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Oz Continued #19
The Lost King of Oz (Oz
In which Mombi, perhaps the wickedest witch in Oz history, sets out to find the legendary Lost King of OZ whom she enchanted many years before. Pajuka the Goose, and Snip, a lively Gillikin boy, assist her—while Dorothy wishes her way to California and returns to Oz with a motion picture stunt dummy costumed as a king.
Snip is thrown down a well by Mombi, but rescues a tailor with magic ears from the underground city of Blankenberg. Kabumpo the Elegant Elephant carries the entire party to Emerald City, but magic feather has lured Ozma, the Wizard, and the other Oz celebrities to the deserted kingdom of Morrow. Will the Lost King be found— and will he reclaim the throne of Oz from Ozma?
Snip is thrown down a well by Mombi, but rescues a tailor with magic ears from the underground city of Blankenberg. Kabumpo the Elegant Elephant carries the entire party to Emerald City, but magic feather has lured Ozma, the Wizard, and the other Oz celebrities to the deserted kingdom of Morrow. Will the Lost King be found— and will he reclaim the throne of Oz from Ozma?
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1925
6 people are currently reading
365 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Plumly Thompson
108 books51 followersAn avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote a weekly children's column for the newspaper. She had already published her first children's book, The Perhappsy Chaps, and her second, The Princess of Cozytown, was pending publication when William Lee, vice president of Baum's publisher Reilly & Lee, solicited Thompson to continue the Oz series. (Rumors among fans that Thompson was Baum's niece were untrue.) Between 1921 and 1939, she wrote one Oz book a year. (Thompson was the primary supporter of her widowed mother and invalid sister, so that the annual income from the Oz books was important for her financial circumstances.)
Thompson's contributions to the Oz series are lively and imaginative, featuring a wide range of colorful and unusual characters. However, one particular theme repeats over and over throughout her novels, with little variation. Typically in each of Thompson's Oz novels, a child (usually from America) and a supernatural companion (usually a talking animal), while traveling through Oz or one of the neighboring regions, find themselves in an obscure community where the inhabitants engage in a single activity. The inhabitants of this community then capture the travelers, and force them to participate in this same activity.
Another major theme has elderly characters, most controversially, the Good Witch of the North, being restored to "marriageable" age, possibly because Thompson herself never married. She had a greater tendency toward the use of romantic love stories (which Baum usually avoided in his fairy tales, with about 4 exceptions). While Baum's child protagonists tended to be little girls, Thompson's were boys. She emphasized humor to a greater extent than Baum did, and always considered her work for children, whereas Baum, while first and foremost considering his child audience, knew that his readership comprised all ages.
Thompson's last Oz story, The Enchanted Island of Oz(1976), was not originally written as an Oz book.
Thompson's contributions to the Oz series are lively and imaginative, featuring a wide range of colorful and unusual characters. However, one particular theme repeats over and over throughout her novels, with little variation. Typically in each of Thompson's Oz novels, a child (usually from America) and a supernatural companion (usually a talking animal), while traveling through Oz or one of the neighboring regions, find themselves in an obscure community where the inhabitants engage in a single activity. The inhabitants of this community then capture the travelers, and force them to participate in this same activity.
Another major theme has elderly characters, most controversially, the Good Witch of the North, being restored to "marriageable" age, possibly because Thompson herself never married. She had a greater tendency toward the use of romantic love stories (which Baum usually avoided in his fairy tales, with about 4 exceptions). While Baum's child protagonists tended to be little girls, Thompson's were boys. She emphasized humor to a greater extent than Baum did, and always considered her work for children, whereas Baum, while first and foremost considering his child audience, knew that his readership comprised all ages.
Thompson's last Oz story, The Enchanted Island of Oz(1976), was not originally written as an Oz book.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 21, 2017
Search for Ozma's Dad Involves Goose, Witch, and Pompous Pachyderm
Ruth Plumly Thompson ultimately wrote far more Oz books than L.Frank Baum, who dreamed up most of the famous characters. She racked up 23 in comparison to the founder of the series, who only wrote twelve. This is the fifth one of hers. Readers will be glad to reunite with Dorothy, Ozma, the Wizard, Scraps, Tiktok and the Scarecrow (briefly). We even get back together with evil old Mombi (from "The Land of Oz"--Baum's second book) who is plotting to get back her magic and take over. She transformed Ozma into a boy back then, and so it seems, her father and his Prime Minister, Pajuka too. Pajuka became a goose, but nobody knew where the old King had gone. That's why he was a "lost king". Duhh. But a daring young boy from Kimbaloo winds up with Mombi and the goose on a series of adventures as they head to the Emerald City to recapture the magic. Meanwhile Dorothy has a few of her own, dropping into California for a few minutes and then meeting the ever-surprising villages of weird peoples that inhabit the backblocks of Oz, ultimately returning riding on Kabumpo, a very stuffy, self-centered elephant. Can they ever find the King? Will they stop Mombi? Who lives in Blankenburg? You have to read the book, which is chock-full of puns as usual. The language is rather more modern than in Baum's classic works and the story, less cloying. I have liked all the Oz books since I was a kid, and the adventures here are up to the usual. I always particularly liked Prof. Wogglebug and Jack Pumpkinhead, but they don't appear in this one.
