Bloodstained Oz

by Christopher Golden, James A. Moore, Glenn Chadbourne (Illustrator)

Something’s gone wrong over the rainbow... 1933. The winds of the Dust Bowl have reduced what had been the nation’s breadbasket to a desert full of broken dreams and desperate prayers. The water is gone, the crops are ruined and, for the people of Hawley, Kansas, there’s little left to struggle for except the chance for another day in hell. There’s a storm coming, one that will rip the roofs from farms and scatter the wretched crops far and wide. One little girl will find a treasure trove in a ruined field and converse with a nightmare. One man will find salvation in the dirt and damnation close on its heels. One woman will suffer the sins of her husband and seek hope in the actions of her only child. Dying faith will be tested, because that isn’t rain wetting the crops; it’s blood. Those aren’t trinkets and toys that are lying hidden in the fields; they’re nightmares wrapped in false promises. And while the darkest storms bring the brightest rainbows, that isn’t a pot of gold waiting at the far end; it’s an emerald that gleams and flickers with its own infernal light. Join bestselling authors Christopher Golden and James A. Moore as they show you there’s no hell like home...

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2006

About the author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawley, Kansas. The summer of 1933.

There’s a storm a coming.

And it’s bringing the darkness with it.

Back in the mid-70’s, when I was a young kid, “The Wizard of Oz” played on tv once a year and it was a big deal. Everyone made sure they watched it and I got to stay up past my bedtime. Seems like forever ago. I still have fond memories of what an event it was to gather around the tv set with the family. The first few times I saw it, I was traumatized by the wicked witch and I was terrified the flying monkeys were going to get me in my sleep for days afterword. I couldn’t wait for it to come around the next year. Some nightmares are too good to pass up.

I guess it’s time to reboot those nightmares.

This is not your mommas Oz.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Golden und Moore knüpfen sehr lose an Frank L. Baums WIZARD OF OZ und erzählen von einem bösen Sturm, der verschiedene Monster und vampirähnliche Wesen nach Kansas bringt. Hier kommen die Schrecken zur 9-jährigen Gayle, während bei Baum Dorothy nach Oz weggepustet wurde.
Der Beginn der Geschichte ist sehr schön erzählt, einzelne Absätze ließen mich an Ray Bradburys Das Böse kommt auf leisen Sohlen denken. Ab der Buchmitte ungefähr setzt dann der Horror ein, sprich die Bedrohung der drei Hauptfiguren durch die blutdürstigen Kreaturen aus einer anderen Welt. Der Tonfall wird pragmatischer und es reihen sich nun abwechselnd Szenen aneinander, in der die Hauptfiguren um ihr Leben kämpfen müssen. Dabei bekommen sie unerwartete Unterstützung, die auf mich unmotiviert und deplatziert wirkte.
Insgesamt eine unterhaltsame Geschichte, die man ein einem stürmischen Herbstabend gut lesen kann.

[Steve Vernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

BLOODSTAINED OZ

by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore
Earthling Publications
ISBN: 0-9766339-6-5
hardcover, 114 pgs., $35.00, May 2006

This sure as heck isn’t Kansas.

BLOODSTAINED OZ opens with the dustbowl reality of a drying and dying 1930’s Kansas. By the second chapter we are transported to a prison farm with a trio of characters – one heartless, one brainless, and one afraid of nothing. There is a travelling medicine wagon, a lion, and a little girl named Gayle who get thrown into the equation. All of the critical elements of pastiche are present, only they are strangely twisted. Burned. Spoiled. Golden and Moore have created a terrifyingly vivid dreamscape of nightmarish familiarity.

We all know the story. In 1900, L. Frank Baum published THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ. He followed it with 13 other books. Following those initial 14 novels a pack of various authors continued the canon for 26 more books. And then along came Christopher Golden and James Moore. Kansas will never be the same.

BLOODSTAINED OZ answers the question – “What happened after the tourist trade butchered Oz and the wizard abdicated and gas-bagged home, and a brainless scarecrow took over the reins of command?” Oz comes to Kansas, in a whirlwind invasion that Quantrill and his infamous raiders could easily have taken notes from.

