(4.5, but for Oz's sake I'll err up instead of down.)I've read reviews that suggest that Glinda of Oz is the darkest, possibly because Baum knew he was dying at that point. I don't actually see explicit darkness, but I do think that there is an element of fear in this one that there isn't in the rest, that things might not actually turn out right. Of course, as an adult, it is clear to me that they're going to figure it out, but I remember as a kid liking Glinda of Oz less even while knowing that it was one of the better ones, because it felt - I think I would have described it as frustrating, but I think what I was really feeling was stress. It's stressful, because (for a kid) it's suspenseful. Your worried. They try everything they (and you) can think of, and Ozma and Dorothy and the island are still underwater, and Glinda, who you're accustomed to seeing swoop in to save the day with ease, is just as helpless as the rest of them.It's also one of the more powerful books in the series, not just because the problem is hard to solve but because when they do solve it it takes all of them - Ozma, Glinda, Dorothy, the Skeezers, Red Reera the Yookoohoo (my favorite character in this one! She's in only two chapters, but they're by far my favorite chapters of the whole book!), and the three Adepts. Although Ozians are accustomed to discussing what to do, coming to agreement, and carrying out their decisions, there is nowhere where the teamwork is so clear and so participatory, where if even one person weren't there they would not have succeeded. Most of the time in the Oz books there are actually a lot of potential solutions, given the range of magic they have at their disposal, and everyone's personality kind of blends into everyone else's (although they certainly have defining traits and characteristics) in the sense that anyone could have thought of anything. It's not true in Glinda of Oz.It did occur to me a while ago and re-occurred to me in this book that the Oz books are all a little imperialist. In Baum's world, Ozma rules Oz and all the Ozians by right of the fairy queen passed over Oz and decided to drop Ozma off and make her the ruler (at least that's the latest story; it used to be that Ozma's father used to rule Oz, and I believe in the Ruth Plumly Thompson books that becomes true again) - and this goes even for the people who live within the geographic boundaries of Oz (aka bounded by the Deadly Desert) but who have their own states and don't even know that Oz exists. It is actually presented as the duty of Ozma and her friends to tell people who don't know they're her subjects that in fact they are, and they owe her allegiance and obedience to her laws; and the "good" people always acquiesce with little fuss. Ozma takes the trip to the Skeezers and Flatheads because it is her duty to ensure peace in her realm even when she has no idea who these people are and what they're fighting about, and is pretty sure that they know equally little about her. Does this seem a little White-Man's-Burden-y to anyone else?And then there's that last line - the last line of all of the Baum Oz books, and the only one with an explicit moral, and it really is funny because it's like the moral at the end of an Aesop's fable or something, and it's also kind of interesting and grim, especially given the context in which he wrote the book, and it also, now that the reminiscence of Kipling has occurred to me, strengthens that aspect a little creepily. All that in one tiny sentence! Here it is: "Which proves that it is always wise to do one's duty, however unpleasant that duty may seem to be."Still, it's a strong book in a series I love, and I'm sad to see the end of the Baum ones (although as far as I remember Thompson is actually just as good, and I've already started hers). Good ol' Dorothy is up for anything, as usual - "Whatever happens it's going to be fun - 'cause all excitement is fun - and I wouldn't miss it for the world!" And this book is actually one of the best examples of Baum's seemingly casual but so wonderful habit of having lots of female characters, all of whom are active not just as adventurers but as problem solvers. Looking over whom I mentioned as important to the resolution of the story, they're all but one (Ervic the Skeezer) female, and it is never never commented on. The prominence and complexity and strength of female characters in the Oz books really for me adds up to so much more than do his flaws, that I am willing to forgive him almost anything, and it's not just because of sentiment over books from my youth.
I have a few things to say about this last Baum Oz book besides my usual, "This was really good," and "Can't believe it's almost 100 years old," and "Suck on that, Sponge Bob!"I feel like everyone has been looking in the wrong place for Baum's political and social commentary. Everyone I know of points to the original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as this commentary. I believe that they arrived 13 books too soon to the party.To start off with, people tend to say that this book is "darker" than other Oz books. Well, it features a war happening in a place distant from the Emerald City about which Ozma, the ruler of Oz, is oblivious. I believe that Baum is discussing his thoughts on WWI through this book, and that his symbolism is way more obvious than the theories I've heard about book one of Oz, and the gold standard. For starters, the war is between two camps of people, the Skeezers and the Flatheads. The Skeezers live on an island ruled by a monarch (England?). They have relied on three magic adepts (Christian Holy Trinity?) to keep peace between themselves and the Flatheads, who are anatomically different from other people of Oz as they have no brains (people under the British Empire?). By the end of the book, Ozma, Glinda, and the good people of the Emerald City (Americans?) have ended the war, and given brains back to the Flatheads, making them equals to everyone else. Also of note, the monarch of the Skeezers is replaced by a just and fair woman, and the position of "Prime Minister" (Baum's words) is created for the man who, during the conflict, followed the EXACT advice given by the three adepts. I didn't know that I'd have this much to say about an Oz book, but I'm glad I do. I have a good feeling that Baum knew this would be his last book, and it is here that he put in his last impressions of the world he saw, and caricaturing the "Great War" that we had just faced.** Thoughts on the Series **The series as a whole is pretty great, really. I'm sad that this is the last "real" Oz book, though I do have some Oz wonder tales left to read. My lasting impression is the practicality and tone of voice Baum has as an author writing to children, his unwavering care for his characters' safety, as well as his lack of mercy that evil be punished. Baum's writings always seem to have a straight-and-narrow, clear path to them, not hindered by distraction or fanciful aside. He has an economy of language, and if it's on paper, it's there for a reason. I can see him in more of a practical social role, such as teacher or banker. It's hard for me to picture Baum as an actor, playwright, and otherwise creator of art. Baum's built a legacy that will always stand, and lead the way for many a dreamer to follow.
What do You think about Glinda Of Oz (2000)?
This is the last book written by Mr. Baum. Various stories were released after his death and other writers carried on the Oz series but Frank was sick when he wrote this and might have guessed it was his last work. It is characteristic of his other work which is all of a high quality and very imaginative. I imagine the war of the Flatheads and the Skeezers in the book is reflective of current events of the times (1920) but being nearly a hundred years old I don't make all the connections that might be present. As with all his books though, the stories are timeless and make for easy, enjoyable reading. There might be something to reading the stories in order but I'm just hopping from title to title without concern and each book pretty much stands on its own the way any good book should. If you love the Wizard of Oz movie but haven't read any of the books you are missing out!
—Eric
I read most of the Oz books as a girl and loved them, and now as an adult and author I enjoy Baum's world building skills and the interesting plots he creates with his fantastic characters. I liked the trek around the invisible wall and the magical steps up to the flathead village, and I loved the domed city with its telescoping bridges and the ability to submerge. The wacky conversation between Ervic and the Yookoohoo sparkles with wit, and Baum posed an interesting magical problem for Glinda to solve. On the down side, this book struck me as a bit cheesy. When faced with a dangerous situation, Ozma says, "You mustn't imagine danger, Dorothy, for one should only imagine nice things..." Books like this that strive to teach positive moral values to children ought to teach the truth. Only foolish people think a plea for obedience can change the mind or character of the obstinate and armed, or that a nice imagination can diffuse a volatile situation. Baum also introduces a whole crowd of characters from earlier books who add little to the story, and a technical glitch adds an element of frustration. Whoever prepared the free kindle edition justified the type to the center rather than to the left edge as is normal, and that disrupts the flow. The book deserves a read, however, even with the "cheese" and typesetting problems.
—Jennifer Zartman
This book features Ozma in full diplomatic peacekeeper mode as she embarks on a mission to negotiate between two warring factions in hopes of putting an end to their war and restoring peace to that corner of Oz. Up until now, there have been mentions here and there about her responsibilities in this area, but in practice, we don't really get to see her that hands-on of a ruler. Though she supposedly can see everything in her Magic Picture, she tends to miss a heck of a lot, and often only intervenes in violations of her rule only when the miscreant in question makes enough of a spectacle that they basically land on her doorstep (or go so far as to imprison one of her best friends) or something equally rash and obvious. Dorothy and company have often come across fractious, bickering groups, but generally Ozma doesn't taken much notice of them. To my recollection, this is the first time she really takes full initiative to mediate an outside situation since the Nome King/Royal Family of Ev issue in Ozma of Oz. So on one hand, this is pretty cool, to see her really act like a ruler, and not just some incredibly well-heeled fairy princess kicking around the Emerald City and having lavish birthday parties like a socialite. She also takes Dorothy with her, and it's really the first time the two of them are traveling on their own, and it's also kind of nice to see them take such a bold and brave step. Girl power!Unfortunately, the drawback with this is that Ozma is just not all that interesting a travel companion. Since the big Tip transformation, she rarely shows much in the way of nuanced personality. She's really more fairy than human, at least as far as the Ozian definition of a fairy: (beautiful, ethereal, not subject to human error, foibles, or flaws, almost always in a positive, sparkling mood). So in this way she's not much of a foil for Dorothy, and the meat of the interest in the story must then be provided by the warring factions themselves. The backstory of the battle and the heart of the conflict is actually kind of interesting, but eventually the pacing gets bogged down by logistics. Like many well-meaning peacekeepers before them, Dorothy and Ozma's good intentions get stymied by the local politics and get them trapped in a strange land. I won't go into too much detail here but trust me that the details of this get very convoluted and get drawn out to almost an --uninentionally--laughable extent before all is said and done. While it's sort of refreshing in a way to not see a quick save for once, this takes it a bit too far in the other direction, perhaps. As appears to be common in many of the Oz books titled after characters, Glinda is in this one very little, and though I noticed the main review basically credited her as making the big save here, I think that's sort of debatable, as you will see for yourself if you read it.Interesting details to watch for: this is the first reference that I came across where Eureka was referred to as a purple kitten (rather than a pink one) and there is a prominent mention of Ginda's magic record book being wrapped in chains. If this was true originally, this part of the description has not been emphasized for some time (I'm guessing this is so it would be more conceivable that it could be stolen in The Lost Princess of Oz).
—Susan
