- Hardcover: 208 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press (Sep 28 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 031219353X
- ISBN-13: 978-0312193539
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In time for the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Wizard of Oz, popular mathematician, pseudo-science debunker, professional literary eccentric and first chairman of the International Wizard of Oz Club Gardner (Classic Brainteasers; The Annotated Casey at the Bat) has cooked up this rather disenchanted bagatelle, mixing fin de (this) siecle satire with references to several childhood classics. As one would expect from the world's premier math puzzle expert, the book contains a little math puzzle. Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man want to return to earth for a visit, but how can they get through the fourth dimension that separates Oz from earth? They do find an answer that is topologically sound, although not exactly easy to understand, and arrive back on the planet in time for 1998, where a good movie producer has summoned Dorothy to earth as part of a publicity stunt for a production of one of the Oz books. Another, evil movie magnate has other plans. Unfortunately, the magic of the Oz books doesn't survive arch references to Mayor Giuliani and TV newscasts. Although Gardner's introductory remarks about Oz are inspiring, this sequel (like the Scarecrow after his encounter with the Wicked Witch of the West) is just too disjointed to work. Color illustrations and spot art by Ted Enik.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Gathering diverse information about the netherworld from myth, religion, literature, theater, art, music, film, television, and pop culture in a single, comprehensive volume, Van Scott offers a broad range of interpretations from hundreds of different sources, highlighting origins and disparities between descriptions (e.g., when describing the underworld depicted in Virgil's Aeneid, she makes reference to features of the underworlds found in Homer's Odyssey and Plato's Gorgias). Listings, organized alphabetically with cross referencing, vary in length from a quarter of a page for "Abbadon," the Hebrew word for destruction found in the Old and New Testaments, to several pages, as when the author highlights the visual appeal and psychological attraction of hell for music video performers. Hundreds of facts relating to hell make this fascinating reading, and Van Scott's fine research and treatment of the material enables the reader to grasp specific points with great depth. All libraries will do well to add such a contemporary title.?Leroy Hommerding, Citrus Cty. Lib. System, Inverness, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book,
By
This review is from: VISITORS FROM OZ (Hardcover)
I am a HUGE Oz fan and I love this book. It's so exciting and addictive that I read it in one sitting. I especially appreciated the jokes. Unlike most humor today, they weren't offensive and were actually quite witty. I also found the portrayals of the characters to be faithful to Baum's books. The elements from "Alice In Wonderland" woven into the story were a little strange and slightly out of place, but since I love Alice too, I didn't have a problem with it. This is a wonderful book, but I can see how some people wouldn't like it. You have to like the style of writing and humor or else you might find it too corny.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Baum Bummer,
By
This review is from: VISITORS FROM OZ (Hardcover)
Being an Oz fan for nearly 50 years, I was reeled in. But I quickly drowned in Gardner's laundry list of celebrities, authors and beloved fictional characters who are insulted by their inclusion in this lusterless soggy saga. L. Frank Baum has been maligned. All of us who grew up with or grew to love the Joy of Oz have been maligned by this preposterous travesty. Save your money and your time. This book is neither adult nor children's literature. It's just plain drivel. - advice from a former schoolteacher.
1.0 out of 5 stars
One star might even be generous,
By A Customer
This review is from: VISITORS FROM OZ (Hardcover)
I had the misfortune to pick this book up in a science fiction bookshop recently. The spiel on the back of the book - not clearly marked out as a children's book in its UK edition, I might add - promised a great deal, and being a fan of Jeff Noon's writing, in particular his Lewis Carroll homage 'Automated Alice', I was quite taken with the possibility of discovering an American equivalent, a funky modern revisiting of the Land of Oz.Sadly, 'Visitors From Oz' proved to be abominable tripe.<
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