Unbirthday (A Twisted Tale)

Unbirthday is the tenth instalment in the Disney book series, A Twisted Tale (Book Series). It is based on the Disney animated classic, Alice in Wonderland.
== Synopsis ==
What if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late?
Alice is different than other eighteen-year-old ladies in Kexford, which is perfectly fine with her. She'd rather spend golden afternoons with her trusty camera or in her aunt Vivian's lively salon, ignoring her sister's wishes that she stop all that "nonsense" and become a "respectable" member of society. Alice is happy to meander to Miss Yao's teashop or to visit the children playing in the Square. She's also interested in learning more about the young lawyer she met there, but just because she's curious, of course, not because he was sweet and charming.
But when Alice develops photographs she has recently taken about town, familiar faces of old suddenly appear in the place of her actual subjects – the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, even the Caterpillar! There's something eerily off about them, even for Wonderland creatures. And as Alice develops a self-portrait, she finds the most disturbing image of all-a badly-injured dark-haired girl asking for Alice's help. Mary Ann.
Returning to the place of nonsense from her childhood, Alice finds herself on a mission to stop the Queen of Hearts' tyrannical rule and to find her place in both worlds. But will she able to do so... before the End of Time?
== Plot ==
Longing to experience Wonderland again, a now 18 year old Alice spends much of her time seeking things that remind her of Wonderland. Alice's aunt, Vivian, supports Alice in her endeavors and provides her with a camera after Alice proved to be lacking in artistic talent.
One day, while photographing the refugee children in the square, Alice meets a barrister named Abraham Joseph Katz, who is the son of refugees and spends much of his time looking out for other refugees. During their interaction, Katz advises Alice to keep sweets on her person at all times, in case of emergency, and asks that she visit him again. Making her way to Mr. Willard's haberdashery, where she is reminded of the Mad Hatter. At the same time, Alice's elder sister, Mathilda, continuously attempts to pair her with one Richard Coney, an associate of Mathilda's partner, Corwin Hedstruth, working for Gilbert Ramsbottom's ongoing political race to become mayor of Kexford.
Developing her pictures, Alice finds that, rather than depicting Mrs. Pogysdunhow - who'd posed specifically for a portrait - instead depicts the Queen of Hearts. Even so, Alice quickly realizes that she is the only one who can see the Queen of Hearts in the picture. Continuing, Alice finds that Mr. Willard appears as the Mad Hatter, though something about the image is wrong, as the Mad Hatter seems deeply disturbed rather than being his nonsensical self. Similarly, aunt Vivian appears as the Caterpillar. Shuffling through the pictures, Alice eventually discovers that she also appears as someone else: a girl with dark hair, who is blindfolded, covered in blood, and holding a banner reading "Merry Unbirthday." Unclear as to who the girl is, Alice surmises that it could be Mary-Anne, whom she was mistaken for during her first visit to Wonderland.
Resolving to return to Wonderland, Alice makes for the park that she and her elder sister, Mathilda, had visited 11 years prior, where she'd first entered Wonderland. Whilst seeking the rabbit hole, Alice encounters Katz again, who offers to tell her a story of the City of Helm in Poland, however as the two continue to spend time with one another, Alice discovers that the river is an entry point for Wonderland. Diving into the river, Alice pushes through a small pool in a courtyard painted red.
Alice witnesses a wall form before her very eyes and a number of hunched creatures make their way through a portcullis, with the opening then disappearing. Alice meets the Knave of Accounts, and though she is initially denied entry to the teatime executions, the revelation of her monocle convinces the Knave that Alice also works in accounts, and she is permitted entry. Inside, Alice finds Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum have sided with the Queen of Hearts and are provoking the audience as the Mad Hatter, Dodo, and Dormouse are readied for execution. Alice learns from a sheep that, although the Queen of Hearts is amassing an army, she rarely attends executions herself anymore. Spying an 'Eat Me' cake in the V.I.P. section, Alice lies her way in and devours the cake, expecting to grow to massive size - however, nothing happens. With no other options, Alice demands the release of the prisoners, but the pangolin overseeing the execution scoffs at the idea. Taking advantage of the situation, the Mad Hatter, Dodo, and Dormouse escape their bindings and flee. The pangolin then orders for Alice's capture, and she is forced to flee into the adjacent hedge maze, where she is confronted by a lizard working for the White Rabbit - questioning her as to her loyalty toward the Queen of Hearts.
After ultimately escaping her pursuers, Alice is approached by the Cheshire Cat, who explains that Alice was never meant to be gone, having awoken too soon 11 years ago. Meanwhile, Alice's counterpart, Mary-Anne, was meant to be Wonderland's savior, but she did not fulfill her duty. In response to Alice's questioning about how she could find Mary-Anne, Cheshire recites a poem intended to be a clue, the answer being: a doll. Once she is left alone, Alice explores the Tulgey Wood, following the Mome Raths to the Mad Hatter, Dodo, and Dormouse. While discussing the state of Wonderland, Mad Hatter reveals to Alice that the March Hare had been killed, and the Queen of Hearts is only driven by the game of war. Furthermore, Mary-Anne was the one who had wanted Alice to return to Wonderland, having reached out to Wonderland while imprisoned, though she has since escaped. Elaborating, it is suggested that Mary-Anne could possibly be in the Grunderound, a place where everything you're looking for, but cannot find, is, and Alice believes this to be true based on the clues Cheshire had provided. Before setting out, Dodo explains to Alice that the Mad Hatter has had the nonsense knocked out of him after the Queen of Hearts tossed him into a flock of Jubub Birds, losing his eye in the process, in order to force him to reveal Mary-Anne's location, and thus he's slowly becoming sane.
