Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond

Revisiting L. Frank Baum’s Oz with all-new stories, this anthology showcases up-and-coming talents as well as acclaimed writers such as Jane Yolen and Tad Williams. Gems include “Beyond the Naked Eye” by Rachel Swirsky, about revolution in the heart of the Emerald City; Seanan McGuire’s “Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust,” in which adult Dorothy is the new Witch of the West, trying to help Oz’s less fortunate; Ken Liu’s “The Veiled Shanghai,” contrasting pre-Communist Shanghai with an Oz-like mirror city; and Jonathan Maberry’s touching “The Cobbler of Oz,” starring a brave young flying monkey. Others are less successful, notably Simon Green’s “Dorothy Dreams,” about Dorothy ailing in a nursing home, and Jeffrey Ford’s “A Meeting in Oz,” in which Dorothy becomes a murderer. Less comforting than Baum’s original stories, this anthology will appeal to Oz lovers looking for new perspectives. (Mar.)