There is no yellow brick road here. No emerald city. No lollipop guild. This is the Australis Penal Colony, a continent sized prison referred to the world over as the Outcast Zone. Built to contain the world’s most dangerous criminals, OZ ended up the dumping ground for everything polite society deemed undesirable.

From inside this place a garbled message proves Dorothy’s father is still alive, trapped in a prison with only one way in and no way out. Into this place 17-year-old Dorothy must go if she wants to find her father and keep the promise she made to her dying mother.

She thought she had spent the past seven years preparing to overcome anything that got in the way of fulfilling her promise, but the situation she finds herself is harder and more intense than anything she has experienced before as she drops right into the middle of a power struggle for control over all of OZ. If she has any hope of surviving long enough to find her father, she will need her mother’s guts, her father’s brains and the unexpected help from those discarded and forgotten.

Everyone she meets tells her the same thing. The only person who can help her is the one prisoner who deserves to be in a place like this and refers to himself by the name, Wizard.

The Wizard always asks for something in exchange for his help. Can Dorothy afford the terrible price he will demand?

“I loved the twist on this classic story. I’m a lover of most anything steampunk and this makes the Wizard of Oz that much better. The author is very well versed in the steampunk genre.”

“I enjoy books that retell those classic fairy tales that we all know. I also love steampunk. This book is both and it is fantastic. You think you know OZ and Dorothy’s story, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that while you recognize elements of the Classic OZ story Dorothy’s journey through OZ is new and refreshing. Plus it has enough steampunk elements to satisfy those steampunk cravings but not too many that it’s overkill. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series!”

Steve DeWinter, writing as S.D. Stuart, is an American born science fiction adventure author.

If you love super-charged science fiction that merge high-tech gadgetry with ancient mythology and pit the outcast against powerful clandestine organizations, you are among friends.

My goal as a writer is to transport you to fresh and exciting worlds that not only take you on a white-knuckle ride but also leave you hungry for more when you finally turn that last page and reluctantly slam shut the back cover of the book.

This is my promise to you the reader. I will continue to satisfy your never-ending desire for more. As long as there are stories to tell, I will be here. When one story ends, another begins. So keep reading!

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