After my disappointment with The Patchwork Girl of Oz, I wasn’t keen on continuing the series. I’m glad I did, however, as the eighth book, Tik-Tok of Oz, is more enjoyable and original. It begins with Ann Soforth, the ruler of Oogaboo (a very small kingdom) setting out to conquer Oz. Meanwhile, Oklahoma girl Betsy and her mule Hank are shipwrecked and end up in Roseland, where they meet with the Shaggy Man, who is on a quest to free his brother from the Nome King. Joining the party is another previously known character, Polychrome the rainbow’s daughter. Along with Princess Ozga (exiled from Roseland) and Tik-Tok (found in a well and reactivated), they encounter the Oogaboo army. With the help of some fairies from the other side of the world, and a dragon named Quox, they are able to defeat the Nome King.

Every chapter is alliterative – for example, ‘Tik-Tok Tackles a Tough Task’ and ‘The Roses Repulse the Refugees’. Betsy and Hank are a good pairing and have almost as much appeal as Dorothy and Toto. We discover why, in a land where animals can talk when they didn’t before, Toto continues to woof. I imagine that the question was asked in a letter from a reader! Also notable is the Wizard’s invention of a pocket wireless telephone, which Ozma and Shaggy use to converse over long distances.

Despite the title, Tik-Tok is not the main character in the book. It’s always interesting when he’s around, though, because he’s one of the earliest robots in literature and he provokes commentary from other characters about whether he is alive.

Published in 1914, illustrated by John R Neill. I read this copy from Project Gutenberg.