This is a tight hard merciless read, with the chapters rolling out at gatling speed. Emerald eyed vampires and flying monkeys and creatures scrawled out with a dark merciless ink. Cram Bosch, Fuseli, and a half a dozen drunken midnight performances of the Grand Guignol into a food processor of the damned and hit puree. This is wild stuff. The jacket and interior illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne are absolutely astounding and truly add to a well crafted story.

My only beef is with the ending. Where was it? We are kind of left hanging, like the mythical Munchkin of movie fame. I have a theory that we will eventually see a novel developed from this dark disturbing novella. One can only hope that this tag team of terror doesn’t keep us waiting for very long.

I recommend it.

Yours in horror,
Steve Vernon

[Feli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read for in-between. It was okay but didn't live up to my expectations.
There are three storylines: the first about a girl named Gayle and some creepy as hell porcelain dolls was really good (up to the point where it became a bit unlogical...). The second storyline is about a prisoner and really, I couldn't care less about him, his character, his story. The third one was quite interesting, it's about a travelling salesman, his wife and baby boy. This one was okay with minor issues but what happened to the baby was a bit hard... come on, it's just a baby....
As one might guess, all three stories are put together but the overall 'resolution' of this story wasn't a really great one.
It was, for the most time, a fun, quick (114 pages) read, but what was most annoying were all those typos, grammar mistakes (yes I know, my grammar isn't the best either, but English is not my mother tongue and I'm trying, so please forgive me ;)) and repetition of words. At some point, Gayle became Gail and the Gayle again and the ebook had some issues too: a missing chapter in the table of contents (but it turned up in the end). I wouldn't rate this normally, but as the ebook version is the only one available at the moment (if you haven't got the limited and sold out hardcover edition which really is hard to get), I am wondering why they didn't give this electronic version a little more attention.

I would not recommend the book if you expect a retelling of The Wizard of Oz with splatter & gore added to it. You'll get the splatter & gore but the story is different. It doesn't take place in Oz and the authors are using elements of the original book and include them in this world.
If you're okay with that, give this book a try. There also is a second book in the series: Bloodstained Wonderland, which was recently published.

[Jeff Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read this book, it wavered in my opinion from four to two stars. Of course, you can see where I netted out.

It wasn't the story I expected. It's a riff on The Wizard of Oz, only this time OZ comes to Kansas. And OZ is loaded with vampires. The book centers on three main characters and how they deal with this sudden influx of undocumented vampires.

The book does a great job of capturing the desperation of Kansas's dust bowl in 1933 and the hard lives of the people just scraping by. I really liked the characters and the conflict and the scares. But it felt like a TV show.

Here's my problem with the book:
1. We never know why OZ = vampires. I would have LOVED to know why a sh*tload of vampires was just dumped on 1933 Kansas. Maybe one of the characters could have found a doorway/portal/magic hole and gone through to Oz and gotten the scoop. Maybe one of the characters that blew in from Oz could have explained a little bit. There are two that could have.
2. Who the hell was the Pale Man? The Wizard? I think he was the wizard/professor, but how did he become a vampire and why does he want to kill everyone in Kansas?
3. The story felt rushed. I would have liked more story in this story, especially one with three main characters.
4. The main characters are largely defenseless. They do fight back with some success, but they have more luck on their side than skill or savvy.

Overall, it redeemed itself. I liked the end a lot. But it was a bumpy ride.

My advice to you if you read this book: Just enjoy the story for what it is. Don't hold out for answers or deep insights. It's a romp, a short one, and then it's over. You will be the same you afterwards. Maybe save this book to read after you've just read something heavy. Treat it as a palette cleanser. An amuse bouche. Let go of the need to know. Let it be carried off in the tornado winds of 1933 Kansas.

[R.J. Roles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting concept. Would love them to continue to a 3rd book.

