Tag Archives: kadj the conjurer

It Makes Me Wonder

Stairway to Oz, by Robin Hess – The author once again returns to the Nome Kingdom, an intended invasion of Oz, and transportation gates. It starts with a boy named Ryan Westerly visiting his parents in Colorado, who turn out to … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Characters, Dick Martin, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Maps, Melody Grandy, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sorting Out Sorcery

One running theme in Glinda of Oz is that there are several different types of magic in Oz, all of which have their specialties, but none of them can do everything. L. Frank Baum contrasts the fairy magic of Ozma … Continue reading

Posted in Alchemy, Characters, Etymology, Games, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Politics, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Technology, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Automa-Tons of Fun

During a discussion of Ozma of Oz at the most recent OzCon International, Lee Speth proposed that, while Tik-Tok was not the first mechanical man in modern literature, he was perhaps the first artificial intelligence. L. Frank Baum himself had … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Eric Shanower, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Phil Lewin, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cybernetic Ozites

When I wrote about science fiction elements in the Oz books, there were a few comments suggesting the Tin Woodman could count as a cyborg, since he had his fleshy parts replaced with metal ones. It’s a little difficult to … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Nome Invasions

I’ve already discussed the constant invasion attempts of the former Nome King, but this time I’d like to take a closer look at the individual attempts. The first occurs in The Emerald City of Oz, in which King Roquat’s goal … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Magic Items, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Sure Cure for Everything

The mythical idea of the cure-all elixir shows up a few times in the Oz books. Actually, the only L. Frank Baum work in which I specifically recall such a thing being mentioned is John Dough and the Cherub, which … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Magic Items, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments