Reviews

Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond by John Joseph Adams, Douglas Cohen

scamp1234's review against another edition

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4.0

The monkeys and the munchkins finally get their 30 seconds of fame

Such great fun to rediscover our favorite characters and the land they live in. Once again Oz is back in our lives like never before. Find out how the munchkins are an oppressed race, the wicked witch finally gets what she wanted, and yes this possibly could have been brought to us from those in the mental ward. Too much fun that you have to hope a second set may be possible in the future.

bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition

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4.0


Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.

This is definitely not the Oz of my – or your – childhood. Editors Adams and Cohen asked fantasy authors to reimagine Oz, rather than set new stories in L. Frank Baum’s world. And reimagine it they have. From Seanan McGuire’s dystopian “Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust” to Ken Liu’s deft recasting of the original story in revolution-era China in “The Veiled Shanghai” to Kat Howard’s haunting “A Tornado of Dorothys”, each story reveals a unique and often thought-provoking twist on the Oz tales of my childhood.

More than a few stories offer social commentary: Rachel Swirsky’s “Beyond the Naked Eye,” recasts the story as a game show, while in Theodora Goss’s “Lost Girls of Oz,” Oz has become a refuge – and perhaps more – for abused and neglected girls. “City So Bright” by Dale Bailey explores worker oppression, and Seanan McGuire’s entry looks at immigration, poverty, and slums. Some are quirky but interesting: in Orson Scott Card’s “Off to See the Emperor”, Baum’s son and a girl name Dotty search for the Emperor of the Air, while Jane Yolen explores what Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and the hands might have experienced after Dorothy was “Blown Away” – and what happens after she returns from seven years in the circus. Some of the stories are disturbing: Robin Wasserman’s “One Flew Over the Rainbow” and Jeffrey Ford’s “A Meeting in Oz” both made me very uncomfortable, albeit for different reasons. On the other hand, Simon R. Green’s lovely “Dorothy Dreams” made me smile and weep at the same time, and Jonathan Maberry’s magical “The Cobbler of Oz”, a fairy tale/fable in the best tradition of the original Oz stories, is almost worth the price of admission all by itself. It tells the story of a cobbler, a Winged Monkey child with stunted wings, a dragon – and the silver slippers.

Yes, I did say silver slippers. The authors were asked to use the original books by L. Frank Baum, not the movie starring Judy Garland. It’s clear that most of them did so, though few appear as familiar with the stories that came after The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as do Tad Williams, Seanan McGuire, and Theodora Goss. It’s also clear that, however far their stories may diverge from Baum’s originals, most of these authors write from a deep respect and love for the classic Oz tales. I also want to give a shout out to Gregory Maguire (author of the Oz-inspired series that includes Wicked) for a passionate and moving tribute to Oz in his terrific foreword.

One final warning: these stories are for those who love Oz, but they are not for purists nor, for the most part, for children. If you’re willing to see Oz through different eyes, willing to risk discomfort but also delight, then give these stories a try.

FCC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

You can read more of my reviews at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard

hazelalaska's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.5

3.5 stars

While I enjoyed some stories in this, it was a mixed bag, as story collections usually are. At some points I was really into it, but at other points, with several stories in a row I didn't like, I found myself questioning whether I really liked the collection or just the whole idea of it. I ended up dnfing three of the stories for various reasons, but some of them also surprised me in a good way, too.

The Great Zeppelin Heist of Oz- I enjoyed the writing in this; it was very witty, though at times it felt more like the Alice in Wonderland nonsense style. However, I wasn't a fan of where the plot ultimately went. 

Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust- I enjoyed this one, but I felt that maybe a short story wasn't the best format for something like this because it felt like there wasn't enough space to develop the characters and the mystery, and the answer was super obvious. I think this could have been a longer story, and I would totally be open to seeing an Oz detective series, because it was kind of fun. I think the whole thing just needed more room to develop.

Lost Girls of Oz- I didn't end up liking this one much, which is strange because normally I enjoy stories told through letters. I felt like the scope of the story was too large to be told as a short story, as it feels like it was just getting started. It felt like it could be the beginning for a longer story.

The Boy Detective of Oz- I was very disappointed in this one, as it is apparently connected to a separate series and makes little sense unless you've read from that series (which I haven't.) Personally, I think that stories in a themed collection with multiple authors should be standalone stories and it should not be assumed that you've read something from a separate series which is necessary to understand it. I ended up giving up on this story as I only understood about half of what was happening. 

Dorothy Dreams- I found this one to be okay, but I saw a lot of people in their reviews saying they really liked this one, so I expected to like it more. I did like the whole Oz being the afterlife thing, but I didn't like how it was rather unsubtle, and how it went the Chronicles of Narnia route.

Dead Blue- I liked the concept, but I was expecting more from it. It was very short, and not much happened. It felt like it could be the beginning for a longer story, which I actually wouldn't mind seeing. 

One Flew Over the Rainbow- I dnfed this story as well. I don't like when authors turn these sorts of stories into mental illness/ mental hospital things. I feel like it's just been overdone, particularly with Alice in Wonderland, and it takes the enchantment and whimsy out of it for me. It turns it into something too real, too serious for my taste.

The Veiled Shanghai- For the first 75% of this one I thought it was just okay, telling the same story with a different setting and a different culture, but with the last 25% I found myself really enjoying it.

Beyond the Naked Eye- I really enjoyed this one as well. It felt like The Wizard of Oz meets The Hunger Games. I did wish it was longer, though, so we could actually see the game in progress. 

A Tornado of Dorothys- I loved this one, as it went to the more sinister side while also maintaining the magic of Oz. I liked the idea of history repeating itself over and over.

Blown Away- I didn't like where this one ended up going, and I felt I didn't really understand what was happening at the end.  

City So Bright- I started off skimming this one but dnfed it because I just found I didn't like the narrator or the overall tone.

Off to See the Emperor- I think this was my favorite of the collection, which surprised me because I read Ender's Game by Card before and didn't like it. This seemed like one of the stories that most captured the spirit of the original Oz. 

A Meeting in Oz- I didn't end up liking this one, as it was pretty dark and depressing. It was missing the sparkle that makes Oz appealing to me.

The Cobbler of Oz- I loved this one, as I felt it really captured the magic of Oz. I liked the characters and the overall tone, which in some ways felt like a fairy tale.

silvernfire's review

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4.0

I don't usually have much patience with anthologies—I like to immerse myself in novel-length stories rather than the stop-and-go feeling of several short stories back-to-back. So I was surprised that I liked this anthology as much as I did. No, it wasn't perfect and I didn't care for some of the stories, but all of them were readable enough. Overall, the book was a welcome return to Oz.

Favorite: "The Cobbler of Oz" by Jonathan Maberry
Least favorite: "A Meeting in Oz" by Jeffrey Ford
Story that will stick with me the longest: "One Flew Over the Rainbow" by Robin Wasserman
Story that left me wanting to read more set in its world: "Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust" by Seanan McGuire

[4½ stars]

haramis's review

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4.0

I had high hopes for this anthology, and I don't think they were entirely met. There were some original and interesting things in here, but also what amounted to several retellings of the original story with only a slightly different form. The best of these, in my opinion was "Dead Blue" by David Farland, which had a melancholy feel to it, a bit like what happens when you pull the veneer of childhood off a beloved tale. The imagery in this one just kept coming back to me.

While I have to say that I'm not the biggest fan of Jonathan Maberry, "The Cobbler of Oz" was the strongest story in the book. It is right in tone, feel, narrative, everything. It most of all feels like a real Oz story.

Besides that I enjoyed Tad Williams' "The Boy Detective of Oz" and Jane Yolen's "Blown Away." While I enjoyed most of the other stories in the collection, they really didn't make much of an impression, and 4/15 isn't a very high percentage, thus the three-star rating. I would say that I feel like this is the high side of that, say 3.75, so I guess I'll round it up to four. Plus at $6.00, it's a steal.

sallyepp's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved these short stories, especially since they all used the books (not the movie!) as a jumping off point.

publius's review against another edition

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4.0

I can't help but feel fortunate each time I open my front door to find the tell-tale rectangular shaped package that promises to contain a book. It's a promise of a new story, a new adventure, and I look forward to opening the book and diving in.

Last month, I found one such package containing  Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond, edited by John Joseph Adams and Douglas Cohen, with illustrations by Galen Dara. In 2011 I  had read and enjoyed Brave New Worlds (Dystopian Stories), also edited by Adams, and I had been impressed by the mix of short stories.

Featuring a foreword by Gregory Maguire, each story in the collection is inspired by Frank Baum's Oz, (in contrast to the Oz of Judy Garland fame). However, as the editors note in the introduction, the authors were not asked to revisit Oz, but rather to reimagine it. The result is a collection of stories that are colorful, occasionally sad, often delightful, and always creative. 


You don't necessarily need to buy the full collection to read a particular story by an author you follow. Each is available on Amazon in electronic format for individual reading, as well as in the full collection.





amisner's review against another edition

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3.0

This anthology has its hits and misses for me. Yolen's story was cryptic but interesting. Mcguire's I think was the best, with a Dorothy stuck in a not so pretty side of Oz. Wasserman's tale was also a good one, with everyone in a psych ward.

Williams' Boy Detective story dragged on too long, and I didn't get who the narrator was supposed to be. Dead Blue seemed like part of a larger story that I got dropped into...

A lot of the others just seemed to get lost in the shuffle.

princess_starr's review

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4.0

I’ve always only just liked the Wizard of Oz and its various incarnations, updates, reimaginings and what have you, but I’ve never really loved it. The only Oz-related thing that ever captured my imagination was Ozma of Oz, which I read and reread all throughout the last two years of elementary school.* (And I first picked up because I had seen Return to Oz on a double feature with Labyrinth. Yeah…) I think the 1939 movie’s fine, I’m not enamored with it, I read the first book once upon a time, but I can’t remember more specific details, and I do really like both versions of Wicked, but I’m not crazy about it.

And it’s a shame, because I do think that more people should go and read the original books, because it’s hard to get a children’s series that’s not been ripped apart by criticism and allegory. (Not that Oz hasn’t been subject to criticism—c’mon, Baum was a massive feminist and it shows—but compared to Alice in Wonderland or the Chronicles of Narnia, it feels like he gets off easy. Or at least in my experience, that’s what it’s felt like.) And I think that most of it has to do that the movie is so beloved, that any attempt to go further into the World of Oz is automatically biased against it. Even the musical adaptation of Wicked, which is arguably the most successful of the Ozian derivatives, is still in a specific subculture that’s not 100% mainstream. And I do get disappointed with it, because I do think that there’s such a rich universe here that doesn’t get explored due to this ingrained pop culture subconscious.

Which is why I really like this anthology, because there is an acknowledgment that the authors are working against this holy text of 20th century films (and not just the fact that they have to remind you that Dorothy originally had silver slippers, not ruby). And yet, this adds so much more to the world of Oz and actually explores it, instead of just riffing on the same familiar story.

I would say about half of the stories in here are riffs and retellings of the original story, but what makes it work for is that all of the authors in the anthology have such wildly different takes and ideas of how to change things up that it kept my interest and I wasn’t rolling my eyes when I read three retellings/riffs in a row. For example, there’s “The Veiled Shanghai” by Ken Liu, which is one for one, but reimagines the setting in China during the May Fourth Movement in 1919. This is immediately followed by Robin Swirsky’s “Beyond the Naked Eye,” which throws in a Hunger Games-esque competition in place of the original story, only to serve as the background events as an assassination plot unfolds. And on the other end of the spectrum, you have Robin Wasserman’s “One Flew Over the Rainbow” which is the bleak, gritty realistic “reimagining” by recasting the characters in a psych ward (no, it doesn’t have a twist, thank God), and manages one of a gut-punch. And then there’s “A Tornado of Dorothys,” which feels like a bigger metaphor for the collection itself, as we see a Dorothy land in Oz and confront the Dorothys that came before her and that the story doesn’t really end.

This is not to imply that every story in this collection is just reimaginings of Dorothy’s journey—the other half of the stories involved here are original tales set in the same world, sometimes using familiar charactes, others featuring nothing but original characters and nods to what’s come before. “The Great Zeppelin Heist of Oz” is an immensely fun prequel story that manages to play around with the character histories from what we know, “ and “The Cobbler of Oz” is a sweet fairy tale that is the perfect capper to the collection.

The only thing that I wasn’t as fond of were the number of stories that were darker—not to say that they were bad, but that’s when I felt things were getting a little too repetive in tone. Mainly the “darker side of the Emerald City” dystopic ones, which is a fair exploration, but again, those felt a little more like retreads than being interesting. I did like “Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust,” but when I got to “A Meeting in Oz,” I was getting bored with the ‘GRIMDARK in your beloved children’s story!” (See also “Dead Blue,” which is dark cyberpunk retelling that just didn’t quite work for me.)

I do really think that this is a strong collection overall—there’s stories in here that I didn’t like, but only one or two that I actively disliked, and even the ones I was lukewarm on, I did like the concept or the writing. And as I said, what works in its favor is that although there are similar stories or ideas, the writing and concepts vary wildly from story, and that’s what kept me interest throughout. I would definitely recommend checking this one out, even if all you know about Oz is the movie or Wicked.

*There were two Frank L. Baum books that I read so many times as a kid—Ozma of Oz being one, and the other was The Life and Times of Santa Claus. Which if you haven’t read, I still think it’s worth checking out. I might have to hunt down a copy and give it a reread, but I remember it being delightful.

tenoko1's review against another edition

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3.0

This was interesting. I liked the different interpretations, though the one where Dorothy had gotten old was just weak. So weak. Granted, the one that takes place in a mental institute with Crow, Tin, Roar, and Dorothy: SO MANY TRIGGER WARNINGS. Self-harm, drug abuse, dub-con/non-con, and more. LIKE WOW. That story was MESSED UP.