Scan barcode
Reviews
Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond by John Joseph Adams, Douglas Cohen
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
Oz Reimagined is a fine collection of stories. While each has a vague familiarity, they play out more like alternate realities, reusing and reshaping familiar landscapes and characters in quite satisfying ways.
Some stories feel familiar, and some vary in unusual ways. The Oz story is played out during the Chinese Revolution or in a mental hospital. Dorothy revisits the land after many years to find things unchanged and waiting, or vastly changed based on the course her life took. To say more would be to spoil your journey.
The variety of stories is really amazing and makes it fun to discover what's around the next corner. I appreciated that some of the stories used lesser known, or wholly made up, inhabitants of Oz, but the well known ones are very visible, although often altered from your memory.
I loved this anthology of stories about Oz. It's a place in my imagination and memory, and this book serves both well.
Some stories feel familiar, and some vary in unusual ways. The Oz story is played out during the Chinese Revolution or in a mental hospital. Dorothy revisits the land after many years to find things unchanged and waiting, or vastly changed based on the course her life took. To say more would be to spoil your journey.
The variety of stories is really amazing and makes it fun to discover what's around the next corner. I appreciated that some of the stories used lesser known, or wholly made up, inhabitants of Oz, but the well known ones are very visible, although often altered from your memory.
I loved this anthology of stories about Oz. It's a place in my imagination and memory, and this book serves both well.
lucidstyle's review against another edition
5.0
The two stories at the beginning of the collection are barely tolerable. Then the third is a bit better. Tad Williams's contribution and those of the following authors are wonderful and make the book worthwhile. Several stories are dark, completely unique, or entirely new and previously unimaginable interpretations of Oz. Brilliantly woven and fun!
Share "The Cobbler of Oz" with your children (age >7); it's gorgeous!
Share "The Cobbler of Oz" with your children (age >7); it's gorgeous!
nightwolfnym's review against another edition
3.0
Oz Reimagined is an anthology based on the Wizard of Oz stories by L. Frank Baum. I received this book as a Klout perk and I found myself liking it for the most part and the cover art is just too dang cute! Some of the stories I didnt particularly care for - they were just a little too bizarre for my taste, but maybe that's because I'm only familiar with the movie and not the original stories.
There's 15 stories in all, but three stories in in particular grabbed my attention, the first one titled Dorthy Dreams. The story involves an elderly Dorthy who longs to visit Oz one more time. The story proved to be sweet and sad at the same time, but it had a beauty to it. The second story I really liked was One Flew Over the Rainbow. Now unlike the previous one I mentioned this one isnt for kids (a lot of the stories here arent), but I really loved the dark, psychological story it told: It involves a group of young kids that are in an institution for various forms of psychological issues. I loved how the author incorporated aspects of Oz and showed them through the eyes of a young girl with a lot of issues. It gave the story a more real world feel. My favorite story ended up being the very last one titled The Cobbler of Oz. It was absolutely adorable and one that you could tell kids of all ages. It's about a little Winged Monkey named Nyla whose wings are too small to fly and all the other kids make fun of her. She has the cutest little personality and you root for her and really hope she gets to fly. It really was a gem.
Other ones that I enjoyed - to a lesser extent- in the order they appear: Emeralds to Emeralds Dust to Dust, Lost Girls of Oz, The Boy Detective of Oz, The Vieled Shangai, Blown Away, and Off to See the Emperor. So I guess that leaves five that just werent my cup of tea.
Also, thanks to Klout for sending it to me as a perk!
There's 15 stories in all, but three stories in in particular grabbed my attention, the first one titled Dorthy Dreams. The story involves an elderly Dorthy who longs to visit Oz one more time. The story proved to be sweet and sad at the same time, but it had a beauty to it. The second story I really liked was One Flew Over the Rainbow. Now unlike the previous one I mentioned this one isnt for kids (a lot of the stories here arent), but I really loved the dark, psychological story it told: It involves a group of young kids that are in an institution for various forms of psychological issues. I loved how the author incorporated aspects of Oz and showed them through the eyes of a young girl with a lot of issues. It gave the story a more real world feel. My favorite story ended up being the very last one titled The Cobbler of Oz. It was absolutely adorable and one that you could tell kids of all ages. It's about a little Winged Monkey named Nyla whose wings are too small to fly and all the other kids make fun of her. She has the cutest little personality and you root for her and really hope she gets to fly. It really was a gem.