[Jennifer Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a bloody mess, almost right from the start. Take everything about the Wizard of Oz that was unsettling and turn it into a nightmare. You’d be getting closer to this, but not quite to the finish line. Five stars, super quick read.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been reading various Oz books recently. Picked this one up as I wanted something more horror inspired. While this book certainly gave me that, it just didn’t have that Oz magic. To be fair, it isn’t set in Oz. It’s in Kansas but uses lots of characters from the Oz books. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t really resemble the characters I knew, other than in name. I think this story would have worked better as a short story rather than a novella. It didn’t have enough going on to keep me engrossed and the pacing was a little slow. Decent enough read but I doubt I will remember it in a year.

[Brett Grossmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending is missing on this book. It s not ambiguous or mysterious ending. It has no ending. I don't know how folks can give something like that 5 stars. I can't. FINISH THE BOOK. Very creative. Its a shame cause I would give this book a great rating if it was done.

[Char]

I'm not rating this one because I didn't finish it. I don't know if I'm in a slump or what, but I'm at the 70% mark and I just don't care. I might resume or retry it at a later time.

[Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once upon a time there was The American Fairy Tale. It was the absolute shit. Everybody loved it. So much so that hundreds and hundreds of readers became writers themselves and wrote thousands and thousands of stories inspired by The American Fairy Tale. A few of those stories are The Shit, some of them are just… shit, and most of them fall somewhere in the middle—not over the rainbow, not under the bridge.

Myself, I’m a fan of pastiche. Sure, you have to put it some effort to find the treasure among the trash, but it’s well worth it when you do. Apart from Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, no other story or character from my own personal library of favorites has been revisited as much as Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There’s way more Sherlock stuff out there, definitely, but there’s still tons of Oz stuff. Mostly, I think even the canon non-Baum Oz stories are misses. But I do have a bookshelf filled with plenty of the hits, and if I owned a physical copy of Golden’s Bloodstained Oz I’d put it on that shelf (albeit with a few reservations.)

Bloodstained Oz: I had wrongfully assumed this book would be trash, so I was pleasantly surprised. Golden, while a familiar name to me, is a writer who I haven’t really read. No longer will this be true (provided he doesn’t always omit the third act—see below.) The title itself worked to keep this low on my To Be Read pile, and that’s because I’m not a fan of grimdark. I’m not really a fan of low-hanging fruit either. And I consider adding sex and gore to famous characters and stories with expired copyrights to be the kind of fruit that hangs so low it sinks in the mud. It’s just too lazy and obvious, for one. I don’t need to read about Scarecrow and Dorothy hooking up or assaulting one another with chainsaws or whatever. But there’s no denying it’s a potentially fun idea to, say, make Winnie the Pooh a slasher. Potentially. Plus, good creators can make something better than its gimmicky origin. And Golden does that here.

The gimmick of this story is that instead of whisking Dorothy away to Oz, the storm brings to Kansas some Oz refugees—and nearly all of them (winged monkeys, China dolls, munchkins, etc) are vampiric versions of the characters we know and love—immediately, all hell breaks loose on the dustbowl-ravaged plains of Kansas, ensnaring a trio of characters in the madness. Golden doesn’t rely on the gimmick too much. In fact, one of my reservations about the novella is that it’s a little more restrained than I’d have liked. I was kind of left feeling he could have done so, so much more with the concept. I just finished it and there aren’t even any vivid, thrilling action set pieces standing out in my mind that I’d like to read again; but there should be. I’m not saying I needed Scarecrow to be a main character (he’s not), but a bit more of Oz would have been nice. (Yeah, more of the gimmick next time, please!)

So there are a bunch of Oz stories with “shocking” sex and violence. What makes this one any good? The same things that make any story good—character, plot, prose, etc, etc. Christopher Golden is an able storyteller. Storytelling is something I don’t take for granted in the 2020s: it’s a dying art form. Creators are still telling wonderful stories in various media, yeah, but the age-old art of the story is now lost completely on most of the corporate media—a corporate media which controls 75% of what most people read and see as well as 95% of the institutions telling people what they should read and see AND how they should feel about it.

I’m talking stories with beginnings, middles, and ends, not shaggy dog stories; stories with characters who make hard choices that affect the plot; stories without a surfeit of extraneous padding, without lame or failed attempts to subvert expectations. Old-fashioned? No, timeless. Mainstream tv, movies, and even books are more slapdash than they would have been even ten or twenty years ago; producers are way too busy with not telling stories to remember the reason they have non-storytelling stuff to do in the first place is because people want more goddam stories.

That Golden is a storyteller makes it more disappointing that he failed to provide an ending—or at least a proper ending. I’m not a fan of stories that stop instead of end. And this story closes with a stop, not an end. Why did this have to be a novella? It’s still a good read but it was working up to be a great read, then it just stopped. Without explaining anything, without leaving the characters transformed. So there’s a nice story but it’s incomplete.

Another 75 pages that delivered on its promise and premise would have kicked this up to a great read but Bloodstained Oz is still a quick fun ride through familiar if twisted territory—it’s just missing a third act is all. And for that reason I will never be tempted to shell out half a grand for a physical copy!

[Sidney Shiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around this time every year, I make it a point to watch The Wizard of Oz. It’s been a favourite of mine since childhood when my family would watch it on Thanksgiving every year. That’s why I felt that Bloodstained Oz by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore would make a particularly good read this month.

It was published in 2006, so it’s an oldie but a goodie. The plot doesn’t follow the narrative of the original Wizard of Oz, but instead takes characters and themes from Baum’s series and adds dark flavours of doom and terror to the mix.

The story is set in depression era Kansas. A storm of dust and tornadoes doesn’t whisk away our protagonist to a magical land, but brings a hellish, vampiric version of Oz to the dust bowl.

The three main characters: a young girl, a mother, and an escaped convict battle dark forces for their life. This is a fast paced and terrifying journey that does justice to its source material.

In addition, there’s a great introduction by Ray Garton. If you haven’t done so already, check this book out. It’s definitely worth it.

[Mcf1nder_sk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another quirky novella I read as part of the Midnight Duets collection. Everybody knows the story of The Wizard of Oz, but let's change a few things, shall we? Instead of Dorothy going to Oz, how about if the flying monkeys, munchkins, and others characters came to earth instead? Now let's make them vampires,, with a hellish appetite for blood. This is what Christopher Golden and James A Moore have created; a fun little gorefest that turned L Frank Baum's classic on its ear. The story was fun to read, and the ending is vague enough to make the reader ask "Did Eliza and Gayle survive?".
.
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

[Cindy Kerwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a disappointment. The reviews talked about it being scary and twisted. Yes, it took a classic, basically happy book and turned it dark and twisted, but it wasn't scary it wasn't interesting and it didn't keep me in suspense. There was no storyline, no character development, just no point to the story other than......'hmmm, let me see how twisted I can make the characters of a beloved childhood story'. I just couldn't get into it since there was no purpose to the story. I didn't like it and wouldn't read it again. As someone else mentioned, there was no ending to it either-it just ended in what felt like the middle of the story.

[Buttonholed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely agree with Ray Garton, who in his introduction claims he can never watch the Wizard of Oz film in the same innocent way again. This trip to Oz is for adults only folks. This is a two and a half hour wicked hell read that makes you wish for a damn rainbow. Unbelievable logical comparisons to Braum's story which nabbed me right along until I was hoping for that rainbow myself. A wicked gore ride that sparkles not only in emeralds but with characters that are so vivid, the scenes are for the gasping - believe me, you'll agree with Ray ~

[Michael Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really liked Christopher Golden's writing and this was no different. Grabbed my attention quickly and left me wanting more. Good thing Bloodstained Wonderland was released this year.

[Louis Toth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oz

Great book cant waitvfor the next nook. already ORDERED it...what happens next. Love this kind of writing, keeps me reading more and more, and I love it

[Holly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloodstained Oz is absolutely amazing! It's an absolutely nasty little tale about some weird vampire creatures that came from Oz and wreak havoc on already destitute people in Hawley, Kansas in 1933. These aren't your regular run-of-the-mill vampires though. My personal favorite is the army of porcelain dolls.

I wish I could say more about it, but I don't want to ruin any surprises. Suffice to say, you NEED to be reading this book! NOW!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this twist on the Wizard of Oz.

[Gwynnys Lesezauber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elisa kletterte in den Wagen. Der Mann folgte ihr, schlug die Plane zurück und ließ sich vor der Segeltuchwand nieder. Sein Körper bebte vor Erschöpfung, Schmerz lag in seiner Miene. Schweigend saßen sie sich gegenüber und jeder hing seinen eigenen Gedanken und Albträumen nach, lauschte dem Wind und den Schreien.
Aus Blutbesudelt OZ von Christopher Golden und James A. Moore

FAKTEN
Bei dem Buch Blutbesudelt OZ von Christopher Golden und James A. Moore handelt es sich um die auf 555 Exemplare limitierte Vorzugsausgabe aus dem Buchheim Verlag aus dem Jahr 2020. Es ist nun in dieser Ausführung vergriffen und als normale Ausgabe im eBook-Format erhältlich.

KURZMEINUNG
Eine groteske und brutale Szenerie, von der ich mir mehr erhofft hatte.

KLAPPENTEXT
Hinter dem Regenbogen läuft etwas schief …

1933. Verheerende Staubstürme verwandeln Kansas in ein Ödland. Das Wasser ist knapp, die Ernte verdorrt. Die Einwohner der Kleinstadt Hawley haben jede Hoffnung aufgegeben.

Als schwere Unwetter aufziehen, erfährt die neunjährige Gayle Franklin auf barbarische Weise, dass das wahre Grauen erst bevorsteht. Denn nicht Regen benetzt die Äcker, sondern Blut. Und so schön der Regenbogen nach dem Sturm auch sein mag, an seinem Ende wartet kein Topf mit Gold – sondern die teuflischen Kreaturen von Oz.

SCHREIBSTIL & CHARAKTERE
Zunächst mag ich den Schreibstil, denn fesseln konnte das Werk auch trotz seiner Schwächen. Christopher Golden verspricht für mich Atmosphäre – die hat er eindeutig geliefert! Es ist düster, brutal, blutig und grotesk.
Doch hatte die Geschichte nicht viel mit Oz gemeinsam. Natürlich kennt man Namen und Charaktere aus dem Original oder dem berühmten Film mit Judy Garland – allerdings hören die Gemeinsamkeiten dann auch schon wieder auf, zumindest für mich.
Mir hätte ein Setting in der Welt von Oz sehr viel mehr zugesprochen – oder eben mehr Interaktion, gern bei gleichbleibendem Gemetzelanteil. Leider findet das alles dann eben doch in unserer Welt statt und besteht fast ausschließlich aus Flucht. Das nahm mir leider das Lesegefühl, das ich mir von diesem Buch versprochen hatte.
Die Story in ihrem Aufbau erinnert mich ein wenig an den Film From Dusk Till Dawn mit George Clooney – das empfinde ich dann wieder als Pluspunkt. Insgesamt hat mich das Buch schon gut unterhalten, es konnte nur meine ursprünglichen Erwartungen nicht erfüllen.

MEIN FAZIT
Ein insgesamt gelungenes Werk, dass dennoch ein paar Schwächen aufweist. Hier erwartet den Leser eine blutige Endzeitstimmung mit bekannten Kreaturen und Namen aus dem Klassiker Oz.

MEINE BEWERTUNG
Hier gibt es 3 von 5 Zahnrädchen.
©Teja Ciolczyk, 29.12.2020

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book never found its way to my "to-read" list. I happened to pass by it in the library and grabbed it up, hooked by the word "Oz" and intrigued by the "Bloodstained."

This novella takes the concept of "The Wizard of Oz" and dements it, turning it into something a bit more horrific than the original.

In the Kansas Dust Bowl of the 1930s, a black storm hits the prairie and leaves behind things that resemble nightmares. Three characters give the view point of this story: a 9-year old girl named Gayle Franklin (a definite play on words from the original), a local convict named Hank, and a Romanian wife who's husband represents the man selling the magical elixirs out of a cart.

In the course of the story, each contents with their own nightmare sent directly from a mix of Ox and Hell. The little girl is warned by a scarecrow and later attacked by porcelain dolls who murder her parents under the control of a tall pale man. The convict escapes the jail but not before seeing the massacre of everyone else. The Rom wife loses her baby to the long fanged flying monkeys.

