A marked improvement over the last installment in terms of plot. This one actually had some semblance of a goal and a journey that made a bit of logical sense. The writing is undeniably creative and the descriptions are still very vivid and fun to read. However, more and more these books are reading like random ideas slapped together with the intent of shipping out a new Oz book rather than a planned set to actually get anywhere relevant.

The characters in this one, though definitely not the worst of the Oz series characters, were a motley crew. Despite the cover illustration, the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man play quite minor roles. The primary characters for the journey are Dorothy, Toto, the Shaggy Man, Button-Bright, and Polychrome.

The premise for Dorothy accompanying the Shaggy Man is seriously circumspect and likely teaches children a quite incorrect way for dealing with strangers. Button-Bright drove me absolutely batty. I have never wanted to remove a child character from a book so intensely. He was a dolt and irritated me to no end. And for some reason Dorothy seems a little more insipid in this installment. She has been a vibrant and interesting character in the past, but this time she came off a bit pretentious and really as something of a know-it-all. She was not as charming as she has been in some of the previous reads.

As with the other reads in the series, this was still a quick one to get through and I do appreciate the creativity. It was moderately entertaining.