Once upon a Wonderland is a humorous fantasy (YA but also older adults) and tells about Alice’s return to Wonderland when she’s in her early twenties.
With nods to the master himself - Lewis Carroll – wordplay and surreal adventures take main stage but the story also touches on topical issues, such as change, romance, diversity, discrimination and climate change. In each chapter, Alice confronts a character from the true and sinister backstories to our favourite fairy tales. As the story unfolds, the individual tales come together as Alice ponders how the morals of the true fairy tales versions relate to everyday life.
"Fee-fi-fo-fum!” boomed the ogre. “I smell the blood of an Englishman.”
“Why do you keep quoting Shakespeare’s King Lear?” asked Alice. “And while we’re on the subject, why can you only smell the blood of Englishmen? Why not other nationalities? Or English women come to that?”
A poltergeist in tattered leotards, a grumpy carnivore that’s more interested in Gaston than Belle and a psychotic arsonist. These are not the Rumpelstiltskin, Beast and Cinderella that Alice knew and loved. Nevertheless, she needs to get them and other fairy tale characters out of Wonderland if she’s to mend Time and return home. And rescue Jack, the feathered boy she’s in love with. Alice’s quest is not helped by charges of treason, the advances of an amorous Pied Piper and the fact that she is growing younger by the hour. And then there is the Queen of Hearts and her cohorts to contend with.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Stoneham's novel is wonderfully ludicrous. As Alice returns to Wonderland, nothing is quite right. Time is turned on its head and the cast of familiar figures is twisted and shaken up, with new fairy tale characters introduced in each chapter. Readers are in store for quite the journey as they discover, along with Alice herself, what she has to do to return back home.
Prose: Stoneham pays clear homage to the source material, and the fresh storytelling has plenty to relish. Regardless of its strengths, jokes and wordplay feel a tad forced. And, although Alice's injections of modern perspectives and sensibilities are authentic and hilarious, the use of slang can sometimes break the spell.
Originality: Stoneham both nods to and subverts the classic work of fantasy. The introduction of new characters plucked from other sources is a lively diversion. Ultimately, the author creatively intertwines the story's many threads in a manner that would likely make Lewis Carroll smile.
Character/Execution: While Alice doesn't conventionally grow--if anything, she does so in reverse--the journey she goes on in this story is notably marked by all the people she meets, setting her up for victory in the end. To top it off, Stoneham's portrayal of every fairy tale character is dynamic, and each varied in their quirkiness.
Date Submitted: July 25, 2023
Blending the playful and dark, this gripping fantasy from Stoneham (Alice Falls Again) tells the tale of Alice as a young adult returning to Wonderland. On vacation, Alice and her sisters are enjoying the beach when a giant wave pulls her back to Wonderland. Alice first sees this as her chance to rescue her love, Jack Door. Soon into her travels to the Winter Forest to find Jack, she realizes things aren’t the same in Wonderland; time is mixed up, and Alice herself—in a Lewis Carroll-like touch—is aging backward. Worse, in her return, she accidentally let fairy tale characters in, many looking for revenge based on their individual stories. Alice must get herself and all the characters to Alice Falls to return home, but they’ll only leave if their scores are settled.Each time Alice comes across a fairy tale character, Stoneham creates clever stories within the story, with their tales departing from the ones Alice—and readers—knows from childhood. The wolf in Little Red Riding Hood was framed; Hansel and Gretel’s father was the real evil; and although the Goldilocks fairy tale is mostly true, the story continues after what most of us know, with the bears trying to get justice and find someone to stand up for animals. The more Alice hears, the more she begins to see that the actual villain in these surprising, sometimes gruesome variations on the familiar may very well be the same individual—someone who’s now up to something right there in Wonderland.
Stoneham’s novel brings a revisionist bent to classic stories, but the tone and prose are refreshingly indebted to the original Alice books. Nonsense romps, throughout, and chapter-opening illustrations lend an unsettling feeling of fabulist psychedelia. The usual Wonderland suspects make welcome appearances as well, with the flaky Cheshire Cat sometimes helping Alice, the Hatter more sinister and scary than ever, and the Queen of Hearts, as always, striving to thwart Alice’s plans. Readers will be pleasantly surprised at how Alice’s story ends.
Takeaway: Alice faces fairy-tale truths in this dark, playful return to Wonderland.
Comparable Titles: Laura Burton and Jessie Cal’s Queen of Snow, Jolie Dubriel’s Red and Blue.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The Reawakening of a Classic
DJ Stoneham’s book is a celebration of what made this original story so great, coupled with surreal elements and twists and turns that make it one of the finest releases of 2023.
I’m going to be perfectly honest here: when I started reading this book, I had very little expectation of this work being good. This was due to the factthat reinterpretations of the Alice in Wonderland mythos have become commonplace in recent times, so it is very common to see such iconiccharacters in the wrong hands.
Boy, was I wrong with this book and I’m very happy about that.
Part of what makes Once Upon a Wonderland such a good read is DJ Stoneham’s understanding of the fundamentals of storytelling and how fantasyworks. Doing my research about him, I discovered that he is a fan of fantasy and it shows–he manages to take the fundamentals of the medium andgive them these little twists that make the book very appealing.
There is a clear element of darkness and even a slight trait of horror in this story, but the wonderful part is that isn’t Stoneham trying to do it forshock value or something of the sort–it actually plays a factor in the plot he has structured. And that is the most important part of this book: it is anactual story with character development, plot threads and constantly moving forward instead of being self-indulgent.
Alice’s character was someone I immediately felt a connection with. She is strong and capable, but she grows throughout the story and she doesn’tget handed anything on a silver platter –she has to fi ght for every little bit of progress that she gets. As a protagonist, she is someone you can easilyroot for and that is something that I found appealing.
The cast is very colorful and varied, which is part of the reason I ended up reading the book in a couple of days. It is that good.
"Loved it! A fantastical dystopic delight."
Stoneham captures Lewis Carroll's writing style with ease, adopting the whimsical nature of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland whilst making the story and characters his own. This new yet familiar Wonderland carries an extraordinary weight whilst upholding the legacy of its predecessor in which the text certainly delivers. It is an exhilarating expansion to the original tale, allowing readers to revisit the world and characters in a fresh and innovative style.
There are extensive amounts of creative wordplay which is all witty and amusing enhancing the overall experience. Colourful descriptive imagery launches the reader directly into the pages, enabling us to experience the magical storytelling almost as if we ourselves are a character within the book. Accompanied by captivating and enchantingly unusual illustrations, Once Upon a Wonderland keeps the reader enthralled from page one.
The book certainly works as a stand alone with all its charm and wonder, but I personally recommend reading both Alice Falls Again and Once Upon a Wonderland together for an irresistibly entrancing experience.
Juxtaposing whimsy and seriousness to innovative effect, Once upon a Wonderland refreshes classic tales and seeks untold stories.
Wonderland’s inhabitants speak with the same amusing trickster language and double-talk as is in the original. Their conversations sometimes break the fourth wall to playful effect. Still, the tone remains lighthearted, even when Alice faces dark challenges and hears brutal backstories.
Balancing trauma, effervescence, lies, and reconstructed truths, Once upon a Wonderland is a fantasy novel that plays with storytelling; it’s an exhilarating continuation of classic tales.
“DJ Stoneham's fresh take on Alice's world is sure to ignite the imagination and leave readers spellbound.”
By integrating classic folklore with contemporary themes, the author ingeniously merges the old and the new in this narrative.
Dj Stoneham masterfully weaves together various elements of fantasy and adventure, breathing new life into the classic tale of Alice.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book for its creativity, modernity, and enchanting storytelling. This novel is a must-read for young adults who seek to challenge traditional norms and indulge in a mesmerizing tale filled with fascinating characters and narratives. Dj Stoneham's fresh take on Alice's world is sure to ignite the imagination and leave readers spellbound.
“DJ Stoneham's fresh take on Alice's world is sure to ignite the imagination and leave readers spellbound.”
By integrating classic folklore with contemporary themes, the author ingeniously merges the old and the new in this narrative.
DJ Stoneham masterfully weaves together various elements of fantasy and adventure, breathing new life into the classic tale of Alice.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book for its creativity, modernity, and enchanting storytelling. This novel is a must-read for young adults who seek to challenge traditional norms and indulge in a mesmerizing tale filled with fascinating characters and narratives. DJ Stoneham's fresh take on Alice's world is sure to ignite the imagination and leave readers spellbound.
DJ Stoneham creates a compelling, forceful environment, supplementing action and impossible characters and encounters with insights that Alice and her cohorts develop about what is happening, and why.
Stoneham's contrast between adult decision prowess and a child's-eye view of the world makes for an involving story that is thoroughly unexpected.
Libraries and readers looking for fantasy stories that take classics and turn them on end for new realizations and action will find Once Upon a Wonderland not just engaging, but hard to put down or predict. Its quirky re-envisioning of a Wonderland in which Alice's youth is pitted against odd and unpredictable developments creates encounters worthy of book club discussion, as well.
5-star A Whimsical Reimagination of A Beloved Classic
DJ Stoneham has outdone himself in creating a noteworthy fantasy like no other. Once Upon A Wonderland is a delightful reimagination of the beloved fairy tale of the past. Updated with an extended cast of delicious and vile characters, they are sure to keep the reader engaged while racing from page to page as the plot thickens and dangerous agendas come to light. In a whimsical world where oddity is the norm, Stoneham's vivid imagination adds a sense of amusement with its unique style of scene-setting and descriptiveness of character encounters. These slight peculiarities set the tone for a gripping adventure for young and old alike.
Page after page, the author's writing style mesmerizes, drawing the reader into the unique qualities only a place such as Wonderland can possess. Alice's vernacular mimics the logical and quizzical sides to that of the original Lewis Carroll character, reminiscing a sense of nostalgia for readers of the Alice in Wonderland classic. Stoneham's work compliments Lewis Carroll's classic by including the scatterbrained Cheshire Cat and the mischievous Queen of Hearts and adding his own twist on their personalities and the importance of Alice's quest to repair Wonderland.
“Once Upon A Wonderland” is a beautiful blend of a beloved classic with a unique creative enhancement for today's audiences.
"As inventive and immersive as all of Alice's previous trips. Children and adults alike will revel in this vivid reimagining of one of the most impossible realms in literature, taking the original story in new directions with Stoneham’s innovative take on the dark side of fairy tales. The author’s masterful dexterity with language is an impressive homage to Lewis Carroll’s own whimsical pen, and the wordplay throughout the novel is rich, clever, and unpredictable. Engaging, entertaining, and wickedly smart, Once Upon a Wonderland feels like a classic in its own right."
In this book, we delve into the world of Alice and her return to the mystical world of Wonderland as a full-grown college graduate. The book features an extended cast of delicious and vile characters and a unique writing style that draws readers into the peculiarities of Wonderland. The author skilfully weaves themes of mental health throughout the story, creating a thought-provoking and engaging narrative.
Once Upon a Wonderland by D J Stoneham is a delightful reimagination of the beloved fairy tale of Alice in Wonderland. In this book, the author has taken a classic story and brought it into the modern era with an extended cast of characters and a new storyline that is sure to keep readers engaged. With Stoneham’s vivid imagination and unique style of scene-setting and descriptiveness of character encounters, the book is a gripping adventure for young and old alike.
The characters are richly drawn, each with their own unique quirks and idiosyncrasies that make them feel like real people. Stoneham’s writing style is masterful, with vivid descriptions that bring Wonderland to life in all its surreal glory. And while the story may be whimsical and fanciful, it also deals with weighty themes like mental health and personal growth, adding a layer of depth and meaning to the narrative.
Stoneham’s writing style is a perfect fit for the fantastical world of Wonderland. His descriptions are lush and evocative, painting a picture of a world that’s both beautiful and strange. He imbues each character with a distinct personality, making them feel like living, breathing beings rather than mere caricatures. And his use of language is both playful and poetic, capturing the whimsy and wonder of Carroll’s original while adding his own unique touch.
Perhaps most impressive, though, is the way Stoneham weaves themes of mental health throughout the story. Alice’s journey through Wonderland is a metaphor for her own inner struggles, as she learns to confront her fears and doubts and emerge stronger on the other side. Stoneham’s portrayal of mental health issues is sensitive and nuanced, and he treats his characters with compassion and understanding. In all, Once Upon A Wonderland is a delightful and engaging read, a worthy addition to the Alice in Wonderland canon. With its richly drawn characters, masterful writing, and weighty themes, it’s a book that will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the final page.
