What do you think?
Rate this book
Alice in Zombieland
They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank-the birds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable. All of them were covered in Alice's now cold and congealed blood, which made them even tastier looking to poor hungry Alice. When little Alice follows the Black Rat down into the gaping darkness of an open grave, she falls and falls. And soon finds herself in an undead nightmare of rotting flesh and insanity. Venturing further into this land of zombies and monsters, she encounters characters both creepy and madcap along the way. But there's something else troubling poor her skin is rotting and her hair is falling out. She's cold. And she has the haunting feeling that if she remains in Zombieland any longer, she might never leave. Can Alice escape Zombieland before the Dead Red Queen catches up to her?
240 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2009
127 people are currently reading
4727 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
August 24, 2021
Well that was absolutely bonkers!
Enough said.
Enough said.
April 3, 2011
Karen sacrificed this book to me cause I was so excited when I saw it. I felt bad taking it from her, but I NEEDED it. I am obsessed with alice and wonderland, then way that I'm obsessed with peter pan. I think in fact she is the female version of peter pan.
but when I think of alice I don't think of this:
I think of this:
Do you want to know a secret?
I mean you totally lose the important tone of alice in wonderland in this, which is of course that although she is stupid and innocent she is like the shit. I mean lewis carroll isn't that different from dr. suess in reality. and that is what I want when I read a book about alice, but like suess no one can actually imitate carroll. But instead of being the critic that most people are, I'm totally fine with that. I almost love the fact that no one compares to carroll. I read these and I get the nostalgia and the love that I need when I think of alice but I don't have my love of carroll shattered by finding out that he wasn't anything special (which is actually why I haven't read colfer's adams spin off, I'm worried he'll write adams better than adams ever did and shatter all my hopes and dreams).
I don't think we can go into books like this hoping they are the same as the books we love, but we have to see them as a doorway into a world that we don't spend enough time in already.
but when I think of alice I don't think of this:
I think of this:
Do you want to know a secret?
I mean you totally lose the important tone of alice in wonderland in this, which is of course that although she is stupid and innocent she is like the shit. I mean lewis carroll isn't that different from dr. suess in reality. and that is what I want when I read a book about alice, but like suess no one can actually imitate carroll. But instead of being the critic that most people are, I'm totally fine with that. I almost love the fact that no one compares to carroll. I read these and I get the nostalgia and the love that I need when I think of alice but I don't have my love of carroll shattered by finding out that he wasn't anything special (which is actually why I haven't read colfer's adams spin off, I'm worried he'll write adams better than adams ever did and shatter all my hopes and dreams).
I don't think we can go into books like this hoping they are the same as the books we love, but we have to see them as a doorway into a world that we don't spend enough time in already.
March 7, 2011
When asked to review this book, I was a little hesitant in accepting. I liked Alice in Wonderland as a child, and I wasn't too sure I wanted to see what changes would be made to this classic story. I was curious though after reading some Austen remakes that are being retold the same way. So I fell through the rabbit hole and began the journey with Alice.
After only a few pages of the book, I knew this was going to be hard to get through. The writing wasn't favorable in the fact that it had a ton of run on sentences that began to be annoying. I kept wanting to grab a pencil and start editing. While it followed the story of the classic at times, some of it became horrendous. I actually rolled my eyes in several parts and put it down during some of it to take a break. I had to force myself to finish this book.
Some stories should be left to the original version. In this case, I want to throw this book in the hole and not welcome it back. If you are a fan of fairy tale's being retold, and don't mind the darker side of it, I would recommend borrowing this book from the library first before purchasing it. You might find yourself wishing to save your money for a different fairy tale remake.
After only a few pages of the book, I knew this was going to be hard to get through. The writing wasn't favorable in the fact that it had a ton of run on sentences that began to be annoying. I kept wanting to grab a pencil and start editing. While it followed the story of the classic at times, some of it became horrendous. I actually rolled my eyes in several parts and put it down during some of it to take a break. I had to force myself to finish this book.
Some stories should be left to the original version. In this case, I want to throw this book in the hole and not welcome it back. If you are a fan of fairy tale's being retold, and don't mind the darker side of it, I would recommend borrowing this book from the library first before purchasing it. You might find yourself wishing to save your money for a different fairy tale remake.
August 3, 2011
I was happy when my husband gave me this book as a gift (I love both Zombies and Alice and Wonderland). It is a decent and fun book to read, just don't expect a masterpiece.
March 16, 2012
I loved Alice in Wonderland and was pretty stoked to finally be able to find this. I was not, however, much encouraged to finish :(
I slogged through it and after a promising and pretty cute beginning, it just got pretty boring. It honestly just felt like the "co-author" cut and paste certain sections of the original and then added his own zombie bits to them that made the entire story just awkward, hard to read and thoroughly un-entertaining, at least for me. What writing he did do was stilted and didn't mesh well with the original flow of the story, and honestly, everything had that tacked on feel like the author wanted to do something great but couldn't pull it off and just kind of half-assed it instead.
I'm all for a good zombie romp (Seth Graham-Smith did it pretty well!), but this was just a painful and altogether terrible mash up of a great classic and someone's get rich quick scheme to cash out what Pride, Prejudice and Zombies started. I really wanted to like this book after the beginning, but I forced myself to read it because damn it, I was halfway through and I finish books that I start! Even bad ones.
I slogged through it and after a promising and pretty cute beginning, it just got pretty boring. It honestly just felt like the "co-author" cut and paste certain sections of the original and then added his own zombie bits to them that made the entire story just awkward, hard to read and thoroughly un-entertaining, at least for me. What writing he did do was stilted and didn't mesh well with the original flow of the story, and honestly, everything had that tacked on feel like the author wanted to do something great but couldn't pull it off and just kind of half-assed it instead.
