violetmoon's review against another edition
4.0
*The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - 4/5
**The Marvelous Land of Oz - 4/5
*** Ozma of Oz - 4/5
**The Marvelous Land of Oz - 4/5
*** Ozma of Oz - 4/5
funny_bunny_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tiffanyclarissa's review against another edition
5.0
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" review:
It's always fun to relive a childhood story but in a book instead of on the screen. I really enjoyed how different the book was from the movie.
"The Marvelous Land of Oz" review:
I really loved this book after the second half. It got more humorous and eventful towards the end. *Side note: It's extremely important to remember that this book was published in 1904 which means that some words are used in a different context like the word 'molest' which Jinjur and Glenda the Good Witch used. So I went and looked up the definition and the older use for the word was: "to bother, interfere with, or annoy." It has since been updated in the dictionary to reflect the current definition.
"Ozma of Oz" review:
Not as good as the 2nd book but it still kept my attention all the way until the end. Can't wait to start the next one.
It's always fun to relive a childhood story but in a book instead of on the screen. I really enjoyed how different the book was from the movie.
"The Marvelous Land of Oz" review:
I really loved this book after the second half. It got more humorous and eventful towards the end. *Side note: It's extremely important to remember that this book was published in 1904 which means that some words are used in a different context like the word 'molest' which Jinjur and Glenda the Good Witch used. So I went and looked up the definition and the older use for the word was: "to bother, interfere with, or annoy." It has since been updated in the dictionary to reflect the current definition.
"Ozma of Oz" review:
Not as good as the 2nd book but it still kept my attention all the way until the end. Can't wait to start the next one.
tiffanyclarissa's review against another edition
4.0
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
This one was not my favorite of the series but it was still creative and really good. I love that there are more characters introduced and it was good to have Dorothy back. Eureka, the kitten, is my favorite character in this book.
The Road to Oz
Another adventure in Oz where a group of queer (which is what they are referred to in the book) people are getting from one location to the next. This book was not the best but the creativity was really good. Interesting to see that Santa Claus makes an appearance in this book.
The Emerald City of Oz
This book was okay. Not the best one. The adventure wasn't too exciting but the creativity was good. It was another adventure through other parts of Oz not previously mentioned and then leading to another battle at the end where the Nome King wants the magic belt back. I love the idea of the Forbidden Fountain. I kind of wish we had one of those in this world.
"Foolish fears, and worries over nothing, with a mixture of nerves and ifs, will soon make a Flutterbudget of any one." I guess if I could be any character in Oz, so far, it would be the Futterbudgets.
This one was not my favorite of the series but it was still creative and really good. I love that there are more characters introduced and it was good to have Dorothy back. Eureka, the kitten, is my favorite character in this book.
The Road to Oz
Another adventure in Oz where a group of queer (which is what they are referred to in the book) people are getting from one location to the next. This book was not the best but the creativity was really good. Interesting to see that Santa Claus makes an appearance in this book.
The Emerald City of Oz
This book was okay. Not the best one. The adventure wasn't too exciting but the creativity was good. It was another adventure through other parts of Oz not previously mentioned and then leading to another battle at the end where the Nome King wants the magic belt back. I love the idea of the Forbidden Fountain. I kind of wish we had one of those in this world.
"Foolish fears, and worries over nothing, with a mixture of nerves and ifs, will soon make a Flutterbudget of any one." I guess if I could be any character in Oz, so far, it would be the Futterbudgets.
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.