The Orphan Sorceress of Oz: An Epic Fairy Tale Adventure

The Hidden History of Oz #1

by Tarl Telford

The Land of Oz: Decades before Dorothy, generations without war have grown soft and weary. From the shadows, the witches scheme to divide the land and remake Oz in their own image.

Magic and mayhem, dreams and defiance, secrets and sacrifice abound, defining this new age in the Land of Oz.

THE WORLD WILL KNOW HER NAME, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST.

Fifteen-year old Glinda is determined to live free from the shadow of her sorceress mother. Uncaring of the price it may demand, Glinda's rebellion against her mother's wishes unleashes the hidden fury of the wicked witches' secret scheme, and plunges the entire land into chaos.

Amidst the turmoil, magical armies march across Oz, leaving devastation in their wake. Hope from the skies comes in the form of a wizard almost as young as Glinda. He brings stories of freedom, and dreams that change the world around him. Without an army of her own, Glinda inspires common people to rise up against the monstrous armies. However, her inexperience puts everyone at risk.

Will three spells, a few clever friends, and a wizard with unwavering faith in freedom be enough to overthrow the tyranny of the wicked witches?

Let the battle for Oz begin.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings

340 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Tarl Telford (1976--) is the seventh cousin of L. Frank Baum, two times removed. He created The Hidden History of Oz saga to construct the epic fantasy foundation that makes the classic Oz stories possible.
He is a novelist, poet, screenwriter and playwright. Inspired by such notable authors as C.S. Lewis, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, and Louis L'Amour, he knew at ten years old that he was destined to be a writer.
His life's mission is to share the timeless stories of magical lands and bridge the gap between dreams and magic.

Reviews

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is a prequel to the Oz books proper, an idea that’s been done a few times, from Hugh Pendexter’s Oz and the Three Witches to the recent movie Oz the Great and Powerful. As with some of these others, it tells the story of how the Wizard arrived in Oz and how the witches came to power. As with the film, there’s a suggestion of romance between the Wizard and Glinda, which is kind of odd as she seems to be distrustful of the Wizard in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Then again, this could be the result of something that happens in a later book. I do want to point out, however, that both Pendexter and Donald Abbott don’t have the Wizard and Glinda meet face to face during his reign over the Emerald City. Glinda is much younger here than the books make her, turning sixteen at the end of the book. Much of the story involves her trying to escape from under the shadow of her late mother Gayelette. The Winged Monkeys and Smith and Tinker have their parts to play, and the latter have found a way to make people from sand for performing menial tasks. The wicked witches find a way to turn these created beings into soldiers by mixing their own blood with the sand, which could be why the Wicked Witch of the West no longer has any blood by the time of Wizard. There are a few oddities, like Glinda and Gayelette being the only people in Oz with red hair and native Ozites never dreaming. They work for the story Telford is telling, but aren’t entirely consistent with the Oz canon as a whole. While it differs in some ways from my own views on the history of Oz, it’s an enjoyable and well-written book. I’m sure I’ll read the others at some point.

[Aditya Jha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Orphan Sorceress of Oz : By Tarl Telford

My Rating : 4.8/5

📚Generations without war have grown fragile and tired in the Land of Oz decades before Dorothy. The witches plot to split the land and reinvent Oz in their own picture from the shadows. This new era in the Land of Oz is defined by magic and mayhem, visions and rebellion, secrets and sacrifice.
After seeing Oz the Great and Powerful in the theaters, I read this book and was pleasantly pleased by the story's imagination.

📚This story, unlike Oz the Great and Strong, is more about Glinda than Oscar. Instead of being a goody two shoes who likes to float around in bubbles—not that there's something wrong with that—Glinda has a stubborn streak and often fights with her mother, which sets in motion the events of the novel. I wasn't sure Tarl Telford would be able to pull off this personality switch, but he did. Oh, and she's a voracious reader! YEAH!