Other ones that I enjoyed - to a lesser extent- in the order they appear: Emeralds to Emeralds Dust to Dust, Lost Girls of Oz, The Boy Detective of Oz, The Vieled Shangai, Blown Away, and Off to See the Emperor. So I guess that leaves five that just werent my cup of tea.
Also, thanks to Klout for sending it to me as a perk!
beyondevak's review against another edition
3.0
The creative liberties taken with this work were varied. Some stories had flair and a touch of wonder, while others fell flat on the ground. I would guardedly recommend this book. Whoever chooses to read it will definitely have to keep an open mind and be prepared to "go there."
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The words expressed are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The words expressed are my own.
misterjay's review against another edition
4.0
I'll be honest: I wasn't going to read this book. I've been a fan of Oz for too long to want to try to keep up with every new take on Dorothy and the Wizard. And, frankly, I'm tired, too. I didn't really want another retelling, another reinterpretation, another re-imagining. I want more Oz stories. Pure and simple. And this book is not that.
But I ended up reading it anyway. Because each of these authors, while re-whatevering their particular, individual, Oz stories, still gets it. They understand what it means to have that magic land in the back of your mind. They know that moment of impossible hope that surges with every cyclone, with every wrong turn, with every strange and mysterious figure that lurches over the horizon. They miss Oz, you see. And they'll get back there any way they can, even if they have to write it themselves.
The Great Zeppelin Heist of Oz by Rae Carson and C.C. Finlay
Following the idea that the Great and Powerful Oz is really nothing more than a lucky con-man from Nebraska, this story shows that all it takes to con a con-man is to let him be himself. And maybe a few winged monkeys. 3/5
Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust by Seanan McGuire
Dorothy is now the Ambassador to an increasingly hostile and dystopian Oz. Her ex, Ozma, bullies Dorothy into going to the Undercity, where someone has been murdered. Loved this one, want to read more. 5/5
Lost Girls of Oz by Theodora Gross
Where have all the girls been disappearing to? Letters home from a girl reporter who has stolen into Oz to get the scoop tell the story, and it's a doozy. 4/5
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story by Tad Williams
This is probably the first actual Oz story in the collection. Take away the trappings of the fictional world within a giant computer system that is Otherland, and what you're left with is a young man trying to solve a mystery with the aid of the Glass Cat and assorted other Ozites. 4/5
Dorothy Dreams by Simon R. Green
A bittersweet story about the true meaning of Oz and the myriad ways in which one gets there. 3/5
Dead Blue by David Farland
Arguably a cyberpunk story, from the view of the Tin Man, Dead Blue takes us through a hyper-abbreviated version of the classic story and shows us the darkness within it. 3/5
One Flew Over the Rainbow by Robin Wasserman
Nothing quite like a mash-up to show how themes are eternal and ever-present in everything we read, this story is, as the title suggests, Oz as the delusions shared and experienced by patients in a mental ward. And just like those other stories, this one too, is haunting. 5/5
The Veiled Shanghai by Ken Liu
Essentially, this is a faithful adaptation of the familiar Dorothy goes to Oz story, transplanted and transliterated to the Shanghai of the Boxer Rebellion. Although some of the concepts are clever, overall, this one didn't do much for me. 2/5
Beyond the Naked Eye by Rachel Swirsky
In this story, we are shown Oz as a game show as a front for a revolution as a reason to expose a false wizard. While the story is good, I found myself wishing that Ms. Swirsky had taken the first angle, the t.v. game show and run a little bit further with it. 3/5
A Tornado of Dorothys by Kat Howard
This is another story that didn't quite work for me. The idea is clear enough - home is what and where we make it, regardless of tornadoes, yellow brick roads, or the will of witches, but it was a little short and focused far more heavily on atmosphere than on characterization. 2/5
Blown Away by Jane Yolen
Somewhat unexpectedly, this one got me, right at the end. Prior to that it was just the familiar Oz story, only told from the point of view of Tom the Woodsman, who worked on Uncle Henry's farm. Then it became a story about bittersweet goodbyes and I wished it wasn't ending. 4/5
City So Bright by Dale Bailey
Who built the Emerald City? Who maintains it? This story takes those questions on and comes back with answers that are understandable and sad. 4/5
Off to See the Emperor by Orson Scott Card
It's hard to separate the author from the work sometimes; as I came to this story, the author's controversial political views hit the news again, making it hard to keep the story contained within itself. It's not a bad story, but one can only assume that the author would dislike certain other stories in the collection based purely on the sexual orientation of the characters. I might have enjoyed the story more if I had been able to keep such speculations from intruding on my reading. 2/5
A Meeting in Oz by Jeffrey Ford
Dorothy returns to Oz, after all is said and done to find one more answer. 3/5
The Cobbler of Oz by Johathan Maberry
Of all the stories in this collection, this was the only one that felt like the true Oz story I had been hoping for. This tale of a Winged Monkey girl whose wings are too small and the kindly cobbler that sent her on a magical quest, was full of gentle good humor and wonder that made it a delight to read. Right up to the end when the story's true intent is revealed. 5/5
pelargonia's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
dja777's review against another edition
3.0
One really great story, a few OK ones, and some I didn't finish.
nuffy375's review
3.0
First things first: this is definitely a short story collection for adults. Sexual and violent content, as well as bad language, abound. I'm not sure why authors felt the need to go dark and depressing or violent with their treatment of children's stories. Occasionally it works, but...it usually just feels forced and...edgy for edginess's sake... I realize the authors were given free reign to write what they wanted using L Frank Baum's work for inspiration, but if I'm reading something based on Oz, I do want magic, and several of the stories are missing that magic.
As with all short story compilations, this collection has its ups and downs. Good stories; rough stories; boring stories; stories I didn't feel fit... Then again, there are also some solid stories, so...it is what it is.
Story Breakdown:
The Great Zeppelin Heist of Oz by Rae Carson & C.C. Finlay - Fitting to the original series. The wizard's arrival, as he immediately humbugs. It has some fun word play, and is just silly.
Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust by Seanan McGuire - Adult Dorothy after all the shine of Oz has worn off. I don't really care for the pessimistic depiction of Oz, but it's a take, I guess. The easiest solved mystery ever. (I'm coming off of reading Agatha Christie, so that was especially disappointing for me.)
Lost Girls of Oz by Theodora Goss- A reporter investigates missing girls, and finds the hidden path to Oz. It was an interesting idea, but I didn't care for the direction it went after the halfway point. Honestly, this just made me want a story of the real world investigating Dorothy's disappearance in the style of journalism or, like, a Buzzfeed Unsolved script.
The Boy Detective of Oz by Tad Williams - Kansas/Oz is a simulation, and something seems to have gone wrong. This one could have been fun without the constant hounding about how the previous simulation went awry and the whole simulation thing in general. This was actually an interesting mystery with some fun payoff, but the setting...Woof.
Dorothy Dreams by Simon R. Green - Old Dorothy dreams of returning to Oz. Turns out, nothing she experienced was as it seemed...*rolls eyes so hard at this story*
Dead Blue by David Farland - Tin Man is a Cyborg, whose heart was giving out. The Wicked Witch is a Mech Mage. The Winged Monkeys are chimeras. That's the only point of this story I got: let's revise the world building of the characters. It was kind of interesting, but I didn't feel the story did anything.
One Flew Over the Rainbow by Robin Wasserman - A downer tale where our characters are re-imagined as normal people in an asylum: Tin, Crow, Roar, and Dorothy, who is new and convinces the crew to go to the wizard for contraband, so they can have a good time, and then leads them in a doomed escape attempt. This is not the story I'm here for in an Oz short story collection. The writing was fine and the parallels actually work reasonably well, but all the magic is gone, and it's such a downer.
The Veiled Shanghai by Ken Liu - A Chinese retelling of the original Wizard of Oz story along the lines of fairy tales being told by different cultures, using the themes and general premise to tell stories befitting their own experiences. I enjoyed this one.
Beyond the Naked Eye by Rachel Swirsky- The Hunger Games set in Oz...Four teams compete in a deathly race to get to the Emerald City first, so the wizard will grant their wish, but is the wizard just a corrupt, lying monarch in need of assassination? Interesting metaphor about emeralds and cities and observations about corruption and the masks people wear. I actually really liked this one. It worked surprisingly well in the Oz universe.
A Tornado of Dorothys by Kat Howard- Dorothy Gale is just another girl in a long line of "Dorothys" brought to Oz to fill the role in a story Oz needs to play out. It's a story about stepping off the designated path and making your own story. There was nothing wrong with the story; I was just kind of bored.
Blown Away by Jane Yolen - Story told from one of the farmhand's perspectives when Dorothy got blown away, only...in this story she doesn't go to Oz... This story is unforgivable for making Baum a puppy drowner and brutally murdering Toto. Negative a million stars!
City So Bright by Dale Bailey - Kind of Handmaid's Tale vibes where citizens are oppressed. The Wizard conquered Oz with brute force and brought "the industrial revolution" to Oz, which caused a major class divide in Oz. A lower class munchkin, who works as an emerald tower polisher, watches his best friend (a winky) die from apparent sabotage, as the winky was attempting to organize and start a revolution. The munchkin makes a plan to get out before he can be persecuted. I didn't hate it, but I didn't care for the writing style. It was very conversational with a lot of "I'm getting ahead of myself," which got kind of old. Adult Content of almost every kind.
Off to See the Emperor by Orson Scott Card - L Frank Baum's son meets Theodora ("Dottie") and follows her on a journey to The Land of the Air to retrieve her mother's ring that had been taken by a crow. At first, I didn't care for this story. Theodora is annoying. However, by the end of the story, I really enjoyed it. It was especially interesting, since I just read Finding Dorothy, and some of Baum's biographical details work into this story.
A Meeting in Oz by Jeffrey Ford - Dorothy willingly left Oz after 4 years as an eleven-year-old. Now she's a jaded adult, back in Oz with a grudge about how her life turned out. This story also kills Toto, and is just...dark. I don't see the need authors seem to feel to make these stories so edgy. It's all just so unnecessary...This story is also lacking magic, because Oz's magic drained as Dorothy grew up and lost her innocence/had bad things happen to her.
The Cobbler of Oz by Jonathan Maberry- A cobbler tells a little winged monkey girl the origins of the silver slippers, and she goes on a quest for the silver dragon scales needed to repair them. I think this was my favorite of the stories in the collection. It had magic, was sweet, and fit themes Baum would have appreciated. Strong ending to the compilation.
As with all short story compilations, this collection has its ups and downs. Good stories; rough stories; boring stories; stories I didn't feel fit... Then again, there are also some solid stories, so...it is what it is.
Story Breakdown:
Spoiler
The Great Zeppelin Heist of Oz by Rae Carson & C.C. Finlay - Fitting to the original series. The wizard's arrival, as he immediately humbugs. It has some fun word play, and is just silly.
Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust by Seanan McGuire - Adult Dorothy after all the shine of Oz has worn off. I don't really care for the pessimistic depiction of Oz, but it's a take, I guess. The easiest solved mystery ever. (I'm coming off of reading Agatha Christie, so that was especially disappointing for me.)
Lost Girls of Oz by Theodora Goss- A reporter investigates missing girls, and finds the hidden path to Oz. It was an interesting idea, but I didn't care for the direction it went after the halfway point. Honestly, this just made me want a story of the real world investigating Dorothy's disappearance in the style of journalism or, like, a Buzzfeed Unsolved script.
The Boy Detective of Oz by Tad Williams - Kansas/Oz is a simulation, and something seems to have gone wrong. This one could have been fun without the constant hounding about how the previous simulation went awry and the whole simulation thing in general. This was actually an interesting mystery with some fun payoff, but the setting...Woof.
Dorothy Dreams by Simon R. Green - Old Dorothy dreams of returning to Oz. Turns out, nothing she experienced was as it seemed...*rolls eyes so hard at this story*
Dead Blue by David Farland - Tin Man is a Cyborg, whose heart was giving out. The Wicked Witch is a Mech Mage. The Winged Monkeys are chimeras. That's the only point of this story I got: let's revise the world building of the characters. It was kind of interesting, but I didn't feel the story did anything.
One Flew Over the Rainbow by Robin Wasserman - A downer tale where our characters are re-imagined as normal people in an asylum: Tin, Crow, Roar, and Dorothy, who is new and convinces the crew to go to the wizard for contraband, so they can have a good time, and then leads them in a doomed escape attempt. This is not the story I'm here for in an Oz short story collection. The writing was fine and the parallels actually work reasonably well, but all the magic is gone, and it's such a downer.
The Veiled Shanghai by Ken Liu - A Chinese retelling of the original Wizard of Oz story along the lines of fairy tales being told by different cultures, using the themes and general premise to tell stories befitting their own experiences. I enjoyed this one.
Beyond the Naked Eye by Rachel Swirsky- The Hunger Games set in Oz...Four teams compete in a deathly race to get to the Emerald City first, so the wizard will grant their wish, but is the wizard just a corrupt, lying monarch in need of assassination? Interesting metaphor about emeralds and cities and observations about corruption and the masks people wear. I actually really liked this one. It worked surprisingly well in the Oz universe.
A Tornado of Dorothys by Kat Howard- Dorothy Gale is just another girl in a long line of "Dorothys" brought to Oz to fill the role in a story Oz needs to play out. It's a story about stepping off the designated path and making your own story. There was nothing wrong with the story; I was just kind of bored.
Blown Away by Jane Yolen - Story told from one of the farmhand's perspectives when Dorothy got blown away, only...in this story she doesn't go to Oz... This story is unforgivable for making Baum a puppy drowner and brutally murdering Toto. Negative a million stars!
City So Bright by Dale Bailey - Kind of Handmaid's Tale vibes where citizens are oppressed. The Wizard conquered Oz with brute force and brought "the industrial revolution" to Oz, which caused a major class divide in Oz. A lower class munchkin, who works as an emerald tower polisher, watches his best friend (a winky) die from apparent sabotage, as the winky was attempting to organize and start a revolution. The munchkin makes a plan to get out before he can be persecuted. I didn't hate it, but I didn't care for the writing style. It was very conversational with a lot of "I'm getting ahead of myself," which got kind of old. Adult Content of almost every kind.
Off to See the Emperor by Orson Scott Card - L Frank Baum's son meets Theodora ("Dottie") and follows her on a journey to The Land of the Air to retrieve her mother's ring that had been taken by a crow. At first, I didn't care for this story. Theodora is annoying. However, by the end of the story, I really enjoyed it. It was especially interesting, since I just read Finding Dorothy, and some of Baum's biographical details work into this story.
A Meeting in Oz by Jeffrey Ford - Dorothy willingly left Oz after 4 years as an eleven-year-old. Now she's a jaded adult, back in Oz with a grudge about how her life turned out. This story also kills Toto, and is just...dark. I don't see the need authors seem to feel to make these stories so edgy. It's all just so unnecessary...This story is also lacking magic, because Oz's magic drained as Dorothy grew up and lost her innocence/had bad things happen to her.
The Cobbler of Oz by Jonathan Maberry- A cobbler tells a little winged monkey girl the origins of the silver slippers, and she goes on a quest for the silver dragon scales needed to repair them. I think this was my favorite of the stories in the collection. It had magic, was sweet, and fit themes Baum would have appreciated. Strong ending to the compilation.
mmichellemoore's review
5.0
Oz and short stories, what's not to like. As with any anthology, I liked some of the stories more than others. The illustrations/covers of individual stories were wonderful, a great anthology.