Book 10: The Living House of Oz
Continuing with the book_it_2006 project...
Book 10: The Living House of Oz
Author: Edward Einhorn
Genre: Fantasy
Number of pages: 240
Pages Read This Year: 2937
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A-
Short description/summary of the book: from Amazon
What do you do when your mother is arrested for practicing witchcraft? For thirteen-year-old Buddy the answer is easy-he's off to rescue her from imprisonment in the Emerald City of Oz! Obstacles loom on every side. The giant Bumblebeast brandishes a terrible sting. The Adepts at Magic refuse to help Buddy with their powers. And who are the shadowy creatures with animal heads pursuing Buddy for mysterious reasons?
With help from friends such as the living hat stand that calls itself the Earl of Haberdashery, Buddy at last reaches his mother only to find he must challenge the Wizard of Oz and Glinda the Good, the most powerful magic-workers in Oz. As if that isn't enough, the incredible secret of Buddy's past suddenly bursts forth for all to see. Questions and threats bombard him from every side as Buddy finally faces the most important choice of his life. Overflowing with magic, adventure, and everyone's favorite Oz characters-the Scarecrow, Dorothy, Tempus the Parrot-Ox, and many more-The Living House of Oz is a thrilling and hilarious romp from start to finish.
My Thoughts: I've always loved Oz. Not the version from the Judy Garland movie (although the film is a classic in its own right), but the original land of Oz as envisioned by L. Frank Baum. A few years ago I finished a longtime goal of mine to read all 14 of the original Oz books by Baum in order. Once that task was completed, I decided to try to read as many Oz books by other authors as possible, including both those authors that tried to remain faithful to and expand Baum's own universe and those that used the Oz framework for other stories entirely (such as Gregory Maguire's Wicked).
This book, The Living House of Oz, falls firmly into the former category. A sequel to Einhorn's own Paradox in Oz, this is the story of a sorceress and her son who live in a Living House, a magical home that is, itself, alive -- and so is everything in it. Ozma, long ago, passed a decree that the use of magic was unlawful for anyone but herself, Glinda and the Wizard. When Buddy's mother, Mordra, is found to be practicing magic, she is arrested and brought to the Emerald City to stand trial, sending Buddy on a quest to rescue her.
Einhorn is very faithful to the world that L. Frank Baum created. He uses the original Baum characters in a very consistent fashion, and even better, he crafts new characters to add to the mythos that seem perfectly at home with the likes of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Cowardly Lion. (The Earl of Haberdashery, for example -- a living coatrack with a scarf for a face and a tendency towards severe exaggeration.)
Einhorn actually manages to do one thing even better than Baum, at least for the sensibilities of a modern reader. Baum's books were written in the early years of the 20th century, a more innocent time, and many of the original books fall short in communicating a feeling of actual danger to our heroes. Einhorn creates a genuine threat and genuine excitement in this book, but does so without compromising the sweetness of Baum's world. Baum, to this day, is categorized as "The Royal Historian of Oz." Although many, many writers have tried to fill that role in the decades since his death, Einhorn is without a doubt one of the best.
Next Up: Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
Book 10: The Living House of Oz
Author: Edward Einhorn
Genre: Fantasy
Number of pages: 240
Pages Read This Year: 2937
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A-
Short description/summary of the book: from Amazon
What do you do when your mother is arrested for practicing witchcraft? For thirteen-year-old Buddy the answer is easy-he's off to rescue her from imprisonment in the Emerald City of Oz! Obstacles loom on every side. The giant Bumblebeast brandishes a terrible sting. The Adepts at Magic refuse to help Buddy with their powers. And who are the shadowy creatures with animal heads pursuing Buddy for mysterious reasons?
With help from friends such as the living hat stand that calls itself the Earl of Haberdashery, Buddy at last reaches his mother only to find he must challenge the Wizard of Oz and Glinda the Good, the most powerful magic-workers in Oz. As if that isn't enough, the incredible secret of Buddy's past suddenly bursts forth for all to see. Questions and threats bombard him from every side as Buddy finally faces the most important choice of his life. Overflowing with magic, adventure, and everyone's favorite Oz characters-the Scarecrow, Dorothy, Tempus the Parrot-Ox, and many more-The Living House of Oz is a thrilling and hilarious romp from start to finish.
My Thoughts: I've always loved Oz. Not the version from the Judy Garland movie (although the film is a classic in its own right), but the original land of Oz as envisioned by L. Frank Baum. A few years ago I finished a longtime goal of mine to read all 14 of the original Oz books by Baum in order. Once that task was completed, I decided to try to read as many Oz books by other authors as possible, including both those authors that tried to remain faithful to and expand Baum's own universe and those that used the Oz framework for other stories entirely (such as Gregory Maguire's Wicked).
This book, The Living House of Oz, falls firmly into the former category. A sequel to Einhorn's own Paradox in Oz, this is the story of a sorceress and her son who live in a Living House, a magical home that is, itself, alive -- and so is everything in it. Ozma, long ago, passed a decree that the use of magic was unlawful for anyone but herself, Glinda and the Wizard. When Buddy's mother, Mordra, is found to be practicing magic, she is arrested and brought to the Emerald City to stand trial, sending Buddy on a quest to rescue her.
Einhorn is very faithful to the world that L. Frank Baum created. He uses the original Baum characters in a very consistent fashion, and even better, he crafts new characters to add to the mythos that seem perfectly at home with the likes of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Cowardly Lion. (The Earl of Haberdashery, for example -- a living coatrack with a scarf for a face and a tendency towards severe exaggeration.)
Einhorn actually manages to do one thing even better than Baum, at least for the sensibilities of a modern reader. Baum's books were written in the early years of the 20th century, a more innocent time, and many of the original books fall short in communicating a feeling of actual danger to our heroes. Einhorn creates a genuine threat and genuine excitement in this book, but does so without compromising the sweetness of Baum's world. Baum, to this day, is categorized as "The Royal Historian of Oz." Although many, many writers have tried to fill that role in the decades since his death, Einhorn is without a doubt one of the best.
Next Up: Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett