Three Oz Books

The Speckled Rose of Oz by Donald Abbott
Another book set before the events of The Marvelous Land of Oz, Abbott gives the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion another adventure as the wicked Poison Oak and Sir Wiley Gyle (brother of the Wicked Witches) try to turn Oz into a swamp by killing the Speckled Rose of Oz.

Abbott is imaginative here, even if the flow of his stories is still a bit too uneven. Not highly recommended, but not one to avoid either.

The Unwinged Monkey of Oz by Peter Schulenberg
Paramount the monkey has a problem: he was born without wings! Having had enough of feeling like he doesn't belong, he runs away from home and encounters some strange new friends, such as a man who inexplicably turns into a Gump but has no memory of either life, and a cavern full of people made of wet clay. Along the way, Paramount gets wind of a plot by a wicked witch and does what he can to stop her.

Schulenberg improves over past stories by including an antagonist. That said, the antagonist is defeated fairly easily. Still, Schulenberg definitely knows his Oz and clearly displays it here.

The Patchwork Bride of Oz by Gilbert M. Sprague
A short story sees the Scarecrow and Scraps get married. There's a nice twist at the end.

Only complaint? It's far too short. It should have been a centerpiece in a book of short stories, not a book of its own. Still, if you can track it down, enjoy!

Winkie Trip Reading, Part 2

On to part 3!

---

(The book that was listed here has been removed from print.)

---

The Lost Emeralds of Oz by Fredrick E. Otto, illustrated by Derek Sullivan.

This was published shortly after Mr. Otto's death. It tells a story of how the silver whistle in Ojo in Oz came to be, how Ozma met the Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion, and how she got the Magic Picture. Also, the surprising origin of the Truth Pond!

The story is set shortly after Ozma's coronation as Ozma tries to discover what happened to the emeralds that originally studded the Emerald City. Mr. Otto theorizes that the Wizard paid off the Wicked Witch of the West with them, which is why she wasn't actively attacking the Wizard in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This is why the green spectacles were required back then, so the people wouldn't notice the emeralds were replaced by glass.

I like the story, however, I did have a few questions. A large number of characters must bathe in the Truth Pond as a crucial part of resolving the plot, including Ozma, the Hungry Tiger, and the Cowardly Lion. If we take this as canon, everything they say in Ozma of Oz and beyond must be the truth. But that makes them too innocent.

Also, Ozma meeting the Cowardly Lion and Hungry Tiger seems to be a point writers return to, here, Onyx Madden's The Mysterious Chronicles of Oz, and Edward Einhorn's excellent "Ozma Sees Herself." (The latter of which I do consider canon since it's simple and doesn't cause problems with other Oz stories.) So, good story, but it's not in my canon.

Buy your copy here.

---

The Corn Mansion of Oz by Peter Schulenberg, illustrated by Peter and Marcus Schulenberg.

This is a follow-up to Schulenberg's The Tin Castle of Oz, and very much the same type of story. This is how the Scarecrow came to build his corn-shaped tower that was revealed in The Emerald City of Oz, with Jack Pumpkinhead's help. Plus, meet Miss Cuttenclip's cousin Aura Gami and Alecksander, a former sand person who's been fused into glass by lightning.

Also, a short story detailing how Jack Pumpkinhead's pumpkin home came to be.

Overall, fun stories about how certain Oz celebrities got their homes, but no real conflict. Peter manages to make the story interesting enough to keep reading, but you can't beat conflict as a true plot device. Still, quite worth checking out for an idea of how the people in Oz might spend an "off day."

Buy your copy here.

The Tin Castle of Oz

There are many types of Oz books now that fan written books are out there. The Tin Castle of Oz is a very different type of Oz book.

The story is told in flashback and explains how the Tin Castle of the Tin Woodman was built.

While fine tinsmiths are at work, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow joined by a Winkie boy named Gelh to go to the Munchkin Forest to collect used cocoons made by the tintipillars when they turn into tinselflies. These cocoons can be unraveled into thread, then woven into cloth to make comfortable tin cushions and beds for the castle.

Meanwhile, tinsmith Timorous has designed a model for the Castle, one of three, and he's anxious to know which one the Tin Woodman will pick, and he sets out to find the Tin Woodman to get a decision so work can begin on the castle as soon as possible.

Peter Schulenberg introduces a whimsical cast of new characters. Aside from Gelh and Timorous, there is also Mort, a man made of yellow bricks who maintains the yellow brick road, giant friendly mosquitoes, a rubber rabbit named Rupart, talking Lanif trees, the tintipillars, and a rat named Packey Rat.

As whimsical and fun as the story is, I didn't feel so into the story as I did with other stories: the reason being there is no threat presented to the characters. There is no villain, just a variety of problems for them to solve, which they do, usually ahead of time, or the answer unveils itself. It's not that it's bad, but it flows too smoothly with no friction between anyone, so there's little to grasp the reader's attention. Or at least, mine. I did feel some of the problems encountered could have been rearranged for a better suspense, but as it is, the book is out and there's no changing it now.

So, if you want a story explaining how the Tin Woodman got his Castle, here you go. It's a fun, sweet story, but not very exciting.

Get your copy from Tails of the Cowardly Lion and Friends.