As I get further along in the Oz series, I'm finding I have less to call out about some of the actual books. The format of the titles stayed consistent for a number of years, and I don't mean to do plot summaries for each one. So, I'm doubling up a couple to help fill space!
The Yellow Knight of Oz, from 1930, brings another of Ruth Plumly Thompson's boy characters to Oz. This time it's Speedy, a boy very similar to Peter. We'll meet him again in his own book. I've always felt this story, which I enjoy, is not completely successful; the solution to the mystery at the center seems so very obvious.
Pirates in Oz, from 1931, introduces another classic Thompson character - Captain Salt, a gentle pirate who would rather explore and collect specimens than conquer. Peter from Philadelphia is back for this story, along with Ruggedo the Gnome King, the perennial Oz villain.
Ruggedo never seems to be truly finished off, regardless of how many times Ozma enchants or banishes him. This is a stark contrast to the removal of Mombi at the end of Lost King of Oz. As was pointed out in the comments on my posting for that book, Ozma simply has Mombi melted at the end of the story - she's not coming back!
I think John R. Neill's lettering for the book titles through the 1930's is so evocative of their time period - the modern touch together with the fantasy images is great!
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2 comments:
I think Mombi may be back.
MWA HA HA!
Mombi did make another appearance in John R. Neill's "Lucky Bucky in Oz", when Jack Pumpkinhead painted her image on a wall of the Emerald City with magic paints. She was so lifelike she managed to leave the wall and cause mischief until she was returned to her place.
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