A review by misterjay
Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond by John Joseph Adams, Douglas Cohen (Editor)

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