I'm all for a good zombie romp (Seth Graham-Smith did it pretty well!), but this was just a painful and altogether terrible mash up of a great classic and someone's get rich quick scheme to cash out what Pride, Prejudice and Zombies started. I really wanted to like this book after the beginning, but I forced myself to read it because damn it, I was halfway through and I finish books that I start! Even bad ones.
January 2, 2024
First completed book of 2024!!
The title & cover are why I picked it up - but by the actuality of it, it occurred to me that I NEVER ACTUALLY READ ALICE IN WONDERLAND 😅😭
The title & cover are why I picked it up - but by the actuality of it, it occurred to me that I NEVER ACTUALLY READ ALICE IN WONDERLAND 😅😭
April 30, 2011
I had a lot of fun reading this. You may not. It depends on your sensibilities and expectations.
First of all, this is a humor book. The reader is asked to lighten up and go along for the ride. To have fun and not to dwell too heavily on the fact that there is little originality to the story except for the characterizations and some of the settings.
As some reviewers have noted, and criticized Cook for, is the sense that he did not make this work his own as much as Seth Grahame-Smith did with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
It’s obvious from the beginning that he took Carroll’s work and merely altered it.
Either he did not feel the need to reinvent, or this is a slapped out, bandwagon jumping effort to take advantage of the success of the types of books I listed above.
Even the publisher acknowledges this in an offhand way:
“A fresh and hilarious new zombie mash-up, bringing the hottest format on the humor shelf to a beloved classic, complete with zombie-fied updates to the renowned illustrations by Sir John Tenniel. Sure to be a major hit with humor, Alice and zombie enthusiasts everywhere!”
Uh, I’m not sure about that last part.
Yes, people who spend time in the humor section of the bookstore will like this book. Zombie enthusiasts should like the tack Cook takes with the story. But diehard Alice fans? I’m not so sure. From what I’ve seen around the web, not all were thrilled with Cook’s efforts.
I made it easy on myself and just read expecting nothing more than to have a giggle at Alice’s adventures through a dark and disturbing world. It was a fun read, but challenging at times.
The review copy I received was very raw. The errors in this unfinished product got to me, especially toward the end of the book. This however is the nature of the beast when dealing with an uncorrected proof. So I cannot fault the writer or the story heavily for things that should be fixed by the time this review is published.
If you are expecting something along the lines of what Grahame-Smith as done, forget it. Not even close.
If you are expecting a light, fun, humorous and horrifying read (especially the last chapter as it gets gory) – you will like this.
I do have a problem recommending it, because when it comes to humor, you can’t please all the people all the time. What tickles my funny bone, won’t necessarily do the same to others.
It was dark, disturbing, creepy, and humorous and I will be passing it around at work as there are a few who asked to read it once I was finished.
First of all, this is a humor book. The reader is asked to lighten up and go along for the ride. To have fun and not to dwell too heavily on the fact that there is little originality to the story except for the characterizations and some of the settings.
As some reviewers have noted, and criticized Cook for, is the sense that he did not make this work his own as much as Seth Grahame-Smith did with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
It’s obvious from the beginning that he took Carroll’s work and merely altered it.
Either he did not feel the need to reinvent, or this is a slapped out, bandwagon jumping effort to take advantage of the success of the types of books I listed above.
Even the publisher acknowledges this in an offhand way:
“A fresh and hilarious new zombie mash-up, bringing the hottest format on the humor shelf to a beloved classic, complete with zombie-fied updates to the renowned illustrations by Sir John Tenniel. Sure to be a major hit with humor, Alice and zombie enthusiasts everywhere!”
Uh, I’m not sure about that last part.
Yes, people who spend time in the humor section of the bookstore will like this book. Zombie enthusiasts should like the tack Cook takes with the story. But diehard Alice fans? I’m not so sure. From what I’ve seen around the web, not all were thrilled with Cook’s efforts.
I made it easy on myself and just read expecting nothing more than to have a giggle at Alice’s adventures through a dark and disturbing world. It was a fun read, but challenging at times.
The review copy I received was very raw. The errors in this unfinished product got to me, especially toward the end of the book. This however is the nature of the beast when dealing with an uncorrected proof. So I cannot fault the writer or the story heavily for things that should be fixed by the time this review is published.
If you are expecting something along the lines of what Grahame-Smith as done, forget it. Not even close.
If you are expecting a light, fun, humorous and horrifying read (especially the last chapter as it gets gory) – you will like this.
I do have a problem recommending it, because when it comes to humor, you can’t please all the people all the time. What tickles my funny bone, won’t necessarily do the same to others.
It was dark, disturbing, creepy, and humorous and I will be passing it around at work as there are a few who asked to read it once I was finished.
May 3, 2011
Alice in ZombieLand
AUTHOR: Lewis Carrol/Nickolas Cook
GENRE: Classic/Horror Mash-up
FORM: Book – Advance Review Copy
SYNOPSIS: Alice and her sister go out to the graveyard to do her reading lesson when she gets distracted and sees a black rat checking his watch. Curious, Alice follows the black rat into a hole, and finds herself in a land where the creatures are zombies and ruled by an overbearing Red Queen. Alice finds that she herself is becoming more and more zombie-like and desperately seeks a way to go home.
REVIEW: Assuming you like the classic/horror mash-up books that are pretty popular now, or if you just like a good Zombie book – this book is perfect! You get an almost humorous amount of blood, gore and zombies; and of course the crazy mixed up land of Alice’s Wonderland. It probably has been about two years ago now that I read Alice in Wonderland for the first time, and I what I loved about the book was the double meanings and contradictions, which are of course still present in this version. I’m not typically a lover of horror- like books (and I’m trying to use “horror” lightly, it’s not scary really, but I wouldn’t read it to your grade-schooler!), but when I was approached about reading the book, it just had that fun, trendy appeal to it. And really, what could make the tripped out Alice in Wonderland even better? Zombies, of course! While it was funny envisioning all of the characters in Alice as flesh-eating Zombies, there were still parts where I was frowning and a little bit grossed out.
WHAT I LOVED: I loved how Nickolas Cook took Alice’s sunny colorful world, and changed it completely into a very dark cold one, starting right out with changing the happy tree opening setting to a dark damp graveyard. I wasn’t expecting the transition to start out so quickly. I think I was expecting Alice to be her same sunny self, but sucked into this dark world, which I think would have changed the entire book, because instead of “curious-and-calm Alice,” you would have had “seriously-freaked-out-screaming Alice”. Written this way, the Alice’s are literally like day and night copies of the same book.
NOT SO MUCH: Why is the rabbit a rat now? I don’t know why this bothered me so much, because I can see how a rat fits in the book’s theme, but a black zombie rabbit would have been FLIPPEN FREAKY, don’t you think? Just imagine it with red eyes and sharp teeth….
AUTHOR: Lewis Carrol/Nickolas Cook
GENRE: Classic/Horror Mash-up
FORM: Book – Advance Review Copy
SYNOPSIS: Alice and her sister go out to the graveyard to do her reading lesson when she gets distracted and sees a black rat checking his watch. Curious, Alice follows the black rat into a hole, and finds herself in a land where the creatures are zombies and ruled by an overbearing Red Queen. Alice finds that she herself is becoming more and more zombie-like and desperately seeks a way to go home.
REVIEW: Assuming you like the classic/horror mash-up books that are pretty popular now, or if you just like a good Zombie book – this book is perfect! You get an almost humorous amount of blood, gore and zombies; and of course the crazy mixed up land of Alice’s Wonderland. It probably has been about two years ago now that I read Alice in Wonderland for the first time, and I what I loved about the book was the double meanings and contradictions, which are of course still present in this version. I’m not typically a lover of horror- like books (and I’m trying to use “horror” lightly, it’s not scary really, but I wouldn’t read it to your grade-schooler!), but when I was approached about reading the book, it just had that fun, trendy appeal to it. And really, what could make the tripped out Alice in Wonderland even better? Zombies, of course! While it was funny envisioning all of the characters in Alice as flesh-eating Zombies, there were still parts where I was frowning and a little bit grossed out.
WHAT I LOVED: I loved how Nickolas Cook took Alice’s sunny colorful world, and changed it completely into a very dark cold one, starting right out with changing the happy tree opening setting to a dark damp graveyard. I wasn’t expecting the transition to start out so quickly. I think I was expecting Alice to be her same sunny self, but sucked into this dark world, which I think would have changed the entire book, because instead of “curious-and-calm Alice,” you would have had “seriously-freaked-out-screaming Alice”. Written this way, the Alice’s are literally like day and night copies of the same book.
NOT SO MUCH: Why is the rabbit a rat now? I don’t know why this bothered me so much, because I can see how a rat fits in the book’s theme, but a black zombie rabbit would have been FLIPPEN FREAKY, don’t you think? Just imagine it with red eyes and sharp teeth….
October 13, 2025
Ikke like bra som originalen, og jeg bare hang rett og slett ikke med🙂↕️
July 8, 2011
Oh my god! Doesn't even deserve half a star. A few pages in and I was instantly annoyed with this book. I knew this was a mash up and excited to get it in the mail, but i was hoping for some really witty macabre tale using Alice in wonderland as a base.
I hold the original story close to my heart and I defend it against butchers like this... This... "author". It reminded me of Tim Burton's butchery of Alice last year (the only good thing was Johnny depp).
The way the author just replaced parts and characters with simplistic dead things- graveyards and black rat instead of white rabbit- not very creative I must say, not really putting much effort into the horror side of the story. And the many use of brackets and inside comments against Lewis carroll's use of English (cite page 21, chapter 2), because did the "author" not realize the story isn't exactly a children's book per se. Growl! :(
Cook is not funny and it was just boring and I was only up to the third chapter.
This review may seem harsh, remember this is my opinion, but Alice in wonderland is my favorite books of all time and cook just wanted to get a quick buck with the whole mash up genre popularity to get published because he can't write an original book himself.
I hold the original story close to my heart and I defend it against butchers like this... This... "author". It reminded me of Tim Burton's butchery of Alice last year (the only good thing was Johnny depp).
The way the author just replaced parts and characters with simplistic dead things- graveyards and black rat instead of white rabbit- not very creative I must say, not really putting much effort into the horror side of the story. And the many use of brackets and inside comments against Lewis carroll's use of English (cite page 21, chapter 2), because did the "author" not realize the story isn't exactly a children's book per se. Growl! :(
Cook is not funny and it was just boring and I was only up to the third chapter.
This review may seem harsh, remember this is my opinion, but Alice in wonderland is my favorite books of all time and cook just wanted to get a quick buck with the whole mash up genre popularity to get published because he can't write an original book himself.
May 9, 2011
I have read and watched a variety of Alice based books and movies since I was young. None of them have held my attention like this version. Alice in Zombieland kept me laughing page after page. I couldn't help but compare each of the scenes with my memory of how it was presented in a more traditional rendition. Alice is still a sweet, innocent girl, though her perfectly pressed dress and starched pinafore does take quite a beating and bloodying.
The story starts with Alice and her sister outside enjoying the lovely day. This time they are in a graveyard., and it is a black rat that distracts Alice and leads her astray and down into an open grave. The tale continues to parallel Mr. Lewis's original story line, though the descriptive details and much more dark and dead. Zombie dead that is.
As with the first version, I loved the description of the Mad Hatter's tea party. The teacups are all there, ample food to share and the same company. It was the change in the details that kept me in rapt attention. While I have had many tea parties with my daughter when she was young, I couldn't successfully imitate this one.
I don't know that zombie books will ever become a first choice read for me, but this one kept me coming back for more. I loved the descriptions of the blood spurts and gore, the flesh ragged bones lying around and the listless responses of the 'cards'. Frequently I would stop and read a particularly gruesome passage out loud to which ever family member happened to be in the same room with me. I fear that they now think I am truly demented. If you have read Mr. Carroll's version and are looking for a read that is a lot less sweet, give Alice and Zombieland a read.
The story starts with Alice and her sister outside enjoying the lovely day. This time they are in a graveyard., and it is a black rat that distracts Alice and leads her astray and down into an open grave. The tale continues to parallel Mr. Lewis's original story line, though the descriptive details and much more dark and dead. Zombie dead that is.
As with the first version, I loved the description of the Mad Hatter's tea party. The teacups are all there, ample food to share and the same company. It was the change in the details that kept me in rapt attention. While I have had many tea parties with my daughter when she was young, I couldn't successfully imitate this one.
I don't know that zombie books will ever become a first choice read for me, but this one kept me coming back for more. I loved the descriptions of the blood spurts and gore, the flesh ragged bones lying around and the listless responses of the 'cards'. Frequently I would stop and read a particularly gruesome passage out loud to which ever family member happened to be in the same room with me. I fear that they now think I am truly demented. If you have read Mr. Carroll's version and are looking for a read that is a lot less sweet, give Alice and Zombieland a read.
April 9, 2011
When author Lewis Carroll took Alice through the looking glass in 1871, little did he know that a much more gruesome nightmare awaited his dear Alice. When 1864 Alice woke up in a land of wonder, 2011 Alice awoke to a land of the living dead ruled by a power hungry, yet very human, queen.
Forced to listen to her lessons from her sister as they sit their favorite cemetery, Alice notices a black rat who seems to be in a hurry. More startling, he has a pocket watch and was quite verbally worried about being late! Unable to help herself, Alice abandons her sister to follow this black rat down a “dead hole” that takes her to a land that is bizarre as it is horrific. In her travels in this land, she meets a myriad of characters such as the Conqueror Wurm, the Corpse Turtle, and the Zombie Lobster. She attends an Undead Tea Party, plays croquet with the queen in a graveyard, and attends the most grisly undead trial to ever exist! Decaying every step of the way, Alice is relieved when she awakens in the cemetery next to her reading sister, just in time for tea.
It was only a dream…or was it?
Nicholas Cook does a remarkable job of paraphrasing an entire work of classical literature in Alice in Zombieland. Keeping Lewis Clark’s writing intact, Cook only changes a word here and there in the original Alice in Wonderland to create a nightmare world where a little girl is faced with a world of the living dead and her own zombification. Just as zany and dreamlike as Clark’s characters, Cook creates inhabitants of this nightmare world that are both fascinating and terrible. A definite read for the horror genre fan!
Forced to listen to her lessons from her sister as they sit their favorite cemetery, Alice notices a black rat who seems to be in a hurry. More startling, he has a pocket watch and was quite verbally worried about being late! Unable to help herself, Alice abandons her sister to follow this black rat down a “dead hole” that takes her to a land that is bizarre as it is horrific. In her travels in this land, she meets a myriad of characters such as the Conqueror Wurm, the Corpse Turtle, and the Zombie Lobster. She attends an Undead Tea Party, plays croquet with the queen in a graveyard, and attends the most grisly undead trial to ever exist! Decaying every step of the way, Alice is relieved when she awakens in the cemetery next to her reading sister, just in time for tea.
It was only a dream…or was it?
Nicholas Cook does a remarkable job of paraphrasing an entire work of classical literature in Alice in Zombieland. Keeping Lewis Clark’s writing intact, Cook only changes a word here and there in the original Alice in Wonderland to create a nightmare world where a little girl is faced with a world of the living dead and her own zombification. Just as zany and dreamlike as Clark’s characters, Cook creates inhabitants of this nightmare world that are both fascinating and terrible. A definite read for the horror genre fan!
November 22, 2012
This was definitely the book I was looking for when I wanted to read "Alice in Zombieland" the first time around. This is also a book you will either love or hate once you're finished reading it. And I say "once you're finished reading it" since it's actually a rather fast read even with it being 256 pages for the ebook version.
This book is exactly what the title says-it's Alice in Wonderland with the addition of zombies. And it was a weird read. There were points I wasn't sure how to feel about the changes they made to add in the zombies since it was either really stupid or really well done. Which I guess shows that I liked the book but felt it needed something a little extra to make it seem not as weird. Maybe if it was written by Seth Grahame-Smith it could have been a more cohesive mashup. But it was worth the read. I was entertained and liked the ending which are two things I look for in a book outside of a decent plot that actually makes me want to finish the book. (I'm talking to you Swan Thieves!)
Would I read it again, maybe. Would I suggest it to others, sort of. If you want something silly and weird to read in one sitting, sure give it a try. If not, the original is just as good. But I would definitely read the original first before reading this version just to make sure you remember all of the characters from the story and how they're supposed to behave before they're zombified.
This book is exactly what the title says-it's Alice in Wonderland with the addition of zombies. And it was a weird read. There were points I wasn't sure how to feel about the changes they made to add in the zombies since it was either really stupid or really well done. Which I guess shows that I liked the book but felt it needed something a little extra to make it seem not as weird. Maybe if it was written by Seth Grahame-Smith it could have been a more cohesive mashup. But it was worth the read. I was entertained and liked the ending which are two things I look for in a book outside of a decent plot that actually makes me want to finish the book. (I'm talking to you Swan Thieves!)
Would I read it again, maybe. Would I suggest it to others, sort of. If you want something silly and weird to read in one sitting, sure give it a try. If not, the original is just as good. But I would definitely read the original first before reading this version just to make sure you remember all of the characters from the story and how they're supposed to behave before they're zombified.
July 23, 2023
Muy bonita presentación y curiosas las ilustraciones. Son las originales pero las intervinieron para que parezcan zombies. (Aunque vienen muy poquitas)
La historia es exactamente la misma solo que cambiando lugares como cementerio en lugar de jardín, zombies animales en lugar de los animales, rata en lugar de conejo. Y ya.
Todo lo simpático y curioso viene del original y así lo dejaron exactamente aquí.
Interesante idea, me hubiera gustado que fuera una historia más original literal Alice viajando a zombie land.
Porque la verdad lo que agregan da igual y solo cambiaron palabras y algunas imágenes “terroríficas” por tratarse de zombies. Meh.
La historia es exactamente la misma solo que cambiando lugares como cementerio en lugar de jardín, zombies animales en lugar de los animales, rata en lugar de conejo. Y ya.
Todo lo simpático y curioso viene del original y así lo dejaron exactamente aquí.
Interesante idea, me hubiera gustado que fuera una historia más original literal Alice viajando a zombie land.
Porque la verdad lo que agregan da igual y solo cambiaron palabras y algunas imágenes “terroríficas” por tratarse de zombies. Meh.
May 15, 2011
Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories- that being said, I really enjoyed Alice in Zombieland. Wonderland is already an eccentric place, so I felt that turning it into a Zombieland wasn't too far fetched and the new world fit right into the story. This novel was a lot of fun for me, I love the horror twists on old classics.
This book is disturbing and humorous. A really light, quick read. The illustrations are fabulous. It isn't the typical zombie mash-up, either. I have seen some reviewers upset that Cook only altered some words and kept the writing pretty much the same and not making the story his own, but I didn't mind that. I liked it.
I am really excited to recommend Alice in Zombieland to a friend. Zombie fans should really get into this. It is super creepy, just how I like my zombie books.
This book is disturbing and humorous. A really light, quick read. The illustrations are fabulous. It isn't the typical zombie mash-up, either. I have seen some reviewers upset that Cook only altered some words and kept the writing pretty much the same and not making the story his own, but I didn't mind that. I liked it.
I am really excited to recommend Alice in Zombieland to a friend. Zombie fans should really get into this. It is super creepy, just how I like my zombie books.
November 9, 2012
Alice follows a Black Rat instead of a White Rabbit down a grave and into the world of Zombie land. In Zombieland everything is dead. Alice starts to get hungry for flesh but she doesn't understand why. She eventually learns she is a zombie in a world of zombies.
This was a cute take on Alice in Wonderland. I will say however I got the impression the Author had Alice in Wonderland opened on a table and just copied what he saw. He then went back and changed everyone into zombies. Not very orginal at all.
Worth the read as it is a small book. I will never read it a second time though.
This was a cute take on Alice in Wonderland. I will say however I got the impression the Author had Alice in Wonderland opened on a table and just copied what he saw. He then went back and changed everyone into zombies. Not very orginal at all.
Worth the read as it is a small book. I will never read it a second time though.
November 10, 2011
As a fan of Alice Alice in Wonderland...and zombies, I saw this book and couldn't wait to start reading. This book started out like many other books do, slow. So I did not think much of it, but before I knew it, I was to the middle of the story, still waiting for it to get interesting. When I eventually finished the book, I was quite disappointed that it was not as great as I thought it would be. Of course that just may be my own opinion, but I would not read this book again nor recommend it to others.
September 13, 2016
Brilliant, clever humor! Amazing how few words actually need to be changed to create a different story. I deeply love the original classic, and I had a blast reading this revision! Wonderland was perfectly primed to be turned into Zombieland. From the revamped Tenniel sketches to the details of Alice's peculiar hunger, this book is quite entertaining. I would actually love to see it make it onto the big screen!
February 25, 2013
where were the zombies? she fell, walked around hungry, saw a room of them, woke up. total letdown. no brains. no blood. no gore. no fun.
October 10, 2017
“Still thinking how much she would like to eat her new friends. She could not decide if she would do so with sauce or not. She wasn’t sure it mattered much as she could not think of a polite way to ask them for a taste of their flesh.” - Nickolas Cook - Alice in Zombieland
This was such a short read it seemed silly not to finish it. I haven’t read the original Alice in Wonderland story, so I don’t know how close this one follows to that. Some of the storyline seemed familiar from watching the movie. Well, minus all the zombies and flesh eating that is. The story kind of seemed all over the place and because the story was so short, it felt really rushed. It was definitely gory and kind of graphic. I did think the illustrations were cool and the cover is what really caught my interest when I saw this book. I think after reading this, it’s definitely time to switch it up to a lighter read!
This was such a short read it seemed silly not to finish it. I haven’t read the original Alice in Wonderland story, so I don’t know how close this one follows to that. Some of the storyline seemed familiar from watching the movie. Well, minus all the zombies and flesh eating that is. The story kind of seemed all over the place and because the story was so short, it felt really rushed. It was definitely gory and kind of graphic. I did think the illustrations were cool and the cover is what really caught my interest when I saw this book. I think after reading this, it’s definitely time to switch it up to a lighter read!
August 17, 2020
Though the concept is amusing I dont feel like it was pulled off well. The author seemed too desperate for the new found theme to be incorporated fully but to still stick largely to the original script even if it didn't mesh quite right. The result was an even more gibberish version of Alice in Wonderland. Just in this one, everything is dead.
February 13, 2019
This was a fun read but you must love the original Alice in Wonderland and be a fan of Zombies also. Although some die hard fans of Alice hate this book. It's for humor. A monster mash-up. I thought it was a fun spin on the original story. I liked the Mock Turtle better in Zombieland where he is the Corpse Turtle. Read this with an open mind if you decide to give it a try.
October 16, 2021
Very funny and easy read filled with bizarre and enjoyable moments.
