Legends of Oz

This week I'm super excited about the Fangirl Favorite. As you can tell from the Wizard of Oz Throwback post I did recently, I have a slight obsession with most things Oz related. I say most because I’m a bit of a traditionalist. I have an exceedingly difficult time adjusting to many of the more modern takes on the story. I know that even the classic movie swayed from the original L. Frank Baum books in several ways. Obviously one of the biggest changes was that of the now famous ruby slippers, which were originally silver. For some reason, changes like these didn’t bother me.  Maybe it's because I grew up on both the books and the film. I’m not a huge fan of The Wiz and I couldn’t stand watching Oz The Great and Powerful. Yuck. So, I admit that even after spending a good deal of time talking with Tom Hutchison, writer of Legends of Oz: The Wild West, there was still a part of me that was reluctant to read the books. 

Hutchison starts things off by getting the approval of Mr. Marc R. Baum. Yes, you read that correctly…BAUM! Ok, he was able to get my attention with the wonderfully written forward and beautiful artwork by Alison Borges, so it obviously deserved a chance. The mild excitement I felt after having purchased these new Oz items rapidly turned into breathless anticipation.

In Legends of Oz, we are presented with a completely different spin on the classic tale. This time, as the name suggests, we’re brought to the Wild West. Dorothy is a bit older and she’s certainly not the “small and meek” girl that we see in the film. In this version of the story, Dorothy has been traveling the yellow brick road for three years with Toto…her trusty steed. Because people have been stealing the yellow bricks from the road, it’s been very slow going for her. We don’t see too much of her journey to Oz or her interaction with the Munchkins, but honestly, it’s not needed. Readers are given just enough information about what happened three years ago when Dorothy landed in Oz; perhaps the most interesting change being that the ruby slippers are now a pair of ruby spurs, a pair of ruby pistols and ruby bullets.

Like the original tale, she runs into the Scarecow, Tin Man and Lion and they face plenty of obstacles on the way to the Emerald City as they search for the Wizard. As was the case with Toto, these companions aren’t the same characters that you’ve come to love, but are changed just enough that the reader is able to fall in love with them all over again. While elements of them remain, Hutchison has written them in very unique, and surprisingly brilliant, ways. Scarecrow is a young, and mysteriously mute Native American girl. The Lion stays relatively true to course, but has a couple of surprises. Perhaps most brilliantly spun is the Tin Man. I don’t want to give any secrets away, so I’ll just say, “Bravo”.  (Insert slow clap here) 

Throughout the books, we encounter characters from the original L. Frank Baum books. I admit I was beaming every time I came across another one. For a die-hard Oz fan, it was refreshing to read something and be able to see that the writer had obviously done his homework. Readers who aren’t the addict that I am will be introduced to several characters from the Baum book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, such as Mombi, Tip, the field mice, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, General Jinjur, and we hear of Ozma, who is still missing.

I’d hate to give away too much of the storyline, so I’m going to leave it there, but I encourage you to read these books. Whether you’re an Oz fanatic, or someone who just watches the movie when it’s on television during the holiday season, Legends of Oz: The Wild West will feel very much like home.

*Additionally, once you’re into the series, make sure you remember to pick up my friend Dirk Manning’s four-part portion of the story. So far it’s fabulous. You’ll see Dorothy in a whole new light. I can’t wait to read it all!*

Happy Friday, all!

 ~Songbird