I don't remember this as one of my favorite Oz books, and it's easy to see why: though I always loved Baum's journey plot, in this one the journey has no stakes, as it is simply a way to keep Uncle Henry and Aunt Em occupied while they acclimate to living in the Land of Oz. But it's by no means bad, as Baum invents his usual variety of fanciful places with fanciful creatures to occupy the protagonists; I especially liked the two Defensive Settlements, despite how creepy I found their premises (apparently Ozites with undesirable social traits are concentrated in their own cities to keep them from irritating the majority of society). The book has two standout parts. The first is Em and Henry, who get what is really their best material in the entire series. Their attempts to fit into a world that wants to serve them, a premise they are so unused to, provides Baum with some nice fodder for character work. Em's battle with the Cowardly Lion is fantastic. The second, and best, part of the book is General Guph's visits to the various evil races he is bringing into his alliance against Oz. They're some of Baum's best creations, especially the Whimsies with their pasteboard heads. I wish the invasion plotline offered more narrative drive to the rest of the book, however; Ozma just watches it unfold on her Magic Picture and frets unhelpfully.

What struck me this time was how weirdly reminiscent some parts of the book were of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Dorothy's adventure in Utensia, where she's surrounded by strangely logical wordplay about utensils, reminded me of the sort of thing Lewis Carroll would engage in, and later on, Dorothy meets some oversized rabbits and engages in some shrinking and growing. Weirdest of all, however, is her petulant attitude towards the inhabitants of Bunbury when they had the audacity to be angry over the fact that Toto murdered three of their citizens and Billina pecked someone's eyes out. It's unusual for the girl who is generally conscientious, and her bad attitude here made me think of the Alice who had such clueless interaction with the animals in the Caucus-Race more than it did the Dorothy who carefully avoided doing any harm in the Dainty China Country.

Another adventure with Dorothy and the gang, this time Dorothy rescues her family from being kicked out of their home by taking them back on a journey to Oz with her just before it is invaded by the evil gnome king.

It was a cute story, not my favorite, and it took awhile to read so I’ll probably be waiting some time before checking out the next one.

This, in my opinion, was the last of the REALLY great, *must read* Oz books. The rest of them were cute, but nothing nearly as revolutionary. This book contains a really great tour of Oz, given to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, who, awesomely enough, are now officially residents of the Land of Oz. I noted that (and this is found in all of the Oz books) many things are mentioned, places are visited, people are met, and none of them actually contribute to the plot. This is one of the best and the worst things about the books. It certainly provides all the charm and imagination, but also loses some great plot that could exist, and doesn't really. In this one, the plot could have been more focused on the Nome King and his invasion, but that ended up really rushed. The ingenious solution to end the invasion was great to read about, but ultimately, led to the end of "communication" with Dorothy & the gang. This won't be the last we hear of Oz, but it was indeed the last (minus a few VERY minor mentions) we did hear of Dorothy and many of the characters we have really grown to love. It was a clever way to end the series on Baum's part, but still a very bittersweet moment.

Rating: 4.5/5 ( )

I loved this as I have enjoyed all the oz books, ever since I was a child, it was very well written and illastrated, and easy to imagine, so I enjoyed reading it, and getting to know the characters, and imagine myself in emerald city. I would reccomend it to anyone ( )

Even though the plot is dull, at least it has a plot. I tired of the endless journey through fairy country, meeting new and odd people, especially after having finished ["Road to Oz"] immediately prior. Although one never believes the Nome king and allies pose much of a real threat, that is one of the beauties of a fairy country: no one is never in any real danger.
This book also seems much more philosophical than many of the other Oz books as much ado is made about the fact that people in Oz don't have money and everyone just works for the good of everyone else because it pleases them to do so, and those who are tiresome are sent to live in cities made up of other people who are equally tiresome in the same manner. This is a sound philosophy, which, unfortunately only works in fairy countries. ( )