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libraryrobin's review against another edition
3.0
Faithful graphic novel adaptation of the original stories. I will continue with the next book!
lectoribenevolo's review against another edition
3.0
There is a lot I could say about the first three novels in L. Frank Baum's Oz series, but the most salient one is that, to my surprise, the sequels were better crafted than the famous initial novel that started it all. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is difficult to read with fresh eyes due to the iconic popularity of the movie, but to the extent that I was able, I found it odd and poorly wrought. In the latter half it felt like Baum lost interest in the story and substituted summaries for actual storytelling.
The sequels were better written and often very surprising. The gender politics of the second book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, were surprising and tense, an odd mix of progressive thought (Baum was a public advocate for women's suffrage) and rank sexism. In third book, Ozma of Oz, Baum relaxes a little bit and settles into the rhythms of a world-builder and series author.
I am curious to read the next installments; if the quality keeps up, they will be fascinating, as artifacts at the very least.
The sequels were better written and often very surprising. The gender politics of the second book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, were surprising and tense, an odd mix of progressive thought (Baum was a public advocate for women's suffrage) and rank sexism. In third book, Ozma of Oz, Baum relaxes a little bit and settles into the rhythms of a world-builder and series author.
I am curious to read the next installments; if the quality keeps up, they will be fascinating, as artifacts at the very least.
lectoribenevolo's review against another edition
3.0
This volume contains the fourth through sixth of L. Frank Baum's Oz novels. In the third installment, there still seemed to be something at stake, some idea or set of ideas that Baum was trying to explore. The fourth and fifth novels show an author who is settling into his (accidental) dual role of writing fairy stories for children and milking his perpetual cash cow. The stories are fanciful, but almost entirely devoid of sufficient conflict to qualify as having a plot.
The sixth novel has conflict--the Nome King seeks vengeance on Ozma of Oz, and leads a dangerous coalition of evildoers on a quest to overthrow her and enslave all her people. Yet the conflict comes to a head and dissipates within the space of about fifty pages. Those fifty pages are pretty good, though, and they end with a finality that is reminiscent of Tolkien's end of the Lord of the Rings, with the fairy land of Oz cut off from the rest of the world forever, and Dorothy accorded a special place there.
Of course, Baum then wrote eight more novels about Oz. So much for finality. I guess the publishers made him an offer he couldn't refuse. You get the sense that he really tried to go out on a good note, though.
The sixth novel has conflict--the Nome King seeks vengeance on Ozma of Oz, and leads a dangerous coalition of evildoers on a quest to overthrow her and enslave all her people. Yet the conflict comes to a head and dissipates within the space of about fifty pages. Those fifty pages are pretty good, though, and they end with a finality that is reminiscent of Tolkien's end of the Lord of the Rings, with the fairy land of Oz cut off from the rest of the world forever, and Dorothy accorded a special place there.
Of course, Baum then wrote eight more novels about Oz. So much for finality. I guess the publishers made him an offer he couldn't refuse. You get the sense that he really tried to go out on a good note, though.
agiali's review against another edition
3.0
!!! Reviewing random editions with similar page counts since I own the big bind-up of 3 of the novels, but adding the reviews here as I finish them!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #01
February 22, 2022 - February 22, 2022 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed this? Genuinely thought I would hate it, but it was quite entertaining, the last 50 or so pages did bore me a bit, but it wasn't TERRIBLE.
The Marvelous Land of Oz #02
May 26, 2022 - May 26, 2022 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one is so cute! I definitely prefer this book versus the first one I read a few months ago!
Ozma of Oz #03
June 22, 2022 - June 22, 2022 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fun and my second favorite out of the three I've read!
Justice for Bill's name change though!!!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #01
February 22, 2022 - February 22, 2022 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed this? Genuinely thought I would hate it, but it was quite entertaining, the last 50 or so pages did bore me a bit, but it wasn't TERRIBLE.
The Marvelous Land of Oz #02
May 26, 2022 - May 26, 2022 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one is so cute! I definitely prefer this book versus the first one I read a few months ago!
Ozma of Oz #03
June 22, 2022 - June 22, 2022 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fun and my second favorite out of the three I've read!
Justice for Bill's name change though!!!
kmdahlgran's review against another edition
4.0
We were all sad to see the Oz books end with this volume. We will definitely read these books many, many times.
rcsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
memlhd's review against another edition
2.0
February 8, 2015
February 20, 2015
Dates for 3 stories in Vol. 1
February 20, 2015
Dates for 3 stories in Vol. 1
farnz's review against another edition
2.0
FINALLY, IT'S OVER!
Ratings:
Book 1 - 3 stars
Book 2- 1 stars
Book 3- 2 Stars
Round up: 2 stars
Rant( read at your own discretion):
I read The Wizard of Oz a few months ago and gave it 3 stars ( my rating hasn't changed) and I had heard that the following books were even better so I thought I would give it a shot. And I have to be honest and say that at times reading this book was like torture. It was painful and I dreaded reading it every time I laid eyes on it. It took me so long, TOO LONG, I have never taken this long to read a book like this. It just felt dull the majority of the times and rest of the times it was just pissing me off. And it's not that I disliked everything, I like the world of Oz, I really do. It's just that I absolutely HATE every single character that Baum creates (except for Bill the hen, I liked her).
CHARACTERS:
I find them to be incredibly annoying, selfish, ignorant, prissy, entitled, FLAT idiots. Never have I come across SO MANY HORRID characters (I need to just vent). I cringed every time Baum referred to these characters as "our friends". It was disheartening. His females are just horrible, I wanted to strangle them. Pitiful excuses for human beings/inanimate objects brought to life all around. I hated Ozma and Dorothy and the third book had, to my dismay, both of them together. UNBEARABLE. I mean Ozma doesn't have the dignity to actually say please! You have to work for what you want in this life. It pisses me off that they just expect Oz to do things for them with nothing in return. Dorothy was an absolute idiot who didn't deserve to get things handed to her on a silver platter like she is some queen. The Cowardly lion (who I liked in the first book) suddenly realizes that he is a coward, leaves his role as a king and becomes a chariot-puller for Ozma. The Cowardly lion was ruined (I'm not exaggerating. Bill ( I refuse to call her Billina) the hen was the most tolerable character with the most amount of common sense and good for her for kicking that rooster's ass. I preferred the wicked witches to the supposedly good witches/ characters. Although she is neither fierce nor wicked. Heck I know a great many people who would be more terrifying than her, this includes myself. This is a lady who is afraid of the dark and who gets killed by a pathetic, insolent, petty kid who throws a tantrum cause she has lost a pretty shoe. The good witch of the North keeps laughing at inappropriate things and Glinda , just no. People and animals being beheaded and killed left and right. The Tin woodsman says he would never kill any living creature and yet he does the most killing. I really hate the stupid Gayelette ( she isn't good and wise, she is bratty, vain, selfish and throws money around). She pisses me off. I know it's not intended to be so but the characters never fail to creep me out. And of course "harmony was immediately restored in every family (386)" when the pathetic and outspoken women were sent to the kitchen to cook food for their husbands like good little wives. This pissed me so much. Am I taking this book too seriously? Perhaps but this book was nearly 600 painful pages.
" for she is protected by the Power if Good, and that is greater than the Power of Evil(104)". It's as if Baum is taking a brick and repeatedly hitting you over the head with it.
Page 378- Can you be anymore obvious? I saw this coming since the name Ozma was first mentioned. It's making me depressed. Everything is so in your face, it makes me want bash my head and I realize that it's a children's story but that's no excuse. I love children's books but I just can't take this.
Frankly, how I managed to get through this book is beyond me. It's hard to find redeeming qualities, by the end my patience had simply run out.
Ratings:
Book 1 - 3 stars
Book 2- 1 stars
Book 3- 2 Stars
Round up: 2 stars
Rant( read at your own discretion):
I read The Wizard of Oz a few months ago and gave it 3 stars ( my rating hasn't changed) and I had heard that the following books were even better so I thought I would give it a shot. And I have to be honest and say that at times reading this book was like torture. It was painful and I dreaded reading it every time I laid eyes on it. It took me so long, TOO LONG, I have never taken this long to read a book like this. It just felt dull the majority of the times and rest of the times it was just pissing me off. And it's not that I disliked everything, I like the world of Oz, I really do. It's just that I absolutely HATE every single character that Baum creates (except for Bill the hen, I liked her).
CHARACTERS:
I find them to be incredibly annoying, selfish, ignorant, prissy, entitled, FLAT idiots. Never have I come across SO MANY HORRID characters (I need to just vent). I cringed every time Baum referred to these characters as "our friends". It was disheartening. His females are just horrible, I wanted to strangle them. Pitiful excuses for human beings/inanimate objects brought to life all around. I hated Ozma and Dorothy and the third book had, to my dismay, both of them together. UNBEARABLE. I mean Ozma doesn't have the dignity to actually say please! You have to work for what you want in this life. It pisses me off that they just expect Oz to do things for them with nothing in return. Dorothy was an absolute idiot who didn't deserve to get things handed to her on a silver platter like she is some queen. The Cowardly lion (who I liked in the first book) suddenly realizes that he is a coward, leaves his role as a king and becomes a chariot-puller for Ozma. The Cowardly lion was ruined (I'm not exaggerating. Bill ( I refuse to call her Billina) the hen was the most tolerable character with the most amount of common sense and good for her for kicking that rooster's ass. I preferred the wicked witches to the supposedly good witches/ characters. Although she is neither fierce nor wicked. Heck I know a great many people who would be more terrifying than her, this includes myself. This is a lady who is afraid of the dark and who gets killed by a pathetic, insolent, petty kid who throws a tantrum cause she has lost a pretty shoe. The good witch of the North keeps laughing at inappropriate things and Glinda , just no. People and animals being beheaded and killed left and right. The Tin woodsman says he would never kill any living creature and yet he does the most killing. I really hate the stupid Gayelette ( she isn't good and wise, she is bratty, vain, selfish and throws money around). She pisses me off. I know it's not intended to be so but the characters never fail to creep me out. And of course "harmony was immediately restored in every family (386)" when the pathetic and outspoken women were sent to the kitchen to cook food for their husbands like good little wives. This pissed me so much. Am I taking this book too seriously? Perhaps but this book was nearly 600 painful pages.
" for she is protected by the Power if Good, and that is greater than the Power of Evil(104)". It's as if Baum is taking a brick and repeatedly hitting you over the head with it.
Page 378- Can you be anymore obvious? I saw this coming since the name Ozma was first mentioned. It's making me depressed. Everything is so in your face, it makes me want bash my head and I realize that it's a children's story but that's no excuse. I love children's books but I just can't take this.
Frankly, how I managed to get through this book is beyond me. It's hard to find redeeming qualities, by the end my patience had simply run out.
the_bard's review against another edition
5.0
Just as charming, whimsical, delightful, and imaginative as I remember from my childhood, and wittier than I recall.