Review: The Flight to Oz: Book II: Anusha of Oz

Note: The following review is non-naughty. Viewer discretion not required.

            JW Krych continued where he left off in Book I: Arrival and not only brings us back to Oz in Book II: Anusha of Oz, but also reaches out to familiar lands from Baum’s canon. We still have 21st Century gadgets, subtle pop culture references, and Bungle the cat, but now we uncover a new threat to Oz now that the Magic Barrier is gone.

            In this new volume, it has been only a few weeks since the end of Arrival and Oz is still recovering from the devastation left by the Evilons. On top of that, the citizens of the Emerald City and the cast of characters alike are adjusting to the new changes around them. Ozma has limited her magic use to only the most serious of issues, which has divided her subjects. Jonathan and David are still getting used to their new positions as generals in Ozma’s military, and Trot and Betsy are adjusting to married life to their respective husbands.

            While there are bumps in the road, these are smoothed over and they continue to make improvements. It’s a realistic approach to problem-solving that we don’t see in the tradition Oz canon; given this is a book written for adults, which works in its favor. As if these new changes to the kingdom aren’t enough, new surprises are revealed. Trot and David discover new abilities that they possess, Cap’n Bill and the Starling Queen have a long-kept secret, and Jonathan and Betsy decide they are ready to start a family.

            While at first, they are unable to conceive, the answer to Jonathan and Betsy’s wish comes in the form of baby Anusha, rescued by Lurline from the world of men, specifically India. As they raise her, with the help of their young friend Tina, they discover along with her magical ability to grow up rapidly, she also has Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning form of Autism. However, Anusha’s autism is in no way portrayed as a handicap in this book, but instead as a powerful ability worthy of Oz and aids her friends and family in their adventures in Oz and beyond.

            As in the last book, the themes in this volume revolve around love. However, instead of romantic love, the focus is on the love from friends and family and is portrayed in numerous forms.

            Betsy and Jonathan can be seen as relatable to many couples who are incapable of having children and desire them. Like many of those real-life couples, they turn to adoption. Despite not being biologically related to their adopted daughter, they prove that you don’t have to give birth to your children to be a real parent. This is a new form of the reoccurring theme in many Oz books concerning how you don't have to be related to be a family.

            The love of friendship is also represented heavily as relationships are seen to progress during happy times and sad times. Jonathan finds friendship and comradery with Ixian veterans of an 85-year war. He also bonds with his newly formed team in the Oz Research Corp and their loyalty is proven time and time again throughout the narrative. Ozma finds comfort in David and Trot and learns to see Dorothy, her beloved companion, as her equal. We also see the effects of what happens when we push others away and refuse to seek comfort in our companions. Both the Wogglebug and a citizen of Ix depict the negative outcomes.

            Another major theme that we see throughout the story is the depiction of the Autism Spectrum. It is expected in every Oz book to meet beings with magical abilities different from our own such as people made of puzzle pieces or a boy with 20 legs. This book is no different except for the fact that our unique individual hails not from Oz, but from Earth. Anusha has Asperger’s and even though she becomes over-stimulated by loud noises and is prone to panic attacks, she can memorize complex patterns and master kinds of math that I’ve never even heard of (I took Calculus in high school and Physics in college, trust me). Her Asperger’s is valued by her parents and by Ozma. I applaud Krych in his depiction of this disorder because for one, he doesn’t even refer to it as a disorder, and two, it is the most positive depiction of any form of Autism I have ever seen. Not only does the audience get to witness the struggles that the parents of special needs children go through, but they also get to see what joys it can bring.

            Once again, JW Krych has brought us a fantastic science fiction-influenced Oz novel filled with familiar Oz magic and realistic emotion, humor, and drama. The charm from his first volume shines just as bright in this volume and the cliffhanger at the end will make you tear your hair out as you wait for Book: III to come out.

OzCon 2019 Registration is Open!

Hey guys, sorry there isn't a new post this week. My family is getting ready for a big event this weekend and I have to help out so there isn't much time for anything else.

However, I will take this time to make one big announcement:

Tickets for OzCon 2019 are now available!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the convention that introduced me to the fandom (I loved Oz before that point, but I didn't know about the fan base). Since that con two years ago, I've actually had friends for the first time since I moved back in with my parents! So it goes without saying that you will see your Naughty Nerd there making a fool of herself at the after-parties (or during the day, it isn't really a scheduled event).

Just like this past year, it will be in Pomona, CA at the Kellogg West Center and runs from July 26th-28th, 2019. It will be the centennial anniversary of Baum's death so all of his works will be celebrated (Don't be surprised to see me there pouring my drink on the ground). The organizers have already announced a handful of the guests that are coming next year such as Raymond F Wohl, who will perform his full one-man show about L. Frank Baum (he was there this past year and his show was fucking amazing). But as the months pass, we will surely get more announcements about who is coming.

So go get those tickets for OzCon 2019 (and the meal tickets, too, trust me, unless you want to shell out extra money for UberEats or get a rental car or something, just buy the meals in advance; plus the food is fantastic). While you're at it, book your hotel room, too.

I'll even save you a step and give you the link to the registration page. Now you have no excuse to not find it. Go there! Go there now!

http://www.ozconinternational.com/registration.html

See you there, nerds!

Review: The Flight to Oz: Book I: Arrival

I know it's not Tuesday, but I have a special post for you today! I was honored to read a book by JW Krych and given permission to post my review on my blog.

In respect of a friend's work, this is a non-naughty post.

The Flight to Oz: Book I: Arrival is the first in a trilogy by JW Krych. The story hits the ground running when Glinda is given a cryptic prophesy by none other than Lurline herself; Oz will forever be changed by visitors from the stars. Shortly after, a spaceship, named the HALEY, from the civilized world crash-lands near the Emerald City. While the astronauts, known as “newcomers”, acclimate to life in Oz as they teach the locals how to use Linux and play volleyball, evil is rising and the only ones who can stop it are Princess Ozma and her Beloved Companion, Princess Dorothy.         

There is nothing that I didn’t like about this book. In short, I would describe the writing style as a mix between L. Frank Baum and Arthur C. Clarke with a light touch of Ridley Scott. This intriguing mixture of influences is what makes the story so engaging and exciting. We reunite with familiar characters like Ozma, Dorothy, Trot, Betsy, Glinda, and even lesser known canon characters like Bungle and Cap’n Bill. Krych then introduces us to new characters to love in the form of the crew of the HALEY: David, Jonathan, Allen, Hector, and Emilio. The richness he gives to each of these characters makes each of them seem like a real person with real feelings and thoughts. I’m very certain that Krych’s own background in the military greatly influenced the gentlemanly astronauts of the HALEY and their family-like closeness.

Humor is balanced perfectly with pathos as we watch 21st Century astronauts teach Dorothy and her friends about computers and space travel. These chapters happen throughout the story and present numerous charming and delightful scenes. We get to see the natives of the Land of Oz discover the world of computers and high-tech gadgets with the HALEY crew as their guides. A great amount of technical jargon and information is used in these chapters, but the reader feels in no way overwhelmed as we, the readers, are learning alongside Dorothy and Trot. I feel I finally know what a byte is after all these years!

As we witness the progress of the Evilons, the name given to the dark entity of this book (calling it a villain would not serve any justice), we see Ozma fall into despair, but her Beloved Companion remains by her side. Jonathan, one of the astronauts from the HALEY, heals from the guilt and grief of loss through the love of friends old and new. The most thrilling chapters will make you want to read through the night to see what happens next. As a reader, I feel honored that I get to peer into these intimate moments. My heart melted so many times, I’m surprised it isn’t a permanent pile of goop.

A major theme in this story is focused on the power of love and we get to see this through relationship between Dorothy and Ozma, and the relationships that Trot and Betsy develop with two of the men from the ship. Krych’s style shines the most in his message of how every couple is different, but at the core of each relationship, that healing, trusting love exists. We also witness that love between friends and how empowering the ability to move on after grief can be as long as we have a support system to help get us through.

It seems cliché to say that this book made me laugh and cry…but it really did. There were moments that I chuckled and even howled with laughter as I watched Ozites learning about 21^st Century technology and life. Then I got to the tears. The language used in these chapters evokes the deepest emotions that we can relate to. You feel the words in your heart and relate to the grief and strife that the characters are feeling. Krych writes about the most human of experiences and emotions. By the climax of the book, I was crying for a whole chapter.

The Flight to Oz: Book I is an Oz novel with a science fiction twist. Just like in science fiction, you delve into human nature and relate to the cast of characters on a universal level; and just like in an Oz novel from the Famous Forty, you experience the adventures within the pages with child-like wonder and amazement. It’s a book for anyone familiar or unfamiliar with Baum’s 14 books and after the end, you will want to immediately want to pick up Book II.

Review: The Chronicles of Oz, Season 2 Episode 4

As always, spoilers abound.

As in the last three episodes of this season, we have seen multiple major departures from the original story that are made to appeal to an audience who may be unfamiliar with The Marvelous Land of Oz. We still have Tip bringing the Gump to life and fleeing the Emerald City with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Wogglebug, and Jack Pumpkinhead, we still have the fight at the jackdaws' nest, and then the flight to Glinda's palace. In summary, the bones are there, but every other detail in-between is completely changed. However, I have spent the past few posts nit-picking every little detail that even deters from the book, and I am going to take a different direction.

Episode 4 is definitely character-driven. We observe a lot of characters fitting into their transformed roles (funny how different the characters are in this adaptations as opposed to their original 1904 counterparts, given that a major theme in the overall story revolves around transformations). We hear a ruthless Jinjur torture Omby Amby, trying to get him to confess where "His Majesty the Scarecrow" has gone, only to get the real answer when Mombi actually forces it out of him through painful mind-reading reminiscent of the tactics used in the mini-series Tin Man (given that there are numerous references to other Oz adaptations throughout the series from the 1939 film to The Wiz, this would not be surprising). Jinjur is definitely not the vain, bonbon-munching conqueror we are familiar with; and it makes her quite terrifying.

However, the biggest character development we witness in this episode involves, surprisingly, the Scarecrow. Even in the darkest moments in season 1 and this season so far, he has always been the happy-go-lucky goofball we all know and love. The moment Tip and his company fly away from the Emerald City, we start to see a transformation in his disposition. He begins to feel regret for not only the citizens he believes he has abandoned (despite the Tin Woodman's reassurances that he made the right choice to leave) and for not being the leader that he felt he should've been. His new melancholy mood only gets worse after the jackdaws fly off with all his straw and he is left without a stuffing for his body. Once they get flying again, he's stuck as a head until they reach Glinda's. This is when it got scary, even for me. He actually started "dying" and his head started losing life. Tip sustains him with the Powder and hope he lasts until they can stuff him again. The moment they get to Glinda's palace, we hear sounds of people running around calling orders and it sounds like an episode of Grey's Anatomy for about 30 seconds.

When the Scarecrow recovers, we get probably the most emotional, and relatable, moment that we've ever had in the series. The Tin Woodman scolds him (and smacks him, to start the mood light before getting heavy) for almost dying and points that the Scarecrow couldn't possibly die unless he actually wanted to. He even asks the Scarecrow if he wanted to die. The Scarecrow explains that he felt like he failed as a ruler and if he couldn't use his brains to rule, what's his purpose in life? I mean, holy shit, this is fucking heavy for an Oz adaptation. This is a Rick and Morty-level existential crisis right here. Jesus, I'm gonna have to lie down after writing this. The Tin Woodman assures him that he doesn't have to be a ruler to have a purpose; that he can be whoever he wants to be.

I really like this scene for two reasons. One, we finally see that classic Tin Woodman/Scarecrow friendship that we haven't seen much of in either season. We have seen glimpses (mostly them telling each other to shut up, as well as the one time the Tin Woodman tells the Scarecrow to get his ass in the Gump made me laugh and strangely aroused). We get to focus on that dynamic that has been celebrated, and often shipped, for a few minutes and our hearts just melt.

The second reason why I live this scene is that it's something we all can relate to. Whoever claims that they were sure of their place in life and has never had a single doubt about it is lying. We all look for that purpose and place to fit into and we often fail a thousand times before we actually find it. It's normal to be scared of that doubt and there's no shame in feeling depressed. Depression is a major issue that many of us face (hell, I take meds for it and absolutely cannot function without them) and for some of us, we do want to end it all; we may not want to actively pursue that suicidal goal, but we often hope, or even wish, that something happens and that the end just comes. But here's the thing, that is the time to reach out to a close and trusted friend and talk to them, and more often than not, you feel a fuck ton better. You're not cured, but you sure as hell feel like you can keep going. And if the Scarecrow, a guy who is famous for being carefree, can feel that way, then I think it's OK if we can feel that way too. We just need a Tin Woodman to talk to.

As you can probably guess by now, I really loved this episode. It hit home for me even more so than the other episodes. It made me laugh like the others, but it also gave me feels (like this week hasn't been full of enough feels between reading JW Krych's The Flight to Oz through tears of joy and the latest volume of Saga [not Oz-related, but it still fucked me up with emotions]). This episode is setting us up for some real shit to happen in the next installment in two weeks. By that time, I think I may be ready, I don't know about you, guys. With this much time spent building up the characters and judging by where we are in the story, the next episode should be good.

This episode is still making me think. If you are having a hard time and need someone to talk to, here is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-8255.

Also, just a heads-up. Updates will be on every Tuesday instead of every Tuesday and Thursday since it's kinda hard on my schedule to get out two every week.

Review: The Chronicles of Oz, Season 2 Episode 1

The audio play series, The Chronicles of Oz, is back, baby! This time, Crossover Adventure Productions is taking on Wonderful Wizard’s sequel, The Marvelous Land of Oz.  We have a new season with a familiar story, but at the same time with many, many new twists. Just like in the first season, you feel like your heart is trying to jump out of your chest. Why must you make me feel things, Chronicles? Why?

As before, there will be spoilers.

Like season one, our protagonist is also our narrator. We meet Tip, who like Dorothy is a teenager. Immediately, we start to get deviations from the story. Tip gets more of a backstory to why he is living with Mombi. I mean, maybe in 1904 it was normal for an orphan kid to live with some random creepy old lady, but this is 2018 and nowadays CPS would be called. In this case, he’s her apprentice and spends his time relabeling bottles and cleaning. Basically, he’s an intern. It’s pretty cool to see Tip have an actual purpose to living with Mombi since taking in a small child has never really seemed in her nature. The only disappointment I experienced is the lack of jokes involving the phrase “just the tip”. Call me immature, I don’t give a flying fuck.

Mombi is described by other characters as an old woman but her voice makes her sound no older than her 40’s. She was mentioned a couple of times in season one by the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda and her (former) position as a Wicked Witch was hinted at. Now we have confirmation as she constantly reminds others that she is a powerful witch. She still treats Tip like shit and he responds with quips that get on her nerves (personally, that seems like a REALLY stupid thing to do, but he seemed to know what he was doing).

The “tipping” point of their fragile relationship is when Mombi has a chat with Jocasta who is keeping tabs on her and ensuring she isn’t practicing dark magic. After asking about her dealings with the Wizard so many years ago, she decides to do something drastic to keep her secrets (you can figure out what).

My precious pumpkin-spiced cinnamon roll Jack Pumpkinhead comes into the story when Tip made him for an autumn festival. You know the next parts: Mombi uses the Powder of Life, Jack says some adorable things that make my heart melt, Mombi does magic, Tip puts two and two together, he nabs the Powder (I think I’m gonna start calling it that now because it sounds like cocaine), splits with Jack, Jack says more cute things including calling Tip “Daddy” (*heart melts*), Tip uses the Powder on a Sawhorse, and this is where we leave them for now.

Meanwhile in between scenes with "Just the" Tip and Mombi...the Munchkin civil war is winding down. It ends with the general of the Resistance army  getting executed in the Emerald City. The Scarecrow has been king for six months and he is bored out of his darling, delightful mind. He fights with his Guardians to visit Munchkinland on a mission of goodwill (really just an excuse to get out of the palace and go on an adventure, kinda like Bilbo Baggins at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring). As he tries to escape from his duties, the news channels are speculating on whether or not if the Revolution was over or not. An CNN-sequel anchorwoman interviews HM Wogglebug TE, who has been working with the Munchkins for months, on the issue. In Fox News style, he answers questions without answering them, implying that he has no fucking clue about politics.

Too bad my homie, Woggle, doesn’t know shit about what’s going on in Munchkinland because the real shit is about to hit the fan. Jinjur, the second-in-command and daughter of the now-executed general of the Resistance, has received word that her father is dead. Now she is pissed and set on revenge in the form of a coup d’état because grief counseling didn’t even cross her mind.

Season two is proving that it is taking a different direction in its storytelling than season one. In WWoO, while some plot points were changed or added, the overall story remained the same. Here in MLoO, we are seeing an entirely reinvented story line. In a way, we are entering uncharted territory and that is not a complaint. This new version of events offer more dimension to the MLoO that we know and love and have seen done with WWoO, and we are seeing an updated version. I love the 1904 story, but many people just getting into the Oz stories may not. Stories have changed dramatically in the past 100 years and audiences want more. More explanations, more origin arcs, more drama with their comedy and vice versa.

So bring it on, Crossover Adventure Productions. I’m ready for feels, laughs, and a fuck-ton of reinventing.

Review: The Chronicles of Oz, Season 2 Episode 3

Spoilers Ahead! Go Back while you can! Unless you've heard episode, of course.

Jinjur has invaded the Emerald City, Tip is literally cornered, and the Scarecrow and Jack are trapped in the throne room. Shit is going down.

 Tip has escaped the Munchkin Army of Revolt, but he is then face-to-face with Mombi. She about to finish him when the Sawhorse comes to the rescue and he goes to the throne room where he is reunited with Jack (Jack's pretty happy; Tip is, too, to a lesser degree). He learns of the situation and responds with a crisp "Neat". Jinjur (who the Scarecrow considers to be "quite rude" and he's not wrong) is trying to get through the door and Mombi volunteers to help but Tip reinforces the door with magic and the Powder.

Omby Amby had managed to get a message out to the Winkie Country and their very sexy Emperor ("Erica, it's an audio play, you can't see what the Tin Woodman looks like." "Don't tell me what I can see, he's beautiful and sounds like a nickle-plated, British angel. Shut up!"). He agrees to come to the aid of the Scarecrow with the Winkie army but is slowed down by Mombi's illusions, including a very realistic illusion of Dorothy in danger (Fuck you, Mombi). When he finally gets there, he meets with the Omby Amby and the Queen of the Field Mice before he receives a suggestion from the Wogglebug in regards to how to get past Jinjur and into the throne room. The plan involved deception, tact, and a "Firefly" reference that made me laugh a little too loudly in the office where I work (I've never watched more than an episode of "Firefly" but now I have to).

Once inside the throne room, the Scarecrow explains their own escape plan involving palm fronds and the Powder as Jinjur finally breaks on through to the other side and the Field Mice attack in retaliation. Based on what I've seen of Jinjur's army so far, I doubt that they are going to be scared away by mice, so I am expecting things to get more violent in episode 4.

We are seeing more changes in the story. I'm not talking Peter Jackson changes; I'm talking that are suited to a modern, grown-up audience and actually add to the overall story. Not only are there sci-fi references, but we are also hearing plot devices that are used in more modern fantasy stories such as the idea that there is a theory to magic-craft and callbacks that aren't seen in older books but instead in more modern stories like the Tin Woodman's vision of Dorothy. We also get some cross-dressing jokes thrown in for good measure as The Wogglebug Book is referenced, though instead of the Wogglebug being infatuated with a dress, it's implied that he actually LIKES wearing dresses. I can't help but think "called it; knew by the top hats"; but I also think of the AU (alternate universes) I've often imagined where the Wogglebug is gender fluid, so yeah. It is also worth mentioning that there are numerous  references made in these episodes that reference different movie adaptations and even short stories that Baum wrote about Oz (someone even asks at one point, "What did the Wogglebug say?"; I about lost my shit).

Based on how this episode ended, I can guess what is coming up next. Bring it.

Review: The Chronicles of Oz, Season 2 Episode 2

Spoilers Ahead!

Episode one has set the auditory stage. It was revealed that Tip is retelling his adventures to Glinda which makes us Oz nerds ask a couple of things. What point of the story is he telling this? If he is telling the story to Glinda, does that mean Dorothy was telling her story to someone; if then, who? Either way, Tip has ditched Mombi with Jack and brought the Sawhorse to life. For the most part, we are focused on what's going on in the Emerald City in this episode with the exceptions of when we check-in with Tip when he runs into Jinjur (hint: it doesn't go super well).

In the Emerald City, the Scarecrow is the apprehensive, restless king of Oz who just wants to go adventuring. In fact, he escapes from the palace and his handlers so often that the Guardians have grown a little jaded with his attempts and even have a code for it. This sends Jellia off to find him and after apprehending him, they meet Jack on the Sawhorse. Immediately, the Scarecrow insists that he bail on all of his meetings to talk to Jack.

The Scarecrow tries to greet Jack in Wizardly fashion, but it just ends with a confused Jack and a Scarecrow who says "Quiet, I'm doing a bit" before giving up the whole thing. This is followed by the famous "Interpreter" part of the book, but instead of Jellia purposely trolling the pair of them, she takes on a "I don't get paid enough for this shit" attitude and delivers the scene with exasperated sarcasm. It's a refreshing take on the chapter since this version of Jellia has consistently presented herself as someone who took her job seriously as the Guardian of the People under the Wizard. But she can't so much under the Scarecrow simply because he won't let her. It's like government officials don't like babysitting their leaders...interesting.

As for the Scarecrow's missing appointments, he was supposed to meet with the Queen of the Field Mice and instead he is being covered by a reluctant Faramant, the Guardian of the Gate. Their disastrous lunch date is interrupted by the Wogglebug who is forcing his way in, shouting "Don't you know who I am?" like he's Kylie Kardashian at Coachella. He comes to warn Faramant about an upcoming Munchkin army invasion. At first, neither he nor the Mouse Queen believe him until a literal bomb drops.

General Jinjur has arrived. In tow, she has the Munchkin army along with Tip as a prisoner, but once she decides he's no longer necessary, she demands his execution. It doesn't look good.

This brings up one of the major differences in this adaptation. In the book, Jinjur is the general of an army of girls who feel they are oppressed under men and feel that they should be running the show in the Emerald City. Her plan is to take over, establish female dominance over males, and have the men take over the domestic tasks that women typically do. Basically, she is a Femi-Nazi's wet dream. I don't see that theme playing out here in this adaptation. Instead, Jinjur is the general of the Munchkin army, not specifically all women; most of the soldiers we hear speak are men. It leaves me wondering if they are going to explore the feminist theme that Baum wrote about in The Marvelous Land of Oz that makes it stand out in the series (well, among other things).

I understand that many of the aspects from the book are (dare I say it?) out-dated for 21st Century audiences who may not be familiar with the Oz books; therefore I can understand this change in Jinjur's story. Once the book established the 1904 idea of a women's army, it just gets more sexist from there (again, from a 21st Century viewpoint). It's like how The Royal Book of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson was super cool when it came out in the 1920s but now it's considered racist as balls.

Nevertheless, the season is still young and we are still learning more about what is going on. It's one of the reasons why I love this season so far: it is so different from the book that you're not sure what is going to happen next. You know that the story is going to progress in a certain direction, but you don't know how they are going to get there. However, I am going to keep an ear on Jinjur and how Crossover Adventures carries out Baum's original themes. Bring on episode 3!