One FBI Agent One geekette One dead Muchkin Parallel worlds galore An interdimensional conspiracy When Matt Anders stumbles across the body of a dead munchkin in a suspect's apartment, a conspiracy begins to unravel that leads him on a reality-jumping adventure to the magical Land of Oz... and beyond!
The Rainbow Connection
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Editorial Reviews
Review
This is one of the funniest, wittiest little novels I-ve ever read. It-s as if Sheldon from Big Bang Theory and Gene Hackman-s "Popeye" Doyle character from the French Connection were forced to write a L. Frank Baum novel together- only snarkier. Much snarkier. - Jason Walters, The Vast White
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Munchkins, Geeks and G-Men, oh my!,
By
This review is from: The Rainbow Connection (Paperback)
When I first heard about this book, no more information than the blurb on the back cover, I thought it would be a good read. I had already read an excerpt and was looking forward to the whole book. I was not disappointed. I had thought it was going to be a comedy at first but although I found myself laughing aloud a couple of times I realized very quickly this ain't no comedy. What we have here is a crime cover-up conspiracy drama with all the expected suspense and adventure. Of course you've got all of the parallel world business going on to make it more fun than an episode of `CSI' and the figuring out of what the conspiracy is all about makes it more fun than a typical episode of `Sliders'.
The main characters are easy to get hold of quite quickly without too much exposition. There's Matt the FBI agent, who feels he has an uninteresting job chasing down folks who bootleg videos of Star Trek season 4 or Alec Guinness as Dr. Who smuggled from other dimensions. Be careful what you wish for comes to mind as he stumbles upon something that leads him to go from one dangerous event to another whilst trying to uncover the clues that lead to the cover-up. Then there is his unintentional partner in the quest, Bobbi, a computer nerd who is as geeky as they come. Very plucky and intelligent, she's along for the unwanted ride of her life. She learns very quickly the difference from playing computer fantasy games to the real deal. If you are a fan of anything Oz related you will definitely enjoy this book. You get a different perspective of Oz however, one more from the inside. The flying monkeys from the movie always creeped me out and letting them have semi-automatic weapons doesn't do anything to help improve their image. Imagining the voices of the munchkins as high pitched also helps add eeriness to the goings on considering their dialogue isn't all lollipops and rainbows. I would have liked to have seen more of the chimp-borg prison warden. He served his purpose in the plot but he would certainly make a great comic book villain. There are plenty of geek related jokes during the banter between the two main characters but not too many that wouldn't be understood by a mainstream audience. I find myself as a fan of science fiction and fantasy relating to Bobbi but at the same time admiring Matt as one of those characters I want to be more like. The dialogue is realistic which lends to the seriousness of the characters' situations but may be too harsh for younger readers. The story does keep you glued to the page (or screen depending on your media). I started reading the first several pages on a Friday night and found myself finishing it up Saturday morning through an early cup of tea and a late breakfast. The scenes after the protagonists have uncovered what's going on and have to fight their way back to save the day are especially gripping. There's something there for sci-fi fans, mystery fans and as I said before, Oz buffs. So if you're looking for a crime drama with some intrigue and a sci-fi background the Rainbow Connection is for you. Nice job, Lizard.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A sci-fi conspiracy of Munchkin proportions - just don't look for Dorothy in this version of Oz,
By
This review is from: The Rainbow Connection (Paperback)
Can a world created in a work of fiction actually exist? That's the premise of Ian Harac's The Rainbow Connection. The storybook realm of Oz is breached through portals called bridges. Think Star Trek and "Beam me up, Scotty." The problem begins when the tech-savvy residents of Prime start to take advantage of the more vulnerable Munchkins of Oz.
Matt Anders is an inter-world copyright agent trying to keep sci-fi nerds in Prime from peddling pirated goods of movies and TV shows with a cult following. While investigating a case, a Munchkin stowaway ends up dead. Matt is determined to find out how this citizen of Oz was able to cross over into the real world. Computer geek Bobbi Sinderman provides Matt with a way into Oz. By opening up an illegal bridge portal, the two arrive in a land of talking squirrels and tourist-hating trees. They uncover a Munchkin prison run by Nazi-like flying monkeys. Behind the operation is a group of corrupt higher-ups from Prime harvesting the Munchkins' labor for illicit drug trafficking. The source of the narcotics is the cash crop of Oz - poppies. Matt and Bobbi are determined to expose the crimes of these rogue agents. But first, they have to find a way back to Prime. In a land devoid of sophisticated technology, they make use of a hot air balloon, a truck with manual transmission and a rudimentary computer composed of lights and vacuum tubes. In order to put an end to the exploitation of others, they must learn to depend on each other. Sarcasm is at the heart of the dialogue. Matt and Bobbi spar in verbal combat. Each wants to have the last word. While the imagery created in Harac's metaphors is vivid. For example, "... the sun battered them with the enthusiasm of a cop who was sure no one had a video camera in the vicinity." His writing is matched only by his imagination. His alternate version of modern day Kansas is utterly complete in its description. It is a drab, isolated place that has turned in on itself. Clothing is prude. Curfews are enforced. Menus have one page. Technology is a subversive ideal. The setting is the antithesis of a sci-fi fantasy. Harac's vision is so complete that it takes the reader awhile to catch up to the lingo and practices that the author takes for granted. It is not until Matt and Bobbi are transported to Oz that the book begins to take off and the action is easier to decipher. Bringing to life such a complex world is quite an achievement. Harac just needs to give the reader a clearer picture of what he is seeing in his head in the opening pages. Overall, this is a sci-fi conspiracy of Munchkin proportions. Just don't look for Dorothy in this version of Oz.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A man, a woman, and a dead Munchkin!,
By
This review is from: The Rainbow Connection (Paperback)
I picked up this from the author at a con in TN. a few months back. Rainbow Connection is a new short novel from Blackwyrm Publishing. It was written by Ian Harac who has prominmently worked on RPGs like D&D and GURPS. This is an interesting piece for anyone whose a regular goer of fan conventions, or stories involving alternate realties.Matt Anders is a part of a special agency that deals in contraband from parallel universes. Apparently, in this continuity, travel between other dimensions is slightly common, although not totally known to the general public, and there's an underground network that traffics illegal items from other worlds to the story's main Earth, referred usually to as "Prime". But instead of being something like death rays from some robot universe, its the selling of unsolicited media to the geek market, like the missing 4th Season of Star Trek. So, basically Matt is an FBI agent tracking down bootleg copies of the Star Wars prequals from a reality where they actually didn't suck. This usually has him frequenting sci-fi cons in search of unauthorized nerd exports. Matt tracks down a possible smuggler at a convention, but discovers a dead Munchkin in the man's apartment. This leads to him getting help from an interdimensional smuggler named Bobbi. She manages to get him and herself to Oz as her hideout is hit by the fuzz. Once there, they end up running into mad Tik-Tok knockoffs, spurned Munchkins, and cybernetic flying monkeys. They then manage to find their way to a depression-era version of Kansas in yet another reality. Matt and Bobbi eventually return to Prime where they confront the true mastermind behind the trafficking from Oz. This was a fairly good story, which for my opinion should've played more of an emphasis on its wormholes into other worlds instead of it being an Oz-themed book. Oz fans might be a little miffed that there are none of the original characters from the books in this story, although it presents a slightly fresh take on Oz from a modern day outsiders point of view. I'd probably suggest getting the E-book edition of this as opposed to spending the extra cost of the paperback. But definatley look it up.
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