The unlikely history of the little girl that tumbled down the rabbit hole is unknown to some but treasured by many more. Lewis Carroll originally wrote his masterwork Alice In Wonderland for the daughter of a colleague, the Dean of Christ Church in Oxford. Alice Liddell (as she was known) became forever remembered as the muse that inspired Carroll’s fantastical tale.

Who would have suspected that this “child’s story” would endure, and grow to become a global touchstone of culture? An improbable (though well deserved) accomplishment.

As it would happen, one unlikelihood tends to give birth to the next. This was certainly the case for re-tellings of Alice’s adventure. While some iterations of the tale have been faithful to the source material and palatable to eager audience, other more far-flung versions of Wonderland have been met with fervent rejection.

The upward battle of bringing an “alternate” Alice (or is it Alyss?) into being was fraught with publisher refusals and even protestors for author Frank Beddor, a story which deserves to be read with all its unbelievable details.

Scott Timberg of the Los Angeles Times dove into what it took to reimagine the story of the girl in the blue dress. Read the full story: Taking Alice, er Alyss, to the Dark Side