The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Title: The Emerald City of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication: Books of Wonder, hardcover edition, originally published in 2010
Genre: Juvenile Fantasy/Series

Description: In this sixth Oz book, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em are faced with bankruptcy as their Kansas farm has failed. They still think Dorothy’s talk of Oz is her imagination but she goes to Oz and asks Ozma if she can bring her relatives to live in the Emerald City permanently. Ozma welcomes them and encourages Dorothy to take them on a tour of lesser-known parts (and peoples!) of Oz. In the meantime, our old friend the Nome King is still bitter about the loss of his Magic Belt. One of his advisors suggests tunneling under the deadly desert so the Nomes can conquer Oz. This brilliant idea makes Guph the General of the Nome King’s army. Remembering how the Nomes are afraid of eggs, Guph brings in some fearsome allies to ensure Oz can be crushed. When Ozma and her companions learn of the imminent invasion, they are afraid but Ozma is a pacifist:

“No one has the right to destroy any living creatures, however evil they may be, or to hurt them or make them unhappy. I will not fight – even to save my kingdom.”

Can the Scarecrow’s brilliant brains save the day?

My Impression: My reread of this book was very enjoyable. I remembered it specifically for an overabundance of puns, but that was primarily in one section where Dorothy visits a community of anthropomorphic cutlery. I had completely forgotten the two principal plots of this book: Uncle Henry and Aunt Em’s bankruptcy followed by Dorothy’s decision that they all should live in Oz permanently and the Nome King’s plot to conquer Oz. Ozma and Dorothy had almost forgotten the Nome King, although he played a big part in Ozma of Oz, and some will recall that Ozma would have been a decorative statuette forever, had it not been for Billina the Yellow Hen. The Nome King has been licking his wounds for two books, obsessed with the loss of his magic belt, and I couldn’t help being reminded of Donald Trump:

The Nome King was in an angry mood, and at such times he was very disagreeable. Every one kept away from him, even his Chief Steward Kaliko.

Therefore the King stormed and raved all by himself, walking up and down in his jewel-studded cavern and getting angrier all the time. Then he remembered that it was no fun being angry unless he had some one to frighten and make miserable . . .

The Nome King has a little more self-awareness than Trump and explains to his Chief Counselor:

“[The loss of my magic belt] makes me angry and when I’m angry I can’t have a good time. Now, what do you advise?”

“Some people,” said the Chief Counselor, “enjoy getting angry.”

“But not all the time,” declared the King. “To be angry once in a while is really good fun, because it makes others so miserable. But to be angry morning, noon and night, as I am, grows monotonous and prevents my gaining any other pleasure in life . . .

The two storylines progress with the Nomes plotting to destroy Oz, unbeknownst to our friends, who have welcomed Dorothy and her uncle and aunt to the Emerald City. While Dorothy takes her family sightseeing in Oz – where they meet the Cuttenclips, who are paper dolls; Fuddlecumjigs, who are human puzzles; Utensia, where the cutlery and kitchen tools have come alive; and more – the Nomes are tunneling their way to the Emerald City. While Dorothy did steal the Nome King’s magic belt, it was to prevent him from using it to imprison her and her friends. His response in launching an invasion is disproportionate, and like Trump, is willing to enlist violent allies who agree on only one thing: a common enemy that is (bonus) a people “who are good and happy.”

Baum intended this to be his final Oz book because he wanted to move on to other topics. He knew Dorothy belonged in Oz but could not abandon her family in Kansas when they were in trouble, so he moved all three permanently to Oz. Then he has Glinda make Oz invisible to outsiders, implying even he would not have access to write more. But don’t despair, he caved and there are eight more!

Source: Library. This is the sixth installment for Lory’s Ozathon24.