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Book Review By David Loftus
The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Roquat the Red, the Nome King -- whom we first met in _Ozma of Oz_ -- is mad that Dorothy and Ozma took his magic belt. He decides to raise an army to conquer and enslave all of Oz, and retrieve the belt, and enlists as his allies the Whimsies (who have tiny, doorknob sized heads that they cover with fake, pasteboard ones), the Growleywogs (who are the strongest people of the world, and are determined to enslave the Nomes as well as the people of Oz), and worst of all, the Phanfasms (who by sorcery can change into almost anything but usually appear as hairy men with beast heads). Meanwhile, Dorothy has prevailed upon Ozma to bring Uncle Henry and Aunt Em to the Emerald City for permanent residence since the Kansas farm is about to be foreclosed by a bank. While the invading army tunnels under the deadly desert to Oz, Dorothy and old friends show the land off to her elderly relations, which enables the reader to meet the Cuttenclips (paper cutout dolls and their forever-childish maker), the Fuddles of Fuddlecumjig (people who shatter into pieces when other folks come near and have to be put back together), Utensia (inhabited by walking, talking flatware), and other odd communities. Although this plot is a bit better than several of its predecessors, Baum resorts to a rather cheap solution to the truly horrific threat he has conjured up. This, the sixth Oz book, dated 1910, proclaimed itself the last . . . but it turned out not to be.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Explore:
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Descript. of chases or violence - 10 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 50 %

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Age: - a kid

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status:
Has magical powers? Yes
Eccentric: Yes
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?

Setting
Terrain
Earth setting: - 20th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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