with her aunt and uncle, Emma and Henry Gulch. Neither parental figure is capable of providing Dorothy with the affection or the attention she needs. As a result, she becomes silent at home and aggressive in school. Jonathan's childhood, in contrast, involves his dependence on the imaginary characters from the first airing of The Wizard of Oz on television. A fictionalized version of Judy Garland's difficult life as a child actress is also shown, speculating on the marriage of her parents. Was has been described as more somber than Baum's The Wizard of Oz, and an attempt to correct the deceptive fantasy of that work, illuminating the realistic implications of having a fantasy world to retreat to. It has also been called a critique of American society. Reception Was is listed in The Gay Canon as one of the great books that every gay man should read. The Publishing Triangle named the book number 79 on its list of best gay and lesbian novels, and it was republished as a part of Orion's Masterworks series. Awards and nominations Finalist for the World Fantasy Award, 1993 Shortlisted for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1993 Inducted into the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Hall of Fame, 2002 Musical adaptation A musical production of the book, sponsored by the American Musical Theatre Project, premiered at the Ethel M. Barber Theatre at Northwestern University in October 2005. It was directed by Tina Landau, with libretto and lyrics by Barry Kleinbort, and music by Joseph Thalken. An earlier version of the musical appeared at the Human Race Theatre in Dayton, Ohio. References External links Was at Worlds Without End 1992 British novels 1992 fantasy novels Novels by Geoff Ryman Oz (franchise) books Novels about HIV/AIDS Parallel literature LGBT speculative fiction novels HarperCollins books 1990s LGBT novels British LGBT novels Novels with gay themes