Vampires and zombies are the creatures of Oz now, though the standards remain. The scarecrow gives the warning to Gayle. The lion comes to her rescue later. The tin man even makes a cameo, though under the control of one of the creatures.

It's fun to make parallels between this and original story, but expect some gore and a few creepy moments. The book is illustrated and some of the pictures are enough to give you the late night shivers. I really enjoyed the book, though I would have liked it to have been a full length novel, more developed as to why the things from Oz were evil and what becomes of the characters after the end credits.

A short book at only 118 pages, it's a great late night thrill read...but probably not suitable for the kids.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I want to thank James A. Moore for helping me get my hands on a copy of this book as it's not easy to find (or afford at least!!!). Secondly, it took me a while to finally get around to reading this as I didn't have an e-reader and am not a fan of reading on the screen, but now that I have an e-reader, I finally have read this novella and enjoyed it. It honestly wasn't quite what I was expecting. I guess I was assuming it would follow along the original storyline of THE WIZARD OF OZ a bit more and just add in a bit of blood and gore, but instead it took a few of the characters from Oz and such and added a bit of twist to them. I think my favorite was the fact that they turned the "evil flying monkeys" into vampires! Granted, I'm a sucker (no pun intended) for anything vampire related. So... for fans of Oz and/or horror or even those who aren't fans of the story as this warps the story quite drastically... be sure to track down this story and give it a shot.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haha! this was a really fun book. Full of nasty gore all based on the Wizard of Oz. A tornado whips through Kansas, and instead of taking Dorothy or whoever into Oz, this time Oz comes out into Kansas. Animated porcelain dolls, the flying monkeys, and the dwarves that are now all evil vampires are bent on destroying Kansas. The Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion all make appearances and are on the good side, or something similar, as it's not so simple.

This is a book of three individual stories, where they eventually all come together. This is novella sized, and isn't very long, but it makes for a quick slam-bam horror story, full of action. I had a blast with this book!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Golden & James A. Moore have taken a beloved story, kidnapped it, desecrated it, ripped it to shreds and thrown it out of a moving vehicle. A few ghastly illustrations from Glenn Chadbourne are the poisonous (emerald green) icing on the cake. This book is horrible and wonderful and vile, and it was perfect for my Halloween horror reading list.

I was lucky enough to buy a copy of this rare little nightmare from Christopher Golden. I blame (thank) him for my future bad dreams.

[Yael · Rating 5 out of 5]

L. Frank Baum gave us the most wondrous of fairy tales in his stories about the marvelous land of Oz. Now Christopher Golden gives us the most hideous of nightmares in his story about the invasion of Depression-era Kansas by an Oz that our worst nightmares couldn't do justice to -- but somehow Golden's does. Just . . . read it. An amazing achivement.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere over the rainbow indeed...

Forget all you think you know about Oz because it could get you killed. Nothing cute or sweet can be found among the nightmares that were released in this story.

Christopher Golden gives us the exact opposite of the wonderland we grew up with. Bloody and disturbing and wonderfully imaginative. A must read for anyone who loves horror.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruselige Atmosphäre zieht den Leser in seinen Bann. Was halbwegs ruhig und unschuldig anfängt, nimmt ein blutiges und tödliches Ende. Oz definitiv mal anders und schaurig schön dargestellt... Die Illustrationen sind der Wahnsinn und runden die Geschichte noch ab.
Für ein kleines Horrorabenteuer sehr zu empfehlen.

[Kurt Criscione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twisted... i had no idea what they were going to do with the book, i had no expectations other than the fact that many a friend has told me that it was sick, twisted, and gruesome... it lived up to the hype.

[Buecherbart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buch Aufmachung (9 von 10 Punkten) Story (2 von 10 Punkten)
-Tolles Sammlerstück mit Autogramm vom Autor
-Die Story war aber mal so überhaupt nicht mein fall
-Ich hab es nur zu Ende gelesen da es nicht viele Seiten hatte!

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like it. Not really a horror fan. Even so, I have read horror and not been as squicked out as this book made me. Ick.