sheldonnylander's review
3.0
From the Files of Sheldon Nylander:
I came across a publication the other day called The Emerald Burrito of Oz, put together by John Skipp and Marc Levinthal. It was an account of Gene Spielman of Los Angeles' visit to his friend Aurora Jones, the proprietor of the Emerald Burrito which is the only Mexican restaurant in Oz, a magical world that seems to exist in parallel with our own and is the true world which L. Frank Baum based his books on. The gate exists in Salina, Kansas, but it requires special government permission to pass through. This would explain the recent influx of Munchkins working around Salina in recent years.
This world of Oz plays by its own rules, right down to the laws of science. Things don't work the same as they do over here, especially when it comes to technology. In Oz, only the simplest of technologies work. When any man-made technology passes through the gate, the results are...unpredictable, which leads to some odd situations, especially when reading through Gene's account written on the computer he took with him.
It becomes very easy to feel lost with this account, especially if you are only familiar with the Judy Garland movie (and to a lesser extent the much darker “Return to Oz” with Fairuza Balk; this book was originally published back in 2000, before “Oz, the Great and Powerful” was even a gleam in a studio executive's eye). There are references to individuals and creatures that, to my knowledge, are only accounted for in the L. Frank Baum books, which I haven't read.
The book has more violence than you might initially expect from something related to Baum's children's books, but then you remember that is the real life accounting of time in Oz during a civil war as they face off against someone known as the Hollow Man. When you get the real life counterparts of an axe-wielding Tin Man or the Lion, there's going to be violence and blood.
While the book seemed interesting for what it is, I had a hard time getting into it. Admittedly, this may be because, as I mentioned above, I haven't read Baum's original books, so there was some sense of feeling lost in a world that I should have reviewed the map for before traveling there. The players are interesting, with Aurora being the traditional tough hero while Gene is more of a wimp, but I would have liked to learn more details about the real life counterparts of the Scarecrow or the Lion. Still, you get quite a bit of story, character, and world-building, and The Emerald Burrito of Oz is one of the longer books to fall into the bizarro genre with very little padding, so you'll get more substance out of your reading.
The Emerald Burrito of Oz earns 3 flying monkeys out of 5.
Note: Just in case you can't tell (and there some are some out there who might not), this review was written in character. Yes, I know it's not real.
I came across a publication the other day called The Emerald Burrito of Oz, put together by John Skipp and Marc Levinthal. It was an account of Gene Spielman of Los Angeles' visit to his friend Aurora Jones, the proprietor of the Emerald Burrito which is the only Mexican restaurant in Oz, a magical world that seems to exist in parallel with our own and is the true world which L. Frank Baum based his books on. The gate exists in Salina, Kansas, but it requires special government permission to pass through. This would explain the recent influx of Munchkins working around Salina in recent years.
This world of Oz plays by its own rules, right down to the laws of science. Things don't work the same as they do over here, especially when it comes to technology. In Oz, only the simplest of technologies work. When any man-made technology passes through the gate, the results are...unpredictable, which leads to some odd situations, especially when reading through Gene's account written on the computer he took with him.
It becomes very easy to feel lost with this account, especially if you are only familiar with the Judy Garland movie (and to a lesser extent the much darker “Return to Oz” with Fairuza Balk; this book was originally published back in 2000, before “Oz, the Great and Powerful” was even a gleam in a studio executive's eye). There are references to individuals and creatures that, to my knowledge, are only accounted for in the L. Frank Baum books, which I haven't read.
The book has more violence than you might initially expect from something related to Baum's children's books, but then you remember that is the real life accounting of time in Oz during a civil war as they face off against someone known as the Hollow Man. When you get the real life counterparts of an axe-wielding Tin Man or the Lion, there's going to be violence and blood.
While the book seemed interesting for what it is, I had a hard time getting into it. Admittedly, this may be because, as I mentioned above, I haven't read Baum's original books, so there was some sense of feeling lost in a world that I should have reviewed the map for before traveling there. The players are interesting, with Aurora being the traditional tough hero while Gene is more of a wimp, but I would have liked to learn more details about the real life counterparts of the Scarecrow or the Lion. Still, you get quite a bit of story, character, and world-building, and The Emerald Burrito of Oz is one of the longer books to fall into the bizarro genre with very little padding, so you'll get more substance out of your reading.
The Emerald Burrito of Oz earns 3 flying monkeys out of 5.
Note: Just in case you can't tell (and there some are some out there who might not), this review was written in character. Yes, I know it's not real.
crankylibrarian's review
4.0
The best Oz "reboot" I've read, next to Philip Jose Farmer's classic A Barnstormer in Oz. Unlike nearly every other reimagining, "Burrito" grasps a key concept of Oz-verse: women are the heroes, not sidekicks or lovers. Thus we have a cracking adventure told jointly by American expat Aurora Jones and her visiting best bud Gene, but Aurora is the bad ass hero, who has to rescue her somewhat wimpy friend. ( And no, unlike almost every similar story, Aurora and Gene do not have a romance; they are over that and remain good platonic friends ).
The Skipp/Leventhal Oz is a more dangerous, grown-up world than in Baum, (people have sex, drink, and die) but it retains the trippy weirdness and magical optimism of the original: sentient trees who only part with their leaves if you're polite, a populace who respond to the threat of war with a "Festival of Fun" as they prepare their weapons. And the glorious triumvirate of Dorothy, Ozma and Glinda remain in charge, (no sign of the bumbling wizard). That the now 40 year old Dorothy is the object of hero worship for Aurora is a brilliant touch.
Oz-ficionados will get a kick out of the many throw-away references to the L Frank Baum books, (especially the Emerald City of Oz. If you don't crack up at the "Bunnybury Precision Drill Team" or Aurora's desperate desire to smack the Flutterbudgets, well....all I can say is, you just had to be there.
The Skipp/Leventhal Oz is a more dangerous, grown-up world than in Baum, (people have sex, drink, and die) but it retains the trippy weirdness and magical optimism of the original: sentient trees who only part with their leaves if you're polite, a populace who respond to the threat of war with a "Festival of Fun" as they prepare their weapons. And the glorious triumvirate of Dorothy, Ozma and Glinda remain in charge, (no sign of the bumbling wizard). That the now 40 year old Dorothy is the object of hero worship for Aurora is a brilliant touch.
Oz-ficionados will get a kick out of the many throw-away references to the L Frank Baum books, (especially the Emerald City of Oz. If you don't crack up at the "Bunnybury Precision Drill Team" or Aurora's desperate desire to smack the Flutterbudgets, well....all I can say is, you just had to be there.
martinroberts's review against another edition
5.0
Here's what I posted on Amazon last year for the re-release of this gonzo trip to Oz!
I devoured the Emerald Burrito way back in 2002 when originally released by Babbage Press. This is an awesome read that deserves a wider audience, one that it will hopefully find now that its published by cult favourites, Eraserhead Press - a match made in heaven in my humble opinion.
I convinced the SF book buyer at a well known high street bookshop to stock this book, which takes its cue from the original Oz series and certainly puts its own spin on things. A literary mash-up way ahead of the curve, it should be as popular as the Gothic / Olympic Games thrills of Jane Eyre Nike, the crazy voyage into the heart of biology's darkness that is Wide Sargasso Semen or the dub heavy culture clash of Sense and Sensimilla.
Simply put it's a book that should be read and cherished, respect to Eraserhead Press for this timely re-release.
I devoured the Emerald Burrito way back in 2002 when originally released by Babbage Press. This is an awesome read that deserves a wider audience, one that it will hopefully find now that its published by cult favourites, Eraserhead Press - a match made in heaven in my humble opinion.
I convinced the SF book buyer at a well known high street bookshop to stock this book, which takes its cue from the original Oz series and certainly puts its own spin on things. A literary mash-up way ahead of the curve, it should be as popular as the Gothic / Olympic Games thrills of Jane Eyre Nike, the crazy voyage into the heart of biology's darkness that is Wide Sargasso Semen or the dub heavy culture clash of Sense and Sensimilla.
Simply put it's a book that should be read and cherished, respect to Eraserhead Press for this timely re-release.
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