Book Review: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum

This book takes place after the classic Wizard of Oz tale and is one of the numerous stories about Dorothy and the Land of Oz. An earthquake drops Dorothy Gale and her cousin Zeb, along with an old horse named Jim and a white cat named Eureka, into an underground world where the people are made of vegetables and all the architecture is made of glass. There they meet up with the Wizard of Oz who helps them escape the hostile vegetable people (he's the man on the cover with the piglets). However, they do not escape danger yet as they are attacked by invisible bears and strange creatures wearing wooden wings. They are finally rescued by the Princess Ozma of Oz and continue their adventures in the safety of Oz.

This book is written in a story-telling fashion as though the author were telling the story to children. The adventures the children encounter are ridiculous and entertaining as well as the solutions they find, just what one would expect in a children's tale.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

The second book in the Harry Potter series starts with Harry back at the Dursley's (his "Muggle" guardians) for the summer. An enslaved house elf named Dobby comes to warn Harry not to return, and even gets Harry in trouble to try to keep him away from harm. However, Harry does return (after practically stealing his best friend's dad's magical car), and Dobby's warnings prove true as disaster begins to strike. Worse, Harry is being blamed for the attacks on the "Mudbloods." But the plot only thickens as Harry and Ron discover the truth behind the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. Who is the attacker? And why does Harry exhibit characteristics of a Slytherin? These are some of the questions answered in this book, but many more must wait for the next.

While the book does not emphasize good moral decisions (seems to be a trademark of the series, more pragmatic than moral), the mysterious plot kept me reading to see who was the real culprit and to see what other details that will help expound on information from the past book and will probably relate to something in the next book to thicken the plot. I would definitely have to say that the plot is the series' finer point. I also loved the ending when Dobby is freed from his slavery by Harry's stinky old sock.

Background info: Apparently, when the master gives his house elf slave a piece of clothing, any piece of clothing, the slave is free.
Book quote:

"Come, Dobby. I said, come."

But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.

"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."

"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"

"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby - Dobby is free." 

Book Review: Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The newest Phantom of the Opera movie doesn’t really do the book justice. Let’s start with Erik, the Opera Ghost. As I recall, I don’t think he was ever once named the Phantom. It is in the title, but throughout the book he was always just the Opera Ghost. He also had nothing gentlemanly about the way he treated Christine. He terrified her and messed with her mind. He behaved every inch the madman he was. The movie portrays him in a much lighter, kinder way than he is portrayed in the book.

Some things to note as to the differences between the movie and book:

1. The chandelier incident: It did not happen at the end and burn down the opera house. Actually, it happened during Carlotta’s croaking incident. This is also the first performance where the managers sold the Ghost’s opera box since they did not believe that he was real. The chandelier only killed the lady who was in Erik’s box.
2. The Persian: This a deleted character, however he was actually a very important to the story. The Persian is the man who saved Erik’s life, not Madame Giry. He helps Raoul rescue Christine at the end and narrates the whole ordeal.
3. Erik’s torture chamber: As I said before, Erik was in no way a gentleman towards anyone, even Christine. At the end, he even tortures Christine. His torture chamber is very effective, and he uses it against Raoul and the Persian, who barely escape death many times in his psychological torture.
4. Erik’s disfigurement: His whole face was disfigured, described as dead skin, like a corpse. It was not merely half his face. He is also described as having glowing yellow eyes. And he was a madman, not just someone who was angry with his circumstances.
5. There was no awesome cemetery swordfight between the Ghost and Raoul. However, at the cemetery, the Ghost did topple a large pile of bones on Raoul that knocked him unconscious.

One thing the movie does get right is Erik’s transformation after Christine allows him to kiss him. However, he only kisses her forehead. He ceases his madman behavior, allows Christine and Raoul to leave, and tells the Persian that he is going to stop his insanity. Erik then leaves the opera house and is never heard from again. Christine and Raoul are never heard from again either, since they had to elope (you know, Raoul being from an upper class family and Christine being the daughter of a poor man).

A few of my favorite quotes from the madman:

“Oh, my poor Christine, look at your wrists: tell me, have I hurt them? …That alone deserves death…Talking of death, I MUST SING HIS REQUIEM!”

“But I am very tired of it!...I’m sick and tired of having a forest and a torture-chamber in my house and of living like a mountebank, in a house with a false bottom!”

“But what does this mean?...The wall is really getting quite hot!...The wall is burning!” 

“I’ll tell you, Christine, dear: it is because of the forest next door.” 

“Well, what has that to do with it? The forest?” 

“WHY, DIDN’T YOU SEE THAT IT WAS AN AFRICAN FOREST?”