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cspeet's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of the more fun and cohesive stories that I have read in the Oz series. I particularly appreciate that there is a cohesive plot to the tale, rather than random wandering in a fantasy land, as some of the books have done. The solution to what happened to Princess Ozma was pretty clever and, once revealed, made sense. Overall, a fun and whimsical read.
elvislove1234's review against another edition
5.0
This edition was one of my favorite. It has toto and Dorthy . All of my favorite characters were back .
lejoy's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like Baum was responding to what the fans want with this one, because he certainly addresses some of the things I have been asking for (a hundred years later). Firstly the story is genuinely set in Oz and is about established Oz characters, so this really is a proper sequel again. Secondly we have some actual peril in the story, huzzah! Ozma has gone missing. Since Baum always avoids peril I was afraid that there would be some cutesy explanation, but no, we have a real bad guy again. Thirdly, Glinda, the Wizard and Ozma have had their magical powers and artefacts stolen so no cheating their way out of this one! All right! I think the real aim of this story was to show Dorothy hanging out with Betsy and Trot (and Scraps), the characters who were introduced in the latter books. However, since Betsy and Trot add absolutely nothing to the story, they might as well not be in it.
This is where Baum goes and Baums it all up again. Despite the fact that there is a genuine mystery and real peril to be faced, the story is yet another 'travel from A to B and discover funny towns of weirdos along the way'. As usual I have no idea why he has selected this random bunch of characters to be the focus of the story. All the Oz regulars have gone out in search of Ozma, but we focus on Dorothy's group which consists of: Toto, the Cowardly Lion, the Wizard (who since Book 4 is basically Dorothy's guardian... despite her actual guardians living in Oz), the Sawhorse, Button Bright, Scraps, the Woozy, Betsy and her mule Hank and Trot. I guess logically the idea here is the little kids, their steeds and one adult to look after them, but as a ragtag team, it could have been a lot more interesting. They don't even call in reinforcements when they figure out what is going on, despite the Wizard inventing the mobile phone in an earlier book (maybe it has been stolen along with all their magic supplies, but what about all the talking birds in Oz, couldn't they be used to send messages between the expeditions?). While there is a villain, they are not established or set up early on, so the revelation to the mystery is pretty random. And while Glinda might have lost her magic and so has her student, the Wizard, the team still manage to meet a magical bear and Dorothy still has her magic belt from Book 3 (I forget the continuity of this thing) so... yeah they solve their problems with magic despite the book setting up that they can't solve their problems with magic. BAUMMMMM!
Oh well, at least he tried.
This is where Baum goes and Baums it all up again. Despite the fact that there is a genuine mystery and real peril to be faced, the story is yet another 'travel from A to B and discover funny towns of weirdos along the way'. As usual I have no idea why he has selected this random bunch of characters to be the focus of the story. All the Oz regulars have gone out in search of Ozma, but we focus on Dorothy's group which consists of: Toto, the Cowardly Lion, the Wizard (who since Book 4 is basically Dorothy's guardian... despite her actual guardians living in Oz), the Sawhorse, Button Bright, Scraps, the Woozy, Betsy and her mule Hank and Trot. I guess logically the idea here is the little kids, their steeds and one adult to look after them, but as a ragtag team, it could have been a lot more interesting. They don't even call in reinforcements when they figure out what is going on, despite the Wizard inventing the mobile phone in an earlier book (maybe it has been stolen along with all their magic supplies, but what about all the talking birds in Oz, couldn't they be used to send messages between the expeditions?). While there is a villain, they are not established or set up early on, so the revelation to the mystery is pretty random. And while Glinda might have lost her magic and so has her student, the Wizard, the team still manage to meet a magical bear and Dorothy still has her magic belt from Book 3 (I forget the continuity of this thing) so... yeah they solve their problems with magic despite the book setting up that they can't solve their problems with magic. BAUMMMMM!
Oh well, at least he tried.
thegreenknight3's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
One of his best! So creative!
sbsenpai's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best Oz books of all time.
A simple concept done in a very sophisticated way.
A simple concept done in a very sophisticated way.
mattydiggs's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kelly_tyler's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
birdmanseven's review against another edition
4.0
I'm surprised how good these books have gotten. I enjoyed the first 8, some more than others, because they were quick, fun reads. However, beginning with book 9 (The Scarecrow of Oz) they started getting more detailed and layered. While book 10 (Rinkitink in Oz) is still my favorite this is a very close second.
This story begins with the kidnapping of Ozma. The gang soon discovers that the Wizard & Glinda's magical tools have been stolen too. Dorothy and a big band of characters from past stories set of to recover Ozma and the magic of Oz. In a parallel story Cayke and the Frogman (new characters in the series) go off looking for Cayke's magic dishpan which was also stolen. Eventually the two groups meet up and realize the same culprit, Ugu the Shoemaker, is behind both thefts. I thought the two plots came together well and the rescue of Ozma was well done and unexpected. Overall this was a very solid entry in the Oz series. My one complaint is that Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman don't get much to do. The groups split up to look for Ozma. Dorothy, the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion and several others head off one way while the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman head off to Quadling country. I was hoping we'd see some of their journey too, but they only show up at the very end. It's a minor complaint though and it doesn't effect the enjoyment of the book as a whole.
We discussed this series and many more on our Fantasy spotlight for the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-252-fantasy-isthmus
This story begins with the kidnapping of Ozma. The gang soon discovers that the Wizard & Glinda's magical tools have been stolen too. Dorothy and a big band of characters from past stories set of to recover Ozma and the magic of Oz. In a parallel story Cayke and the Frogman (new characters in the series) go off looking for Cayke's magic dishpan which was also stolen. Eventually the two groups meet up and realize the same culprit, Ugu the Shoemaker, is behind both thefts. I thought the two plots came together well and the rescue of Ozma was well done and unexpected. Overall this was a very solid entry in the Oz series. My one complaint is that Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman don't get much to do. The groups split up to look for Ozma. Dorothy, the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion and several others head off one way while the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman head off to Quadling country. I was hoping we'd see some of their journey too, but they only show up at the very end. It's a minor complaint though and it doesn't effect the enjoyment of the book as a whole.
We discussed this series and many more on our Fantasy spotlight for the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-252-fantasy-isthmus