February 8, 2025
Realized that I really just don’t like the entire concept and plot of Alice in Wonderland. The zombies were the best part.
Read
October 28, 2016The characters in the story such as Alice, the Hatter, and others more are closely equivalent to the characters in the original story “Alice in Wonderland” making the story more believable if knowing the original tale. And because Nickolas Cook incorporated the same actions from the original story and modified new actions to go with the theme the story stays more consistent. For instance, in the original story, Alice had a drink and a tiny cake that were labeled for her to eat and drink, but in the story Nickolas Cook changes it to “poison” for the drink. And with Alice’s weakness of curiosity she drinks the solution anyway making her grow in size ending with her being the right size for the door she needs to enter. Or in other characters, such as the Cheshire cat that most kids know and surely love, has the same action of telling Alice where the two passages go and how she can go any way she desires at her own risk. As well as, disappearing as he pleases, however, because of the twist in the story the Cheshire Cat “likes to eat little girls, not mice” (Cook 108) again staying with the theme and making the story more believable, as well as staying more in the zombie-like characteristics. And Lastly, everything from the beginning molds very well to the end from the zombies having jeweled collars and being controlled by the red queen to the crave of meat pies that Alice has throughout the story. Alice puts her foot down and defends her new, dead friends against the Red Queen and her cruelty towards them, then later destroys the box that helps control the collars and sets the zombies free. As well as, helping them get revenge on the red queen for her crimes and eating her. However, even though that was not Alice’s intention of them attacking the Red Queen she tries to stop them by screaming ( not only in frustration but in fear as well) later on waking herself up from where she started in the beginning of the book…the graveyard. Where she finds out Zombieland was a terrible dream and finally gets the meat pies she has been dying for.
As you read a story such as Alice In Wonderland, you think of the usual, such as a white rabbit that is always stressing over time, or the Red Queen having an army of a deck of cards. However, author Nickolas Cook modifies the family friendly story book into his own twisted tale with the help of his dark imagination. For instance, Wonderland isn’t so wonderful, but is instead dead and renamed as Zombieland. The plot of the story does not change as much as the idea of the story such as, instead of sleeping on the bark of a comfortable tree, Alice hangs out in a graveyard and finds herself following a black rat down a deep, dark, scary hole; unlike a nice, anxious rabbit who is just trying not to be late for the Red Queen. This shows how Nickolas Cook incorporates the actual story and mold it into his own,leaving some similarities in the both. As well as, the characters who are known to be cheery and full of joy are now dead and trying to find a meal. However, the well know character the Mad Hatter is still a good character in both wonder and zombie lands. In zombieland he finds a way to control his hunger and help Alice through his journey. And with changing the happy story of Alice in Wonderland, instead of Alice’s river of “tears” it is now blood from the cut she encountered when she went down the “rat” hole which stays with her for most of her journey. Although, most of the main characters in the book are dead such as the Cheshire cat and tea party guest, the Red Queen and her king are human and living. And like in the original story, the Red Queen has the same personality and similar actions. For instance, yelling, being cruel to people (or in this case zombies), and as well as chopping off people’s heads off. The main difference between wonderland and Zombieland Red Queen is their army. Instead of the army of deck of cards, it is the army of zombies and in order to control them she uses jeweled, red collars. And lastly, throughout the journey of Alice, she experiences a sort of change. Where her body absorbs the environment she is discovering and turns her into everyone else...a zombie. And develops a strong hunger where she wants to eat anything or one that gets in the way of her voyage.
As you read a story such as Alice In Wonderland, you think of the usual, such as a white rabbit that is always stressing over time, or the Red Queen having an army of a deck of cards. However, author Nickolas Cook modifies the family friendly story book into his own twisted tale with the help of his dark imagination. For instance, Wonderland isn’t so wonderful, but is instead dead and renamed as Zombieland. The plot of the story does not change as much as the idea of the story such as, instead of sleeping on the bark of a comfortable tree, Alice hangs out in a graveyard and finds herself following a black rat down a deep, dark, scary hole; unlike a nice, anxious rabbit who is just trying not to be late for the Red Queen. This shows how Nickolas Cook incorporates the actual story and mold it into his own,leaving some similarities in the both. As well as, the characters who are known to be cheery and full of joy are now dead and trying to find a meal. However, the well know character the Mad Hatter is still a good character in both wonder and zombie lands. In zombieland he finds a way to control his hunger and help Alice through his journey. And with changing the happy story of Alice in Wonderland, instead of Alice’s river of “tears” it is now blood from the cut she encountered when she went down the “rat” hole which stays with her for most of her journey. Although, most of the main characters in the book are dead such as the Cheshire cat and tea party guest, the Red Queen and her king are human and living. And like in the original story, the Red Queen has the same personality and similar actions. For instance, yelling, being cruel to people (or in this case zombies), and as well as chopping off people’s heads off. The main difference between wonderland and Zombieland Red Queen is their army. Instead of the army of deck of cards, it is the army of zombies and in order to control them she uses jeweled, red collars. And lastly, throughout the journey of Alice, she experiences a sort of change. Where her body absorbs the environment she is discovering and turns her into everyone else...a zombie. And develops a strong hunger where she wants to eat anything or one that gets in the way of her voyage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2011
Alice in Zombieland is a novel by Lewis Carroll and Nickolas Cook from Sourcebooks.
Book Blurb:
They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank-the birds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable. All of them were covered in Alice's now cold and congealed blood, which made them even tastier looking to poor hungry Alice.
When little Alice follows the Black Rat down into the gaping darkness of an open grave, she falls and falls. And soon finds herself in an undead nightmare of rotting flesh and insanity. Venturing further into this land of zombies and monsters, she encounters characters both creepy and madcap along the way.
But there's something else troubling poor Alice: her skin is rotting and her hair is falling out. She's cold. And she has the haunting feeling that if she remains in Zombieland any longer, she might never leave.
Can Alice escape Zombieland before the Dead Red Queen catches up to her?
My thoughts:
This has to be one of the most fun mash-ups I’ve read.
Alice and her sister are passing the time in the cemetery when Alice sees a Black Rat run by. This is no ordinary rat - he is talking, wearing clothes and carrying a pocket watch.
Intrigued, Alice follows him and falls into an open grave. And falls and falls and falls.
Alice is now in Zombieland - and she is beginning to feel the effects. She is cold and hungry - oh, so hungry. If she could only get something (or someone) to eat, she would feel so much better.
After traveling for a bit and meeting some very interesting - though dead, creatures - Alice has come to the attention of the Dead Red Queen. Now the Queen wants Alice dead - permanently.
Alice is Zombieland is a fun, creepy mash-up of a classic tale. I think it’s great.
I give Alice in Zombieland 3 out of 5 stars.
M
Book Blurb:
They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank-the birds with draggled feathers, the animals with their fur clinging close to them, and all dripping wet, cross, and uncomfortable. All of them were covered in Alice's now cold and congealed blood, which made them even tastier looking to poor hungry Alice.
When little Alice follows the Black Rat down into the gaping darkness of an open grave, she falls and falls. And soon finds herself in an undead nightmare of rotting flesh and insanity. Venturing further into this land of zombies and monsters, she encounters characters both creepy and madcap along the way.
But there's something else troubling poor Alice: her skin is rotting and her hair is falling out. She's cold. And she has the haunting feeling that if she remains in Zombieland any longer, she might never leave.
Can Alice escape Zombieland before the Dead Red Queen catches up to her?
My thoughts:
This has to be one of the most fun mash-ups I’ve read.
Alice and her sister are passing the time in the cemetery when Alice sees a Black Rat run by. This is no ordinary rat - he is talking, wearing clothes and carrying a pocket watch.
Intrigued, Alice follows him and falls into an open grave. And falls and falls and falls.
Alice is now in Zombieland - and she is beginning to feel the effects. She is cold and hungry - oh, so hungry. If she could only get something (or someone) to eat, she would feel so much better.
After traveling for a bit and meeting some very interesting - though dead, creatures - Alice has come to the attention of the Dead Red Queen. Now the Queen wants Alice dead - permanently.
Alice is Zombieland is a fun, creepy mash-up of a classic tale. I think it’s great.
I give Alice in Zombieland 3 out of 5 stars.
M
March 26, 2011
Ever wonder what Alice would be like if she ended up in Zombieland instead of Wonderland?
Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Lewis Carroll and Nickolas Cook
Publisher: Sourcebooks
www.sourcebooks.com
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5621-9
Genre: Horror
Price: $14.99
Pages: 240
Rating: 4 Blood Drops
Blurb:
When little Alice follows the Black Rat down into the gaping darkness of an open grave, she falls and falls. And soon finds herself in an undead nightmare of rotting flesh and insanity. Venturing further into this land of zombies and monsters, she encounters characters both creepy and madcap along the way.
But there's something else troubling poor Alice: her skin is rotting and her hair is falling out. She's cold. And she has the haunting feeling that if she remains in Zombieland any longer, she might never leave.
Can Alice escape Zombieland before the Dead Red Queen catches up to her?
Alice in Zombieland is not your typical childhood fairytale. Even though the storyline is kept pretty much the same, the author adds a demented twist to Alice's “Wonderland”, turning it into a “Horrorland”. It took me sometime to develop an attachment to this version, and the attachment was more of a curiosity. I was curious to see what type of morbid adventures Alice would be taken through and what kind of misfit characters she would meet along the way. I am a fan of Horror, so I did find myself somewhat enjoying this read in a psychotic manner. =) All the characters, however mentally disturbed, fit perfectly in this freakish land of undead things. So, if you are wanting something familiar, yet truly bizarre, than you need to experience the tale of Alice in Zombieland for yourself.
Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Lewis Carroll and Nickolas Cook
Publisher: Sourcebooks
www.sourcebooks.com
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5621-9
Genre: Horror
Price: $14.99
Pages: 240
Rating: 4 Blood Drops
Blurb:
When little Alice follows the Black Rat down into the gaping darkness of an open grave, she falls and falls. And soon finds herself in an undead nightmare of rotting flesh and insanity. Venturing further into this land of zombies and monsters, she encounters characters both creepy and madcap along the way.
But there's something else troubling poor Alice: her skin is rotting and her hair is falling out. She's cold. And she has the haunting feeling that if she remains in Zombieland any longer, she might never leave.
Can Alice escape Zombieland before the Dead Red Queen catches up to her?
Alice in Zombieland is not your typical childhood fairytale. Even though the storyline is kept pretty much the same, the author adds a demented twist to Alice's “Wonderland”, turning it into a “Horrorland”. It took me sometime to develop an attachment to this version, and the attachment was more of a curiosity. I was curious to see what type of morbid adventures Alice would be taken through and what kind of misfit characters she would meet along the way. I am a fan of Horror, so I did find myself somewhat enjoying this read in a psychotic manner. =) All the characters, however mentally disturbed, fit perfectly in this freakish land of undead things. So, if you are wanting something familiar, yet truly bizarre, than you need to experience the tale of Alice in Zombieland for yourself.
May 6, 2011
"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!"
I have never read Alice in Wonderland and I am not sure if I should have read that before this book or not. I know the basics of the story, but you put zombies in it and it gets a LOT weirder.
So Alice follows a Black Rat instead of a White Rabbit down a grave and into the world of Zombie land. In Zombieland everything is pretty much dead. Alice starts to get hungry for flesh but she doesn't understand why. It's not till she meets the Cheshire Cat that she learns about being dead.
