Kansas, 1896 - A tornado has hit a small town in Kansas and 11-year-old Dorothy Gale is missing. When she's finally found after 4 days of searching, she tells a fantastical tale of a beautiful land, where witches and wizards and talking animals abound. Her small town is horrified, especially after the body of a local spinster is found and Dorothy is blamed for the murder; which looks to be the way she claimed to have killed a "witch" in Oz.
After learning of Dorothy's predicament, Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford comes to Kansas from NY to see if she can discern the truth of her claim (and maybe solve the murder). But the townspeople are tight-lipped and staunch in their faith and secrets will have to come out if Evelyn wants to help Dorothy.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio e-arc.*

I loved everything about this so much. I loved the different perspectives, I loved the imagery, I especially loved the narration. I can't even get over that amazing ending!

After Oz
By Gordon McAlpine

Thank you so much partner @crookedlanebooks @dreamscapemedia for the gifted ARC and audiobook.

Blurb:
This gripping and emotionally riveting tale is a dark and timely retelling of The Wizard of Oz, where one little girl is forced to face head on the prejudices of the Midwest in the late nineteenth century.

🌪️ My thoughts:
Wow!! What a twisted tale of what happened after Dorothy returns from Oz. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it definitely wasn’t this and I loved it. But that’s a tad bit misleading because Dorothy isn’t even in the book all that much! This book has two POVs. One is a psychologist and the other isn’t specifically revealed. The narrator did a fantastic job with this audiobook! I’m pretty sure I loved the physical book and the audiobook the same! Far from a fairytale, After Oz is dark and probably much more realistic for the time period. This story is creative and ridiculously well done. I mean… even the murder mystery part of this story had some solid twists! Sure it’s called a retelling and you’ll hear about the land of Oz but this book is so much more than that. I already know I’m going to need to get myself a finished copy when it hits shelves tomorrow, 8/6/24! I highly recommend giving this twisted tale a read/listen.

Happy reading 📖 🌪️

What an interesting retelling! This is an historical fiction book about the aftermath of the events in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy Gale went missing for some days after the tornado that devastated her Aunt and Uncle's farm. Being found days later with an unbelievable story and a suspicious death in the community, Dorothy finds herself in psychiatric care. Dorothy finds a friend in Dr. Evelyn Wilford who confronts the small town to find the truth of events.
Evelyn is a tenacious character who confronts prejudice as she fights to find out the truth for her young patient. This is an interesting look at small town life in middle America in the late 1800s as well as psychiatric care. We have a long way to go with our mental health care system, but at least we have made some advances! I love the way that it doesn't really matter to the story whether or not Dorothy went to Oz. Different characters use her story in different ways for their own ends.
I listened to the book and I think the narrator, Maria Ru-Djen, did an excellent job. I looked up her other narrations and she doesn't have many but I hope that changes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance listening copy of this book for review purposes.

2.5 Stars

While the story started off promising, it took an unexpected direction and felt a bit repetitive at times. I had hoped for something different. Overall not for me, but I'm just an outlier.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Gordon McAlpine, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

(5.0 Stars)

This book is simply delightful to read. I have to admit that I was a little worried by the overly generous inclusion of biblical passages and *almost* proselytizing. But my worries were unfounded. I think the author (IMHO) used the Bible, and it's claim of "moral superiority" to showcase the contradictory nature of how people truly act, to how they conveniently omit certain actions or outright lie to justify their "goodness". Okay, rant over :)

Back to the book. This is a story of what happens after the movie (The Wizard of Oz) ends. It is part fan-fiction, part noir detective/mystery, and wholly enjoyable. The characters feel real, and the story follows a logical path to its conclusion.

Fans of Gregory Maguire should really like this book. I am fortunate to have come across this book on NetGalley, because otherwise it probably would not have been on my radar at all. This author has a beautiful writing style and is descriptive without being boring. Unfortunately, this is the author's final work, and I think his first audiobook offering. My hope is that this is well received, and more of his earlier works will become available as audiobook offerings, other than his YA series about Edgar Allen Poe.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Upon her return from Oz, Dorothy is met with a shocking turn of events as she is accused of murdering a local woman who perished shortly after the tornado, providing a captivating and unforeseen twist on the classic story. Although the overall story was intriguing, it suffered from sluggish pacing at times.3.5 ⭐️

A dark take on what happens with Dorothy after she returns to Kansas from Oz. I’m always interested when I see a book that deals with the land of Oz and had to read this thriller as soon as I heard of it. The audiobook version was narrated by Maria Ru-Djen. She did a great job with this story.

