Nomes like color in gems and stories
Jun. 26th, 2005 09:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vovatIf you buy those unfrozen concentrate juice mixes, Welch's grape juice is better than grape Juicy Juice. I'm just saying.
Anyway, I finished reading The Emerald Wand of Oz today. I first heard about this book years ago, but it took a long time for it to be published. I believe it might be the first actual Oz novel to be officially licensed by the Baum Trust, not that this really means anything. It's not the best recent Oz book I've ever read, but it was good, and quite professionally written. It did seem short, though. It doesn't LOOK any shorter than any of the original Oz books, none of which were very long, but it seemed like less happened in it, or something.
The main characters, Dori and Em, are somehow related to Dorothy, but we never actually find out how. While in Oz, they meet the Nome King's son Rikiko, and the Wicked Witch of the West's niece Bastinda (which was actually the name the witch had in the Russian adaptation of The Wizard of Oz; I'm rather fond of it). While the whole idea of the characters being related to other ones is often kind of silly, it didn't work out as badly as you might expect. I liked Rik, a terse Nome with rock-based magic and a penchant for lying (which he describes as an "ancient and honorable Nome art"), who has trouble deciding what side he's on. There's a pretty good explanation for why we never see Nome women or children. I know some Oz scholars have proposed that there are none, but I prefer Sherwood Smith's theory.
I don't really like Bastinda so much. A lot of what she does seems to just be copying her famous aunt, and she's defeated in much the same way, too. I do like the descriptions of her castle, though, and her moronic giant gecko guards. There's one scene where the Scarecrow convinces the guards that he's there to inspect the drawbridge, which plays out like something from a cartoon, but it's pretty amusing nonetheless.
Dori and Em are decent characters. Dori is a dreamer, and has read some of the Oz books. The idea that some Americans in the Oz books have actually read other Oz books is one that dates back to L. Frank Baum himself. Some readers have objected to this idea, but I actually like it. Maybe it's because it gives a kind of "it could be you" feeling to the books. I mean, if these people who have read about Oz eventually get to go there, maybe it could be the same for you or me, you know? Anyway, Em is a more practical girl, and she's so convinced that Oz and magic don't exist that she initially sees unicorns as ponies, and doesn't understand their speech. This hasn't actually been done in an Oz book before, as far as I know, but there's a certain similarity between Em's situation and that of the ferryman in The Lost Princess of Oz, who is unable to understand animal speech. Em eventually does come to realize where she is and that magic DOES exist, but I'm kind of hoping her more practical mind will come in handy in later books (and there presumably will be sequels). There's a mention that Em took math lab instead of horse care at summer camp, and so she isn't as good at grooming unicorns as Dori. I'd like to see an implication that math lab is also useful, though. I mean, it's not impossible to be both practical AND imaginative, after all. An underlying subplot is Dori and Em's attempt to deal with their parents splitting up. There's even a scene where they discuss whether they're to blame for their parents' marital difficulties, which is apparently common, but hey, I never thought I was to blame when MY parents split up.
The familiar Oz characters are used pretty well, although the author seems to fall into the trap of using a lot of them in her first book, even when they really don't do much. There really doesn't seem to be much reason why Jack Pumpkinhead is part of the adventuring party, for instance. The Scarecrow and the Glass Cat have significant roles, though. The Patchwork Girl also shows up, and the author tells us that she's "always kind," which doesn't match her portrayal in some of the other Oz books. Mind you, I DID just recently reread a book by John R. Neill, who tends to make the Patchwork Girl noticeably meaner and more annoying than other authors do.
Sherwood Smith leaves some loose ends, especially considering the disappearance of Dorothy, and some sinister clouds that show up over Oz at various points in the story. I'd also be interested in learning how the Scarecrow and his friends came by the flying carpet that they use. (There was an Oziana story where Ozma obtained a flying carpet that used to belong to her great-grandfather, but it's rather doubtful that Smith was thinking of this.)
And![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mmpoetatheart asked me these interview questions, so I'm going to try to answer them.
1. What's your favorite season and why?
I'd probably have to say summer, although it can get really hot sometimes. Still, better too hot than too cold, in most circumstances. Spring is better in terms of temperature, but my allergies tend to ruin it for me.
2. Who is your favorite actor and why?
Unfortunately, I really don't have a good answer for this one. I should probably get one, since I'm inevitably going to be asked this question in surveys and such (see, for instance, the one I took yesterday). I guess the best actors are ones who make it look like they're not acting, but that doesn't really answer the question. Sorry.
3. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
What WOULDN'T I do with it? {g} Seriously, I'd probably buy a house and a few fun things for myself and people I know, pay off the rest of the money I owe my dad for my car, make some charitable contributions, and then put the rest into savings. Pretty stock answer, but I really think that's what I would do. I guess it would be more fun if I were to say, "I'd buy my own rhinoceros!" or something, but I most likely wouldn't.
4. What is your all time favotite book?
I'd probably have to say The Patchwork Girl of Oz, my favorite of the Oz series. Through the Looking-Glass is also a perpetual favorite of mine.
Anyway, I finished reading The Emerald Wand of Oz today. I first heard about this book years ago, but it took a long time for it to be published. I believe it might be the first actual Oz novel to be officially licensed by the Baum Trust, not that this really means anything. It's not the best recent Oz book I've ever read, but it was good, and quite professionally written. It did seem short, though. It doesn't LOOK any shorter than any of the original Oz books, none of which were very long, but it seemed like less happened in it, or something.
The main characters, Dori and Em, are somehow related to Dorothy, but we never actually find out how. While in Oz, they meet the Nome King's son Rikiko, and the Wicked Witch of the West's niece Bastinda (which was actually the name the witch had in the Russian adaptation of The Wizard of Oz; I'm rather fond of it). While the whole idea of the characters being related to other ones is often kind of silly, it didn't work out as badly as you might expect. I liked Rik, a terse Nome with rock-based magic and a penchant for lying (which he describes as an "ancient and honorable Nome art"), who has trouble deciding what side he's on. There's a pretty good explanation for why we never see Nome women or children. I know some Oz scholars have proposed that there are none, but I prefer Sherwood Smith's theory.
I don't really like Bastinda so much. A lot of what she does seems to just be copying her famous aunt, and she's defeated in much the same way, too. I do like the descriptions of her castle, though, and her moronic giant gecko guards. There's one scene where the Scarecrow convinces the guards that he's there to inspect the drawbridge, which plays out like something from a cartoon, but it's pretty amusing nonetheless.
Dori and Em are decent characters. Dori is a dreamer, and has read some of the Oz books. The idea that some Americans in the Oz books have actually read other Oz books is one that dates back to L. Frank Baum himself. Some readers have objected to this idea, but I actually like it. Maybe it's because it gives a kind of "it could be you" feeling to the books. I mean, if these people who have read about Oz eventually get to go there, maybe it could be the same for you or me, you know? Anyway, Em is a more practical girl, and she's so convinced that Oz and magic don't exist that she initially sees unicorns as ponies, and doesn't understand their speech. This hasn't actually been done in an Oz book before, as far as I know, but there's a certain similarity between Em's situation and that of the ferryman in The Lost Princess of Oz, who is unable to understand animal speech. Em eventually does come to realize where she is and that magic DOES exist, but I'm kind of hoping her more practical mind will come in handy in later books (and there presumably will be sequels). There's a mention that Em took math lab instead of horse care at summer camp, and so she isn't as good at grooming unicorns as Dori. I'd like to see an implication that math lab is also useful, though. I mean, it's not impossible to be both practical AND imaginative, after all. An underlying subplot is Dori and Em's attempt to deal with their parents splitting up. There's even a scene where they discuss whether they're to blame for their parents' marital difficulties, which is apparently common, but hey, I never thought I was to blame when MY parents split up.
The familiar Oz characters are used pretty well, although the author seems to fall into the trap of using a lot of them in her first book, even when they really don't do much. There really doesn't seem to be much reason why Jack Pumpkinhead is part of the adventuring party, for instance. The Scarecrow and the Glass Cat have significant roles, though. The Patchwork Girl also shows up, and the author tells us that she's "always kind," which doesn't match her portrayal in some of the other Oz books. Mind you, I DID just recently reread a book by John R. Neill, who tends to make the Patchwork Girl noticeably meaner and more annoying than other authors do.
Sherwood Smith leaves some loose ends, especially considering the disappearance of Dorothy, and some sinister clouds that show up over Oz at various points in the story. I'd also be interested in learning how the Scarecrow and his friends came by the flying carpet that they use. (There was an Oziana story where Ozma obtained a flying carpet that used to belong to her great-grandfather, but it's rather doubtful that Smith was thinking of this.)
 | You scored as One Intelectual Individual. You're a thinker. You see things from a very different prospective than the rest of the world, and probably find release and self-expression in music, painting, scalpting, or any other form of art. People see you as a deep person, full of knowledge that they don't understand. People are attracted to that, but there's a good chance you don't care.
What type of hippie are you? created with QuizFarm.com |
And
mmpoetatheart asked me these interview questions, so I'm going to try to answer them.1. What's your favorite season and why?
I'd probably have to say summer, although it can get really hot sometimes. Still, better too hot than too cold, in most circumstances. Spring is better in terms of temperature, but my allergies tend to ruin it for me.
2. Who is your favorite actor and why?
Unfortunately, I really don't have a good answer for this one. I should probably get one, since I'm inevitably going to be asked this question in surveys and such (see, for instance, the one I took yesterday). I guess the best actors are ones who make it look like they're not acting, but that doesn't really answer the question. Sorry.
3. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
What WOULDN'T I do with it? {g} Seriously, I'd probably buy a house and a few fun things for myself and people I know, pay off the rest of the money I owe my dad for my car, make some charitable contributions, and then put the rest into savings. Pretty stock answer, but I really think that's what I would do. I guess it would be more fun if I were to say, "I'd buy my own rhinoceros!" or something, but I most likely wouldn't.
4. What is your all time favotite book?
I'd probably have to say The Patchwork Girl of Oz, my favorite of the Oz series. Through the Looking-Glass is also a perpetual favorite of mine.
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no subject
Date: 2005-06-29 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-29 04:54 pm (UTC)"Intruders don't see Nome women or children. We live in the lower levels. Men do the mine work and women make things."
It's a little cheesy, in the "hey, they were there all along, but we never saw them" sense, but still believable, I think. Besides, the Gnome King from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus had children.