Awesomely Authentic Alice

(re)Visions: Alice

stories from:

Kaye Chazan
Amanda Ching
Hilary Thomas
C. A. Young

Featuring Lewis Carroll

* ARC read/received from the publisher Candlemark & Gleam

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
5 out of 5 gnomes

I've never actually read this story before.  I was surprised how much of the Disney movie was just like it was in the story.  Surprisingly I think I like the original story better then the Disneyfied cartoon.  I just seems better put together and more dreamlike then the movie.  Alice is much more determined in the story then I thought she would be.  Her curiousity is both good and bad and she's really not afraid to speak her mind.  A truly classic story that I'm very happy to finally have read.

What Aelister Found Here by Kaye Chazan

5 out of 5 gnomes

Wow, now this is a short story that really packs a punch.  It's the kind of story where I'm really not a hundred percent sure what just happened.  It's definitely re-readable and will have you going back and scouring for all the details you might miss the first time.  I love all of the different twists and turns and how dreamy everything feels.  This is a quite the take on the whole Alice in Wonderland story.


House of Cards by Amanda Ching
5 out of 5 gnomes

Intense, really intense.  This story will leave you rotting for a character that you might not expect to be rooting for.  I love the chronology of this story and how the pieces all slowly come together.  There's a sense of foreboding throughout the story.  A much darker tone then I thought it was going to be at the start, it just has so much depth to it and lots of little details to discover.


Knave by Hilary Thomas
4 out of 5 gnomes

I like the noir like quality of this story.  Having all the well known characters be a part of a rough kind of mafia style world is fun.  There's a big mystery to solve when a new girl comes to town causing trouble.  Jack Knave may have just met his match and because of this he might just lose his head.


The World in a Thimble by C. A. Young
4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Lovely creepy poem at the beginning of the story.  More about just an ordinary guy trying to discover who he really is.  It explores the whole saying, "are you a man or a mouse?"  This is a great version of a never ending Wonderland, it has fantastical elements but it's also about being able to stand up for yourself and be who you want to be.

5 out of 5 gnomes overall for the whole collection.  These stories are beautifully written and are chock full of surprises.  The stories go in unexpected directions that you'll find yourself gladly going along with.  There are different tones, settings, and characters but they all form one stupendous collection that is a truly great homage and re-imagining of a classic story.  I loved this (re)vision concept of Candlemark & Gleam's and can't wait to see what the next collection is.