Emerging from the fad of adapting classic works in the public domain into horror stories, "The Undead World of Oz" takes the original text of "The Wizard of Oz" and pastes in zombie mayhem. I have nothing against such a mashup--I read and enjoyed "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," the book that started the trend. Unfortunately, "The Undead World of Oz" is inferior in almost every aspect.

First, the author cannot replicate the sound or pacing of Baum's original prose. It gives the reader the sensation of unexpectedly stepping off a moving walkway at the airport. One of the greatest strengths of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" was the way in which the author managed to describe the horror using the vocabulary of the period. Ryan C. Thomas can accomplish no such feat here.

Moreover, he appears not to have proofread the work sufficiently. At one point, the Cowardly Lion has awoken in the middle of a battle, in which he takes part and helps his companions to escape. Yet the next chapter, on the very next page, has the Lion waking up from the same nap in perfect safety. The first awakening was inserted by Thomas, and the second part of the original text. If you're going to do a literary mashup, the minimum the reader can expect is for it to be edited for consistency.

The book is not entirely without merit--a lot of good, serviceable material is derived from both zombies and the Scarecrow wanting brains, though in a different fashion. These are the aspects that tell me the choice of work was a good one, but the final product was executed poorly.

Recommendation: For fans of Oz, and fans of zombies, who are in a forgiving mood. ( )