Ruth Plumly Thompson ultimately wrote far more Oz books than L.Frank Baum, who dreamed up most of the famous characters. She racked up 23 in comparison to the founder of the series, who only wrote twelve. This is the fifth one of hers. Readers will be glad to reunite with Dorothy, Ozma, the Wizard, Scraps, Tiktok and the Scarecrow (briefly). We even get back together with evil old Mombi (from "The Land of Oz"--Baum's second book) who is plotting to get back her magic and take over. She transformed Ozma into a boy back then, and so it seems, her father and his Prime Minister, Pajuka too. Pajuka became a goose, but nobody knew where the old King had gone. That's why he was a "lost king". Duhh. But a daring young boy from Kimbaloo winds up with Mombi and the goose on a series of adventures as they head to the Emerald City to recapture the magic. Meanwhile Dorothy has a few of her own, dropping into California for a few minutes and then meeting the ever-surprising villages of weird peoples that inhabit the backblocks of Oz, ultimately returning riding on Kabumpo, a very stuffy, self-centered elephant. Can they ever find the King? Will they stop Mombi? Who lives in Blankenburg? You have to read the book, which is chock-full of puns as usual. The language is rather more modern than in Baum's classic works and the story, less cloying. I have liked all the Oz books since I was a kid, and the adventures here are up to the usual. I always particularly liked Prof. Wogglebug and Jack Pumpkinhead, but they don't appear in this one.
August 3, 2022
It’s been fun to crack on with the Oz series, and I feel like this was one of the better ones. There’s a lot to like about the Oz books, and even though Baum was dead by this point, I still think this is a great example of the series as a whole. And by this point, it doesn’t really matter if you’re reading them in order or not.
True, there are elements here that feel familiar, and they could well have been lifted from other books in the series. By this point, I’m so far in that I can’t remember, although I think Joel Swagman would be able to tell you. I’m technically reading these books as a buddy read with him, although we’re no longer in synch and so I have no idea where he is.
All in all, I thought The Lost King of Oz was a pretty good read, with some fun jokes along the way and some clever little plot points that almost stand out from the original Oz books because I don’t think Baum would have thought of them. I also didn’t spot a huge number of contradictions, although that doesn’t mean that they weren’t there. And besides, they’re pretty much a hallmark of the series by this point. Thanks, Baum.
True, there are elements here that feel familiar, and they could well have been lifted from other books in the series. By this point, I’m so far in that I can’t remember, although I think Joel Swagman would be able to tell you. I’m technically reading these books as a buddy read with him, although we’re no longer in synch and so I have no idea where he is.
All in all, I thought The Lost King of Oz was a pretty good read, with some fun jokes along the way and some clever little plot points that almost stand out from the original Oz books because I don’t think Baum would have thought of them. I also didn’t spot a huge number of contradictions, although that doesn’t mean that they weren’t there. And besides, they’re pretty much a hallmark of the series by this point. Thanks, Baum.
February 2, 2025
Loved hearing about Oz history that we almost never get! Lurline! Pastoria! Very cool! Loved that Mombi was a central character. I was a little surprised at what happened to Mombi at the end! Haven’t read an Oz book in a while and glad I picked this one up.
October 16, 2021
Okay, I think this story was overly silly and had too many needless divergences from the basic plot. It was a good idea to have the former king Pastoria (mentioned only once by Baum, IIRC) still be alive and well, but enchanted.
Once Thompson was assigned the task of continuing the Oz books, she had the challenge of ploughing through Baum's scrambled canon and making sense of it all. But one thing was unnecessary: transforming Mombi from the minor wicked witch living under the radar in the region ruled by the Good Witch of the North, to not only the former Wicked Witch of the North (defeated by the Good Witch) but also the worst of the worst of all Wicked Witches.
When Mombi, Snip, and the Goose were traveling, a certain friendship could have formed among the three, and even did to a certain extent when they encountered the various obstacles.
Once Thompson was assigned the task of continuing the Oz books, she had the challenge of ploughing through Baum's scrambled canon and making sense of it all. But one thing was unnecessary: transforming Mombi from the minor wicked witch living under the radar in the region ruled by the Good Witch of the North, to not only the former Wicked Witch of the North (defeated by the Good Witch) but also the worst of the worst of all Wicked Witches.
When Mombi, Snip, and the Goose were traveling, a certain friendship could have formed among the three, and even did to a certain extent when they encountered the various obstacles.
March 19, 2020
Thompson certainly had an interesting idea here: What became of Ozma’s Father the last and lost King of Oz. This sort of plot would have been a wonderful little suspense mystery, maybe pulling Mombi and the Wizard back into the old crime that threw Oz into a tense stalemate between Witches before Dorothy arrived.
Yet Thompson manages to make this trip rather boring, with sections of bright inspiration. We have all the hallmarks here, a haggling of characters, some episodic visits into strange pockets of Oz. Yet it all feels mostly tired. The last chapter, The now traditional parade of characters, seems very much tacked on.
Despite this there are moments of spark. For reasons I can only assume are personal interest and a reason to introduce a bad red herring, Thompson has Dorothy whisked away to then-modern California where she trips into a silent film shoots and makes friends with a dummy. Frighteningly Dorothy’s body suddenly starts to grow, as time catches up with her. Dorothy, if we assume these books are published in roughly the same time they take place was last on Earth circ. 1907. Now in 1924 Dorothy’s body attempts to rapidly grow into a 25 year old woman. A terrifying reason to keep Humans in Oz.
Yet this horrifying consequence of all that time spent in Nonesistca, is hardly commented on save when the wizard explains it at the end and when Dorothy has her tote dress repaired.
Likewise the identity of the lost king is treated as a mystery but becomes very obvious—-even without the dead give away that is the cover art.
Yet Thompson manages to make this trip rather boring, with sections of bright inspiration. We have all the hallmarks here, a haggling of characters, some episodic visits into strange pockets of Oz. Yet it all feels mostly tired. The last chapter, The now traditional parade of characters, seems very much tacked on.
Despite this there are moments of spark. For reasons I can only assume are personal interest and a reason to introduce a bad red herring, Thompson has Dorothy whisked away to then-modern California where she trips into a silent film shoots and makes friends with a dummy. Frighteningly Dorothy’s body suddenly starts to grow, as time catches up with her. Dorothy, if we assume these books are published in roughly the same time they take place was last on Earth circ. 1907. Now in 1924 Dorothy’s body attempts to rapidly grow into a 25 year old woman. A terrifying reason to keep Humans in Oz.
Yet this horrifying consequence of all that time spent in Nonesistca, is hardly commented on save when the wizard explains it at the end and when Dorothy has her tote dress repaired.
Likewise the identity of the lost king is treated as a mystery but becomes very obvious—-even without the dead give away that is the cover art.
April 9, 2021
So far, the one entry in the Oz series that I really didn't care for by Ms. Thompson is The Lost King of Oz.
In this entry in the series, we are once again visited by the witch Mombi, who has forgotten what she has done to the King of Oz. The story begins with Mombi now acting as a cook for the king of Kimbaloo. She is asked to find the lost King of Oz, Pastoria, and embarks on the journey, for she has forgotten what she enchanted Pastoria to become.
The story was an interesting one to read, but it did not quite grab my attention in the same way the previous Oz books had done. It was fun to read Mombi's journey, but at the same time there were moments that made me want to stop reading the book. I will say that the ending was a very satisfying ending, and I was pleased with the climax of the story.
Regardless, I am still going to keep with my journey in the Oz series. This one just did not quite meet the mark for me.
In this entry in the series, we are once again visited by the witch Mombi, who has forgotten what she has done to the King of Oz. The story begins with Mombi now acting as a cook for the king of Kimbaloo. She is asked to find the lost King of Oz, Pastoria, and embarks on the journey, for she has forgotten what she enchanted Pastoria to become.
The story was an interesting one to read, but it did not quite grab my attention in the same way the previous Oz books had done. It was fun to read Mombi's journey, but at the same time there were moments that made me want to stop reading the book. I will say that the ending was a very satisfying ending, and I was pleased with the climax of the story.
Regardless, I am still going to keep with my journey in the Oz series. This one just did not quite meet the mark for me.
November 26, 2024
the jello sea captured my imagination as a child. i spent hours daydreaming about what it would be like to walk on a jello sea. turns out it occupies about 3 sentences of the book
overall this one is fun but not particularly memorable. tora is sweet, the idea of a button kingdom is charming, but ozma is written so poorly. calm, poised, collected ozma trembles and swoons entirely too much in this book.
i don't really understand why baum, a man, would write braver women than thompson, a woman... sexism is really an equal-opportunity hobby i guess!
overall this one is fun but not particularly memorable. tora is sweet, the idea of a button kingdom is charming, but ozma is written so poorly. calm, poised, collected ozma trembles and swoons entirely too much in this book.
i don't really understand why baum, a man, would write braver women than thompson, a woman... sexism is really an equal-opportunity hobby i guess!
February 20, 2023
*"What is a man without his pockets?"
Apparently, he's a king.
Mombi, the witch who was once responsible for kidnapping Ozma and disguising her as a boy, is back and she wants to restore Ozma's father to the throne. I guess because he was reputedly a very absent-minded king and it was basically Witches Gone Wild while he was in charge.
Apparently, he's a king.
Mombi, the witch who was once responsible for kidnapping Ozma and disguising her as a boy, is back and she wants to restore Ozma's father to the throne. I guess because he was reputedly a very absent-minded king and it was basically Witches Gone Wild while he was in charge.
January 4, 2026
The male main character this book is Snip, a Gillikin boy who is being forced by Mombi to hunt down Ozma's father. Mombi is the witch who had transformed Ozma into Tip and apparently cursed and hidden her father. With her magic stripped at the end of The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), she can't remember what she did with him, but she's been reminded of it by Pajuka the Goose who claims to be the Prime Minister of Oz.
I don't recall Baum ever mentioning a Prime Minister in any of his books. Nor do I recall him hinting that Oz might be a parliamentary government. But here we are because most times when a character says something about the nature of Oz it ends up being true (until that detail is forgotten or contradicted in a later volume).
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2026/com...
Scarecrow / Minotaur City Maze 9900CC
I don't recall Baum ever mentioning a Prime Minister in any of his books. Nor do I recall him hinting that Oz might be a parliamentary government. But here we are because most times when a character says something about the nature of Oz it ends up being true (until that detail is forgotten or contradicted in a later volume).
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2026/com...
Scarecrow / Minotaur City Maze 9900CC
April 3, 2012
I'm waiting for these to pick back up again. This one was good - better than Cowardly Lion and and Grampa, for sure - maybe a 3.5 - but still not that riveting. I don't know, maybe I need a little Oz break again (I'm taking it right now, actually; I finished this book almost two weeks ago. Part of the time lapse, however, is just a reading valley as I instead obsessively watch Avatar). The next one is The Hungry Tiger, though, and they go to Rash, which I remember being cool, and Betsy Bobbin is featured, and I love her! So we'll see. Plus eventually we get the Purple Prince and also Peter, whom I remember liking. Although I wish she would introduce some cool new girl characters. It's a shame how much worse about this she is than Baum.
Anyway, I like the dummy fine, and I like Dorothy and I like that she's still intrepid; I like hanging out with Mombi, and the button boy is perfectly nice. The goose is amusing. I always appreciate an appearance by Kabumpo. I did notice that we're back to the Wizard having captured Ozma and sent her to Mombi's keeping, although apparently the witch had already captured the king.
It irritates me that Ozma seemed so nervous and a little inept. When everything jars around in the palace and Hokus comes in, she "pointed a trembling finger at hte silver casket." A trembling finger? Really? Ozma who faced down the Skeezers while trapped inside a glass dome? Ozma who heads into danger anytime she thinks it might be her duty? Shame, Ruth, shame! Her finger would be steady! And when she "sank limply into a chair and began to fan herself with a doily"?!?!?! "'Everything, everything's so queer,' murmured the little Queen, looking appealingly at Betsy and Trot." ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH.
I really like Tora, "never listen[s] to unpleasant conversations" because he can detach his ears.
That's all.
Anyway, I like the dummy fine, and I like Dorothy and I like that she's still intrepid; I like hanging out with Mombi, and the button boy is perfectly nice. The goose is amusing. I always appreciate an appearance by Kabumpo. I did notice that we're back to the Wizard having captured Ozma and sent her to Mombi's keeping, although apparently the witch had already captured the king.
It irritates me that Ozma seemed so nervous and a little inept. When everything jars around in the palace and Hokus comes in, she "pointed a trembling finger at hte silver casket." A trembling finger? Really? Ozma who faced down the Skeezers while trapped inside a glass dome? Ozma who heads into danger anytime she thinks it might be her duty? Shame, Ruth, shame! Her finger would be steady! And when she "sank limply into a chair and began to fan herself with a doily"?!?!?! "'Everything, everything's so queer,' murmured the little Queen, looking appealingly at Betsy and Trot." ARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH.
I really like Tora, "never listen[s] to unpleasant conversations" because he can detach his ears.
That's all.
January 19, 2016
A great Oz book that is very welcome after the lackluster "Grampa in Oz". Ruth Plumly Thompson includes all the elements that we want from a continuation of the Oz series.
Baum's original characters feature prominently in the plot. She even brings back the witch Mombi, whom I don't believe we have seen since her undoing in the second installment, "The Land of Oz".
She gives us more details concerning the history of Oz before Dorothy's visit. We had heard some things about the fairy Lurline and Ozma's father, but no further explanation of where Ozma's father was.
She also provides an answer to a previously unanswered question. Everyone who comes to Oz is frozen at whatever age they are when they get there. Dorothy has never aged. So what happens to her if she returns to America? In this book, Dorothy pays a brief visit to the U.S., specifically Hollywood, and we get the answer.
This was one of Plumly's best contributions to the Oz series.
Baum's original characters feature prominently in the plot. She even brings back the witch Mombi, whom I don't believe we have seen since her undoing in the second installment, "The Land of Oz".
She gives us more details concerning the history of Oz before Dorothy's visit. We had heard some things about the fairy Lurline and Ozma's father, but no further explanation of where Ozma's father was.
She also provides an answer to a previously unanswered question. Everyone who comes to Oz is frozen at whatever age they are when they get there. Dorothy has never aged. So what happens to her if she returns to America? In this book, Dorothy pays a brief visit to the U.S., specifically Hollywood, and we get the answer.
This was one of Plumly's best contributions to the Oz series.
January 28, 2024
I think this is the first Thompson book I read, years ago at my grandma's house. The story wanders a bit--all the way to Hollywood, California! It's nice to see a little homage to the film industry that Baum himself loved. Though really there's no reason for that part of the story and no explanation given for how the magic incantation got put onto Humpy.
Snip, Pajuka, and Tora are all lovely characters, and seeing Mombi again is exciting. I'm glad Mombi is finally disposed of, but also disappointed we won't see her again. I think she's possibly the best Oz villain--just full of resentment and bitterness.
Great fun overall.
Snip, Pajuka, and Tora are all lovely characters, and seeing Mombi again is exciting. I'm glad Mombi is finally disposed of, but also disappointed we won't see her again. I think she's possibly the best Oz villain--just full of resentment and bitterness.
Great fun overall.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2023
Really solid Oz book.
Lots of likable, fun characters in the cast, good use of Oz history, several fun set pieces, Plumly-Thompson juggles a big cast pretty well and most of the jokes work.
You will figure out the mystery of the lost king, about 20 pages before the heroes, as with all her Oz books, there's a couple short bits that could have been books on their own, and the ending is a bit rushed, but those are minor grumbles.
This is a fun read and up there as one of my favorites of her Oz books.
Lots of likable, fun characters in the cast, good use of Oz history, several fun set pieces, Plumly-Thompson juggles a big cast pretty well and most of the jokes work.
You will figure out the mystery of the lost king, about 20 pages before the heroes, as with all her Oz books, there's a couple short bits that could have been books on their own, and the ending is a bit rushed, but those are minor grumbles.
This is a fun read and up there as one of my favorites of her Oz books.
November 10, 2011
One of the more predictable Oz books I've read. Once again about 10 characters are thrown into the mix, two or three go on adventures and have mishaps, and the very predictable Lost King is revealed at the end. I haven't used my speed-reading skills much since I got my Kindle, but I kicked it into overdrive and read this one in about twenty minutes, which is about all the time it deserved.
December 22, 2012
Humorous, fantastic, a little shallow. My first introduction to Oz; my second encounter was the film. I loved all the characters, even Mombi, and revered each illustrated plate in my mother's copy when I was growing up.
September 24, 2011
Nowhere close to the charm, magic, and inventiveness of the originals. These books should not be considered Oz canon. This had the potential to be so much more.
July 29, 2012
Pastoria was King of Oz before the Wizard, but no one knew where he had disappeared to.
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