The Last (For Now) Oz Short Story

It's taken longer than I anticipated, but I finally managed to finish off the 2024 edition of Oziana with "The Soldier with the Green Whiskers and the Guardian of the Gates" by J. L. Bell, with very Denslow-esque illustrations by Rob Lauer. This takes place shortly after the end of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in, as you might anticipate with those title characters, the Emerald City. On his morning patrol, the Soldier is surprised to see the Winged Monkeys taking apart the western part of the wall of the Emerald City! They fly off, and the Soldier finds the Guardian so that they can investigate what happened and why the Monkeys did it. The ease at which the Monkeys dismantled that part of the wall and the lack of mortar suggests only one thing: magic! Someone is helping the Monkeys, and they are bound and determined to find out who and why. But the problem is quickly solved when they return to the Palace and find that the Scarecrow has returned from seeing Dorothy head back to Kansas. The Scarecrow explains that it's all a part of a renovation plan and… No, I think I'll leave it there so that you can be surprised. But at least it turns out the Monkeys aren't bad. Mischievous and naughty, maybe, but not bad. It's a nice little story about what happened in the Emerald City right after The Wizard of Oz, and explains a few differences between Oz books. And the title pair make a nice double act.

Since this is the last story in this issue of Oziana, I must also mention the cover by Paul Miles Schneider (a panorama of Oz characters, drawn many many years ago before he ever became a noted Oz author); an illustration of Glinda by Suren Oganessian on Interim Editor Jane Albright's introduction page; and a poem, "Oz It Was" by David M. Perkins, with an illustration by Thomas and T Craft.

Finally, I must address the title of this post. I need to focus on my career for at least a little while, which means that I'm officially suspending the review of Oz short stories. Oh, I know, I haven't done much lately anyway, other than whatever comes along in each year's Oziana. And I do have more short stories I want to read and react to here. But they're just going to have to wait a little longer. I hope my time is more cleared out by the time the next Oziana comes out, and I will do my best to cover that, at least. Let's just say that continuing this series is one reward I hope to give myself in the not-too-distant future.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Yes, it's time for another offering from the 2024 issue of Oziana, the annual literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club. This time around, it's "Straw and Magic" by Malcolm Niess, with illustrations by David Diket. This is a tale of the early days of the Scarecrow's reign in the Emerald City, not long after Dorothy first left Oz. The Scarecrow enters his throne room to find a surprise visitor one day — the Wizard of Oz! Not the Omaha circus balloonist who recently departed, but the actual, magical Wizard of Oz! It seems he's been laying low lately, and isn't interested in staying in Oz anyway. He makes a deal with the Scarecrow: In exchange for all of the humbug Wizard's equipment and supplies, he'll make the Emerald City actually emerald, which would mean that the citizens would no longer need the green glasses to see everything as green. The Scarecrow agrees, constructs a balloon to send everything up to the sky, and Oz performs his magic. It's a fun little story, and it does explain how the Emerald City actually lived up to its name in the later books. But it also raises a lot more questions, like why Oz is only appearing now, and how the (humbug) Wizard could find so much of his old equipment right where he left it at the end of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. But it's an Oz story, so it's all harmless fun.

The Latest Oz Short Story

One of the perks of being a teacher is the breaks. And since this is my spring break, I already read the next story from the 2024 edition of Oziana so I can share it with you early. "A Tenebrous Tower in Oz" is by D. J. Tyrer with illustrations by Chris Diket, and is about an adventure the Tin Woodman had not long after becoming the Emperor of the Winkies. Nick Chopper receives reports of a dark tower near the Oogaboo mountains that is freaking people out. He goes to investigate, and meets up with Zim Zalah, a wooden man who claims to be an explorer, along the way. They get there, and enter. They don't find much at first, but some mysterious three-legged creatures seem to be caretakers. Zim Zalah claims that the tower contains great power, and then claims it for himsolf and his creator, the Wicked Witch of the West! Zim believes he can use the towor's power to resurrect the Wicked Witch. Reluctantly, Nick uses his ax on Zim Zalah to stoop him. The tower dissipates, and all is right again. It's a nice little adventure, even if we don't get a clear picture of the nature of the tower, and it's unusual to see one of the Oz celebrities on a solo adventure. Zim Zalah is an interesting character who hides his true nature well before he reveals his true allegiance. A series of stories about the Tin Woodman cleaning up after the Wicked Witch in the early days of his reign might make for some interesting tales.

The Latest Oz Short Story

The next story from the 2024 edition of Oziana is "Hope Melts Eternal" by Suren Oganessian, with illustrations by Mel Vavaroutsos. This tells the story of a pivotal portion of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Lan, the assistant to the ruler he calls the Wise Woman of the West, and he does not take at all kindly to anyone who calls her the Wicked Witch of the West! He and his brother, Arook, are two of the only Winkies who are actually loyal to her, and work for her of their own free will. So naturally, as soon as the Wizard and the Wicked Witch of the South, Glinda, send the assassin Dorothy into Winkie Country, things start to go wrong. Lan and Arook are two of the dozen soldiers who try to destroy Dorothy and her accomplices, but they are frightened off by the Lion. At one point, after she is captured, Lan interrogates Dorothy and tries to find out why she is the cunning mastermind that she is, and has his view of her shaken up. But after she liquidates the Wise Woman, he realizes that she is just a clever actress, and he and Arook decide it would be best to leve Winkie Country before any of the freed slaves realize where their loyalties actually lie — and that's where things end, although it's implied that both men would take up with other would-be conquerors of Oz later. That might make for an interesting series, seeing the operations of General Jinjur or Ugu the Shoemake from the inside. It makes sense that even someone like the Wicked Witch would have her followers, and their own point of view. If we've learned anything from Wicked, it's that the nature of good and evil is not so cut and dried.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Ooh, it's time for another tale from the 2024 edition of Oziana. This time it's "The Wicked Witch of the West" by Kathleen Murphey, illustrated with pictures by W. W. Denslow from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It's a pretty simple, straightforward retelling of a portion of Dorothy's initial trip to Oz, told from her own point of view. It opens with her first meeting with the Wizard, as a giant head, and conclusdes with the immediate aftermath of the liquidation of the Wicked Witch of the West. There isn't a lot of variation from the book, although Murphey adds a few Winkie slaves who befriend and assist Dorothy in the Witch's castle. We also get new names for some of the other witches ("Nana North" for the Good Witch of the North, and "Elvira East" of the Wicked Witch of the East). This story doesn't really add much, but it is another perspective on familiar events.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Oh, hey, it's time to do some of these again! Well i did just get the 2024 edition of Oziana, the annual literary magazine of the International Wizard of Oz Club, so there's new material to write about. This issue is about the early history of Oz, and the first story is "A Green Fix" by Kelsey G. Kappel, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool. Ozana Ozina is a contractor from the Winkie Country looking to score a major project in creating a roadway to the Emerald City. Her unique take earns her the job, but in the end it turns out the bricks she are using are not what the people of the Emerald City expected. It's too late to change it, so what to do? It's a short but clover story that explains not only the origin of the yellow brick road, but also an early characteristic of the Emerald City. And it shows just how packed a very short story can be.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Not only the latest, but also the last, at least for now. The final story from the 2023 issue of Oziana is "Glinda and the Glass Cat" by J. L. Bell, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool. Bungle, the Glass Cat, is causing mischief in the Quadling Country. Chasing some of the denizens of the China Country, Glinda corrals Bungle and mentions earlier escapades with the Cuttenclips and the citizens of Bunnybury. Glinda admonishes Bungle, and warns the cat to avoid the hills to the east. But besides being a powerfur sorceress, it seems Glinda is also a master psychologist, because she knows those hills are now irrestistible to Bungle's feline curiosity. Wouldn't you know, those hills are where Glinda has relocated the Hammerheads! Bungle is not wild about meeting them, so she seeks refuge in a neighboring forest, which turns out to be the Fighting Trees! Duly chastened, Bungle thinks it may be best to stay away from that part of the Quadling Country for a while. What really struck me about this story is that every single character was created by L. Frank Baum. There was no need to use characters created by any other writers, nor to create any new ones. Yet it is totally original and in keeping with all that we know already of those characters. This is quite an accomplishment for such a brief story.

The Latest Oz Short Story

My life has been crazy busy lately. How busy? I read "Fortune Favors the Wogglebug" by Paul Dana with illustrations by Dennis Anfuso from the 2023 edition of Oziana a couple of weeks ago, but I'm only getting around to writing it up now! It seems the Ozites took the death of L. Frank Baum pretty seriously. Who would tell their stories now? Professor Wogglebug takes possession of the magic telegraph, because Dorothy is sure that she won't use it again, and he's interested in it. The Professor is ruminating about how he would like to have the books written, with a lot more puns (he did manage to sneak a couple of chapters into The Emerald City of Oz), and how the telegraph symbolized that dream for him. Then, much to his surprise, a message comes in over the telegraph, from a writer with the initials RPT who also loves a good pun&ellips;

This is a fun little behind-the-scenes look at how the Oz stories came to be published in our world, and why the tone changed from one author to the next. (I wonder, did the Patchwork Girl correspond with John R. Neill? Who were the sources for the other writers after World War II?) We also get a little look inside the Professor's head.

Only one more story to go in this issue! I'm not quite sure when I'll get to it, but things have eased up a lot, so probably soon.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Hey, I m on spring break this week, I can post more frequently if I want to, right? The next story from the 2023 edition of Oziana is "Together" by Carter Lappin, with an illustration by David Bishop. This is a short one, and not a lot even happens, but it sure shines a light on the inner thoughts of two of the most important characters in Oz. Dorothy, hoping to get away from court and just be alone with her thoughts for a while, has found a spot on the palace roof that suits her needs. But she is surprised by Ozma, who came up to the roof for the exact same reasons. Since Ozma isn't wearing any emeralds or other jewelry, and is in pants, Dorothy recognizes that Ozma has been channeling her past as Tip. The two friends contemplate their lives and their friendship for a bit, then go off on their ways. It's a very short, introspective story. Bishop's illustration is great, and his take on Ozma shows a side of her we don't see often enough.

The Latest Oz Short Story

I had hoped to make these updates weekly, but let's just say there's a reason I now label this series "The Latest Oz Short Story" and no longer "This Week's Oz Short Story". But I did read "Button-Bright and the Professor" by J. L. Bell, with illustrations by Marcus Mèbés, from the 2023 edition of Oziana with every intention of posting it here earlier. Oh, well, you're getting it now! Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T. E., wants to test out his new direction-finding pill, and thinks Button-Bright would be the perfect test subject. Button-Bright, however, doesn't want anything to do with it, and tells the Professor this in no uncertaint terms. But the Professor persists and follows Button-Bright to try to convince him when they both get lost in the woods near the Royal College. Button-Bright doesn't mind much, and knows exactly how to handle the giant pangolin they run across. But since pangolins are insectivores, the Professor panics and ruins Button-Bright's plans. The pair finally get away from the pangolin by getting trapped in a cave system she can't get far into, but how to get out? It wasn't the original plan, but Button-Bright finally consents to take the Professor's new pill and quickly finds a way out. I like these small-scale stories where a whole town or the entire country isn't in danger, it's just a couple of our old friends out having an adventure. This particular pairing is not one we've seen very often, which adds to the charm. Let's hope the Professor has learned a thing or two about just letting people be who they are—but somehow I doubt he has.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Oh, hey, what a surprise, it's another story from the 2023 edition of Oziana! This time around it's "A Rotten Pumpkin" by Suren Oganessian, illustrated by David Bishop. Jack Pumpkinhead laments that he's not terribly bright or well-respected, and the Sawhorse suggests that maybe that's due to Jack always carving such a broad grin and affable expression on his head. So Jack tries a new, frowning expression. Debuting his new head at Ozma's birthday party, it quickly turns out that Jack's head reflects a new personality. He's surly, sarcastic, and caustic. He picks fights with the Wogglebug and the Patchwork Girl, and outright proclaims his jealousy of the Scarecrow by denouncing the "brains" the Wizard gave him. Finally, in a fit of anger, Jack removes his head and smashes it on the ground! This is not going to go down as Ozma's happiest birthday. But she carves a new head for her son, with the old expression. His personality restored, Jack vows to apologize to his friends, and Ozma suspects they will probably apologize to him as well, for the way they've treated him over the years.

This is far from the first time alterations in Jack's head have also altered his personality, but this is the first time I recall a story where the change was, literally, of Jack's own making—and unmaking! There's also a lovely scene at the end of Ozma and Jack just happily being together, and some great introspection from both Jack and Ozma. Bishop's art is clean and well drawn, and show a lot of ersonality, which is especially important in both of Jack's different looks. Despite the new head making our protagonist becoming Jerk Pumpkinhead, I really enjoyed this one.

This Week's Oz Short Story

Yes, at long last, I have more for you, because at long last, the 2023 edition of Oziana is available! If you're a fan of original shart Oz stories, this is a must. This issue starts off with "A Portrait of Ozma" by Jane Albright, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool. Ozma decides to commission some royal portraits, and hires the artist Easel to paint them. Along the way, Easel acquires some new paintbrushes that may have magical powers. He decides to try them with his first portrait, Ozma, and the portrait comes to life! It gets confusing having two Ozma's running around, but a little subterfuge by the Wizard and some clever thinking by the new Ozma soon puts things to rights, and Easel decides not to use the new brushes anymore. It's a fun way to start off the issue, with a cozy little story set among friends in the palace. There's no real danger involved, but it sure shows why Ozma tries to restrict the practice of magic to those she can trust to use it wisely. Tying in with the story is the front cover, also by Anna-Maria Cool, showing some of Easel's portraits.

The Latest Oz Short Story

With the appropriately named "Concluding King Rinkitink" by Maggie Lockets, we've reached the end of the 2016 edition of Oziana. These chapters are really short, so I think I see why it was not given serious consideration to win the contest, but there are some good ideas that other entries never approached. After not being able to rescue his parents, Inga decides to leave the Nome Kingdom and find Gos and Cor and make them release them. This makes sense, as it's Roquat's promise to them that is still keeping his parents prisoner. Following the advice of the White Pearl, they find themselves in the country of the Wheelers. The Wheelers have captured King Gos and Queen Cor! A few head butts from Bilbil scares off the Wheelers, and Inga and Rinkitink take the royal prisoners back to Roquat. The royal family of Pingaree is reunited, and they all go back to Pingaree — including Gos and Cor, who are forced to live there so as to not cause any more mischief! With this punishment, Rinkitink declares that Inga will be a wise king. I like this ending a lot, and it could have been expanded to make a fitting conclusion to King Rinkitink.

And with that, I am all caught up with reading and blogging about Oziana at last. I've reread every story, poem, playlet, and puzle from every issue from 1971 to 2022. I have a few other sources of Oz short stories I want to blog about as well, but I also have some other business I want to take care of on this blog first.

But the 2023 edition of Oziana is probably also coming out soon...

The Latest Oz Short Story

Hang on, folks, we're almost done with the 2016 issue of Oziana and all the alternate endings to King Rinkitink. This week it's "Ending Chapters of King Rinkitink" by Mariah B'Forre, wherein the White Pearl advises Inga to acquire some eggs. They find a hidden passage in their new room which leads to the top of a mountain and a jacdaw's nest! Gathering some eggs, Inga also comes across two golden elephant ornaments. Back in Roquat's throne room, Inga decides to offer the Nome King the elephants as an exchange for his parents. Roquat agrees, and bring Kitticut and Garre to the rescuers, but before they can actually leave Roquat pulls one last stunt and drops the floor down into a new chamber where they re confronted by six doors. The White Pearl confirms that the doors lead into a dangerous maze, so Inga decides not to have any of that! Instead, he uses the power of the pearls to get himself and the others back up to the original room. They use the hidden passage to get to the jackdaw's nest and freedom. Descending the mountain, they find they are near Gilgad, so Rinkitink and Bilbil stay there, and Inga rows his parents back to a rebuilt Pingaree. I liked this one, and how it uses eggs and other Baum lore such as the jackdaws. But the pearl's advice and the hidden passage to the surface seem just a little too convenient. Were I judging this contest, this may have gotten to the final rounds, but I probably would have given it an honorable mention.

The Latest Oz Short Story

I am nearing the end of the 2016 issue of Ozinana and all these new endings for King Rinkitink. This week it's "King Rinkitink Conclusion" by Sarah Hadley, which sees Rinkitink accidentally reveal the existence and powers of the pearls to Roquat! (He got carried away singing one of his impromptu songs at a banquet.) Roquat makes it clear that he's going to try to acquire the pearls, so he's not letting our party go. But Bilbil, sensing that Roquat is a tyrant and the rest of the Nomes don't like him much, befriends Kaliko and enlists his aid in helping them to escape. Kaliko shows Inga, Rinkitink, and Bilbil where King Kitticut and Queen Garee are to be found. Unfortunately, it's in Roquat's palace, and if you remember the events of Ozma of Oz, you know that means the King and Queen of Pingaree have been enchanted into ornaments! Fortunately, the enchantment proves to be much easire to break—literally!—than touching an ornament and saying "Ev". Dozens of ornaments prove to be victims of Roquat's wrath, and join their liberators in a ragtag army. But Roquat, upon finally appearing on the scene, has a business proposition: Kittikut and Garee in exchange for the pearls. Inga appears to give in, but in the process Bilbil chomps down on and breaks the blue and pink pearls. This disenchants the King and Queen of Pingaree! But in exchange for the white pearl (which is a lot less helpful to Roquat that it is to Inga), the Nome King agrees to abdicate, and Kaliko becomes the new Nome King. There are a lot of good ideas in this telling, and I like incorporating the ornaments of Ozma of Oz into the story. But I have to wonder how Kitticut and Garee could have been the pearls all this time. It just does not add up. So I can certainly understand why this one did not win the contest.

The Latest Oz Short Story

I have been very busy lately, and thus haven't had much chance to write about the latest ending new ending from King Rinkitink, as published in the 2016 edition of Oziana. But I will remedy that right now by talking about "King Rinkitink Restor'd" by John W. Kennedy and Elaine M. Kennedy. Inga decides to bribe the Nome King with a kind of jewel that he doesn't have, pearls. He shows the white pearl, but Roquat thinks it's an egg! Of course he fears eggs so much that he decides to break his promise to Gos and Cor and gives Inga a chance to find the prisoners. In another complicated game, Inga, Rinkitink, and Bilbil are allowed to each pick onee door each, out of a hundred, behind one of which is King Kittikut and Queen Garee. The humans fail, but Bilbil's sense of smell finds the royal couple. After leaving the Nome Kingdom, Bilbil gets hungry and eats How to Be Good, which then changes him back to Prince Bobo! Upon reaching the Nonestic Ocean, they decide to go to Regos and Coregos and stop the terror of King Gos and Queen Cor forever, but the Great Mermaid (a character that does not appear in The Sea Fairies) knows all that's been happening through communication via the pearls. Gos and Cor are now permanent guests of the mermaids and will no longer bother anyone on the surface. Unlike most of these other entries, the Kennedys then tell where Baum's original picks up again. I think there are some good ideas here, but were I judging this contest I would have liked to see them expanded, as this is a little short. Still, it was a worthy effort.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Another new ending for King Rinkitink from the 2016 issue of Oziana is titled simply "Rinkitink" by Karen Diket. It starts with a flashback to the last time someone survived the three trick caverns, the wizard Zenoro. Before leaving, Zenoro left behind a trinket for the next person to get through them. Sure enough, Inga finds that he has new powers, as his spoken wishes come true so long as he is in the Nome Kingdom. His first wish is that Rinkitink, Bilbil, and he would be in Gilgad, so he can't do much else with them until they return to Roquat with some of Rinkitink's guards and enough treasure to outbid what Gos and Coregos presented to Roquat before. While surprised, Roquat considers the proposition while Inga just wishes to see his parents again. Suddenly, he is with them in the Metal Forest, where Kittikut and Garee treat him to a meal of the three-course nuts. Inga returns to his friends, and uses his new knowledge of the three-course nuts to free his parents. (Thanks to the white pearl, he also learns about Zenoro and his gift to those others who survived Roquat's trap. Why Inga didn't just wish his parents away before joining them is beyond me!) During the course of events, Bilbil reveals that it was Zenoro who also transformed Prince Bobo into his current form of a goat, so Inga also wishes Bobo to resume his natural form right before they leave the Nome Kingdom—all without Roquat ever knowing about Zenoro's gift. That pretty much wraps things up, the final resolutions are tied up pretty quickly, and Bobo decides to stay in Rinkitink instead of returning to Boboland. Were I a judge, I would probably put this one in the pile for further consideration, but the convenience of a new wishing power, a couple of logic breaks, and the rapid resolution would probably knock it out of consideration for the final prize.

