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lilyn_g's review
4.0
This was an interesting short story. It was obvious from the moment I saw the name that it was going to be a Wizard of Oz re-telling, but from my experience reading some of the author’s other short stories, beyond ‘probably dark’ I had no clue what direction this would go in.
Dr. Oz of Z-Industries has a touch of absurdity requiring suspension of belief a bit beyond what is usually expected. Given the source material, the absurdity is not necessarily a bad thing nor is it drastically out of place. I found myself quite intrigued by what I was reading, and trying to figure out who the main character was supposed to represent. When that question was finally answered, I sat back and nodded in satisfaction at a well-played hand. While the expected characters do make an appearance, some of them will quite surprise you and the representations are nicely different from their portrayals in the source material.
However, while this retelling is deliciously dark, I would hesitate to classify it as horror. Even though we do see a representation of a typical horror monster within it, the tension that generally comes with such a read is decidedly absent. I would say this is more of a ‘dark fantasy’ than anything, so if you go into it expecting something scary you may be disappointed.
Overall, this journey down the yellow brick road, at just over 70 pages, is worth a look-see if you like your re-tellings a bit dark and twisted.
For this and other science fiction, horror, thriller, and kids' books reviews, please visit: Scifi and Scary's Book Reviews.
Dr. Oz of Z-Industries has a touch of absurdity requiring suspension of belief a bit beyond what is usually expected. Given the source material, the absurdity is not necessarily a bad thing nor is it drastically out of place. I found myself quite intrigued by what I was reading, and trying to figure out who the main character was supposed to represent. When that question was finally answered, I sat back and nodded in satisfaction at a well-played hand. While the expected characters do make an appearance, some of them will quite surprise you and the representations are nicely different from their portrayals in the source material.
However, while this retelling is deliciously dark, I would hesitate to classify it as horror. Even though we do see a representation of a typical horror monster within it, the tension that generally comes with such a read is decidedly absent. I would say this is more of a ‘dark fantasy’ than anything, so if you go into it expecting something scary you may be disappointed.
Overall, this journey down the yellow brick road, at just over 70 pages, is worth a look-see if you like your re-tellings a bit dark and twisted.
For this and other science fiction, horror, thriller, and kids' books reviews, please visit: Scifi and Scary's Book Reviews.
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