📚Then there's Oscar (the wizard), and there's some romance! His character is also different from what I expected; he is far less cocky and, in my opinion, far sweeter than in the film. He was appealing to me.
The story is beautifully told; it's a little gloomy at times, and it has a touch of Frank Baum's original prose. It tells the story of how Oz came to be the way it was when Dorothy arrived in a special and page-turning way that doesn't leave any details out. It was an excellent novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

📚This is a short and enjoyable read. Glinda's viewpoint before she became almost all-powerful is fascinating to read. There are plot holes that leap out and scream at the ardent fan of the original Oz books, but it's important to note that the author wrote this book as a prequel only for the first Oz book, The Orphan Sorceress of Oz. The book is remarkable in that it maintains the original taste of Oz while still altering it sufficiently to reveal more feeling. Glinda's defiance and fiery temper are the polar opposite of the cool, smiling picture we associate with her today, but they make her much more approachable and relatable. Look no further if you're looking for a lighthearted, quick read that you can share with kids of all ages (including adults).The Orphan Sorceress of Oz is a satisfying read that makes you want to read the sequel.

[Brian Gresham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book. The story and characters were great. They were fully rounded and not cardboard; they were flawed and human. It was fun to read the adventures of Glinda and the wizard before Dorothy. I’m looking forward to the sequel.

The book is self published, and could use a good editor and copy editor. There are many typographical, grammatical and punctuation errors. The writing is overall good. His use of imagery and metaphor and descriptions are mostly fantastic; however there is some repetitiveness and sometimes th analogies don’t fit. A good editor could help refine the writing. It’s food writing but it could use some polish. If you like the Wizard of Oz, especially the book, you’ll enjoy this read.

[Haley Currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book!

What a fun book! I am obsessed with OZ and this book did not disappoint. I'm excited to finish the series! Great for YA and adults :)
Happy reading!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really sure what I was hoping this book would be, but it was not quite what I wanted. Like so many "serious" fairy-tale stories, this one seems unsure as to whether it was an Adult story or a Young Adult story, so I kept feeling like thing just didn't fit right. Even when stuff was happening in the story, it often felt kind of slow.
I have Not read the original Oz stories (yet), so I cannot say if this story fits well with those or not.

[Gabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more of my reviews at My Full Bookshelf Reviews

I read this book after watching Oz the Great and Powerful in theaters and was pleasantly surprised at the creativity of the story. This book is a must-read for fans of Wizard of Oz!

Unlike Oz the Great and Powerful, this story focuses on Glinda more than Oscar. I liked the original take on Glinda's personality; rather than being a goodie two shoes who likes to float around in bubbles--not that there's anything wrong with that--Glinda has a rebellious streak, and clashes with her mother often, which starts the chain of events in the book. I wasn't sure that Tarl Telford could pull off this personality twist, but he did it well. Oh, and she's a bookworm! YAY!

And then Oscar (The wizard) comes, and there's a bit of romance! His character also is a bit different from what I was expecting; he is way less cocky then in the movie, and much sweeter, in my opinion. I liked him.

You are also introduced to some new characters: Glinda's loveable friend Winkie-Kells, Omby-Amby, and many more.

The story is brilliantly told; it is somewhat dark at some parts, and has that hint of Frank Baum's original writing in it. It explains exactly how Oz came to be like it was when Dorothy arrived in a very unique and pageturning way, and leaves no detail out. It was a great story, and I enjoyed reading it!

[Lucy Busker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally an engaging story with interesting, flawed characters, and lots of girls and women who are movers and shakers. I could have lived with a little less,"America, fuck yeah!", although in way, given that the wizard later fails at democracy and a benevolent dictator is put on the throne, you have to wonder what the real message is. I look forward to a sequel so I can find out.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read! I enjoyed the author's take on the history of Oz and the interplay of the characters.

[Tim Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome well researched history of my favorite topic OZ!! Cant wait to start the next one.