So in the great list of Oz books I had to read, there were two little short stories that I had to obtain to wrap up the whole project. The first of these was called "Percy and the Shrinking Violet." It was written by Rachel Cosgrove Payes and it was first published in 1995. I actually own a real copy of this. It was published in the very first issue of Oz-story Magazine. It's an almost perfect copy too. I either got lucky, or there are a lot of flawless copies floating around on the internet.
Oh, and yes. The "Percy" in the title is Percy the Rat. If I have not made it clear yet, Percy is my favorite Oz character in all of history, and finishing up the books have not changed that opinion. This short story is absolutely a Percy story through and through.
The story goes that there is a horrible ruler named Violetta in the northern Gillikin Country of Oz who wants to replace Ozma as supreme ruler of Oz. She has one of her servants or slaves (depending on how you want to look at it) to bring Ozma a gift of some pretty violets. The problem is that these are actually "shrinking violets" which will make you shrink down to about a foot tall once you get a whiff of them.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for Ozma) it was Percy who intercepted this plan and ended up shrinking instead of Ozma. Jellia Jamb, Ozma head maid, also sniffed it and began to shrink right along with the rat. Now everything is getting to be too big for them. Eventually Ozma shows up, she sniffs the violets, and begins to shrink also. This is bad because the plan is for Violetta to take over the throne once Ozma is too small to rule anymore. It's up to Percy the not-so-giant rat to save the day by figuring out who, when, why, and where!
I won't spoil anymore because I actually want people to read the thing.
"Percy and the Shrinking Violet" may be a short story, but it is paced flawlessly as if it was as long as a book. All the pieces to make up a strong Oz story are present. It also isn't really that short, to be honest. I actually pecked away at it over the course of an entire day. If someone was very busy, they might make it last over several days. I just had plenty of time.
The character of Percy the Rat was as well-presented as he has ever been. He was the smart, clever, and witty rat that I have always loved and adored. This one character has made me actually jealous of fictional characters, because I would rather him be my friend instead of there's. And I just know he would reprimand me for not sharing him with everyone else.
"Percy and the Shrinking Violet" is one of the all-time best Oz stories ever made. It is fun, silly, and even exciting in one part. It gets one of the highest recommendations from me. Find yourself a copy and read it!
This blog was written on March 18, 2023.
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Clever idea. It is a pun turned into a full-length story. Making Percy the hero is just the icing on the cake... and that icing is always the best part.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I actually expected that something would have to do with shrinking and looked forward to it!
DeleteOh yea there is no surprise that Percy is your favorite character. The "shrinking violets" are a novel and sneaky idea. Who better to save the day than Percy?
ReplyDeleteHe is the best character ever!
DeleteIt seems a lot was put into this small story. Big things and little things all have a purpose. What may appear to be insignificant can be quite important.
ReplyDeleteThat was a cute comment.
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