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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The final book written by the original author, L. Frank Baum. I feel like this was a pretty great closer. It included a plethora of characters, and utilized all of the main and most powerful characters like Glinda, Ozma, and the Wizard. The adventure was interesting and the conflict difficult to overcome, but all ended well as it should. I also appreciate the fact that he left the story open ended, saying that the Land of Oz was so extensive that at the time of this book Ozma couldn't possibly be aware of all of the different people. Which is why it makes sense other authors took this story onward into 29 more stories. I'm not sure I'm in any rush to read further into this story, past L. Frank Baum's imagination, but I'm glad I did read these and had the experience of these truly classic style tales.
This was the last Oz book, and always one of my favorites, and I think one that holds up well to the scrutiny of adulthood. It's chock-full of the most awesome female characters (every major person of real power is female in this book), and Baum actually makes the Oz rescuers at the end work to save Dorothy and Ozma instead of just showing up and having everyone give up before their awesomeness.
Baum's last Oz book is excellent! He brings in everyone (well, almost everyone) to bring this very creative, very imaginative story to its enjoyable resolution. It's terrific!
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another re-read from my childhood. I clearly remembered some aspects of this book and had forgotten others. I was charmed all over again — Baum crafts a story with little fat, all lean tale. Most every scene or action has a purpose and moves the story along logically while being imaginative and entertaining. No wonder I enjoyed it as a kid. (Bonus: the main characters, heroes, protagonists and problem-solvers are almost all female!). I almost gave it 5 stars — an extra star for nostalgia’s sake!
As ever this is a delightful read, this time following Dorothy and Ozma as they travel to one of the furthest corners of Oz to try and broker peace between two peoples they only discovered by chance when visiting Glinda. In doing so they discover that the feud is far more complicated than they realised and stems from greed and personal gain on both sides (with a bit of magical theft thrown in for good measure). They also discover that they are quickly out of their depth (in more ways than one) and end up needing the help of all of their friends from their previous Oz adventures. This of course is superbly written and a joy to read (even if you do finish it in one night...).
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This final book of the Oz series by L. Fran Baum is often categorized as the “darkest” of the original Oz books but I really didn’t find it so. I did see it as a little more complex than most of the others but the fact that the author knew he was dying at the time he wrote it doesn’t contribute to any darkness as far as I can see.
In essence, this novel is like most of the others in the series. Several main characters including Dorothy and Ozma, set out to a remote area of Oz because they have found out that somebody hasn’t recognized that Ozma is the rightful ruler of all Oz and they are not following the laws of the land. (Yes, Oz, my friends is an Imperialist land). In fact, the Skeezers and the Flatheads are actually engaged in war, believe it or not, which is most definitely a violation of the rules.
Ozma and Dorothy get trapped and it’s up to their friends, including Glinda to rescue them. Here we do see that Baum likely knew this was his last story because he has nearly all of the major characters from past books make a cameo appearance as they gather to help plan the rescue. This was great to see. Not only familiar recurring characters such as the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman (Nick Chopper), The Wizard of Oz, Jack Pumpkinhead, Scraps (The Patchwork Girl), etc. but we also see some of the lesser “main” characters that round out Ozma’s Counsellors like Shaggy Man, Tik-Tok, Cap’n Bill, H.M. Wogglebug, and even Dorothy’s Uncle Henry.
While the first part of this book was straightforward, I did feel that the major middle section lost its cohesion and sort of fell apart. Solving the predicament of how to rescue Dorothy and Ozma was much more involved than the usual Oz story and required teamwork, lots of ideas, and experimentation. Perhaps this is why some regard this as a “darker” Oz tale. The outcome is not as assured as usual and at one point everybody, including the infallible Glinda feels as if they have exhausted all possibilities. For a child, I suppose, this could be stressful. The final two short chapters were wrapped up at warp speed; I could almost sense Baum’s effort to finish before he drew his last breath.
Obviously, there are numerous further adventures in Oz, written by many other authors. I’ve heard many of them are well worth the read, especially those by Baum’s immediate successor, Ruth Plumly Thompson, but alas, I have no plans to pursue them at this time. My goal was to read all of the originals and now that I have done so, I will move on to other things, always remembering my own adventures in Oz fondly.
In essence, this novel is like most of the others in the series. Several main characters including Dorothy and Ozma, set out to a remote area of Oz because they have found out that somebody hasn’t recognized that Ozma is the rightful ruler of all Oz and they are not following the laws of the land. (Yes, Oz, my friends is an Imperialist land). In fact, the Skeezers and the Flatheads are actually engaged in war, believe it or not, which is most definitely a violation of the rules.
Ozma and Dorothy get trapped and it’s up to their friends, including Glinda to rescue them. Here we do see that Baum likely knew this was his last story because he has nearly all of the major characters from past books make a cameo appearance as they gather to help plan the rescue. This was great to see. Not only familiar recurring characters such as the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman (Nick Chopper), The Wizard of Oz, Jack Pumpkinhead, Scraps (The Patchwork Girl), etc. but we also see some of the lesser “main” characters that round out Ozma’s Counsellors like Shaggy Man, Tik-Tok, Cap’n Bill, H.M. Wogglebug, and even Dorothy’s Uncle Henry.
While the first part of this book was straightforward, I did feel that the major middle section lost its cohesion and sort of fell apart. Solving the predicament of how to rescue Dorothy and Ozma was much more involved than the usual Oz story and required teamwork, lots of ideas, and experimentation. Perhaps this is why some regard this as a “darker” Oz tale. The outcome is not as assured as usual and at one point everybody, including the infallible Glinda feels as if they have exhausted all possibilities. For a child, I suppose, this could be stressful. The final two short chapters were wrapped up at warp speed; I could almost sense Baum’s effort to finish before he drew his last breath.
Obviously, there are numerous further adventures in Oz, written by many other authors. I’ve heard many of them are well worth the read, especially those by Baum’s immediate successor, Ruth Plumly Thompson, but alas, I have no plans to pursue them at this time. My goal was to read all of the originals and now that I have done so, I will move on to other things, always remembering my own adventures in Oz fondly.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced