Seeing Redd

infobox Book |
name = Seeing Redd
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Frank Beddor
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Fantasy novel
publisher = Dial Press
release_date = 2007
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback) Audio book
pages = 384 pp (hardcover edition), 400 pp (paperback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0-803-73155-8
preceded_by = The Looking Glass Wars
followed_by =

"Seeing Redd" is a novel written by Frank Beddor inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass".

"Seeing Redd" is the second book in the "Looking Glass Wars" trilogy. It is a property which is currently seeing further development in a variety of entertainment-related fields, such as a spin-off comic book limited series ("Hatter M"). "Seeing Redd" was released in the United States on August 21, 2007.

Plot introduction

The plot centers on Alyss's new responsibilities as Queen, and the fear in the Wonderlander's that Redd has returned. Attacks were made on the queendom by Glass Eyes and it is assumed that Redd has returned, when it is actually King Arch trying to gain control of Wonderland. When Molly is kidnapped, Hatter must disobey his queen and rescue her.

Characters

*Alyss Heart: Queen of Hearts and Ruler of Wonderland. Most powerful follower of White Imagination, a form of positive magic. Main protagonist and Redd's niece. Tries to balance her love life, war, Redd's return, and ruling her kingdom. Alyss is enamored with Dodge Anders.

*Dodge Anders: Captain of the Palace Guards, whose father was killed by The Cat 13 years ago. Dodge has wanted revenge ever since. He is passionately enamored with Alyss, though he thinks this forbidden to him. Tries to control his vengeful side, meeting some success.

*Hatter Madigan: Milliner and faithful bodyguard to the queen. Has left duty to find out what happened to Weaver, his sweetheart. Father to Homburg Molly. When she is kidnapped, Hatter disobeys Queen Alyss and goes to Boarderland to find her, despite the Queen's orders against this. In the process, he finds Weaver, who he had presumed dead. His main weapons include wrist blades and a top hat which can be flattened into a series of "S"-shaped, razor-sharp blades held together in the center. The hat is used in a boomerang fashion, and when thrown, it slices through the air in an arc and back to its owner.
*Homburg Molly: Daughter of Hatter Madigan, as revealed in the twelfth chapter, and bodyguard to Alyss. Molly's weapon, like her father's, is a hat; in her case, a homburg hat that flattens to become a shield having razor-blade edges. When she feels rejected, she tries to expose a plot by the Lady of Diamonds, but is kidnapped. The device that the Lady of Diamonds gives her destroys Crystal Continuum. Molly later met her mother in Boarderland, where she was taken as bait to trap Hatter.

*Weaver: Lover of Hatter Madigan and mother to Molly. Was a scientist for the Millinery, the organization to which Hatter belonged. Gives birth to Molly while being chased by Redd. Is "rescued" by King Arch and taken to Borderland. In Chapter 44, she dies saving Molly, much to Hatter and Molly's grief.

*Bibwit Harte: Royal tutor. Adviser to Alyss. Bibwit is an albino and possesses superhuman senses of hearing, as indicated by his long ears. His name is an anagram of 'White Rabbit'. His last name, Harte, also sounds like the royal family's last name, Heart. This is somewhat ironic(and possibly punny) because he is the royal tutor.

*King Arch: Main antagonist and king of Borderland, which is a domain of nomadic tribes and absolute laws. A rather one-dimensional character; of his behaviors, the one most emphasized in dialogue and narration is his persistent misogyny. Uses Glass Eyes and Molly's kidnapping as means of conquering Wonderland, later to blame the former on Redd and the latter on a group of rebels. Conspires with the Diamond family but then betrays them. Creator of WILMA, an acronym for 'Weapon of Inconceivable Loss and Massive Annihilation".

*Redd: Absorbed into the Heart Crystal in the first book, Redd re-emerges from a painting in the second book. She is met by a tutor similar to Bibwit Harte, named Vollrath, who helps her find Black Imagination practitioners throughout the world to join her and become part of her army. Settles in London, where she gathers her army. To obtain her full strength, she returns to Wonderland to pass through the Looking Glass Maze. After completing the maze, she annexes all of Boarderland's tribes and adds them as part of her army. It is stated early on that her original name was Rose.

*The Diamond Family: Conspire with Arch to take over Wonderland but are betrayed by him. Jack of Diamonds rejoins Redd once she returns from Earth, and helps her conquer Boarderland. After this, Redd sees Jack as worthless and allows Arch to kill him with a deadly pink-capped mushroom.

*General Doppelgänger: Leader of the Wonderland Military. Can split into Generals Doppel and Gänger, which act independently, divide these into more officers at need, or reunite into one. He is based loosely on Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

External links

* [http://www.lookingglasswars.com Official Website]