It is set in the late 1890s and is told from two perspectives. The first is one of the townspeople who is highly religious and holds a lot of prejudices. They are an unknown resident of the town who illustrates the viewpoints of most of the residents. It was oftentimes irritating to listen to what they were saying and brought down the story a bit for me. I know exactly what they were in the story for but it still made it less enjoyable of an experience. The second perspective in the book is Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford, who is a psychologist trying to solve Dorothy’s innocence.

When Dorothy returns to Kansas from Oz, she begins to tell of her adventures there and also of its magical inhabitants. These stories worry the people in her town who believe she is at first delusional and then as the story goes on diabolical. When the body of a local woman, Alvina is found, they think Dorothy is the murderer because of her description of killing the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz. She is sent to an asylum. Evelyn Wilford goes to the asylum to interview Dorothy and sees a little girl who she does not believe could murder anyone. Evelyn decides to go to the town and see if she can solve what really happened.

Don’t go into this book thinking you will see any of Oz, that is not what this story is about. Dorothy does go into some details about her friends and some of what she does in Oz, but not much. The story’s focus is on the prejudices and religious beliefs of Dorothy’s town and on the murder mystery. Dorothy is not in the book as much as I thought she would be either. She is obviously very important in the plot, but we see more of the townspeople and Evelyn than Dorothy. It did have me wanting to find out who murdered Alvina. The twists surprised me a lot.

I’m always intrigued by continuations of classic stories. I think it was interesting how Gordon decided to take this in a very different direction. Though, it was disappointing to not get more of Oz or at least Dorothy. You don’t go into a Oz retelling/continuation thinking you won’t get at least some of the characters or the world.

I absolutely love the idea of a retelling of The Wizard of Oz and this one delivered. It is from the two different POVs and not the ones you think they will be. It almost reads like a murder mystery which was pleasantly surprising. For a story that has been redone over and over this one has given us a fresh unique and dark take on a classic.

What happened when Dorothy returned from Oz?

This book explores that very question. I enjoyed the unique approach to the story we all know. When Dorothy returned she tells all about her adventures in Oz , of course no one believes her and they think she is delusional and essentially evil.

When she mentioned she didn't mean to kill the witch, people began suspecting her of murder. As a result she ends up in an Insane Asylum.

A psychologist takes interest in her case and uncovering the truth of if Dorothy actually committed the crime.

The author did a great job of making the story believable; I can imagine a small town would react in this way to a child telling tales of a fantasy land, magic and witches in this time frame. I was frustrated by how easily she was dismissed and put into an asylum. I rooted the psychologist, Dr Evelyn Grace Wilford, on as she was seemingly the only one who had Dorothy's best interest at heart.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

What. A. Fantastic. Book!!
I loved every bit of this. A dark, twisted story involving religious tones and bigotry.

I was extremely saddened to learn the author has passed away - I very much enjoyed this and hoped for more. I wish his family the best and long live his works.

It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not sure why I didn’t connect, maybe it’s just a dark twist on a beloved tale that didn’t sit right.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book but an addictive murder mystery was not it. While this book is about Dorothy Gale, it has nothing to do with the land of Oz. It is a historical murder mystery. We start with a tornado ripping through a community and everybody looking for Dorothy. She is missing for four days. She just walks out of field and says here I am and I have been in Oz. Dorothy is a tad bit scared because she melted a witch. The community thinks she’s crazy. And until a few days later when one of the matriarchs of the town is found dead with her face melted off. The first half of this book is “what to do with Dorothy”. Did Dorothy do it? The town has a hearing (not a trial) to show if evidence can prove Dorothy could have killed this woman. The evidence is interesting and intriguing and me going WTF! Dorothy is sent to live in an asylum. And that takes us the halfway point.
The second half of this book is learning more about the towns people because there is somebody who thinks this can’t be Dorothy and they’re bound determined to prove it. Listening to this book it felt like a cross between the old movie Return to Oz. At least the part of that movie before she ends up back in Oz, and To Kill a Mockingbird. That seems like a weird comparison, but that’s just the way it made me feel. The second half of the book feels like different version of an old show called Christy. A big city lady coming into a new town and a type of life she doesn’t understand but trying to make things happen. This book was addictive. It was engrossing and the entire time I’m listening it I keep thinking - I want this for Book Club. I want to talk to other readers; I want to talk to all my Oz loving friends and ask “What do you think?”. At the end of the audiobook the reader is notified that the author has died, and this was their last work. I haven’t read anything else by this author and it’s a shame that he is gone because I would read what he would do next.

