Looking Glass Wars Books in Order

How to Read The Looking Glass Wars: The Recommended Path

For the most satisfying experience, the recommended reading order follows the publication history of the primary novels, followed by the graphic novel sequels, before diving back into the parallel spin-offs and prequels. This ensures that you build a solid understanding of the rules of White and Black Imagination, the card-based political hierarchy, and the fates of the main characters before exploring the wider universe.

Here is the recommended reading path for the entire Looking Glass Wars saga:

1. The Looking Glass Wars (Novel, 2004) - The essential starting point that introduces Princess Alyss Heart, her exile to Victorian London, and her return to claim the throne.
2. Seeing Redd (Novel, 2007) - The direct sequel where Alyss faces the vengeful return of her Aunt Redd alongside new political threats.
3. ArchEnemy (Novel, 2009) - The epic conclusion to the prose trilogy where the Heart Crystal is depleted and an unlikely alliance must be forged.
4. The Looking Glass Wars: CrossFire (Graphic Novel, 2016) - The direct sequel to ArchEnemy, detailing Alyss's struggle to maintain peace against borderland tribes.
5. The Looking Glass Wars: Underfire (Graphic Novel, 2017) - The final sequel chapter following Ovid Grey and the conspiracy of the fish people of Unterlan.
6. Hatter Madigan: Ghost in the Hatbox (Novel, 2016) - A prequel co-authored with Adrienne Kress focusing on Hatter's cadet years.
7. Hatter M Series (Volumes 1-5) (Graphic Novels, 2008–2015) - A parallel companion series mapping Hatter's 13-year search on Earth.

What to Know Before You Start

Frank Beddor's premise is as bold as it is creative: Lewis Carroll's beloved children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was actually a sanitized, watered-down distortion of a real, bloody history. In Beddor's universe, Alyss Heart is the real princess of Wonderland, who escaped a violent coup by her power-hungry aunt, Redd Heart. She fled through the Pool of Tears and landed in Victorian London, where she confided in Reverend Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). To her horror, Dodgson turned her traumatic story of war and exile into a whimsical nonsense tale.

Wonderland is not a place of lighthearted nonsense but a highly structured, industrial realm where imagination is a tangible force. White Imagination represents creation, order, and love, while Black Imagination represents destruction, fear, and tyranny. The society is governed by a strict hierarchy based on playing cards: Hearts are the ruling class, while Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades represent different noble houses and merchant factions. The military consists of specialized warriors like the Millinery—bodyguards trained to use weaponized hats.

The Core Looking Glass Wars Trilogy

The main prose trilogy forms the narrative spine of the franchise, carrying Alyss from a displaced child to a hardened queen.

The Looking Glass Wars (2004)

The saga begins with a bloody coup on Alyss Heart's seventh birthday. Her parents, King Nolan and Queen Genevieve, are slaughtered by Alyss's aunt, Redd, a master of Black Imagination. Escaping through the portal known as the Pool of Tears, Alyss is separated from her Royal Bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, and is deposited into the bleak streets of Victorian London. Adopted by the Liddell family and renamed Alice, she grows up suppressing her memories. Thirteen years later, a grown Hatter finds her, and she must return to Wondertropolis to reclaim her rightful throne and lead the rebel Alliance against Redd's reign of terror.

Seeing Redd (2007)

Alyss has reclaimed her crown, but ruling a war-torn Wonderland is far from simple. While trying to repair the damage left in the wake of the civil war, Alyss must contend with internal political plotting from the rival suit families. Worse, rumors begin to spread that Redd was not destroyed but escaped. As Redd rallies her remaining forces—including her vicious shape-shifting assassin, The Cat—Alyss must defend her kingdom from a renewed onslaught of Black Imagination.

ArchEnemy (2009)

In the final volume of the prose trilogy, the Heart Crystal—the source of all imagination in Wonderland—is severely depleted, leaving Alyss nearly powerless. Meanwhile, King Arch, the tyrannical ruler of the neighbouring realm of Boarderland, launches a devastating invasion to conquer Wonderland once and for all. Facing total destruction, Alyss is forced into a desperate and dangerous alliance with her bitterest enemy, Redd, to save their shared homeworld.

The Sequel Graphic Novels: CrossFire & Underfire

Years after the prose trilogy concluded, Frank Beddor teamed up with Curtis Clark and artist Sami Makkonen to continue Alyss's story in a graphic novel format. These books are direct narrative sequels and should be read immediately after finishing ArchEnemy.

CrossFire (2016)

Picking up where the events of ArchEnemy left off, Alyss struggles to maintain order in the newly formed Wonderland. The introduction of the Everqueen has created a fragile political landscape. As the borderland tribes push their boundaries, Alyss finds herself caught in a crossfire of diplomatic tension and rogue military skirmishes, threatening the hard-won peace.

Underfire (2017)

The story reaches its climax in Underfire. When a dangerous conspiracy emerges from the depths of Unterlan—the underwater region populated by the fish people—Alyss must recruit Ovid Grey, a rogue former Milliner with a criminal past. Grey's unconventional skills are Wonderland's last hope to stop a plot that could subvert the entire queendom.

Prequels and Parallel Adventures

Once you have finished the main story, you can explore the expanded universe, which dives deep into the backstory of the fan-favorite character, Hatter Madigan.

Hatter Madigan: Ghost in the Hatbox (2016)

Co-authored with Adrienne Kress, this prose novel is a prequel that takes readers back to Hatter's youth. The story follows a teenage Hatter as a cadet at the prestigious Millinery Academy in Wonderland. Here, we see the trials, friendships, and betrayals that shaped him into the legendary, stoic bodyguard he would eventually become.

The Hatter M Graphic Novel Series (2008–2015)

This series of five graphic novels (written with Liz Cavalier) runs parallel to the timeline of the first book. When Alyss and Hatter fled through the Pool of Tears, they were separated. Alyss landed in London, but Hatter was scattered to another part of Earth. The Hatter M books document Hatter's exhaustive 13-year search across Earth's continents during the 19th century. Along the way, he encounters historical figures and battles agents of the Dark Imagination who have followed him to Earth. The five volumes are:

• Volume 1: Far From Wonder (2008)
• Volume 2: Mad with Wonder (2009)
• Volume 3: The Nature of Wonder (2010)
• Volume 4: Zen of Wonder (2013)
• Volume 5: Love of Wonder (2015)

Chronological Order vs. Publication Order

While the publication order is highly recommended, readers who prefer a chronological flow can arrange the books to match the internal timeline of Wonderland. This pathway begins in the past with Hatter's youth, runs parallel during the exile years, and finishes with the post-trilogy sequels.

The chronological order is as follows:

1. Hatter Madigan: Ghost in the Hatbox (Prequel set during Hatter's youth)
2. The Looking Glass Wars (Chapters 1 to 12 - Alyss's childhood and escape)
3. Hatter M: Volumes 1–5 (Occurs during Alyss's 13 years of exile on Earth)
4. The Looking Glass Wars (Chapters 13 to end - Alyss's return and battle with Redd)
5. Seeing Redd (The second main novel)
6. ArchEnemy (The final main novel)
7. CrossFire (Direct sequel graphic novel)
8. Underfire (Concluding sequel graphic novel)

For first-time readers, the chronological order can be disjointed, especially since the Hatter M graphic novels span five volumes and pause the main plot of the first novel for a massive tangent on Earth. Starting with the core trilogy remains the safest and most enjoyable way to fall in love with Beddor's reimagined Wonderland.