Customer Reviews

Paradox in Oz

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One of the joys of Paradox in Oz is that, unlike so many books that revisit childhood realms, this one doesn't embarrass you or make you feel "dumbed down." No, Einhorn's Oz is one that retains all the wonder and magic I remember while simultaneously finding a way to entrance and amaze my adult mind. The central conceit of the book, a time-travel paradox, is impeccably structured and cunningly revealed layer by layer so that everyone experiences the wonderful "Aha!" moment when the solution (and the problem too!) finally become clear. Like any good fantasy, it interweaves wonder and drama in perfect proportion. Is it too dark? Of course not. Any child knows that a fantasy with no edge isn't captivating. Even Baum's Oz books had a sense of danger to them. Einhorn's book actually does a very fine job of capturing the walking-the-line quality of my favorite parts of Baum's tales. Shanower's illustrations add dimensions to this experience as well. I highly recommend this to any Oz fan, and especially those who haven't revisited that old friend, because Paradox in Oz shows us that the best memories don't have to remain simply in our childhood.

Since this year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", what better way to mark the occasion than with "Paradox in Oz", which expands upon Baum's magical world, while celebrating the continuing power of Baum's vision.

Einhorn manages to balance the innocence of Baum's creation with a new complexity of ideas involving time travel and alternate realities. There are some darker points to the story, indeed, but they serve the purpose of testing and reaffirming the essential goodness of the classic characters; more importantly, Einhorn's Oz never becomes the bleak nightmare world of the "Dark Oz" comics. The Dark Oz presented here is clearly the Oz which is not meant to be.

As a bonus we are introduced to delightful new characters, the best being Temporus, the time-traveling Parrot-Ox, a worthy addition to the Oz bestiary.

Eric Shanower's illustrations, as always, are a treasure; while matching the whimsical nature of John R. Neill's work, his originality and attention to detail often surpass Neill's. The wraparound cover illustration is classic Oz.

As the Oz centennial year progresses, there will doubtless be other books begging our attention, but this, so far, is the one to own.

In celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of Frank L. Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" which launched the highly successful Oz books which would entertaining generation of young readers and be adapted to radio, film, and television, Hungry Tiger Press is published the newest contribution to the Oz legacy, Edward Einhorn's Paradox In Oz. Suddenly, in the Land of Oz where no one grows older, everyone begins to age. Ozma (the lovely ruler of Oz) must save her people and restore the enchantment that keeps them young and vibrant. Ozma travels backward in time to meet the fabled Wizard of Oz. Logic puzzles and paradoxes abound. Before Ozma can unravel the perplexing complexities, she visits a marvelous city in the clouds. Such beloved characters as the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Glinda the Good Witch make appearances throughout the story. Paradox In Oz does full justice to the legacy of the Oz series and will be read and re-read by children (and their parents!).

This is the perfect book to end the first century of books written about the magical land of Oz. It is by far the best book written in the Oz genre since L. Frank Baum, the founder of the series, died in 1919. Paradox in Oz is Edward Einhorn's first novel and first book about Oz. It is wonderfully written and carefully plotted and does something that even L. Frank Baum had a hard time doing. It tells a wonderful story with Ozma, the fairy ruler of Oz, as the main character.

At the beginning of this work, the enchantment that keeps people from aging in this fairy land has ended and the people are starting to age again. Ozma must travel through time to find out what went wrong and restore the enchantment. A new character - the Parrot-Ox - who is half parrot and half ox and who is always around but only noticable when one is confronting a paradox, helps Ozma.

Eric Shanower is the best living illustrator of Oz books and this book contains his best black-and-white illustrations, a delightful color dust jacket, and Escher-like endpapers of interlocking parrot-oxes (parrot-oxen?). The book is produced by Shanower's own press, Hungry Tiger, and is an artistic triumph. It is easy to see who won out when the artist and the publisher disagreed. My favorite drawing is one of six Ozmas chasing each other through a forest.

Oz is an imaginary land that is full of paradoxes. Some exist because it is a magical land, and others were created, often unintentionally, by the authors. Einhorn explores and exploits these many contradictions to create a story that is amusing and entertaining. Readers who are familiar with the original Oz books will find the book covers a lot of Oz history. However, people who have only read aone or two Oz books will still find the story enjoyable. It is a rich story that stands up to many readings and a beautiful book that would be a lovely gift.

"Paradox in Oz" is a wonderfully entertaining and intellectually challenging book for Oz fans and those who enjoy paradox. Something has gone wrong with the enchantment that keeps the people of Oz from aging. To find its source, Ozma, carried by a Parrot-Ox named Tempus, travels back through time and alternate Lands of Oz (the Ozziverse) in search of The Man Who Lives Backwards. She meets alternate versions of several of her friends: The Wizard is an evil, tyrannical ruler; Nick Chopper is a menacing, heartless soldier who wields an ax; Omby Amby becomes Wantowin Battles. She even meets alternate Ozmas. The book is lavishly and delightfully illustrated by Eric Shanower, with drawings that turn intriguingly Escheresque in the Absurd City chapters (and in the endpapers). All in all, it's a beautifully produced volume that will give Oz aficionados great pleasure. Don't worry if you don't understand all the twisting logic (I don't think I did); it's still great fun. And if you like this book, don't miss Martin Gardner's "Visitors From Oz," another intelligent and humorous addition to the Oz canon.

