Glinda of Oz: 01/17/25

Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and John R. Neill (1920) is the final Oz book by Baum. Glinda has become aware of yet another pocket of illegal magic use in the hinterland of OZ. This one is about to lead to civil war so Glinda sends Ozma and Dorothy to stop the war before it begins.

The unspoken thing here is that Ozma probably gets bored staying in the palace. She has a history of adventuring (Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz). My personal take on The Lost Princess of Oz is that Ozma can pretend to be Button-Bright anytime she needs a break from palace life.

But this time since there is war on the horizon, Ozma has to go as herself. She takes along Dorothy as her companion and bodyguard, given that Dorothy has the best track record with defeating magic users.

The potential civil war is between the Flat Heads (who are proto-Ood with their brains in jars which they carry) and the Skeevers who live in a glass palace that can be lowered into the lake. They also have access to magical submarines. Both sides have leaders who claim power through their use of magic. Both use magic that is different enough from Ozma's inherent magic that she can't undo their magic.

As this book is titled Glinda of Oz, Glinda has to go save Ozma and Dorothy. Glinda, being older and more a student of magic than Ozma, knows some ways around the magic she can't just undo or use to set things to right. Right — being Ozma and Glinda's definition.

Another unspoken thing in this novel (and the series as a whole) is the ethics of magic. For most of the series magic has been outlawed except for Ozma, Glinda, and the Wizard. I would think that the Wizard as a former usurper would be banned but Ozian politics are as corrupt as American politics.

As with the previous Oz books, this one sits on the Road Narrative Spectrum. Ozma and Dorothy are privileged travelers (00). Sure there are times throughout the series where it's implied they might be more than just friends, but on this journey their status as royals is what is highlighted. Their destination is the city (00) belonging to the Skeevers. Their route there is an offroad (66) one as there are very few roads in Oz beyond the Yellow Brick Road.

The next book, which is the first of the Ruth Plumly Thompson books is The Royal Book of Oz (1921)

Four stars

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