Dorothy the Darker Side of Oz by Scott Stanford

Dorothy the Darker Side of Oz

by Scott Stanford

As Dorothy awakes in Oz there's no sunshine in Munchkin country, just a twisted race enslaved by the Eastern witch, and a crooked path of yellow bricks she has to take to the mysterious Emerald City, a place ridden with sinister secrets. To get home the orphan girl treks the magical land, sometimes beautiful though often deadly, seeking help from the great wizard of Oz. The young girl struggles through a vast land of new sights, unfamiliar villages, and endures the dark forest, finding strange friends along her way. Cautiously trusting a peculiar scarecrow, he accompanies Dorothy through Oz, finding a tragic tin-man on their travels, and the cowardly lion; a victim to Mr Jack's infernal carnival. The animal's only hope is to be saved by Dorothy and her friends, but the ringleader and his obscure show have other plans for them. Dorothy's enchanting journey takes her through new, peculiar and amazing countries as Oz unveils itself. The strange friends must fight to overcome the rivers of mist, the deadly poppy fields, and beyond; whilst Kalidahs, Hammerheads and other macabre creatures stand in their way...and if they reach the Emerald City, they my find more than they bargained for.
To get back to Kansas the young girl must survive the dangers of Oz, find the mysterious great wizard, and most of all, avoid the dead-lands of the West, where the evil witch Outika breeds her carnivorous pets, and watches the strange friends' every move. This isn't the Oz you know, and Dorothy may never leave.

Reviewed by clairelm on

2 of 5 stars

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I've never read the original Wizard of Oz but I sincerely hope it's better than this. I was expecting a warped story line, it made it perfect for a Halloween challenge, but I wasn't expecting a story that felt like it was written by a child but that was about as disturbing as I find the idea of Hannibal Lecter.

If I hadn't been reading this for a challenge, I wouldn't have finished it, I'm afraid I definitely can't recommend it to anyone.

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  • Started reading
  • 6 October, 2013: Finished reading
  • 6 October, 2013: Reviewed