The Road to Oz
Year: 1909
Author: L. Frank Baum
Length: 261 pages
One thing that continues to stand out about the Oz books by L. Frank Baum is how creative he was with the characters he created. Unfortunately, by the fifth book in the series, it’s also clear there isn’t a lot of creativity left for the plot. Sure, this time it felt like there was a more conscious journey to Oz instead of just magically ending up there, but nothing else about going to Oz felt nearly as unique as the new characters.
The first half of the book introduces quite a few new characters, which are usually seen as replacements for the original set of Scarecrow, Lion, and Tin Man. Baum did this in several other Oz books, so it’s only the characteristics of these new individuals that shine through as something new. Of course, with so many new characters, none of them really get enough dedicated time to flesh them out further than their trademark gimmick. And it’s not like their special abilities helped her reach Oz in the same way that the original set of characters protected her from the Wicked Witch.
I can appreciate Baum finally letting Dorothy go to Oz of her own accord in this book. But once she’s there, there are so many characters from the previous books milling around that the reunion seems to take forever. Understanding this book is meant for children, the primary motivating factor of the plot being Dorothy’s desire to go to Ozma’s birthday party doesn’t seem terribly profound. And with five books set in this fantastical world, it’s almost starting to get stale each time we’re forced to go back.
More of the same but with new characters, I give The Road to Oz 3.0 stars out of 5.