I loved this book! I am one of those people that always finish a standalone movie or book wondering what happens to the characters after it ends. This is true for a movie I’ve seen a hundred times (my mom was a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz).

In this book, you get a look at the story of 11-year old Dorothy, after returning from Oz-a magical place, scarcely different from Kansas. Of course no one will believe her tales and begin to believe she is delusional, especially after a crime has been committed.

The audiobook was done fantastically. It was a great tempo, voice was perfectly suited for the book, and was so easy to hear and follow along.

The book itself was a quick read/listen at just 240 pages/7hrs 43 min audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC. I hated to hear that the author has since passed away, but would love to thank him for this wonderful work.

After Oz is a dark retelling of the Wizard of Oz. In After Oz, the reader gets to see Dorothy after the Wizard of Oz takes place. When Dorothy returns from Oz, she tells her family what occurred. Everyone thinks her “stories” are delusional and diabolical. It doesn’t help that a local ends up dead. The authorities find “evidence” and Dorothy gets sent to an insane asylum. When Evelyn (the psychologist) interviews Dorothy she has some doubts that Dorothy committed the crime.

If you are a fan of the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy, this book is for you. Although it says it’s a retelling, it’s more of a continuation as it starts when Dorothy is returning home.

There isn’t a whole lot of Dorothy in this book. She’s the main character, yes, but it is more of Evelyn and the townspeople than Dorothy.

The reader must also keep in mind that the book takes place in the 1800s, so times were different. Beliefs and values were different. Views were different.

After Oz was a good read. It had me hooked from the beginning and wanting to solve the mystery.

Most of us know the story of Dorothy and the land of Oz, but few of us know what happened when she returned to her home in Kansas. Alpine takes us on a sometimes dark adventure telling us the next chapter in Dorothy’s story. One that might just surprise you! As Dorothy’s story comes out, she is branded as wicked and when a woman from the town is found murdered with her face melted from lye, Dorothy is immediately considered guilty as she’s already admitted to melting a witch in her journeys. Considered dangerous, Dorothy is sent to an insane asylum. When a young woman psychologist journeys to Kansas, she begins to doubt Dorothy’s guilt. The only way to save Dorothy is to figure out who the real murderer is. This was a unique story filled with small town bigotry and prejudice, told in two voices, it was definitely one that was engaging from beginning to end! Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

In 1896 young Dorothy Gale goes missing during a tornado that sweeps over the town. After being missing for four days, she appears out of nowhere, talking nonsense about a magical land with wizards and witches, tinmen and cowardly lions. Dorothy has always been a weird child, so the townsfolk put it all up for childish imagination. Dorothy mentions that she melted a witch's face off, and it gets even stranger when an old woman who was called a witch by the town's children is found dead the next day with her face melted off...

'After Oz' is a story of what happened to Dorothy after she returned from Oz. It is told in a dual POV, one being an unnamed townperson and the other being Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford. To my surprise, Dorothy wasn't that big of a character in the story itself, and she's rather just someone to who all of the different plotlines and characters are somehow connected.

I liked the story in general. It was an interesting concept to write about, and the town's cultish vibes added to the story. However, I felt like some questions that needed answers weren't answered and it felt more like the author didn't bother to solve them. I'm all for leaving some things as a mystery for the reader to figure out, but in this case, it felt more like the case of lazy writing.

I'd recommend it to anyone interested in an old-timey and cult vibey murder mystery/psychological thriller.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dark tale of what happens when Dorothy returns front Oz. Very little Dorothy in the book but huge focus on religion in a small Kansas town in 1896. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Have you ever wondered what happened after Dorothy returned from visiting Oz? If you have, then you might After Oz, which tackles exactly that question, though with a bit of a specific framework in mind.

In After Oz, we follow Dorothy’s story after she returns from Oz after being swept up in the storm. The problem is, when Dorothy tells people about her adventures in Oz and insists that it was real, they think she’s merely raving like a madman and as a result send her to the Topeka Insane Asylum. And to make matters even more complicated, a local woman who is often referred to as a ‘witch’ by fellow townsfolk due to her less than pleasant demeanor is found dead in a manner eerily reminiscent of Dorothy’s description of ‘melting’ a woman by throwing a bucket of water on her while in Oz. Because of this, Dorothy becomes the prime suspect in the mysterious murder, with no one on her side except the mysterious visiting psychiatrist Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford who shows up in the town of Sunbonnet to aid her.

The story is primarily narrated through letters written by Dr. Wilford to her mentor. This epistolary format allowed for what felt like a very comprehensive look into Dr. Wilford’s thoughts and both professional and personal observations, which really lets the readers have a more introspective look into everything happening in Sunbonnet (at least from Dr. Wilford’s eyes, anyway). I found her chapters to be thoughtfully written and rich in detail, which allowed her personality to shine through.

There are also some chapters interspersed told from the perspective of an unnamed townsperson who appears to be a spokesman of sorts for the town and therefore acts as a viewpoint into the ‘opposing’ side who believes in Dororthy’s guilt and develops a strong dislike for Dr. Wilford. I can’t say I enjoyed these chapters quite as much as Dr. Wilford’s, but I think the insight they provided for the rest of the town was vital to better understanding the dynamics at play in this story.

My only real complaint about the perspectives in this book is what’s lacking, and that’s any perspectives from Dorothy herself. I understand now that the focus of the book is clearly meant to be on the murder and events surrounding her, with Dorothy acting as the central focus that draws everything together, but I really expected and hoped for more from Dorothy given the premise.

After Oz has a very strong ‘whodunnit’ nature to it, which I wasn’t really expecting (although after reading the book I noticed it was published by Crooked Lane Books, a popular mystery publisher, so this might’ve clued me in if I’d noticed it, haha!), but which managed to keep me engaged throughout. The story is relatively fast-paced in a good way and maintained a very consistent flow to it that made it hard for me to put down. Many of the additional townsfolk were a bit cardboard-like in personality, but the way they were included and used in the story made them more engaging and even provided a nice foil to Dr. Wilford’s intellect and keen eye. I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the twists and turns that I think really kept this story exciting.

As previously mentioned, while I initially hoped for a bit more of Dorothy’s perspective on returning from Oz and re-adapting to her life in Kansas, the focus ont he mystery of the murdered woman and Dorothy’s return and repercussions was still very compelling. I still had a lot of fun with this and it makes me curious about what else could be done with this story without the murdered woman taking center stage? Would Dorothy still be sent to a mental asylum, and what would other repercussions be?

I listened to the audiobook version of After Oz and thought it was excellently done. The narrator succeeded in bringing the characters to life with distinct and entertaining voices and inflections for each. I definitely recommend the audiobook for this one if you are someone who enjoys the audio format!

Regardless, I found After Oz to be an engaging read that I finished quickly due to the engaging mystery elements and various twists that popped up around town. Overall, I’ve given After Oz 3.75 stars. While it may not have delved into the magical land of Oz itself or focused as much on Dorothy’s perspective, it was still a really fascinating look at a possible aftermath of such a unique and remarkable experience. If you like mysteries and classic tales, then I’d encourage you to give this one a read.

I was initially skeptical... the first part of the book was just different. I was not sure where we were going.

Then I was hooked. What happens to Dorothy after Oz? It really is a great concept. The tie in to L. Frank Baum and the origins of the original story was so smooth. After Oz takes the Wizard of Oz and brings it down to earth. How would late 1800s society--small town, at that--handle a girl who miraculously survives a tornado only to tell a tale of traveling through a magical land and returning to Kansas by tapping her heels together? Probably just as After Oz lays it out.

This ultimately morphs into a murder mystery, who-dun-it style. A true gem for Wizard of Oz fans.