A re-imagining of Dorothy Gale's post-oz experiences. Suppose she was found sleeping in a field 2 weeks after the twister and returned home, where she initially told people about her adventures, and they all thought she was mad. Backtracking doesn't seem to help, and things are getting worse for Dorothy! Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC/audiobook.

This one was really entertaining for me considering what a lifelong fan of Wizard of Oz I am. I have to admit, I went into it hoping for something a little darker, similar to the style of American McGee’s Alice, but this wasn’t like that. Instead, it’s a story about what happens after Dorothy gets home and what she very likely would have been put through had she come home to tell people about her tale. Now, there will be two very different schools of thought on this one. It is very clearly a lesson in prejudice and ignorance told through the lens of this beloved story. Some people will love it and some people will not. Although it is clear which side of the line this book leans politically, I think both sides of the line can learn some heavy lessons from this book. But for those who are looking for an entertaining look at what happens to Dorothy after Oz, this is it. I found myself so frustrated on her behalf, and it didn’t end quite how I had hoped, but a great ending nonetheless. It’s a shame the author didn’t get the chance to see it come to fruition.

Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

After Oz
Gordon McAlpine
The Wizard of Oz is a favorite book and movie of mine. After Oz is a sequel to The Wizard of Oz, set in Kansas in1896. The tornado left destruction in its wake including the Gale family farm. Dorothy is missing. Auntie Em can’t be held responsible after all she tried to find Dorothy right before the tornado blew through the town. It is assumed that Dorothy will be found deceased. But alas eleven-year-old Dorothy is found lying in a field. The townspeople are relieved. Dorothy shares in great detail her adventure in Oz. She tells then about the beautiful magic land, the Good Witch, the Bad Witch, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tinman and the Wizard. The good people in the town are shocked the child must be delusional; it whole story sound downright malicious, pagan and demonic. She even tells the good people about the Wicked Witch and how she melted her with water.
A grouchy spinster is found dead; her face is melted. The good people of the town believe Dorothy is guilty of murder. There was no trial just a sentencing, Dorothy was sent to the Topeka Insane Asylum.
Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford talks with Dororthy; she doesn’t believe Dorothy committed any crime. She begins doing her own investigation. What she finds is shocking all the good people in the town might not be so good. They have secrets that could make a change in Dorothy’s life. The good people are filled with hatred and contempt.
Dorothy is sorry she returned to Kansas.
I enjoyed this read but I do wish Dorothy had played a larger role. I also would have joined Dorothy in returning to Oz if it meant escaping the horrible small town in Kansas.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
4 🌟
-
I was never a HUGE fan of "Wizard of Oz," but a creepy retelling that could almost be a sequel. Sign me up! I always want a story of Dorothy after she returns from Oz. After Oz is a highly interesting take on "Wizard of Oz." Kansas 1896, after the tornado, and destroying the Gale's family barn. 11 year old Dorothy goes missing, and when she shows up unharmed four days later, the Gales breathe in a sigh of relief. That is, until Dorothy herself relates her account of the events that took place after her disappearance. In vivid detail, Dorothy describes a fantastical land and its magical inhabitants, from the scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion to the wizard and the witch. But then a local spinster is found dead, and all the fingers are pointing toward Dorothy.
My only complaint I wish we got MORE of Dorothy's POV.
The narrator did a good job bringing these characters alive and changing her voice to fit different characters. Highly recommend the audiobook.
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Aug.6
Thank you, Netgalley, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook for my honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This could be summarized as a dark twisted alternate reality version of The Wizard of Oz! This was a really interesting read! It's outside of anything i would have normally read, but I was intrigued by the summary. Also the first book that I have read by this author! I think almost everyone knows the original story of Wizard of Oz and I really liked that it was a different take on the classic story. It takes a look at a potentially alternate reality of how Dorothy could have been viewed after her visit to OZ by a real small town and its town people. I enjoyed the authors vision for this particular story and his imagination is clearly translated into the story! I liked the mix of the genres that the Author brought into this book. It also brought up so many dynamics between a closed off mind and a more creative take on stories and situations and it was clear to see that the author may have been inspired by some current world situations.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a twisted take on the classic favorite!

“There’s no place like home.”

Or is there? Dorothy might want to click her heals three times and quickly return to Oz! Three days after the tornado hits she is found, accused of murder, and sent to an insane asylum!

After Oz is a clever retelling of The Wizard of Oz, focusing on what might have happened when Dorothy returned home to 19th century Kansas. After explaining that during her adventure in Oz she killed a witch, Dorothy is considered delusional, diabolical, and pagan. Then a local spinster is found dead in Kansas. Could Dorothy actually be responsible for her death?

At the insane asylum, Dorothy is treated by Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford, a psychologist who has taken an interest in her case. She believes Dorothy is telling the truth, however fantastical it may be, and sets off to solve the mystery of who really killed the spinster.

Who isn’t a fan of The Wizard of Oz?! I still love to watch the original movie with Judy Garland. However, I never wondered what would happen once Dorothy returned. Maybe I should have because McAlpine’s reimagining is clever and intriguing. Strangely, Dorothy is not the main character and barely appears in this plot. It’s really a story about the psychologist solving the murder mystery. It is very narrative in structure, and includes many long letters. If monologues are not for you, then this might be bothersome. There is also a very short list of suspects so the actual mystery is not difficult to figure out.

This book is McAlpine’s last before he died in 2021. Since the publisher included an afterwards explaining that he was in a rush to finish it, I will forgive some of the issues that I had with it.

Maria Ru-Djen’s narration of the audiobook is terrific and I highly recommend this format.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: 8/6/24

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC ofAfter Oz in return for an honest review.

The year is 1896 and in the aftermath of a relentless twister, the folks of Sunbonnet are working to put the pieces of their lives and their farms back together. Shortly before the twister began, young Dorothy Gale was nowhere to be found… When she is discovered miles away four days later, the townspeople—especially Aunt Emily and Uncle Henry—are relieved. Feelings of joy quickly turn to concern when Dorothy regales them with her fantastical tales of the land of Oz.

Believed to be delusional, suffering from sacrilegious hallucinations, and suspected of the recent murder of a townswoman, she is sent to Topeka Insane Asylum. Everyone is convinced that Dorothy is “positively demented”, everyone that is except psychologist Dr. Wilford.

This story is as fascinating as it sounds. I mean, Dorothy accused of being a madwoman plus the unfolding of a small-town mystery? Hell. Yes. My complaint is that a lot of this book—mainly the back half—doesn’t come in to deep contact with Dorothy directly but rather through the townspeople and the psychologist. The book shifts its view away from Dorothy and instead focuses its lens on the murder of the townswoman, merely using Dorothy as a vehicle to get there. It wasn't bad by any means, simply a different path than I was expecting.

I think it is fair to also say that readers will be disappointed if they expect a retelling of The Wizard of Oz. Rather, this is (as the title suggests) a continuation of the story once Dorothy is back home. That said, readers may feel disappointed about the lack of Oz in this novel but still, this “retelling” is engrossing, imaginative, relevant to the time that it is set, and absolutely worth the read.

I read this book via audio with Maria Ru-Djen as the narrator who, I believe, was the perfect fit for the job as her voice really helped bring this story to life.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! Available 08/06/2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I absolutely loved this book. I also have the printed version as well. Both were great.
Well written re telling of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. Parts of it reminded me of the movie Return to Oz. This was well researched and phenomenally written. I loved the psychiatric aspect thrown in and the insight into the time period and how people were treated when they didn’t conform with the rest of society. Also great insight on the judgments a small town can place on one person.
The narrator was phenomenal, great tone, great changes in voice. Overall phenomenal performance.

After a tornado rips through a small town in Kansas, a young girl goes missing. When she mysteriously reappears unharmed, she claims she has travelled to another world with witches, wizards, and flying monkeys. She is then accused of the murder of the town’s most hated woman and committed to psychiatric ward.
Having heard about this case, a young f doctor from New York comes to Kansas to study the case and young Dorothy. She finds herself in the middle of a religious town, where going against the church is highly discouraged.

I really liked the concept of this book and immediately thought of how I felt when I watched Return to Oz as a young child and how pieces fit and didn’t fit with the original movie. It felt like this book weirdly fit in between those two movies, where Dorothy is considered crazy and just wants to go back to Oz.

Overall the story didn’t meet my expectations of the vibes, but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape audio for this ARC.

Creepy retelling of what happened to Dorothy after she gets back from Oz.

Ever wondered how Dorothy is reaccepted by her community? What if something awful happened in the time she was in Oz? And what if the small town would do anything to keep up the secret?

This story was so good, with so many aspect of horror and small town cult vibes that I appreciate in thriller books. I listened to it in once setting at work and just needed to know what was happening next.

“Then, through the swirling chaos, Emily thought she saw Dorothy inside the farmhouse, darting recklessly from window to window. ”
Here are reasons to read the Historical Fiction Mystery book:

Retelling - in this retelling of The Wizard of Oz, we follow Dorothy
Tornado - through the aftermath of what takes place after the tornado hits and Dorothy is missing and returns to tell her story,
Dead Woman - She claims she accidentally killed a witch, so when a dead woman is found days later, Dorothy is the one they accuse
Small town - after all this is a small town and who can believe a fantastical tale about another world?

If you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, any of the books, or have seen the old tv movie The Dreamer of Oz, this book is for you. It is a compelling mystery, and the ending is so well conceived. I was surprised to learn that this book has been in the writing for a while and the author lost his battle with cancer before it was published. But it is so nostalgic that I couldn’t help but finish it in a day.

What happens after Dorothy returns to Kansas? She comes back from Oz saying she didn't mean to kill the witch. How was she to know that water would melt her?! At first the town just thinks she's insane but after a local woman, known as "the witch", is found dead in her home, Dorothy's story becomes the ramblings of a murder.

I'm slightly biased here because I will probably love any story related to The Wizard Oz -- it's one of my childhood favorites. I liked this dark take on Dorothy's life after Oz. It makes total sense that a small God-fearing town would claim she's insane and send her off to an asylum. There's an alternating POV between the collective town perspective and the psychologist that I think worked well to propel the story forward. The structure of this book reminded me a bit of Dracula, probably because of the use of letter writing to tell the tale.
If you're a fan of Oz, you'll want to read After Oz.


The narrator has a nice voice that is easy to listen to.

3.5

Thankyou to the late Gordon McAlpine for taking me back to the Land of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz has been a lifelong obsession, I played the VHS tape on repeat (much to the disdain of my family), have all the dolls, know all the words and I’m currently re-reading the books again in my mid-thirties. So I was beyond excited to receive this ARC.

I went into this novel blind and didn’t know what to expect, but if something has the word Oz in it, I’m game. I was a little disappointed that we weren’t whisked away to Oz like I had hoped, but something else happened that was equally as satisfying.

I don’t want to give too much away as this is a whole new perspective into the Land of Oz and wouldn’t want to ruin anyone else’s experience.

For a short summary, in this novel, our much beloved Dorothy is on trial for murder. It does start off pretty slowly and I did have my reservations throughout as we predominantly follow a Psychiatrist, Dr Wilford instead of any of the characters we know and love. However towards the end of the book, we get some unexpected twists and turns which makes everything become clear. By the end of the book, I was left with a childhood sense of wonder about the endless possibilities of Oz.

The book is a short, sweet listen and the narration was done very well indeed by Maria Ru-Djen. Thankyou for sharing your Oz imagination with us Gordon McAlpline and thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this fabulous ARC.

A dark retelling of the Wizard of Oz, this novel looks at the events following the tornado when 11 y/o Dorothy “returns home” from Oz. After going missing in the twister, she shows up in a neighbor’s yard full of tall tales about a whimsical land…and is quickly dismissed until she brings up accidentally killing a wicked witch. Days later, a local spinster referred to by many as a “witch” is found dead in her home. This twisted take on the Frank Baum classic takes on a murder investigation, an insane asylum, and the pious prejudices in a small Midwest town in the late 1800s.
As a childhood fan of Baum’s novels and even later loving spinoffs like Wicked and Son of a Witch, I was immediately drawn to this novel. I enjoyed the darker take as an adult but still found myself with a lot of questions at the end. The narrator did a good job, however, of making each character distinct which helped when following multiple perspectives or dialogue.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I am fortunate enough that I grew up close to a library that had an entire Oz collection -- most people don't realize that after L. Frank Baum, there were other "Oz historians" that kept the stories going for a long time. There were some inconsistencies and different points of view, but the other tomes were fun, imaginative books, and I also loved the movie and the musical and went to meet the actors who played the munchkins. So this was a really interesting experience, a book that used the setting but made it more realistic and kept you guessing as to what REALLY happened.
It's different, but once I got used to it, I enjoyed the way the story was set up. We hear from a young woman investigating the murder of the "witch" and from someone in the community, which is deeply religious and set in its beliefs, especially about the other people in the community. I found both points of view to be sympathetic, in that I could understand how they were thinking. This is a dark story, but it was fun to have this different perspective. The narration was great, which is part of how I remained so sympathetic. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

Let me start by saying that I was never a fan of The Wizard of Oz. However, when I read that AFTER OZ would be a 'dark retelling' (that I guess can also kind-of work as a sequel?), I was intrigued.
And at first this book was working with me. The tornado and the repercussions of it, this very religious (and small-minded) small town, the pagan and the magical elements, there is a psychiatrist in the story, which I'd say it helps the plot to bring some realness to it. All elemens and concepts that I usually like, and I was ok with them. However, I didn't connect with the author's writing style. I was pulled out of the story many times because I couldn't ge past it sometimes.
I will say that the audiobook helped me go through it. The audiobook narrator was decent enough (and the fact that this audiobook is fairly short also helped me) and it was because of the audiobook that I managed to finish the book.
I didn't have such a great time with this one but I'm sure other readers will. Maybe especially the ones who like the original Wizard of Oz.