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I just started the first Oz book by Ruth Plumly Thompson and ... whoah. In the first few pages it felt like the part in the movie of The Wizard of Oz where it's suddenly in color. There is motion, action, people doing things. I wouldn't say her writing is 'better,' really, but I hadn't realized how... static Baum's writing was. I mean, I was annoyed by the business of everything being gold and jewel-encrusted and blanket statements of The Emerald City and Ozma being the most beautiful and perfect. Very 'show-not-tell'. Every time Ozma had a party it was all about everyone sitting at the dinner table and having "whatever food most pleased them." In this book someone walks in on one of Ozma's parties and people are playing Blind Man's Bluff - Dorothy is It and everyone's running around! Like, what?? I'm sure Baum would just have said "everyone had a wonderful time," but here it sounded like they were having fun. Startling. :)
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