Alice, Mad Hatter, Dodo, and Dormouse travel downstream inside of an umbrella until they arrive in a town populated by birds, called Ornithsiville, covered in rabbit-shaped markings and dedications to the Queen of Hearts. The residents themselves appear to place their loyalty with whomever the situation calls for. Alice then spots an apparent disguised imposter in the square, who turns out to be the Gryphon, as well as Bill the Lizard, upon inspection. Dodo invites the Gryphon and Bill to join them in their journey toward the Grunderound, which Gryphon accepts, making a party of six. Alice once again attempts to eat an 'Eat Me' cake in order to change her size, but this yet again results in failure. With this in mind, the group comes to the conclusion that Alice has filled her head with nonsense and needs to 'unremember' in order to remember how to change her size.
The group takes a slight detour to the Forest of Forgetfulness, explaining that Alice must enter alone. Within, Alice immediately forgets everything, and is surprised to encounter someone else - who'd also forgotten everything - along the way. Together, the two unintentionally wander out of the Forest of Forgetfulness, wherein they reunite with the group. Suddenly remembering his identity, the individual Alice had met in the forest proclaims that he is the Knave of Hearts, having fled after eating the Queen's tarts and earning her wrath. While the Knave joins the group, the others are cautious of him due to his previous allegiance to the Queen of Hearts.
Encountering Cheshire again along the way, Alice receives another riddle to decipher, before the group finally reaches the Grunderound. As the entrance is small, they send Bill and the Dormouse in ahead of them in order to ask tp be let in. While they wait, Alice once again attempts to shrink by drinking from the Knave of Hearts' port - though this proves unsuccessful yet again. Frustrated, the Mad Hatter comments on Alice's physical relation to Wonderland, prompting Alice to rend open the entrance to the Grunderound large enough for them all to enter, finally pushed to do what was necessary.
Inside, the group interacts with the refugees of Wonderland. Alice grabs 'Drink Me' bottles in preparation for the coming battle, while Gryphon remains behind in order to help the wounded. In the final room of the Grunderound, Alice reunites with the Caterpillar. Then, the group learns that the Mary-Anne not in the Grunderound, because she is in fact, dead. This leads Dodo to suggest that Mary-Anne had called Alice to Wonderland because she believed that Alice could take her place as leader of the revolution. Bearing this in mind, Alice gathers her friends in order to figure out what steps they need to take going forward. However, when they cannot find the Knave of Hearts, Alice realizes that the Knave had betrayed them, returning to the Queen of Hearts in order to report the location of the Grunderound. Jus then, the Grunderound is attacked by the Card Soldiers, collapsing within itself and sending Alice back to her own world, while her friends are all captured.
Katz helps Alice out of the river, but the two are seen by Coney - who had been on his way to a legislative meeting to attempt to force the refugees out of London. Outraged, Katz defends his people, ultimately leaving to allow Coney to escort Alice home. Once there, Alice speaks with her mother, insisting that Mathilda keep out of her personal life, though her mother worries that Alice will eventually become like her aunt Vivian - a spinster.
That night, Alice fails to reach Wonderland in her dreams, though she could feel that she was close to breaking through the veil. However, Alice is awoken by Mathilda, who expresses her frustration over what had happened between Alice and Coney. When Alice reveals Coney's absurd behavior, Mathilda relents and apologizes for her mistake, but asks that Alice not leave things between her and Coney so negative - for the sake of her own relationship with Hedstruth. As a result, Alice begrudgingly agrees to attend one of her sister's meetings with Hedstruth and Coney.
Later that day, Alice discovers that someone had thrown a rock into Mrs. Yao's tea shop, with a note demanding that she return from whence she came. Alice takes it upon herself to photograph the scene, taking some more photos before continuing to the meet with with Mathilda and Hedstruth. Alice meets Gilbert and Quagley Ramsbottom and surmises that the two are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. As Gilbert Ramsbottom delivers a speech advocating racist behaviors towards immigrants - believing that they should return to the countries they'd come from, thereby keeping London 'pure'. Alice unexpectedly encounters her aunt Vivian, having attended as a favor to Willard, who had been forbidden from attending himself, as Ramsbottom's political opponent in the race to become mayor of Kexford. The two are then joined by Ramsbottom, Hedstruth, and Coney, wherein Ramsbottom suggests that he would one day craft a law forbidding women from choosing to remain without a husband.
== Gallery ==
Unbirthday.jpg|Current Cover (2020)
Unbirthday UK Cover.jpg|Original UK Paperback Cover (2020)
Unbirthday New UK Paperback Cover.jpg|Current UK Paperback Cover (2023)
=== International titles ===
2020-twisted-tales-joyeux-non-anniversaire-00.jpg|French Cover (2021)
Unbirthday German cover.jpg|German Cover (2022)
JP Unbirthday.1.jpg|Japanese (Part One) Paperback Cover (2022)
JP Unbirthday.2.jpg|Japanese (Part Two) Paperback Cover (2022)
Polish Unbirthday.jpg|Polish Cover (2021)
*Finnish: Syntymättömyyspäivä (Unbirthday)
*French: Un joyeux non-anniversaire (A Happy Unbirthday)
*German: Alice im Bann der Herzkönigin (Alice under the Spell of the Queen of Hearts)
*Japanese: アンバースデー (Unbirthday)
*Polish: NieUrodziny (Unbirthday)
*Spanish: Feliz no cumpleaños (Happy Unbirthday)
Category:A Twisted Tale
Category:Alice in Wonderland books
Category:Alice in Wonderland
Category:Novels