Norton began falling into a formula from this
point forward, rewarding her fans with more of the
same but rarely providing anything new as she ex-
plored her fantasy world. There are quests, battles
to control thrones, and wars against evil sorcerers,
with sometimes a hint of romance, although Nor-
ton rarely explores the latter in any detail. The
best of the later adventures include Zarsthor’s Bane
(1978) and The Warding of Witch World(1996). Al-
though most of the other novels are individually
undistinguished, Norton’s creation clearly had a
very strong appeal to a large number of readers.
Spell of the Witch World(1972) and Lore of the
Witch World(1980) are collections of short adven-
tures. Norton also edited Tales of the Witch World,
three volumes published between 1987 and 1990,
and Four from the Witch World(1989), which al-
lowed other writers to use her creation. Late in her
career Norton coauthored several additional
Witch World novels with other writers, including
A. C. Crispin, P. M. Griffin, Mary Schaub, Patricia
Matthews, Sasha Miller, and Lyn McConchie.
The Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum(1900)
This classic children’s novel, first published as The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz,was to dominate the career
of L. Frank BAUMeven as it has become one of the
dominant books in children’s literature. Although
Baum wrote occasional children’s fantasies not set in
the land of Oz, some of them quite good, he never
again achieved the success of Dorothy’s first trip to
Oz. He eventually wrote 13 full-length sequels and a
handful of shorter pieces, expanding the lives of his
characters as well as introducing new ones and ex-
ploring ever farther from the Emerald City.
The characters of the Cowardly Lion, the
Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman have become a
part of our general cultural heritage, their images
sharpened by the 1939 film version, which re-
mained reasonably loyal to the book, although
first-time readers who have seen the film version
may be surprised at how much was invented for
the screen. Dorothy arrives in Oz and is assigned a
quest, to accomplish which she gathers a group of
companions, a formula very familiar to adult fan-
tasy readers. The color and liveliness of Oz is con-
trasted sharply to the desolation and dullness of
Kansas, Dorothy’s home. The movie suggests that
Oz may have been a dream, but the books make it
clear that her adventures are genuine.
Baum’s first sequel, The Land of Oz(1904), is
one of the better ones, following the adventures of
three human children in the land beyond the rain-
bow. Ozma of Oz(1907) introduced another recur-
ring character, Princess Ozma, Dorothy and the
Wizard of Oz(1908) takes the reader on a tour of
an underground world, and The Tin Woodman of
Oz(1981) follows the exploits of the Tin Wood-
man, who sets off on a journey of his own. Most of
the rest of the books involve an attempt to con-
quer the Emerald City, usually by a rival king who
is rather easily defeated.
Several other authors continued the series fol-
lowing Baum’s death, the most prominent and pro-
lific of whom was Ruth Plumly THOMPSON. Other
Oz writers include Donald Abbott, Eric Shanower,
John R. Neill, Jack Snow, David Hulan, and Robin
Hess. At least two Oz novels have been intended
for adults, A Barnstormer in Oz(1982), by Philip
Jose Farmer, and The Emerald Burrito of Oz(2000),
by John SKIPPand Mark Levinthal. Several films
have been based at least in part of the Oz books,
including The Wizard of Mars(1964), which moves
the story to another planet, The Wiz(1978), a mu-
sical set in Harlem, and the very underappreciated
Return to Oz(1985).Wolfe, Gene(1931– )
Since Gene Wolfe’s professional background is in en-
gineering, it is not surprising that he has written a
considerable body of science fiction, although in gen-
eral he avoids dwelling on technology to such a de-
gree that much of the science in his science fiction
also feels very much like magic. Although he was
selling regularly as early as the mid-1960s, his first
significant fantasy did not appear until a decade
later. Peace(1975) is an ambiguous, nonlinear narra-
tive that is cast in the form of the posthumous mem-
oirs of a man responsible for multiple murders who
appears to be haunting a house, although that is
never explicitly stated. The Devil in a Forest(1977),
for young adults, is similarly light on fantasy, written
as a murder mystery in a medieval setting. Free Live
Free(1984) is more clearly fantastic, involving timeWolfe, Gene 387