Santa Claus in Oz

Here's Richard Capwell's second Oz book, following up from his first book The Red Gorilla of Oz, which I reviewed in August.

In Santa Claus, Capwell expands on concepts introduced in Red Gorilla. For those wondering about the title, yes, Capwell is very aware of Baum's take on Santa Claus and bases his characterization of Claus on The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (the subject of many December blog entries here). However, Santa's reindeer have the classic names from The Night Before Christmas, but then Jack Snow did the same thing.

Santa arrives in Oz to ask Ozma for help. He appears to be dying. The Mantle of Immortality appears to be losing power, and slowly, Santa is beginning to fade into nothingness! Taking Button-Bright (who often gets called Saladin) with him, Santa Claus follows a magic compass and begins to find the homes of the Wicked Witches of Oz where they find clues as to what to do next.

Back in the Emerald City, the Wizard and his new apprentice Iliana (introduced in Red Gorilla), and they find a mysterious clockwork mechanism in the Fountain of Oblivion. Soon, they begin to discover the magic undoing the Mantle of Immortality, and soon discover the identity of the Wicked Witch of the South.

Yes, there is a third Wicked Witch of the South. Eric Shanower had one in The Enchanted Apples of Oz and Rachel Cosgrove Payes brought in the deliciously fiendish Singra in The Wicked Witch of Oz. Eric Shanower commented that these two don't necessarily contradict each other, but I don't think this one exactly fits into that. Thus, I have to think of it as separate from a lot of other Oz canon.

Still, this is no slight to Capwell's story. It's an exciting, fun tale, and quite enjoyable. Capwell apparently has a lot of fun writing Oz, and it shows.

Capwell also illustrates, but there isn't a lot of major illustration. The same style from Red Gorilla is maintained here. Figurines were a plot point in Gorilla, and all characters were shown as figurines in the pictures of that book, which normally featured a picture at the beginning and end of the chapter. Female characters get off nicely by having a skirt so they don't look fat, but male figures look rather chubby. This is especially true of the diminutive Button-Bright. They're charming nonetheless and work well, though it's not my favorite art style for Oz.

Get your copy on Amazon.com.

Winkie Trip Reading, Part 1

So, if you go to an Oz convention by a Greyhound when you live in the middle of the country, here's something you should do: bring plenty of Oz books. I brought eight books I hadn't read before and picked up three more I hadn't read before at the convention. Grand total read: nine. So... how's about we split up this big review into three?

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First up: Silver Shoes by Paul Miles Schneider.

This is not a traditional Oz book. It runs with the idea that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz actually happened, but, despite Baum's introduction, was not written solely as a story to please children, but as a way to let people know about another world. Thus, the sequels didn't actually happen, at least, not as they were written.

Young Donald Gardner's mother buys a mysterious silver shoe, and one day, he brings it to show and tell at school, when someone notes that it reminds her of The Wizard of Oz. How correct she is! But the shoes aren't just a pair of metalcraft that do magic things when you click the heels. There is, in fact, so much more. And there are people who want those shoes, both in our world and in Oz who would do terrible things if they got their hands on them.

The story is very riveting and I finished it in the first few hours on my bus ride. Once it's clear that it's not a traditional story, I decided to enjoy it. Paul's text is enjoyable and very readable. While the book is not illustrated, the descriptions are vivid enough to give you an idea of the story's look.

I look forward to getting the sequel, Powder of Life, soon.

Buy Silver Shoes from Amazon.

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The Red Gorilla of Oz by Richard Capwell

Something is seriously wrong in Oz. The tribe of Red Gorillas has seen that their Eternal Flame has gone out. They send Prince Sebastian to seek Glinda's help in restoring it, and along the way, he is joined by Priscilla, a young Kalidah.

Everywhere else in Oz, something else has been happening. Jack Pumpkinhead, Scraps, and everyone else brought to life by the Powder of Life stops living, and even a few other manufactured people who we didn't think the Powder had ever touched, such as the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and Chopfyt! What caused these calamaties and how can it be fixed?

I liked the story, but it did wind up setting a few rules for Capwell's continuing Oz series (he's already published a follow up) that has made me kind of reject it as being in continuity with my own Oz series. Nothing too serious, but I am a nitpicker for details like that. Overall though, a strong first entry for a new Oz writer.

Buy The Red Gorilla of Oz on Amazon.

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Red Reera the Yookoohoo and the Enchanted Easter Eggs of Oz by Richard G. Quinn and illustrated by A. E. Mouse (Marcus Mebes)

Long title, really short book. Reera the Red wants to have a baby and hears how she can get one by finding the Enchanted Easter Eggs. She goes off on a search to find them, but finds something else entirely.

The story feels really short and wraps up rather quickly. There's an odd chapter that doesn't really have anything to do with the plot. Though, quite possibly, it is supposed to be how things appear in Glinda's Book of Records, which is kind of cool.

Overall, good story, but I kind of feel like it should have been part of a larger collection.

I rather like A. E. Mouse's pictures here. His adult humans are quite elegant, the ladies beautiful, the gentlement are handsome. Even his Rinkitink is charming!

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

It's Gorilla Time

The Red Gorilla of Oz, by Richard Capwell - In some ways, this is a pretty typical Oz adventure, with someone from a small community seeking help from the Ozian establishment in resolving a problem. In this case, it's a community of gorillas in the Quadling Country that needs help restoring the protective Eternal Flame, which turns out to be not quite as eternal as advertised. It's up to the clumsy and impulsive Prince Sebastian, with help from a Kalidah cub, a lunar fairy, and eventually Dorothy and Toto, to find assistance. In addition to the typical adventuring, the workings of the Powder of Life come into play, and we learn more about how certain familiar characters came to life. I don't necessarily agree that powder would have been required to bring the Tin Woodman, the Tin Soldier, or Chopfyt to life, but it's an interesting idea nonetheless. Also playing roles are Dr. Pipt, Nimmie Amee, and the Winged Monkeys, the latter of whom have a rather unpleasant history with the gorillas. I appreciated the callbacks, and I liked the characterization of the well-meaning but heedless Sebastian and the precocious Kalidah cub Priscilla. The only illustration is the one on the cover, which is a shame as I've come to expect pictures with my Oz stories, but I understand that procuring such things can be a hassle. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing more Oz writing from Capwell in the future.