There is always a time in the year when I start reading classics… I may have mentioned this before, so, sorry if you are ready it over and over again. This time, The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.
I think we all know the story of the Wizard of Oz, so in this post I won’t be so afraid of mentioning its characters or the main plot of the story. The book is from 1900, and I think there should be a deadline for when one can tell what happens in the stories. Like a 40-year-spoiler limit… I don’t know. Almost 120 years later, you could have already read the book already if you wanted to, let’s be real. If you haven’t, though, you can find it online, because it is so old, the copyrights have expired already, for example, you’ll find it free of charge at Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg: www.gutenberg.org
The book is quite repetitive, that is, what each character wants to do or ask the wizard of Oz … to the point of becoming quite tiresome, when reading it. The excuse is that it is a children’s book. But, after hearing 40 times that the scarecrow wants a brain… you just want to kill yourself… or the scarecrow. The fantasy world created by the author seems to me very well done, with their respective creatures, races and countries, etc. All very well described as well.
What I found out thanks to Goodreads, (by the way, you can follow me on Goodreads too, and if you read the Souls of Liriethem leave your comment too, I would really appreciate it) is that «The Wizard of Oz» as we know it is just the first book in a series of many, many books about the world of Oz. Furthermore, the author, L. Frank Baum, wrote for more than twenty years sequels to the first Wizard of Oz. In addition, once the author died, other authors picked up where he left to continue the series, with which there are currently more than 50 novels on the subject. I don’t know if I’m going to read them all, but at least I’ll try the first 6, or the first 14, which are the originals by L. Frank Baum. (I am not promising anything, just for the record, it’s more of an expression of will more than anything else… if anyone has read any of the other books, do let me know how the books are and if they are worth reading, please leave your comments below, in the comment section). For the complete list I recommend the Wikipedia link that is very well explained: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oz_books
Final comment: this is a children’s book, but a classic. To read this book, to know that this world exists, to watch the films… all this will help you understand the countless references that are made, and to better understand the popular culture of our society. If afterwards, this book generates enough interest in you to read the following 50 novels… even better! I don’t know if I will…
Book quote: ““I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,» spoke the Beast, in a voice that was one great roar. Who are you, and why do you seek me?” “
Keep on reading,
Questions to answer in the comments:
Have you read the series of Oz or any of its books? And what about the first book “The Wizard of Oz”? Did you like it? Do you agree with my final comments? Have you read any similar books you would recommend, for someone who would like to read more of the same genre? Please answer all these questions in the comments!
GG KLIMT 