Erica Kudisch

I really, really enjoyed this. Collections can be hard to review, but this was great.

We start with the original Alice in Wonderland. Obviously, we all know the story, but it had been years since I last read it and disneys version had slowly replaced it in my imagination. Rediscovering the original was a delight.

What Aliester Found Here is a gender-swapped, urban fantasy version of the Alice tales, combining elements from both Wonderland and Throught the Looking Glass into a unique and wonderful tale. The writing was top notch, the characterisation was excellent, and though it went slowly at times, it was a great read.

House of Cards was a darker, more bizarre retelling. The time jumped around all over the place, fitting the confused nature of the narrative. The secret at the heart was as nasty as any reader could wish, though I thought it was a little cliche and obvious.

Knave was glorious, a retelling set in a modern crime syndicate. Pitch perfect and refreshing amongst more straight-forwardly 'magical' tales.

The World in a Thimble was perhaps my least favourite, which shouldn't be taken to mean 'bad', jsut 'not amazing'. The idea was nice, but I felt like it had been done before, many times, by better writers. Still a nice finish to the collection, though.

A good collection, and worth a shot for people especially into Alice and her story.

4 out of 5.

Provided free through Netgalley.… (mehr)

I really, really enjoyed this. Collections can be hard to review, but this was great.

We start with the original Alice in Wonderland. Obviously, we all know the story, but it had been years since I last read it and disneys version had slowly replaced it in my imagination. Rediscovering the original was a delight.

What Aliester Found Here is a gender-swapped, urban fantasy version of the Alice tales, combining elements from both Wonderland and Throught the Looking Glass into a unique and wonderful tale. The writing was top notch, the characterisation was excellent, and though it went slowly at times, it was a great read.

House of Cards was a darker, more bizarre retelling. The time jumped around all over the place, fitting the confused nature of the narrative. The secret at the heart was as nasty as any reader could wish, though I thought it was a little cliche and obvious.

Knave was glorious, a retelling set in a modern crime syndicate. Pitch perfect and refreshing amongst more straight-forwardly 'magical' tales.

The World in a Thimble was perhaps my least favourite, which shouldn't be taken to mean 'bad', jsut 'not amazing'. The idea was nice, but I felt like it had been done before, many times, by better writers. Still a nice finish to the collection, though.

A good collection, and worth a shot for people especially into Alice and her story.

4 out of 5.

Provided free through Netgalley.… (mehr)

(Re)Visions: Alice is a collection of five stories, including the original Alice in Wonderland. The remaining four stories are retellings, some more easily recognized than others, as a spatiotemporal amalgams of the original. They are all twisted and surprising, but in different ways, and the final judgment will depend on the reader's taste.

What Aelister Found Here by Kaye Chazan is about a boy, who escapes from home, and finds himself as the young protégé‎ of a Duke in London. The world he sees and the world he lives are strangely related, but separate, with what he learns to be Magic. Like the original tale, Aelister's is not one easily understood or made sense of, but the dark, twisted story leaves the reader with goosebumps.

House of Cards by Amanda Ching is ultimately about a servant and the mysterious disappearance of the corpse of the master of the house form its grave. A more realistic take on the magical aspects of the tale, House of Cards is perhaps the most upsetting and sad retelling in the collection. It is about love lost, life wasted in service to undeserving people, and Alice, lost.

Knave by Hilary Thomas is a perfectly crafted noir take on Wonderland, where crime bosses flaunt their powers and their men do the dirty work behind closed doors, and a daring newcomer, Alice, steals the show, and our main man's heart, as she guns her way out of Wonderland.

The World in a Thimble by C.A. Young is as slippery as the original tale, a bit too surreal and confused, and a crazy acid trip from beginning to end. Perhaps the best of the tales to make use of the shrinking, shape-shifting aspects of the original, Thimble is humorous and entertaining, though ultimately existentialist.

The collection is a successful bundle of widely ranging styles and takes on the original Alice in Wonderland, each story adding a distinct flavor to the classic, and taking the multi-layered experience to another level.

I highly recommend (Re)Visions: Alice to anyone who likes the original tale, and enjoys short stories that bend and twist the imagination.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.… (mehr)