tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post8839138180458294827..comments2024-03-09T05:53:59.542-05:00Comments on Oz and Ends: L. Frank Baum’s First Oz SeriesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-29401998403658776112008-07-17T15:25:00.000-05:002008-07-17T15:25:00.000-05:00I think the puns were baffling to me at 5 or 6, ev...I think the puns were baffling to me at 5 or 6, even with parental explanation, but to my surprise last summer when I read about TikTok to my then 4 year old nephew, the fact that he was patented (and proud of it) provided a great way to explain my new job as a patent lawyer! He is now the best informed child about patents in all of NY, I am sure, and all due to Tik-Tok's impressive machinery.<BR/><BR/>My grandmother, now 93, and owner of our family's first editions although we have custody now, had a belt that vaguely resembled the Nome King's magic belt and when she wore it as a child, her siblings were cowed into doing what she said. So as you can see, we take our Oz characters seriously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-51746934556103805862008-07-14T16:59:00.000-05:002008-07-14T16:59:00.000-05:00You’ve touched on a big shortcoming of what I’m ca...You’ve touched on a big shortcoming of what I’m calling Baum’s first Oz series: though there’s an overarching plot about Dorothy finding a home in Oz, there really aren’t enough plots along the way to fill four books.<BR/><BR/><I>Ozma</I> has a good plot, with Dorothy and Ozma up against the Nome King. <I>Dorothy and the Wizard</I> has a scary journey, but then Ozma rescues Dorothy, and there’s a bit of padding in Eureka’s trial. <I>Road</I> has a less scary journey, with all the problems solved at about the halfway mark and Ozma’s birthday pageant filling out the rest—hardly enough plot for a short story. <BR/><BR/><I>Emerald City</I> starts off well, with a plot building from parallel storylines as Dorothy’s family adjusts to life in Oz and General Guph assembling his invasion force. But then the Oz adventures become very episodic, and indeed mostly built around puns or magical conceits. (I liked the puns as a child, but I wouldn’t have minded some more suspense with them.) <BR/><BR/>As for characters, I think Baum created some terrific ones in <I>Road</I>: the Shaggy Man, Button-Bright, and Polychrome are all nicely drawn, and all proved strong enough to return in later books. That doesn’t take anything away from Billina, Tik-Tok, the Hungry Tiger, and the Nome King in <I>Ozma</I>. But you don’t always need a good plot to introduce good characters.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28103455.post-74351010699057124722008-07-14T16:30:00.000-05:002008-07-14T16:30:00.000-05:00Ozma has the best characters and most interesting ...Ozma has the best characters and most interesting magic, I think. It is probably the Oz book most frequently reread in my family (our first edition hardcover, alas, is in tatters). Emerald City has so many goofy puns that it is intended more for the parent reading than for the child.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com