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A review by abomine
The Wizard of Oz: The First Five Novels by L. Frank Baum
4.0
Perfect Musical Pairing for this whole series: To A Faraway Land by Joe Hisaishi (from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:4.5 Stars: This book is a beloved classic for a reason. By turns whimsical and creepy, simple and profound, full of imaginative concepts and memorable characters, and written in clean down-to-earth prose, this is a book that EVERYONE should read at least once.
The Marvelous Land of Oz:4.5 Stars: An amazing follow-up to the first novel, featuring a whole new array of wonderful characters (a new favorite of mine being Jack Pumpkinhead), a completely fantastic plot twist, and one of the most unique and complex discussions of feminism I've ever read in a children's book.
Ozma of Oz:4 Stars: While not as good as the first two (seriously, I don't think Baum could have ever topped that plot twist in the last book), it's still loads of fun and deliciously dark. Read this, and you'll see a lot of the concepts that were used in Return to Oz (there were a few from the previous book as well, but not as many as in this one). And also, Billina is the most badass chicken ever.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz:2 Stars: Oh man, is this a disappointment. Incredibly boring, filled with new characters that I couldn't give a shit about, completely retcons Ozma's backstory, renders Dorothy totally useless, and there's just a mean-spirited, dreary atmosphere to this book overall. The only aspects that saved this from a one-star rating were the awesomely creepy Mangaboos and their psychedelic glass city.
The Road to Oz:3 Stars: Certainly better than the previous book, but still not as good as the first three. I just can't get behind the premise of a little girl like Dorothy giving directions to and walking down the road with a hairy stranger who claims to keep a 'Love Magnet' in his pocket. Little Red Ridinghood once gave directions to and walked down the road with a hairy stranger...and look how great THAT turned out.
Overall, I enjoyed this and will be continuing on with the series (I'm really looking forward to meeting Scraps the Patchwork Girl, whom I've heard so many amazing things about). I definitely recommend the first three books, but I only recommend the fourth and fifth if you're going in for the long haul, because there are FIFTEEN BOOKS in this first series alone.
---------------
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:4.5 Stars: This book is a beloved classic for a reason. By turns whimsical and creepy, simple and profound, full of imaginative concepts and memorable characters, and written in clean down-to-earth prose, this is a book that EVERYONE should read at least once.
The Marvelous Land of Oz:4.5 Stars: An amazing follow-up to the first novel, featuring a whole new array of wonderful characters (a new favorite of mine being Jack Pumpkinhead), a completely fantastic plot twist, and one of the most unique and complex discussions of feminism I've ever read in a children's book.
Ozma of Oz:4 Stars: While not as good as the first two (seriously, I don't think Baum could have ever topped that plot twist in the last book), it's still loads of fun and deliciously dark. Read this, and you'll see a lot of the concepts that were used in Return to Oz (there were a few from the previous book as well, but not as many as in this one). And also, Billina is the most badass chicken ever.
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz:2 Stars: Oh man, is this a disappointment. Incredibly boring, filled with new characters that I couldn't give a shit about, completely retcons Ozma's backstory, renders Dorothy totally useless, and there's just a mean-spirited, dreary atmosphere to this book overall. The only aspects that saved this from a one-star rating were the awesomely creepy Mangaboos and their psychedelic glass city.
The Road to Oz:3 Stars: Certainly better than the previous book, but still not as good as the first three. I just can't get behind the premise of a little girl like Dorothy giving directions to and walking down the road with a hairy stranger who claims to keep a 'Love Magnet' in his pocket. Little Red Ridinghood once gave directions to and walked down the road with a hairy stranger...and look how great THAT turned out.
Overall, I enjoyed this and will be continuing on with the series (I'm really looking forward to meeting Scraps the Patchwork Girl, whom I've heard so many amazing things about). I definitely recommend the first three books, but I only recommend the fourth and fifth if you're going in for the long haul, because there are FIFTEEN BOOKS in this first series alone.