"Oh, you can't help that," Said the Cat. "We're all dead here. I'm dead. Your dead." pg 108
You can't have a Alice book without the lovely Mad Hatter and so you have the undead tea party. At the party Alice learns what happened to this strange land she is in and how the Red Queen controls the undead and uses her power to not just kill the undead but anyone who gets in her way.
The longer Alice is in Zombieland the more she starts to change, soon she is starting to rot and her hair is falling out. Then as we all know how the story goes the Red Queen wants Alices head but all Alice wants to do is go home.
I am still not sure how I feel about these new versions of classics, but if you enjoy them then you will like this book. Alice in Zombieland is a quirky, dark and can be a little gruesome at times. I myself found it to be sort of funny and laughable. I am not a zombie fan, but these are more laughable than scary zombies, except for the Red Queen she is sort of scary..LOL.
I thought the book was okay though at times I found it a little lacking but over all I would recommend it to zombie fans or those who like the quirky new retaling of classics.
I have never read Alice in Wonderland and I am not sure if I should have read that before this book or not. I know the basics of the story, but you put zombies in it and it gets a LOT weirder.
So Alice follows a Black Rat instead of a White Rabbit down a grave and into the world of Zombie land. In Zombieland everything is pretty much dead. Alice starts to get hungry for flesh but she doesn't understand why. It's not till she meets the Cheshire Cat that she learns about being dead.
"Oh, you can't help that," Said the Cat. "We're all dead here. I'm dead. Your dead." pg 108
You can't have a Alice book without the lovely Mad Hatter and so you have the undead tea party. At the party Alice learns what happened to this strange land she is in and how the Red Queen controls the undead and uses her power to not just kill the undead but anyone who gets in her way.
The longer Alice is in Zombieland the more she starts to change, soon she is starting to rot and her hair is falling out. Then as we all know how the story goes the Red Queen wants Alices head but all Alice wants to do is go home.
I am still not sure how I feel about these new versions of classics, but if you enjoy them then you will like this book. Alice in Zombieland is a quirky, dark and can be a little gruesome at times. I myself found it to be sort of funny and laughable. I am not a zombie fan, but these are more laughable than scary zombies, except for the Red Queen she is sort of scary..LOL.
I thought the book was okay though at times I found it a little lacking but over all I would recommend it to zombie fans or those who like the quirky new retaling of classics.
April 5, 2019
Turning a beloved classic into something filled with horrors, Alice in Zombieland by Lewis Carroll and Nickolas Cook explores the tale we know in a much darker fashion.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Young Alice follows not the White Rabbit but the Black Rat in this re-envisioned tale, falling down an open grave into a world of unparalleled nightmare and insanity. Venturing further into this odd world of zombies and other monsters, Alice navigates the familiar-to-the-reader fluctuations in her size and interacts with the notably outlandish characters. The longer she's there and the deeper into Zombieland she travels the more Alice seems to decompose and crave flesh; if she stays much longer, will she ever be able to leave?
Admittedly, I have an immense appreciation of and affection for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, so my starting expectations will undoubtedly have me biased; however, I was fairly entertained with the humorous attempt to incorporate zombies with the original story. Although not much has been made overly unique within the text (like other zombiefied classics might have prepared you for) with the original story instead being embellished with certain details to add the titular zombiefied flair, the darkness and goriness this re-envisioning imbues to the formerly lighthearted story is intriguing, particularly as a fairy tale-esque morality story warning of the consequences of venturing where you weren't invited.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Young Alice follows not the White Rabbit but the Black Rat in this re-envisioned tale, falling down an open grave into a world of unparalleled nightmare and insanity. Venturing further into this odd world of zombies and other monsters, Alice navigates the familiar-to-the-reader fluctuations in her size and interacts with the notably outlandish characters. The longer she's there and the deeper into Zombieland she travels the more Alice seems to decompose and crave flesh; if she stays much longer, will she ever be able to leave?
Admittedly, I have an immense appreciation of and affection for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, so my starting expectations will undoubtedly have me biased; however, I was fairly entertained with the humorous attempt to incorporate zombies with the original story. Although not much has been made overly unique within the text (like other zombiefied classics might have prepared you for) with the original story instead being embellished with certain details to add the titular zombiefied flair, the darkness and goriness this re-envisioning imbues to the formerly lighthearted story is intriguing, particularly as a fairy tale-esque morality story warning of the consequences of venturing where you weren't invited.
April 1, 2011
Alice was sitting with her sister outside on the bank. Alice wished she was in the graveyard instead. She loved walking through the graveyard. Suddenly, Alice sees a black rat. A black rat is nothing to awe about but a talking black rat is. The rat goes racing by chanting about being late. Alice takes off after the rat and follows him. Alice ends up in a strange and bizarre world…filled with odd creatures. All Alice can think about is the horrific craving she has for eating fresh meat. What is this world and what is happening to Alice?
Alice in Zombieland is not the book you or I grew up on. Mr. Cook puts his own twists on a classic and makes it his own for the twenty-first century. I have been on a reading spree recently and have been reading a lot of zombie related books. This book did have the creep factor. The illustrations in this book were well done. This helped to add to the creep factor. As I was reading this book, I could not get over the fact that sweet Alice was a flesh, eating zombie. While, I did like this book, I would not say that it will ever gain the classic status that the original Alice in Wonderland is. This is what I do like about this book as it is a tongue and cheek read.
Alice in Zombieland is not the book you or I grew up on. Mr. Cook puts his own twists on a classic and makes it his own for the twenty-first century. I have been on a reading spree recently and have been reading a lot of zombie related books. This book did have the creep factor. The illustrations in this book were well done. This helped to add to the creep factor. As I was reading this book, I could not get over the fact that sweet Alice was a flesh, eating zombie. While, I did like this book, I would not say that it will ever gain the classic status that the original Alice in Wonderland is. This is what I do like about this book as it is a tongue and cheek read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews