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The Undead World of Oz: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Complete with Zombies and Monsters
Book by Baum, L. Frank, Thomas, Ryan C.
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2009
About the author
Ryan C. Thomas
52 books438 followersI am the author of the novels The Summer I Died, Ratings Game, Born to Bleed, Salticidae, Undead World of Oz, Hissers and more. I hope to learn a lot from the readers on this site, and get some good book recs in the process. Thanks!
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 21, 2011
Oh, "The Undead World of Oz", you slay me. Literally and figuratively. I honestly didn't know how I wanted to start off this review, so I figured I'd go with my gut reaction following my read of this book. I feel torn because on one hand I want to say this was a good read, but I couldn't help but feel like I've "been there, done that" reading this. (This is coming from someone who loves reading reinterpretations of classic works - just that I didn't expect that I'd be reading an almost word-for-word interspersion of the original.)
I probably went into this book with greater expectations than anything else. Brilliant concept, but I think the execution left much to be desired. The story takes on Baum's original classic and turns it into a scenario where Oz is overrun with zombies and assorted types of other monsters. Dorothy has to worry about saving the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and encountering the Cowardly Lion from the overflux of monsters, and while there are parts of it that are funny and uniquely original - I don't think combining this concept with the text of the original work was the best idea - especially if you've already read the original. The first chapter is a carbon copy, and then things start to change once it goes from there, but then there's a matter of cherry picking what's new and what's old, and it almost would've been better if the author just started from scratch and wrote it himself. While I can't complain that the author manages to intertwine the voice of the book well, so that events seem natural enough that they "could" happen in the story - the ideas get lost in a tangle of "what's different and what's kept the same" rather than focusing on the story itself. I'll admit that took a huge toll on my enjoyment factor of the story.
Still, I don't regret reading it - there were some pretty fun moments in the book, and made me genuinely smile in reading it, but I would more than likely say it's only worth reading once. The value of it doesn't quite go beyond that.
Overall score: 2/5
I probably went into this book with greater expectations than anything else. Brilliant concept, but I think the execution left much to be desired. The story takes on Baum's original classic and turns it into a scenario where Oz is overrun with zombies and assorted types of other monsters. Dorothy has to worry about saving the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and encountering the Cowardly Lion from the overflux of monsters, and while there are parts of it that are funny and uniquely original - I don't think combining this concept with the text of the original work was the best idea - especially if you've already read the original. The first chapter is a carbon copy, and then things start to change once it goes from there, but then there's a matter of cherry picking what's new and what's old, and it almost would've been better if the author just started from scratch and wrote it himself. While I can't complain that the author manages to intertwine the voice of the book well, so that events seem natural enough that they "could" happen in the story - the ideas get lost in a tangle of "what's different and what's kept the same" rather than focusing on the story itself. I'll admit that took a huge toll on my enjoyment factor of the story.
Still, I don't regret reading it - there were some pretty fun moments in the book, and made me genuinely smile in reading it, but I would more than likely say it's only worth reading once. The value of it doesn't quite go beyond that.
Overall score: 2/5
September 11, 2011
Ok, so I haven't read the original, so all my comparisons would be based on the Judy Garland film. I thought it was good. Strangely, I think this author did a much better job of incorporating zombies into Oz, than Seth Grahame-Smith did into Meryton. The stories relied on each other and the original work was changed in order for the two to make sense together. Ryan Thomas took some creative liberties with Baum's classic as he well should have in order to create a new piece of literature. Yes, admittedly, there were some plot holes, but overall a nice fun read with a hearty helping of gore and snarky attitude. An interesting side note for some of you may be that the final page of the book is an advertisement for Living Dead Press and some of their publications, including the dead worlds anthologies.
June 23, 2011
This book wasn't what I expected, rather boring and uneventful. I don't recommend it but if you must, its a quick read so the pain won't last very long. This is my personal opinion, you don't have to agree.
December 17, 2009
I'm going to be blunt here; The Undead World of Oz by Frank L. Baum and Ryan C. Thomas did nothing for me. After having read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which I thought was an interesting concept (even if it didn't work for me), my curiosity was piqued by a similar approach to the Wizard of Oz. Would it work better, being that it is already a fantasy? Alas, it turned out to be as big a disappointment as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. To me, if you have read one, you've read them all.
As I said, the concept of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies intrigued me, as I was curious to see how they would work in the zombie elements. It was done remarkably well, I won't take that away from the authors, as I feel Thomas also did a remarkable job of interweaving the additions to make it appear as if the zombies were part of the original story, but it did little to add to the story. Having read the originals, I was quickly growing bored with the books, and I found myself skipping ahead just to find out where/what things were added and changed. I feel that there is a lack of creativity on the part of the author(s); while the concept is creative, the execution requires more a knack of being able to duplicate the language of the original author, so I can appreciate the works on a technical level, but as a creative narrative, the creativity belongs solely to the original author. In order for these to be successful (for me at least), I would rather see the author take the original story and rewrite it in their own words and include their zombie concept. Going forward, I feel that's how the authors should approach these rewrites rather than just adding to the original texts.
With that said, about The Undead World of Oz. . .
If you have read the original, the story is pretty much the same word for word until Dorothy lands in Oz. Her house does land on the Wicked Witch of the East, and she does meet the Witch of the North. However, their meeting is interrupted by the arrival of Undead Munchkins clamoring for brains. On hearing Dorothy's desire to return home to Kansas, The Good Witch advises her to go and see the Wizard; she also requests that Dorothy ask the Wizard to put an end to the curse of the Wicked Witch and lay the Undead to rest. So, donning the silver shoes of the Wicked Witch of the East (yes, silver, although by the end of the book they are Ruby Red Slippers after they have become stained with the blood of the zombies), she sets off to see the Wizard.
One her way, she does rescue the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and does encounter the Cowardly Lion, and as they venture to The Emerald City, they encounter zombies and assorted other monster. They finally arrive, only to be told my the Great and Powerful Oz that he will not grant their requests until the bring proof that the Wicked Witch of the West is dead. So it's off to slay the witch, and on that journey they face even more monsters and zombies, including the Flying Monkeys. Dorothy succeeds in killing the witch, and when they return to Oz, the Wizard grants all of their requests -- except the two Dorothy made -- so the Scarecrow has his brains, the Tin Woodman has it heart, and the Cowardly Lion has his courage. As Dorothy is about the climb into the hot air balloon to return home, the zombies lay siege to the Emerald City. Toto jumps from Dorothy's arms to attack the zombies, and Dorothy goes after him, leaving the Wizard to depart the Undead World of Oz alone.
Left in Oz, Dorothy comes to the conclusion that if she is going to be stuck in this strange world, it is going to be up to her and her friends to make the land safe for everybody. Needless to say, Dorothy does eventually return home with the help of the silver shoes. As for the ending, this was the only part of truly enjoyed, even though I was able to predict it early on, as it offers up an explanation as to how zombies came to inhabit our world.
The commercial success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is spawning way too many rip-offs, of which The Undead World of Oz is only one. I have been unfortunate enough to have read two of these zombifications of the classics, and I won't deny that you should read at least one just for the experience of reading, but leave it at that. Pass on the others so that we don't encourage this trend of "rewriting" the classics, of which there are far too many already.
As I said, the concept of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies intrigued me, as I was curious to see how they would work in the zombie elements. It was done remarkably well, I won't take that away from the authors, as I feel Thomas also did a remarkable job of interweaving the additions to make it appear as if the zombies were part of the original story, but it did little to add to the story. Having read the originals, I was quickly growing bored with the books, and I found myself skipping ahead just to find out where/what things were added and changed. I feel that there is a lack of creativity on the part of the author(s); while the concept is creative, the execution requires more a knack of being able to duplicate the language of the original author, so I can appreciate the works on a technical level, but as a creative narrative, the creativity belongs solely to the original author. In order for these to be successful (for me at least), I would rather see the author take the original story and rewrite it in their own words and include their zombie concept. Going forward, I feel that's how the authors should approach these rewrites rather than just adding to the original texts.
With that said, about The Undead World of Oz. . .
If you have read the original, the story is pretty much the same word for word until Dorothy lands in Oz. Her house does land on the Wicked Witch of the East, and she does meet the Witch of the North. However, their meeting is interrupted by the arrival of Undead Munchkins clamoring for brains. On hearing Dorothy's desire to return home to Kansas, The Good Witch advises her to go and see the Wizard; she also requests that Dorothy ask the Wizard to put an end to the curse of the Wicked Witch and lay the Undead to rest. So, donning the silver shoes of the Wicked Witch of the East (yes, silver, although by the end of the book they are Ruby Red Slippers after they have become stained with the blood of the zombies), she sets off to see the Wizard.
One her way, she does rescue the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and does encounter the Cowardly Lion, and as they venture to The Emerald City, they encounter zombies and assorted other monster. They finally arrive, only to be told my the Great and Powerful Oz that he will not grant their requests until the bring proof that the Wicked Witch of the West is dead. So it's off to slay the witch, and on that journey they face even more monsters and zombies, including the Flying Monkeys. Dorothy succeeds in killing the witch, and when they return to Oz, the Wizard grants all of their requests -- except the two Dorothy made -- so the Scarecrow has his brains, the Tin Woodman has it heart, and the Cowardly Lion has his courage. As Dorothy is about the climb into the hot air balloon to return home, the zombies lay siege to the Emerald City. Toto jumps from Dorothy's arms to attack the zombies, and Dorothy goes after him, leaving the Wizard to depart the Undead World of Oz alone.
Left in Oz, Dorothy comes to the conclusion that if she is going to be stuck in this strange world, it is going to be up to her and her friends to make the land safe for everybody. Needless to say, Dorothy does eventually return home with the help of the silver shoes. As for the ending, this was the only part of truly enjoyed, even though I was able to predict it early on, as it offers up an explanation as to how zombies came to inhabit our world.
The commercial success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is spawning way too many rip-offs, of which The Undead World of Oz is only one. I have been unfortunate enough to have read two of these zombifications of the classics, and I won't deny that you should read at least one just for the experience of reading, but leave it at that. Pass on the others so that we don't encourage this trend of "rewriting" the classics, of which there are far too many already.
February 7, 2012
Meh.
Not as entertaining as I thought it would be.
There's more to zombies than bloody fighting, but I guess Thomas doesn't think so. This could have been great but he went for the gore factor and neglected some much more interesting elements.
Just...meh.
Not as entertaining as I thought it would be.
There's more to zombies than bloody fighting, but I guess Thomas doesn't think so. This could have been great but he went for the gore factor and neglected some much more interesting elements.
Just...meh.
February 29, 2012
This was just okay. Wish there were more zombies in the story. Too much like the original story.
June 6, 2012
You know, I thought I'd love this considering Wizard of Oz is my all-time five book & movie, & zombies of course! But it's less than stellar :(
November 27, 2024
I would rate this book between 4 and 4.5 stars. It was a pretty fun zombie retelling. Shame on me for not actually having read Oz books yet and only watching the movie. The creatures that are only in the books, this author did a wonderful job explaining so I could understand. He actually made me really want to read the original. This is a bit gory a story but it has zombies so it isn’t surprisingly gory to me. There are some great lines and dialogue that made me laugh. Overall a good story.
March 13, 2025
Pretty much exactly the same as the original, but with zombies. Found it kind of boring, but want to give props to the idea. Feel like I would have liked the movie better.
March 10, 2017
I really enjoyed the book, it was very ongoing, keeping its similarities with the original Frank Baum's one. The battle for oz, was written very fast, and I think that if glinda could make that brain from nothing at all, instead of going to the wizard, they should of gone with Glinda first.
I enjoy every variant their is of this story, still anxious to read dorothy must die, but surely i will enjoy the similiatries. I enjoyed all of the wicked series, as i know if i read something else in the same subject it will be enjoyed.
I enjoy every variant their is of this story, still anxious to read dorothy must die, but surely i will enjoy the similiatries. I enjoyed all of the wicked series, as i know if i read something else in the same subject it will be enjoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
will-never-read
August 17, 2012Oh. My. God.
September 26, 2011
It was an amusing read definitely not the most serious read but with a title like The Undead World of Oz i didn't quite expect it to be, id say give it a read. You'll probably be content with it.
January 18, 2012
I would recommend this book. I never read the original. This book was a fast read but it stayed interesting from the beginning to the end.
December 30, 2015
Entertaining little mashup with Dorothy and her traveling friends meeting up with the undead.......definitely humorous!
June 8, 2013
A very fun and easy read.
Want to Read
September 9, 2013http://en.bookfi.org epub
April 3, 2014
Changed the story too much. But it okay
January 1, 2015
this was a very good book. I enjoyed it so much even though it was a very easy, simple read. the simplicity of it would be its only downfall but it was easy to get past.
June 4, 2014
Im more than a little over these horror rewrites. A funny clever idea that has been done well and not so well and a certain point maybe we can just let it go!!!!
November 15, 2021
If you thought, upon seeing this title, that Oz and zombies don’t mix, you are right. Gory and pointless.
December 27, 2010
I got this for Christmas and I really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews