Automated Alice
July 13th 2006 05:31
Automated Alice, by Jeff Noon
Ever wondered what it would be like if Alice from Alice in Wonderland travelled to another fantasy world again, but in a story written in contemporary times?
No? Me neither.
Jeff Noon has helped us all out though by writing this, the third (and final?) Alice book. It's what we've always needed!
I shouldn't really take the piss. It's not a bad book... I just can't help but be sceptical of these gimmicky kinds of modern day sequels to classic books (EG. The modern-day follow ups to Frankenstein and The Time Machine). It feels too much like cashing in, or as if the author couldn't be arsed coming up with their own ideas. Jeff Noon probably shouldn't be criticized for the latter... Automated Alice is nothing short of inventive. It still feels gimmicky nonetheless.
Basically, the book picks up after 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass'. Alice journeys into a clock and travels to the future, a bizarre and tweaked version of our own modern times. She is chased by Civil Serpents and meets Celia, her clockwork twin sister, and all sorts of witty and slightly-frustrating puns and wordplay abound.
Despite Noon's fame as a cyberpunk/adult sci-fi author, this book is suitable for adults and children alike, and is fairly traditional in style - matching up with Lewis Carroll's originals quite nicely in the way of structure and storytelling. Noon has labelled it as an 'avant-fantasy', which I think is actually pretty apt - which makes a change from the usual wankish labels authors come up with for their own work.
As I mentioned before, the wordplay can get a little irritating but I think this is Noon's thing. I couldn't help but feel a little let down... I thought I was up for something revisionist and subverting, but the book is actually pretty straightforward. Sure, there's a murder mystery and some interesting left-field examinations of the english language, but I think it's definitely one more for fans of Lewis Carroll's books than for fans of modern science fiction and fantasy.
A real oddity.
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