This story is based on the L. Frank Baum stories about the Wizard of Oz, Land of Oz, and all the various characters therein. It is a sort of prequel, that being how the Wicked Witch of the West got to be so "wicked," and what some of the other characters, most notably Glinda, the Witch of the North, were really like.
As a stand-alone work, this book is well written and very detailed and complex. It is not, however, meant for children. It has graphic references to both substance abuse and bestiality, as well as a lot of pettiness, politics, and other human failings perpetrated on the citizens of Oz, similar to those found in our own culture.
The characters, over and above those from the more familiar stories, areas well developed as they are shocking. I would not recommend this book to anyone who had enjoyed the original stories as children, nor to anyone who loved the movie starring Judy Garland. It is not a pleasant book. It is, however, an interesting concept, for anyone with a "Dark Shadows" (long-running vampire soap-opera) frame of mind.
Reviewed by Miriam, First Regional Library
View or Place Hold in Library Catalog
No comments:
Post a Comment