The Unknown Witches of Oz: Locasta and the Three Adepts [Paperback]

Dave Hardenbrook (Author), Kerry Rouleau (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Dan in Oz | Publication Date: July 2001

Locasta, is the Good Witch of the North. When she is forced from Oz by the evil Mombi, she enlists the aid of young Dan, to get back. There she finds the evil Nome King, a Genie, and the demons of Whaqoland planning to conquer her beloved home. Join Locasta, Glinda, Princess Ozma, and Dan for this thrilling adventure in the merry old land of Oz.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Hardenbrook is a student and computer genius who lives in Los Angeles and monitors Nonestica, a Yahoo e-group for OZ aficionados. Unlike the mainstream mavens of Oz publishing in the present day, he does not insist that Ozma is "just a little girl after all." He is a fan of ABBA, Red Dwarf, Harry Potter, Enya, Vangelis, and Jane Austen.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Galde Press, Inc.; 1st edition (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880090236
• ISBN-13: 978-1880090237
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,413,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book that truly captures Oz's spirit, September 16, 2001

By 

Charles Phipps - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unknown Witches of Oz: Locasta and the Three Adepts (Paperback)

I know Dave personally and got an advance copy of the book but you can be sure I intend to be fair in reviewing the book. This book is an attempt by the author to take Oz into places where no one has gone before (using science fiction such as alternate planets, advance scienced, and wormholes to explain much of Oz's magical nature) while maintaining itself true to the humor, slapstick, and fantastic nature of the creation of L. Frank Baum. Part of the reason the book has been controversial is because it (like my own work) provides Princess Ozma with a love interest that many Oz "purists" find shocking. However the character "Dan" like the rest of the book is both charming and noble with a vaguely Harry Potter-esque feel to his adventures. While some readers without familiarity with the Famous Forty of the Wizard of Oz may find the history of Oz at the beginning confusing it soon gives way to a wonderfuly amusing story which sets the stage for a whole new revivation and setting of Oz in the Modern Era. This is by no means a perfect book and suffers for some of it's very specific catering to people who know Oz well but it is not impossible for newcommers who only know the world from the MGM movies to understand and the Oz at the end again I stress is a wonderful realm that could be the start of a new Famous Forty. My advice to all of you who love Oz is to buy this book...buy it now!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A sci-fi fan's view of Oz, January 2, 2010

By 

J. Alford (Atlanta, GA. United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Unknown Witches of Oz: Locasta and the Three Adepts (Paperback)

David "Dave" Hardenbrook has so far written two books of a trilogy he's planning called Dan In Oz. The first is The Unknown Witches Of Oz from Galde Press, which is a modern day follow up to the original Famous 40 Oz books. It retcons alot of the original Oz history, like having the Three Adepts which appeared in Glinda Of Oz are renamed Zsuzsu, Judit, and Sofia, and are the granddaughters of Locasta, the Good Witch of the North, who has been missing from Oz for sometime. After trying to find her, the Adepts are lost in a time warp for nearly a century, and come out to find out that Ozma has matured physically into a teenager. Locasta has really been on Earth for the last hundred years, and meets up with a young teenage orphan named Dan, who she brings back with her to Oz to court Ozma. However, Ruggedo(the former Nome King)has regained his memory, and become the master of the genie Taarna, a former witch who is actually the mother of both the Wicked Witches. They've teamed up with Forg, the evil leader of a group of demons and other monsters intent on taking over Oz. Taarna transforms the Wizard, Ozma, Glinda, Locasta, and the Adepts into light, and they shoot out into space. Polychrome rescues them, and gives them back their physical forms, which provides Glinda with nearly infinite power, enough in fact to defeat Taarna, and get rid of Forg and his army. Ruggedo reforms and is welcome back in Oz, Taarna is turned into a human, and Dan becomes an official Prince. In all, the story is pretty good, being influenced by sci-fi writers like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, and implements the concept of magic as if it were a universal science that could by applied to computer progamming. The only downside is it might seem like more of a fan wish-fulfillment about someone who is an Oz fan actually being sent to Oz and getting to date one of the characters. This book lead to a sequal, Jellia Jamb, Maid Of Oz, and a third one is supposedly in the works titled, That Ozzy Feeling, either this or a spinoff involving Oz characters in another reality called The Shining Chalice Universe is also planned.