The Latest Oz Short Story

Yet another attempt to complete King Rinkitink from the 2016 issue of Oziana, this time "The Adventures of King Rinkitink" by Robin Hess. Here, Inga may take the most direct action he could possibly take: He asks the whiet pearl to guide him to where his parents are, then smashes through the wall to retrieve them. The Nomes pretty much leave them alone as they leave the Nome Kingdom, and they make their way to Evna where they seek refuge from King Evardo XV. But by this point they discover that Bilbil is the enchanted Prince Bobo, so they go off on another adventure to call on Lionel the Loneliest Wizard, the only one who can disenchant him, who lives in the far north of Ev. Lionel succeeds, and that's the end! Lionel then sends everyone back to where they belong, and the story ends. I could see this one getting through the first round of judging, but the ease at which they find Kittikut and Garee and make it out just doesn't feel right, and I doubt I would have recommended it for the final judging.

The Latest Oz Short Story

This week's entry from the "Complete King Rinkitink" contest and the 2016 issue of Oziana is "Wrapping Up Rinkitink" by Christopher M. Diket. After a few events, Roquat finally decides to take Inga, Rinkitink, and Bilbil to the King and Queen of Pingaree—onry to take them instead to a room that cancels out magic, including the powers of the pearls. But Inga, having wandered around the Nome Kingdom and discovered the room earlier, added an escape hatch. And it turns out that Rinkitink had a magical aide of his own: A pop-up book that showed future events. This book also shows them where Kitticut and Garee are hidden, so they find them and escape. Of course their flight involves an underground lake hiding a monster and a swarm of bees, but naturally they get out and back to Pingaree just fine. I probably would have passed this one along to the second round, but in the end I doubt I would have considered it for the finals. Too many coincidences (why didn't we know about Rinkitink's book earlier?) and a rushed ending make it feel not quite right.

The Latest Oz Short Story

The next alternate ending for Rinkitink in Oz from the 2016 edition of Oziana is "A New Ending for King Rinkitink" by Nicholas M. Campbell. This one was surprisingly long and involved, and included the loss of two of the pearls! The white pearl sacrifices itself to Roquat to procure the release of King Kitticut and Queen Garee, only to then trick Roquat into falling into a chasm. That could have been it, but then Bilbil enlists the aid of his family to help escape the Nomes, because it turns out he's really Prince Bobo of the mountain goats who inhabit the mountains over the Nome Kingdom. They head to Gilgad so that Inga can keep his promise to free the people of Regos and Coregos, only to discover that Rinkitink has been deposed! They then make their way back to Regos and, with the power of the two remaining pearls, free the slaves and stop the overseers from doing any more harm. But in the course of fleeing to Coregos, Rinkitink drops the pink pearl and falls into the sea, only to be saved by Queen Aquarine of the Sea Fairies! Well, there wasn't much else this story could do, so they finally make it bark to Pingaree and wrap things up. But wow, what a whirlwind, with everything being thrown into the kitchen sink. Were I judging this contest, I might have moved this one along to the second round, but I don't think I would have given it serious consideration for the top prize.