Customer Reviews

The Wishing Horse of Oz (Wonderful Oz Books, No 29)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ruth Plumly Thompson took the wonderful idea of Oz from Baum & continued its development with delightful whimsy. the place names are always imaginative (e.g. Mudge, Torpedo Town). in this story, Chalk, the talking horse, is always ready with a witty retort. you'll never regret visiting the Land of Oz.

Thompson's story telling skills when she first took over from L. Frank Baum left a bit much to be desired. Her early works seemed to involve a lot of aimless wandering with little point to it. Thankfully, her skills did improve with experience. They also seemed to improve when she dealt primarily with characters of her own creation as opposed to those created by Baum. This particular story shows her as more comfortable in her skills and more comfortable working with Oz originals.

This story is about a despotic ruler of a no account country outside of Oz, though still on the magical continent. He manages to obtain possession of a magical emerald necklace that grants wishes. His first with is for a magnificent horse and that one is granted purely by accident. He is naturally delighted but also disappointed that he does not know how to use the necklace. As I said, he lucked out the first time. It is the horse who figures out the secret and they come up with a plan to dispose of the various rulers of Oz, including Ozma, and everyone who could pose a danger to him. He causes everyone in Oz to forget about Ozma and the other notables. He then installs himself as emperor of Oz and it is up to Dorothy to save the day.

This story actually flows very well. The only problem is that the story itself is only of middling interest. Thompson handles Dorothy very well but most of the rest of the primary characters in this story are the ones she created. Dorothy is the exception. Still, she does a good job.

I hold the Oz books in very high regard among books, and this is one of the best of the series. King Skamperoo is a very well-developed villain, who bears some similarity to other bad-tempered, ambitious monarchs throughout the series, yet is developed better than most of them. Instead of just coming out of nowhere to torment the people of Oz, as some villains do, we learn all about his home in Skampavia, and his reasons for wanting to rule Oz. Skamperoo manages to enchant everyone in Oz, except for Dorothy and Pigasus (who was introduced in PIRATES IN OZ), and it is up to them to save the country. As is usual for Oz books, this one introduces interesting new characters and locations, while still providing a sense of familiarity for people who know the other books.

This is one of Ruth Plumly Thompson's best Oz books. It has a real plot, a daring story (had RPT's crystal ball been working, she might have titled it "The Manchurian Candidate in Oz"), vivid narration, interesting secondary encounters with the Witch of the Black Forest and the Gnomes, and appealing characters, most of all the morally-ambiguous title character. Oh, and Pigasus! Who has learned new ways to interact with the minds of people on his back besides making them talk in rhyme. Now he can read their thoughts as well.

This is by far my favorite of Thompson's Oz Books. It seems that everything she is best-known for: character development, fun plot, wry pun-filled humour just works the best in this tale. Blending the history of Dorothy, Oz both pre-Wizard of OZ and post- Thompson succeeds wonderfully in creating not only a fun story, but a rich and intriguing one as well. Nothing is out of place here, the random "little lands" that are encountered, such as the "Dooners" actually serve a purpose- in this case to show off the power and necessity of the "stumbling blocks". Characters are kept sharply focused - I love the way the action in the quest to save Oz is centralized around 2 characters Dorothy and Pigasus. The fact that one must rhyme when on Pigasus's back allows Thompson to play with language but with a purpose. This is Oz storytelling at its best. I think it actually enhances Thompson's works that come before and after. I love this Oz story and it is great when read aloud. If she wrote nothing else, Thompson would have earned a special spot in my heart with this story. Superb.

Three emerald necklaces cause everyone in Oz to forget all about Princess Ozma, the Wizard, and Glinda the Good and acknowledge instead a king named Skamperoo as supreme ruler! The mystic enchantment is responsible as well for the appearance of the glorious Wishing Horse, the most magnificent white steed imaginable. Only Dorothy and Pigasus, the flying poetrical pig, can save the realm. . .