Family of Oz and the Fulfillment of a Royal Command

Finally, we reach the F's and Family of Oz (2011), my latest published novel of Oz. This story consummates the Royal Magician of Oz Trilogy and fulfills a Royal Command handed down to me by Her Majesty, Princess Ozma.

 

 And they said it couldn't, nay shouldn't be done~!~!

Family of Oz (2011) culminates in the message of Love which I had been working towards since Magician of Oz (2009) and continuing in Shadow Demon of Oz (2010).It was this very message which Princess Ozma had commanded I put down in words all could read. She had called me to Oz while I was visiting a local Morel Mushroom hiding spot where I have gathered the tasty fungi before. I turned once, twice, three times and found myself before the world of Oz and quite unprepared for the reality of it all.

Her Majesty spoke of Love and family, though She Herself could never know the joys of child rearing... and some of the agonies. She talked of friendship, loyalty and Truth. From Her lips came words of Peace and serenity and a desire for all to know of such things. Of these things, She knew quite well, but most of all, there was Love. Princess Ozma is the pure embodiment of all things Love and I have endeavored to bring that wonderful vision of the Royal Historian, L. Frank Baum to the Great Outside so that we may share the Land of Oz.

It is his reality that has become our fantasy... or was it the other way around?

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Evolution of the Emerald City Throughout the Ages!

 Even though the Emerald City is well known to anyone who has watched MGM's 1939 Wizard of Oz, it was not always as we may recall from the film.

 From an early 1910 edition, we see an Emerald City that is not quite as elegant as we might have imagined.

Later on in the white editions of the 30's, Emerald City takes on a more militaristic appearance, resembling more like a castle than a city of thousands.

Of course, whether in the books or films, the Emerald City is always reached by the Yellow Brick Road, or the road of yellow brick, as L. Frank Baum describes the way there.

According to L. Frank Baum, Emerald City has 9,654 buildings and 57,318 residents. By 1939, we had settled on the classic view of Emerald City until The Wiz came along and gave us a more edgy, Big Apple view of Emerald City. Notice the Twin Towers sighting.

Of course, once Disney got involved with Return to Oz, Emerald City returned to a more Victorian appearance, which tends to mirror my own view of the capital of Oz, although in this scene, Emerald City has seen better days.

By the time we get to Tin Man, Emerald City returns to a more Metropolis look with technology, weapons, crime and all the ickyness that .L. Frank Baum tried so hard to avoid.

In addition, while watching Tin Man, there was a scene in Emerald City where there were hookers and phone sex. I don't remember that at all in the books of Oz I read! That's what eventually compelled me to return Oz to the vision of L. Frank Baum; that of a children's fairy tale of adventure.

Fortunately, with the upcoming release of Roger Baum's (the great grandson of L. Frank Baum) Dorothy of Oz later this year, Emerald City regains it's glorious, almost magical look. The circle is complete and Oz remains once more, a glorious place to visit.

The Royal Historian, L. Frank Baum would be pleased indeed.

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Dorothy Gale!!!! Of Kansas!!!!!

Depending on your childhood and the parents who raised you, you know well of Dorothy Gale... of Kansas. Your view of her is colored by the spectrum through which you looked.

Of course, Dorothy Gale first appeared in L. Frank Baum's first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and she was not quite what most folks would recall.

In no time at all and with the addition of a new illustrator, we watch as Dorothy evolves into a more complex, yet dainty creature.

Before you know it, Dorothy Gale has gained a sensitivity and beauty that defies the passage of Time.

Of course, most of us regard Dorothy as that dog-toting, witch killing, singer of songs and runaway vagabond.

Now, of course, I grew up with that vision and several others as Time passed and the public desire for all things Oz remained ever present in the minds of our younglings. 

Once I was introduced to cartoons, my vision of Oz leaned more toward the freedom of animation and the Laws of Cartoon Physics.

By the late 70's, the ever evolving need to attain a wider audience brought about a new Dorothy in a new Kansas...or should I say Big Apple?

Before long, even Disney felt obliged to jump into the Forbidden Fountain and give us an edgier Dorothy than we thought proper.

And if Disney can do it, why not the Muppets and their zany take on Dorothy and the Land of Oz?

