"The Scalawagons of Oz" is the thirty-fifth book of the Oz series started by L. Frank Baum. It was written by John R. Neill, and it was published in 1941. Yes, I have read all of the Oz books up to this point. Holy crap.
Once again, John gives us a living, breathing cartoon world version of Oz which does not match what came before his own works. They are a welcome addition, to me anyways. It never seemed very popular with the mainstream Ozians.
In this book, the Wizard creates a factory that makes sentient cars in order to further bring the fairy nation into a more modern era. Funny how he started off with airplanes first, yeah? These cars are called scalawagons, and I know what you're thinking: It sounds like scalawag. That may have been the root word of the name, but the cars themselves have no resemblance to what that word means. They're just vehicles.
The villain of this story is a bit hard to explain, but I liked him. For most of the story he was called a "Rubber Ghost," but he was later identified as something called a "Bell-Snickle." He's a sneaky, creepy, slinky, crawly sort of villain whose greatest desire is to remain a mystery. I liked him. He brought a lot of villainous humor to the story.
There was also the woefully problematic Mifkit, which had trouble being nice. Ozma tries to reform him by giving him work to do, but he would always over do it and it would annoy everyone. I thought he was cute! They remind me a little of Shawn O' Toole's Dinky race from his "Strange Galaxy" books. (Hi, Shawn!)
One of John Neill's problems is he writes like he has a distraction problem. His stories constantly jump around like a dog who keeps seeing random squirrels. Funny enough though, it doesn't really harm the story very much. Even though the story jumps around madly, the content of those side-steps are really enjoyable and a lot of fun to read. I like it!
I really like how Oz has been modernizing but in a Fairyland sort of way. Those scalawagons almost entirely drive themselves. There is even a LUNCH button on the console that gives the driver free food as many times as he wants. And since the car is sentient, you can eat while it drives for you.
And what is a story about cars without a chase scene?! Yes, "The Scalawagons of Oz" has a wonderful and exciting chase scene in it, and I enjoyed every moment of it. This story pretty much had it all, and I loved it.
I absolutely recommend "The Scalawagons of Oz." Although the story doesn't always seem to know where it wants to go, it still goes, and where it goes, the fun never stops. It's a great story, and I look forward to reading more by this author.
This blog was written on May 25, 2022.
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Neill was an illustrator first and foremost so he wrote the same way he drew: Instant changes to express distinctly different ideas.
ReplyDeleteCute that the Dinkies have a brother in the Oz universe.
If anyone could "see" Oz, it would be him.
DeleteIt sounds like more of a leisurely ride than one with a destination in mind. These books are known for fun and frolic, so it does not surprise me. Still, a little better focus just might help.
ReplyDeleteIt's what he was known for, but it works some how. Baum did one like that too called "The Road to Oz."
DeleteI like that the Author does his own thing in terms of his own inspirations. What's not to like about an cartoon as a story? I would love to have a scalawagon, who wouldn't?
ReplyDeleteI would probably get fat, but that LUNCH button sounds awesome.
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