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trilogy, where both main characters explore the other’s world. By reversing the 
traditional approach of Alice belonging to the primary world and literally stumbling into a 
strange secondary one, Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars reveal the “true” origin of Alice. 
Alyss actually belongs to the secondary world, not the primary one she has grown up in. 
Provided that they are original and creative, such reversals of perspective have a great 
potential.
As manifold as the possibilities that arise from perspective-reversals are the current 
methods for establishing contact between two or more worlds. Traditional means such as 
gates or doors are still used, often in combination with further means as in Nix’ The Keys to 
the Kingdom
series. Natural or artificially opened and maintained connections can for instance 
be found in Brennan’s novels, whereas Harry Potter receives a formal invitation to Hogwarts 
which introduces him to the world of magic. A further way of establishing a passageway 
between worlds are artefacts or other objects with special powers, such as the talismans in 
Hoffman’s Stravaganza or Will’s Subtle Knife in Pullman’s His Dark Materials. 
A special case of secondary worlds are alternative worlds. The latter will be examined 
separately in the following since they offer highly interesting possibilities for enlarging the 
spectrum of secondary worlds in current British children’s fantasy novels. By walking
down 
alternative paths and offering what-if-scenarios, such worlds can give valuable impulses to the 
genre.
5.2.4
 
Alternative worlds
Alternative worlds are a special kind of secondary world. In current British fantasy 
novels for children, this subcategory is becoming increasingly popular with authors such as 

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Pratchett, Pullman or Wynne-Jones. Other fantastic secondary worlds tend to break away 
from the normality of a primary one in more than one aspect. No matter how advanced their 
degree of otherness may be these worlds dispose of their own specific reality and inherent 
laws, thus forming an intrinsic whole. Alternative worlds also form an intrinsic whole, yet 
their point of departure is a very special one. First of all
it is not a matter of simply setting one 
world off as being different from another. Rather, they toy with different outcomes, decisions 
and possibilities of real events which, theoretically, could have happened in reality. By 
inquiring into the question of “what would have happened if X had occurred instead of Y?” 
alternative worlds thus create tension. The latter arises from the fact that the reader already 
knows the respective result of a situation and that they are now confronted with a thought-
through alternative. Whenever history comes to a fork
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in the road, such approaches become 
possible. Taking such a fork as a starting point, authors can explore the other path(s) that, at 
the time, remained untrodden and offer thought-provoking scenarios. A prime example for 
what could happen if history had taken different paths in several places is Pullman’s trilogy 
His Dark Materials
. Illustrated by the town of Oxford the author presents two versions. Will’s 
Oxford is shown as being identical with the real town, whereas Lyra’s home town differs 
noticeably from Will’s. Located in a parallel world, Lyra’s Oxford was subject to other 
decisions and developments at crucial points in the tide of history, which have left their traces 
in its current appearance and society. So it is not the government which holds the authority in 
Lyra’s town but the Church. Also, various names and terms for institutions, persons or 
inventions do not match those of Will’s world. For instance, some colleges in Lyra’s Oxford 
are called differently, gypsies are called gyptians, electric lights are anbaric lights and there 
are no planes but zeppelins. Outside of the town of Oxford, the alternative world differs more 
widely from Will’s own. Beings such as the tiny, dragonfly-riding Gallivespians, the Lapland 
witches or the talking armoured bears have evolved in Lyra’s world but not in Will’s. A 
further, very important difference between the worlds is the external personification of a 
person’s soul in Lyra’s world compared to the internal, invisible soul of a person in Will’s 
world.
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For this phenomenon, the fantasy author Pratchett has coined the term of “the trousers of time”. The 
alternative fork can be imagined like the other trouser leg. The trousers of time illustrate how a different choice 
brings about two different possible outcomes. See Terry Pratchett; Stephen Briggs, The New Discworld 
Companion
. London: Gollancz, 2004, p. 390. The quantum theory by Hugh Everett (1956) labels those 
incidents splits of reality. Compare Richard Poole. “Philip Pullman and the Republic of Heaven”. In: The New 
Welsh Review 14.1, 53 (2001), pp. 15-22, p. 20. 

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All these differences in the alternative world encourage inquiring into the meaning of 
life, the question why things are how they are and whether they could or should be different. 
In His Dark Materials, Pullman suggests one of the many interesting faces the world could 
have taken if nature had developed in an alternative way and if other decisions had been taken 
at decisive forks. In Lyra’s world, Calvin became pope, moved from Rome to Geneva and 
introduced “the Consistorial Court of Discipline”,
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which ever since exercises the absolute 
power of the Church.
Such alternative worlds can give impulses to reality. They do so by reflecting upon the 
importance of history, time and decision-making and by analysing the advantages and 
disadvantages of the present reality by means of comparison with alternatives. With these 
sometimes playful and comical, sometimes serious reflections
the reader’s horizons are 
broadened, since alternative worlds show both improvements as well as deterioration, whereas 
paradisiacal utopias remain a rare exception.
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Better or worse concepts than reality can serve 
as either an encouragement or as a warning, depending on the statement the author wants to 
convey. Among the concerns that authors of current British fantasy novels for children share 
is the general decline of values and morals, expressed for instance by abuse of power, 
oppression, violence, loss of respect, cold-heartedness and disregard of basic human needs 
such as friendship, trust and love. Positive and negative examples of alternative worlds, be 
they optimistic, humorous, neutral or even menacing, in the end lead to a recalling or 
remodelling of stable and functioning values and morals. Thus, they can elicit an active 
discussion of reality, where the search for meaning becomes increasingly important in view of 
fading guidelines.