Yes, things have changed in Oz, and so have we, the reader. As a child I collected the hardcover versions of the Oz books, and Paradox in Oz will find a valued place among them. Adding complexity and depth to the story is part of the fun... and part of the experience for those of us who have never outgrown our Oz-y roots. Like all the original Oz books, I think kids would enjoy it... but adults will appreciate it more. The prose is enticing, the pictures are fantastic! If you pick up one as a gift for a favorite child, don't forget one for yourself!

Anyone who likes adventure, mystery, fantasy, and a hero who overcomes a challenge will love this book. The characters have depth and humor. The writing is descriptive and creative. But note that you must be very smart to follow the story. Frank L. Baum would be proud to know that Edward Einhorn is continuing a grand tradition of OZ stories.

This is apparently Einhorn's first effort in OZ. Hopefully it will not be his last. I predict BIG things from Einhorn in the future.

Paradox in Oz, a holiday gift to my 6-year old daughter, was a wonderful surprise. I enjoyed reading it aloud as much as she enjoyed listening to it. Einhorn has captured the spirit of the original series in a way that I wouldn't have been able to fully appreciate if my daughter and I hadn't recently read our way through Baum's works. And Shanower's illustrations do a wonderful job of bringing the story to life.

All in all, I think that anyone who enjoys the original Baum series, both children and adults, will be very pleased with this latest addition to the world of Oz.

A hundred years of after the publication of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, the Oz chronicle is alive, healthy, and better than ever. Edward Einhorn's Paradox In Oz (1999) is an intricate, fun, and respectful tribute to previous Royal Historians Baum, Ruth Plumly Thompson, and author / artist John R. Neill. Einhorn and illustrator Eric Shanower, who is also an editor, author, and the publisher of Hungry Tiger Press, have created the most intellectual of Oz books, though the story, which is a puzzle, can be readily understood by readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Appropriately, Paradox In Oz is concerned with time and time travel; the novel addresses the physical laws of Baum's fairyland, which alter slightly from book to book and author to author. Longtime fans of the series know the inhabitants of Oz do not age, and time, while it does not stand still, seems to exist in only in terms of infinity, making the fairy kingdom not unlike the Christian concept of heaven. Paradox In Oz tackles these concepts head on: as the book opens, Munchkin, Winkie, Quadling, and Gillikin citizens of all walks of life, including several members of the Emerald City's royal family, have discovered that they have suddenly begun to age. Perceptive readers will be delighted to find that, unlike in most of the previous titles in the series in which the physics of Oz lay comfortably and unquestioningly in the background, Einhorn reveals that fairy ruler Ozma and sorceress supreme Glinda the Good have little if any idea of how the spell of timelessness originated. Forced into immediate action, Ozma, who is no longer a preening little girl, discovers the existence of a strange, magical animal named Tempus, who is, of course, a hybrid of a parrot and an ox. Tempus, though a living creature, is also the manifestation of a time - bending mathematical equation realized after endless difficulty by the anxious, continually harried Dr. Majestico.

In classic science - fiction fashion, Ozma mounts Tempus and naively sets off into the past in search of The Man Who Lives Backwards, thus precipitating a series of chronal disasters and finding herself lost in a cosmos of alternate Oz fairylands, one of which is a grim, hellish Oz ruled by evil doppelgangers of the Oz royal family. Throughout, the plot is incredibly crisp, bright, and stimulating, making Paradox In Oz perhaps the greatest page - turner of all the novels in the series. The narrative moves backward, down, sidewise, up, and forward, but never loses its thread, and there are absolutely no superfluous chapters or incidental characters. Ozma's complications never become the reader's, for Einhorn's Ozma is a cautious, reflective, intelligent, and emotionally mature young lady who continually practices common sense (often to her detriment here) and independence of spirit.

Longtime readers devoted to Oz' witch population will be happy to find classic villain and crone Mombi, in both good and evil forms, an essential part of the narrative.

Throughout, Shanower's excellent illustrations suit the mood and tone of text perfectly, and are so satisfying that readers will not find themselves longing for, or even thinking of, the late, great John R. Neill. Paradox In Oz belongs with the other great Oz classics... Highly recommended.

Einhorn and Shanower's book certainly captures the flavor and fun of Oz. Despite the synopsis above, the plot is not nearly as confusing as it seems. There is a certain science fiction aspect to the story which makes it more interesting than the usual Oz books of late. I hope that Einhorn and Shanower collaborate annually on future Oz books. The illustrations by Shanower are as always, terrific. He has topped his work on The Wicked Witch of Oz. Just a top-drawer, professional effort and not soon to be forgotten. Possibly the best Oz pastiche since Ruth Plumly Thompson!