The emerald city of Oz

I just finished reading this Classic novel to my 5 year-old grandson. He loved it and can't wait for the next book. We are planning which one to read next; I think I'll try to get him to approve the Marvelous Land of Oz (volume 2 in the Oz series).

This book has it ups and downs. It was some time ago I read the first two books in the series and I couldn't remember every details - and this book did not help me to remember. So it was a bit like a fresh start. I read several books about the war and it's quite similar in most cases. Those parts were a bit long to read but coming to the end it had again the spirit of the first two books. Exciting and one revelation after the other. That's what I like!

Baum is true to form in this outing with the introduction of dual plots, higher-than-ever stakes, enjoyable new denizens, the return of beloved characters from Oz books past -- and with an inoffensive sense of wonder, the initial phase of Oz is satisfyingly wrapped up.

It's really hard to say anything about this book without giving away something crucial in the experience of reading it. Many detective novels treat you as a passive passenger, following along without really engaging your deductive abilities in any way. This book's triumph: while Detective Tyador Borlu frantically tries to solve a murder in the East European city state of Besz, this book quietly, almost secretly, presents the reader with another, entirely different mystery to solve. This mystery is right on top, in the text, and you feel almost split in two trying to follow two enigmas, one of which only you can solve. This is by far the best book I've read in the last seven years.