As is said so often that it has become a cliche: a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. For me, as for so many would-be travelers along the yellow brick road (and beyond it), that single step is this book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L Frank Baum.
I would be lying if I said that my renewed interest in the Oz canon had nothing to do with the recent Wicked-craze that has been sweeping the nation, but I really have to insist that I am, at best, a fair-weather fan of that offshoot/retelling/whatever it is. I enjoyed the musical and the first film well enough, but that's the end of it. I'm an avid reader of fantasy and love to explore the vast imagined worlds created by others.
So, without any further ado, let's do just that.
When Dorothy lands in Oz, she is greeted by a kindly older woman, the Good Witch of the North. NOT, notably, Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, which is what happens in the technicolor film, and therefore that version of events has embedded itself onto the American psyche. But no, it was not the glamorous Southern Witch but the spinster-esque, grandmotherly Northern Witch who is Dorothy's, and therefore our, first introduction to the ways and customs of this strange new world.
She shows Dorothy the first act of magic in Oz- she balances her pointed hat on the tip of her nose, counts to three, and it transforms into a blackboard with a message written upon it. Truly, we are no longer in Kansas.
Without recounting the entire plot, I will just highlight a couple other points that surprised me: firstly, there's quite a lot more killing than I had anticipated, primarily at the hands of the Tin Woodman. Also, when Glinda does eventually enter the story (quite near the end), she is described as red-headed, matching everything else in Quadling Country- the land over which she rules.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I can see why it spawned a massive franchise, and I'm quite keen to dig into the rest of the series!
Until next time,
Pat