A genderbent reimagining of the classic fairytale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz…
Theodore Gale is a twenty-five-year-old, unemployed, playboy cowboy with the propensity for getting into fights. After winning a bronco riding competition he decides to celebrate with a southern belle he sneaks to the barn at the Gale Farm. The following morning should have started with some kinky fun, but instead his life is turned upside down when a green tornado appears and takes Theo’s barn to another world.
With only his gray horse, Toto, as a companion Theo arrives in Oz. As he tries to make heads or tails out of this strange new world, he ends up liberating various villages from the tyranny of first, the Wicked Warlock of the East, who was killed accidentally when Theo’s barn dropped on top of him, and secondly, the Wicked Warlock of the West, Jadyn, who’d turned an entire village into toys, enslaved them, and was forcing them to brew potions.
It’s on the outskirts of Toy Village that Theo meets a damsel in distress, who is about to get ripped apart by crows. Her name is Anne Raggedy. She calls herself a Scarecrow, but Theo doesn’t find her very frightening, and actually ends up getting confused boners for the life-size doll. When Theo discovers that Anne used to be human, he decides to travel with her to the Emerald City in order to find a way to break her curse, so he can get laid. Joining them on their quest is a Cowardly Lioness and Cyborg Assassin named Tina Woodcutter.
Genderbent Fairytales Collection:
Handsome and the Yeti
Petra Pan
Alister in Wonderland
King of Hearts: A Wonderland Story
Theodore Gale in Oz
I received an Audible code from the author via Audiobook Obsession for an honest review. What follows is that review. There was no compensation for what is about to be said.
Okay. This is not my first KuroKoneko Kamen genderbent fairytale and it’s definitely not going to be my last. This is by far the better of the two I’ve read and I can’t wait for the sequel. I’m not joking around.
There is a fine line when you put in pop culture references into your fiction. On one hand, you can inspire the giggles and nostalgia feels. On the other, you can end up dating your book once it hits a certain age. Theodore Gale in Oz straddles that line like Theodore straddles his horse, Toto.
There were great one-liners, awesome pop references, and I found myself rooting for the main characters. Close to the end of the book, my Bug was getting into the story. He doesn’t like me listening to audiobooks in the car, but this kid wasn’t leaving the car until I turned it off. Because, and I quote, “I want to hear this.”
Note. There are sex scenes. I do not advise listening to those scenes with little ears around and I personally didn’t do that.
The writing is well done and pulls the reader in. It is a well-made retelling, following most of the original story, but being its own narrative at the same time. And I have to add that there is definitely a sequel! Which, I’m going to be listening to.
My only complaint is that sometimes the narrator read with an accent and other times not. It did on occasion turn me off of the story, but I was able to jump right back in a few seconds later.
All in all, this is a fun read, the laugh out loud and smile kind.
Final Rating: 4/5
Casia's Corner 