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_lilbey_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
topdragon's review against another edition
3.0
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.
buddy524's review against another edition
4.0
One of the better Oz stories by Baum. Here he moves away from his traditional journey/adventure stories. As the last Oz story by Baum, it's a bit disappointing as I was hoping for more.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
So this is it, then. The last Oz book. In the end, I'm glad it came down to Dorothy and Ozma and Glinda, up against genuine peril and actually dealing with the difficulty in ruling and asserting authority when you aren't physically present (a fairly sophisticated political theme). While I might not have been enchanted, it did have everything I've always loved about Oz.
victoriafrost1991's review against another edition
3.0
Way better than the rest of the original Oz series novels. I enjoyed how it didn't end with everyone traveling to Oz with whatever festivities there. The potential war could have been flushed out a bit more with what the false flat head leader was doing. Yet, the new characters were more enjoyable to see what happened to them. Still wished for more consistent story line to fully understand what was going on from one book to the next and less explaining characters who we all know from reading the previous books. It made it too tedious. I wonder if the author did that because not Ll children would know the full story from book 1 to present or if he thought they wouldn't remember.
cowmouflage's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
2.0
Even with the Wikipedia entry, I can barely recall any of this book. After the previous two Oz books, which were okay, if not phenomenal, I'm disappointed in how forgettable this last book is. There is, apparently, Ozma and Dorothy running around together and kissing women, which I'm always up for (the lesbian subtext between those two is really more text, to me), but the plot itself is nothing inspired.