Fairy Tale Spotlight: Pirates in Oz [Book Review]

[Contains spoilers for a book nobody reads anymore.]

Book twenty-five! "Pirates in Oz" is the twenty-fifth book in the Oz series started by L. Frank Baum. It was written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, published in 1931, and I just finished reading it. Was it good? Weeeeell... It was okay.

"Pirates in Oz" is a mixed bag. It starts off showing where the Gnome King has been for the last few books. He had been turned into a mute by re-occurring Oz visitor, Peter of Philadelphia. I was happy to see him come back. He has always been a very entertaining villain. In very real terms, the Gnome King has always been the arch villain in the series. I may write a blog about him at a later time, but just know that I like him a lot.

Speaking of Peter, he returns in this one making this like the third Oz book in a row that seems to be intended for a male audience. Ruth always brought him in when the story seemed to be going in more of a masculine trend. In this case... pirates.

The pirate of the hour is none other than Samuel Salt. He's a sort of nerdy fellow that tries really hard to act the part of a pirate captain. In truth, he is sort of a silly fellow who likes collecting various types of specimens such as different sorts of shells. The only reason Sam Salt was a pirate captain was because he was a really good navigator. His crew were the real deal and placed him in that position, although they betray him later.

Sam easily gets the MVP award for the book for seriously being fun and entertaining. He would constantly practice being a big, bad pirate, but a lot of his attempts to be boisterous, rude, and crude would come across a bit flat. It was, however, discovered that the best way to get his violent side to come out was to drop a book on his head when he least expected it. At this point, Sam Salt would unload a slew of censored swear words that startled everyone that was near him. It really brought out the pirate in him. I always enjoyed how he would say, "Shiver my liver!" when he was confronted by something he didn't expect.

There was also King Ato and his pet bird Roger who was a "Read Bird." It is what it sounds like. Roger likes to read books. He was a very charming character! He came across as a very friendly sort of cartoon bird that was a good sidekick to this odd king who ends up the ship's cook. There isn't much to say for Ato other than he is a king who was abandoned by his people.

Despite the fact that the Gnome King is busily trying to conquer Oz again, the book barely talks about it. In fact, for much of the story, there doesn't seem to be much of a plot. It's just Captain Salt, Peter, King Ato, and Roger out at sea, trying to be pirates. It's more of a directionless journey for the fun of it. Only at the very end of the book do the character discover what the Gnome King is doing and put a stop to it.

Baum did a similar format for story called "Road to Oz." That one also just felt like meandering. Both books, for the most part, just feels like slice of life in motion. I liked it, but if I had to pick one between the two, I'd say that "Road to Oz" is superior.

Another thing you might find interesting about "Pirates in Oz" is that is almost entirely takes place outside of Oz. The Oz universe extends far outside of Oz proper. It makes sense. There are no large bodies of water within Oz, but there is the Nonestic Ocean which is ripe for sailing. Despite not being in Oz, the Nonestic Ocean is still within "Fairyland." It is still possible to have strange and wonderful encounters while sailing through these waters.

I recommend "Pirates in Oz" but only if you don't mind the way the story meanders about somewhat randomly. I love the characters, and Samuel Salt is the best. Another decent Oz book from Ruth Plumly Thompson.

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