Dorothy and Alice interacted and reacted in
their new situations felt really natural to me, and did not seem
forced. One character portrayal that I felt confused by was that of
Glinda the Good. I remember her as being a sweet and patient woman,
but in this case she seems more stoic, coming off as defensive and
troubled at times. I'll once again admit I've only seen the musical
adaptation of the “Wizard of Oz,” so I don't know if my image of
Glinda is skewed or not, but I was slightly perturbed by her
personality in this appearance.
The pacing of the plot is another point
I would like to touch on. The viewpoint alternates between Dorothy
and Alice, which keeps it at a refreshing pace yet I don't feel
rushed at any point. While some people find this flipping back and
forth to break up the plot, that was not the case in this instance.
The plot itself moved quickly enough to keep me engaged, but not so
fast that I felt uneasy or frantic. The book ended on a bit of a
cliffhanger, which doesn't bother me personally as long as there is a
followup novel!
Overall, this was a delightful read,
full of the whimsy found in the two classics, but with a fresh twist.
I would encourage anyone to check it out, whether you're a fan of
“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” “Alice in Wonderland,” or have
limited experience with either but still want a good read. Find it
on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVISKUI/?tag=bookshowme-20
Until next time, friends!
-Alycia
