Trouble Under Oz

Oz Continued #49

by Sherwood Smith, William Stout (Illustrator)

Big trouble is brewing in Oz! Sinister clouds boil ominously over the Emerald City, Dorothy has gone missing, and there are rumblings of rebellion in the Nome Kingdom. So a desperate plea for help goes out from Princess Ozma to two resourceful sisters from Kansas through the magic snow globe that helped bring them to Oz once before.

But the girls face troubles of their own at home, and only one of them can answer Ozma's call. It's up to Dori to prevent a war deep in the caverns of the Nomes, while Em tries to do the same between their parents. It's hard to say who has the tougher job.

Written by acclaimed fantasy author Sherwood Smith and adorned with marvelous full-page black-and-white illustrations by William Stout, Trouble Under Oz is the second adventure featuring Dori and Em, two modern-day descendants of Dorothy Gale. The girls find themselves drawn even deeper into the affairs of the magical land they first visited in The Emerald Wand of Oz.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Juvenile

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I am a writer,( Patreon here) but I'm on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.

I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trouble Under Oz follows the further adventures of Dori and Em of The Emerald Wand of Oz. When they receive a call for help from Princess Ozma, Dori and Em decide that only one of them can return to Oz, since there's no tornado to cover for their absence this time.

While Em stays at home, fending off questions and mediating between her separated parents, Dori goes to Oz, where she joins up with the nome Rik, on a quest to regain his kingdom from King Kaliko. Rik and Dori are assisted by Prince Inga of Pingaree, from Rinkitink in Oz, whom I was delighted to see, as Rinkitink in Oz is one of my favorite Oz books, and Baum, at least, never returned to those particular characters.

Like The Emerald Wand of Oz, Trouble Under Oz combines a modern sensibility with the fantastic fairyland readers love, and Trouble Under Oz goes deeper into setting and characters, making, I think, an even better book.

[Suren Oganessian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was better than the first in Sherwood Smith's Oz trilogy, overall. It didn't have the pacing issues of The Emerald Wand of Oz and we get to the plot fairly quickly. It was interesting learning more about the Nomes, and Em's subplot of trying to distract her parents from Dori's absence was entertaining. I had two main qualms with it; one is that unfortunately a lot of it felt like a retread of Baum's Oz books, in particular there were times where I felt that I was re-reading Rinkitink in Oz, and Prince Inga remembered everything a little too well for it having been close to a century since the events in that book; the second qualm is a canonical one, whereas Baum did say that no one can die in Oz, he never said the same was true for other countries on his continent, so it is never explained why Prince Inga and his family are still alive and the same age in the present day. I was a bit disappointed we never get to see Ruggedo either, despite one of the main characters being his son. Dorothy is still missing by the end of the book too, continuing an unresolved plot point from the previous book, and I suppose I'm going to have to track down the hard-to-find third installment of the trilogy eventually to find out what's up with her disappearance and all the random black clouds appearing over Oz. It was enough to satisfy my craving for "more about Oz", at least.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of the three “new” Oz books that Sherwood Smith created, and it builds upon the good work that she did with the first one while adding some interesting new ideas.

Perhaps more importantly, it also explores the story line that’s happening simultaneously in our own world. The two sisters who are our protagonists find that they have to split up, with one going to Oz to complete a quest while the other stays home alone and tries to justify their absence to their parents and the lady next door, who’s supposed to be looking after them during a snowstorm.

The main quest involves a diplomatic mission dealing with the gnomes, with a little hint of the ongoing mysterious disappearance of Dorothy Gale, who’s the ancestor of the two girls we follow. There’s plenty of mystery and intrigue along the way, along with visits to a few old friends and even a couple of new ones.

And as we can tell from the title, not all is going well beneath the land of Oz. But then I guess that if everything was hunky dory, we wouldn’t have much of a story, would we?

Sherwood Smith’s contributions to the Oz series are a whole heap of fun. I’d definitely recommend reading this trilogy if you’re an Oz fan and you want to read more.

[Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sequel to The Emerald Wand of Oz continues the adventure of Dori and Em, two modern sisters who think they are related to Dorothy Gale (whose adventures in Oz over 100 years ago were chronicles in 14 books by L. Frank Baum). The Nome Prince Rikiki is planning to return home to claim the throne from Kaliko who has been ruling since Rik's father was driven out. Ozma summons Dori, who became friends with Rik in the first book, and asks her to accompany Prince Inga of Pingaree on a mission to visit Rik. She fears that a struggle for power in the Nome Kingdom might trigger a war with their hostile neighbors, and feels Inga, with Dori's help, will be able to communicate with Rik. Meanwhile Em is left at home to cover for Dori's absence.
It is best to be familiar with Baum's original stories to appreciate the many adventures Dori has with Inga and Rik as they revisit lands and people that Dorothy knew 100 years ago. For those familiar with Baum's work this can be a delightful chance to learn more from the latest Royal Historian of Oz. Being the second book of a trilogy, however, do not expect all plot themes to be completely worked out. The third book of this trilogy, while written, has not yet been published. Hopefully soon, the final volume will become available and we can learn the conclusion of this interesting contribution to the Oz series.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smith's follow-up to The Emerald Wand of Oz is a treasure for Baum fans to read, but may be a little confusing for readers unfamiliar with the original fourteen books and Smith's first book in the series. Dori returns to Oz to battle the Nome (sic) king while her twin sister Em stays in Kansas and pretends to be both sisters when her traveling parents call or when neighbors stop by. Readers familiar with Rinkitink in Oz will recognize Prince Inga and appreciate the way Smith has reintroduced his relationship with the Nomes to this next generation of stories. Unfortunately, it appears that the publishers are not pursuing this series, so Trouble is the last book-- leaving the mystery of Dorothy's disappearance unanswered. If Oz fans can deal with that loose thread, they should check out this book. Best for readers 8-11.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked Trouble Under Oz better than Sherwood Smith's first Oz book. It felt more like a regular Oz book, which is kind of odd, since the majority of it takes place outside Oz. We learn a lot about the workings of the Nome Kingdom, and find out about some of their dangerous neighbors. The Long-Eared Hearer and the Lookout have some good parts in the story. Prince Inga also reappears, and his princely seriousness is a good foil to Rikiki's more childish attitudes. I thought Inga's belief that wiggling his toes made for a funny dive was a nice touch. I also thought it was interesting how Em had to cover for her missing sister. There's also a brief visit to the Vegetable Kingdom, which isn't presented in a way that's consistent with Melody Grandy's take on the Mangaboos (not that I expected it to be, but it's kind of annoying from a continuity point of view).

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modern addition to the Oz universe -- doesn't have the charm of the originals, but tells a nice story of Dori and Em and their adventures in Oz. Includes a nice explanation for the lack of female Nomes in all of the Oz books.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked this book when dori and her friends went to the underground kingdoms. my favorite kingdom underground was where everybody was invisable. the gnomes i like because they were really funny. if you want to know what happens after dorthy, you should read this book.

[Kim Bray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does not remotely compare to the classic Oz titles. However, was worth the read. A good attempt in capturing the flavor of the original Baum titles.

[Greta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun read for the whole family.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book because there wasn't very much adventure.

[Colby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

below my reading level