And I almost forgot Tin Man, which inadvertently launched me into Oz... and my writing of the Royal Magician of Oz.

Which then begs the inevitable Tom and Jerry slant, which is animation, and so I liked it.

Now, Dorothy of Oz makes her appearance... and all looks well, despite those menacing Cumulus clouds in the sky..

Ahhh Dorothy, You have remained pure of heart and posses a grateful soul... as always~

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Cowards, Captains and Cobblers... Oh My!

Certainly, the Land of Oz is filled with all manner of creatures... and being the day of C, we take a look at several characters from Oz that begin with the letter of C.

One of the most recognizable characters from the Land of Oz is the Cowardly Lion, who most folks know from the 1939 MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz. Of course, the Cowardly Lion got his start in L. Frank Baum's first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).

He is described as being as large as a horse with a bushy mane and frequently wearing brightly colored bows on his tail. In the movie, he falls asleep, along with Dorothy and Toto in the Field of Poppies and all three are saved by Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Glinda is actually the Good Witch of the South). However, in the book, it is he alone that falls prey to the scent of the deadly flowers and slips into a deep sleep and it is the Queen of the Field Mice and Her subjects that come to his rescue, aided by the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. Following his adventures with Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, he finds his courage in a bowl full of green liquid given to him by the humbug Wizard of Oz and eventually is declared the ruler of all the animals of Oz.

Another of the many characters from the Land of Oz are a number of captains, including Cap'n Bill and Captain Fyter.

Cap'n Bill is a grizzled old sailor with a wooden left leg who has retired in order to travel about with his young companion, Trot. Bald, blue-eyed and sporting only a few teeth, he gets caught up in a whirlpool along with Trot and both of them wind up in the Land of Oz where adventures await them both. 

Another Captain in Oz is Captain Fyter, who it turns out suffers from the same fate as the Tin Woodman. Both had been chopped apart by an enchanted axe and both eventually got replacement part made of tin. The only differences are that Captain Fyter carries a sword while the Tin Woodman carries an axe. 

Finally, there is Cobbler the Dog, a unique creation cobbled together from old cobbler tools by Professor Wogglebug, who becomes the pet of Tik-Tok, the Mechanical Army of Oz. He was called the Unwilling Villain by Princess Ozma and it is he who cause much dismay in the Land of Oz. This unique character appears in my current Oz book, Family of Oz.

Being Spring Break for me, I find myself working on my newest Oz book, The Ozian Adventure of Pickleless & Blu. I'm nearly done and expect it to be ready for Oz-Stravaganza! 2012 this June. it looks to be my best work yet... I hope!

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

Billina the Hen: First Chicken of Oz!

Besides my background as a magician, I also count among my talents that of writing. In particular, I write children's books based on L. Frank Baum's first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.(1900).

Compelled by Her Majesty, Princess Ozma and charged by Royal Command to tell Her story of young Jamie Diggs, the new Royal Magician of Oz, I have fullfilled the Royal Command and endeavour to continue my work as Royal Laision to Princess Ozma.

During my writings, one creature I have yet to write of is Billina the Hen, who most remember from the Disney film of 1985; Return to Oz. I'm certain you'll recognize her from this still shot from the film.

She is actually one of L. Frank Baum's creatures in his 1907 book, Ozma of Oz. Here is our first look at her from the dedication page from Ozma of Oz.

Billina, it seems, was a chicken of great travels, having journeyed with Dorothy after meeting in a storm on a voyage to Australia. She had many adventures with Dorothy and others in Oz, as told by L. Frank Baum in Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, and The Emerald City of Oz.

Here we see several nice color drawings of her from the books of L. Frank Baum.

 

Now, unlike the Disney movie, Billina has no trouble laying eggs, although true to the books, her eggs, like all eggs, are poison to Nomes. She even has children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The chickens are all named Dorothy and the roosters are named  Daniel. I can understand the Dorothy name as Dorothy and Billina were great friends, but who was Daniel? It also seems that she is now the Queen and Governor of all chickens in Oz. Go figure???

One things for certain, that's one mighty fine looking chicken! 

It is my intention to write about her later this year as part of a larger project I've been planning on for some time. I hope I do her justice and that she likes my writings.

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma