Unique and otherworldly, Alice In Ultraland brings the burlesque nightlife alive, with a supernatural twist.
Alice is a stripper working the Moulin Rouge, a burlesque club with a throwback atmosphere. Her story isn’t about the dark underbelly of the stripping world, but of a young woman who appears to enjoy her job and most of those she encounters, including her fellow dancers. When Alice is working the special “Ultraland” room with her best friend Deirdre, a strange, supernatural occurrence chases away customers. Then, an accident that kills Deirdre sets off a chain of events, and the supernatural story begins to ramp up.
Faced with unfair working requirements, the sisterhood of dancers decides to open their own club. Difficult, yes, but also filled with unpredictable adventures, famous ghosts, and a sexy, mysterious romance between Alice and her longtime love, Adrian.
With several plot layers that include Alice’s own story, her relationships with other dancers and their personal dramas, a many faceted, intriguing supernatural plot line, the mysterious bad-boy Adrian, and the burlesque club intrigue, Alice In Ultraland risks being too complicated, and at times, it is. However, although there are only the slightest nods to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, readers must approach it with the same suspension of disbelief and sense of a wonder: a willingness to simply go where the book goes.
This means enjoying the characters, particularly the wonderfully likable and three-dimensional Alice and the odd group surrounding her, and occasionally ignoring the scattered dialogue and disjointed plot direction. It means taking in the story’s supernatural elements, accepting the odd journey, all in search of the ultimately satisfying conclusion. It also requires being open to sexual talk and implied sexual situations (BDSM, oral sex, sex), although these scenes are never graphic.
Alice In Ultraland is a quirky take on the backstage world of strippers, an unexpected ghost story, a mystery, and a romance. It will appeal to open-minded readers seeking an unconventional tale.
Also available as an ebook.
