The Series of Oz

[IronParrot]

Most everybody is in some way or another familiar with L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz... but how many of you have read any or all of the thirteen other books he wrote about Oz, chronicling the further adventures of various characters?

I've read almost all of them, but hardly remember anything about most of them because I touched them mostly when I was still in the fourth and fifth grade or so. Some of them are more intriguing than others. It does get a little tiresome later on in the series, when Baum keeps quitting and then coming back and introducing complications like Dorothy and her family moving permanently to Oz, and Toto learning to talk, and things like that.

Also, there used to be a Japanese animated series of The Wizard of Oz that covered some stuff in Books 2 (The Land of Oz), 3 (Ozma of Oz), 6 (The Emerald City of Oz) and 8 (Tik-Tok of Oz)... don't know who else remembers it.

[Lief Erikson]

I don't remember how many of them I've read. I think I read five of them, but I don't remember precisely. I think I stopped when I ran into a few more interesting books, ones that took up all my attention.

[azalea]

I read the first one a long time ago, and would like to read the others at some point. I did see a tv cartoon called Journey Back ot Oz or something like that when I was a kid, but I don't think it was very good.

[Silverstripe]

I liked the first few Oz books. I think that I really stopped liking the series after Dorothy and her family moves to Oz, and if you read the book, it seems like L. Frank Baum may have wanted to stop there, too. But the first ones were great!

[webwizard333]

I guess I'm in the minority, I really liked all of the books in the series and have fond memories of all of them, especially the final one-Glinda of Oz (brains in cans ).

[Silverstripe]

Originally posted by webwizard333
I guess I'm in the minority, I really liked all of the books in the series and have fond memories of all of them, especially the final one-Glinda of Oz (brains in cans ).

Well, I liked a few of the later ones, it just seemed like most of them weren't as original anymore.

[crickhollow]

i don't remember at what point Uncle Henry and Aunt Em moved to Oz, but once they did, I liked the stories better, because Baum didn't have to keep finding new ways for dorothy to stumble into Oz.
I liked Rinkitink in Oz, and for some crazy reason, that zany patchwork girl keeps cropping up in my memory as well.

Although the plot lines were always the same, there was enough variance among characters to keep me interested. Jinjur the usurper-turned-farmer, the glass cat, the giant in the wicker castle, a growlywog, the hottentots, ...etc. Though I haven't picked one up since I was 12, so I can't be sure that they haven't lost their appeal.

[IronParrot]

Henry, Em and Dorothy moved to Oz at the end of #6, The Emerald City of Oz, if I remember correctly. And Oz was forever cut off from the outside world, too.

The intent, as outlined in Baum's preface to that book (or maybe book #7), was indeed to end the series there. He wrote more because of public pressure from his legions of fans.

[crickhollow]

Thanks for that bit of info, IP. I never read the books in order, so I didn't get a good feel for later v. earlier. I just appreciated spending all of my time in Oz, as opposed to finding my way there first!

Did I mention Rinkitink was my favorite? *scrolls down to check post* I see that I did -- and upon reflection, it's probably because the Gnome King with his phobia of eggs, and his very fearsome temper was always one of my favourite villains. The worse his evil scheme seemed to be coming along, the funnier he was to read about

[gandalffan2525]

i read the wizzard, ozma, the magic of, and glinda of but i could never find the others(i did look)