A review by thebeccafowell
Wonderland: An Anthology by Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane

3.0

Thank you to Titan Books for gifting me with a copy of this book.
This is a collection of short stories inspired by Alice in Wonderland and below is all the short stories, their authors and my thoughts on each one:

Alice in Armor by Jane Yolen
I'm not usually a poetry reader so I don't really know how to review this one

Wonders Never Cease by Robert Shearman
This one didn't really make much sense and kept going back and forth. It also came across like Alice was taken advantage of by the man she worked with, but again with all the back and forth it wasn't clear.

There Were No Birds to Fly by M.R. Carey
I liked this one, it had quite a thriller/horror vibe to it and I was intrigued, I would have been happy if this one had been a longer story

The White Queen's Pawn by Genevieve Cogman
I loved this one, Lady Hargreaves was sneaky and I loved it and Lucy was gullible and it cost her.

Dream Girl by Cavan Scott
This was a really interesting Sci-fi take on Wonderland and I did not see the ending coming at all. I would love a full novel based on this.

Good Dog, Alice! by Juliet Marillier
I loved how Dorothea and her dog Alice acidentally stumbled across a door in a hidden passage and found themselves in a Wonderland-type place. It took a bit of a darker turn but the ending was perectly done

The Hunting of the Jabberwock by Jonathan Green
I loved this one. There was adventure, a new found friendship and a devious scheme uncovered. Again this is another one that I would definitiely read if it was a full novel

About Time by George Mann
This was a lovely story of growing up and re-discovering a forgotten childhood, and then introducing a younger sibling to a whole new world

Smoke 'em if You Got 'em by Angela Slatter
This one was such a 'girl power' story of a woman (Alice) on a mission to help a town escape the clutches of a corrupt authority, along with meeting a new aquaintance along the way.

Vanished Summer Glory by Rio Youers
This was actually a pretty bittersweet story of two siblings separated, but then reunited with the help of Mr. Rabbit

Black Kitty by Catriona Ward
This one was very loosely based on Wonderland, and I think that's partly why I didn't enjoy it so much, as for me it didn't really fit in this anthology

The Night Parade by Laura Mauro
I really enjoyed this one, this is a very different take on Wonderland, inspired by Japanese folklore but still very much a story in a Wonderland style world

What Makes a Monster by L.L. McKinney
'Guardians' born in Wonderland and 'Dreamwalkers' born in our world work together to fight Nightmares; creatures manifested from humanity's fears. This one reminded me of a mix between Alice In Wonderland and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and yes I want a whole series based on this concept.

The White Queen's Dictum by James Lovegrove
This was another one that didn't really feel like it fit in this anthology. It was more of, and I say this lightly, a ghost story with a pretty obvious 'twist'

Temp Work by Lilith Saintcrow
This one was quite interesting, it was a mix between Alice In Wonderland and a dystopian novel. I was pretty invested in this one and really liked Alise's character

Eat Me, Drink Me by Alison Littlewood
This one I think may be the one I associate most with the original story of Alice In Wonderland, I liked Alice's adventure in this one, even if it definitely darker than the Disney animation

How I Comes to be the Treacle Queen by Cat Rambo
A story of freedom, girl power and teamwork. I loved how Alice helped the women stuck as slaves in the Treacle mine to escape and be free again

Six Impossible Things by Mark Chadbourn
This reminded me of a cross between Alice In Wonderland and A Christmas Carol and I really enjoyed it

Revolution in Wonder by Jane Yolen
As with the first poem in this anthology, as I'm not usually a poetry reader, I wouldn't know how to review this one