The Wonderful Alice of Oz
Oz-Wonderland (Book 3)
Fantasy
Ron Glick
January 1, 2015
ebook
181
author
Three Wicked Witches vie for control of the Magical Land of Oz, while the Wizard appears no closer to solving the mystery of how to return the former Wyrds to Wonderland. But Glinda's secret may shift the balance in an entirely unforeseen direction! Meanwhile, a quest beyond the Looking Glass may have gleaned more than anyone was hoping for when Dorothy's return from that magical realm attracts the attention of a new player in the conflict...
Written with a faithful eye to the original Baum and Carroll classics, The Wonderful Alice of Oz concludes the first story arc of the series, while setting the foundation for the next chapter to unfold.
The Wonderful Alice of Oz is a fantastic read, with quirky, unpredictable characters and a lot of mystery. Glick continues to masterfully weave two classic tales into one epic, wonderfully creative story.
The Wonderful Alice of Oz is the third book in Ron Glick’s imaginative series that combines Oz and Wonderland.
In this book, the focus is more on Wonderland and the Looking Glass World. One cannot exist without the other. All the pieces are coming together that tie the fate of the three worlds together: Wonderland, the Looking Glass, and Oz. Dorothy learns about the wicked witches’, or wyrds’, magic, who left their Land in shambles in search for their own freedom. Wyrd magic differs from faery magic, the common magic used in Oz.
Together, with the Wizard, Dorothy must find a way to stop whatever evil plan the witches are starting to carry out in Oz.
But wyrds and faery magic are not the only things in play. The Cheshire Cat has a number of surprises tucked away, and he is powerful enough to hide his motives and plans until he is ready to share them.
The Wonderful Alice of Oz has some great twists, including revealing Glinda the Good Witch’s past and the secret to the magic of the wicked witches of Oz. New characters also take part in the plot, such as Betsy Bobbin, an Oklahoma girl who is Dorothy’s stand in best friend when Princess Ozma is not around.
Though Ron Glick is incredibly creative and has mastered the confusing language and ways of Wonderland and the Looking Glass World, at times I had some difficulty keeping up. It was not always clear what characters meant when they spoke, though I admit that was part of the point.
The story really picked up for me in the second half of the book, when secrets that have been hinted at all along are finally revealed and everything comes together in Oz. As it turns out, Toto is a very resourceful, brave little dog, and the alliances forged are not always what they seem.
The book ends with a satisfying action sequence that wraps up the build up to the wicked witches plans and hints as to what comes next. Oz is in chaos, though for now there is still uneasy peace.
Princess Ozma must learn the ins and outs of broken lands that contain citizens demanding, “off with their heads!”, people who can only move as chess pieces, and armies made of cards. It also doesn’t help that they are all easily goaded into declaring war on each other.
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in Oz, and what the Cheshire Cat has in store for all its citizens. Poor Toto probably won’t like being under a cat, even if the cat claims it is nothing more than a cat. Of course, it is hard to know what a cat is really thinking, especially one that is bright pink and can disappear on a whim.
