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.