In 2006, my friend Jim Moore and his writing partner, ChristopherGolden released Bloodstained Oz (Earthling, 2006) and changed the landscape of fantasy and turned the world of Oz an its' ear with vampires and other strange creatures invading Kansas in 1933. Gayle Franklin ended up with The Emerald Heart of Oz and the rift between worlds was sealed until "Gayle put her hope away, and would not let it out again until she could feel the warmth of the sun on her face. Or until she saw the rainbow."
Gayle ends up in London n 1940 and has to survives Hitlers' Blitz and the invasion of creatures from other worlds that have been conquered by The Wizard and the inhabitants of a Bloodstained Wonderland (Earthling, 2017). With the help of Scotland Yard Inspector Gabriel Keys, Gayle is able to keep her head from the Red Queen and Varney the vampyre and is able to live to fight another day. Gayle knew that the next time she would be more than lucky, she would be ready.
Now , in this final volume (in more ways than one), it is the Summer of Love - 1967 - and Gayle and her husband, Gabriel, are running an import shop where they are able to use their British connections to enrich the flower generation with the latest of music.
As they are on their way to see the Strawberry Alarm Clock in Asbury Park, they see several vampires in the crowd and there is a pirate ship sailing in the air above them. The Wizard has returned and this time he has Peter Pan, the Witches of Oz and other creatures that have been turned to aid in his quest for the Emerald Heart of Oz.
Golden and Moore continue to turn our childhood stories on their heads as Captain Hook, the Wicked Witch of the West, Tinkerbell and others show a side we have never seen in the battle for this world.This time Gayle and Gabriel are ready with a fortified home and a plethora of weapons. As they fight all around San Francisco and until Gayle discovers the power that is held in the Emerald Heart of Oz, things are bleak and the ending is in question.
This is a fascinating look at the stories that molded a lot of our childhoods, flipped them sideways and then turned them inside out to make three stories that hopefully, will stand the test of time and become memorable to the readers of today and tomorrow.
Sadly, Jim Moore passed away earlier this year and this has left an empty space in the lives of everyone who knew him. This is the last Bloodstained book and possibly the last book from Jim.
My thanks to Christopher, Jim and Earthling for the journey, the cringes, and the "You didn't do that" moments that I, and hopefully others, have enjoyed on "this long strange trip", i have really enjoyed the ride. I miss Jim.
I must also mention that Glenn Chadbourne provided the fantastic art for all three volumes and he did a wonderful job.
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