much like ours in which the “Righteous States of
America” is on the brink of war with a mythical
kingdom. The protagonists visit a magical library
and become reluctantly involved with a prince
whose secret identity is the Blue Avenger. Al-
though slightly lighter in tone than her other se-
ries, the trilogy still features Baudino’s
preoccupation with the role of religion and her
reservations about the effect of its influence on so-
ciety. Her only solo novel, The Gossamer Axe
(1990), is an entertaining but minor time travel
fantasy.
Baum, L. Frank (1856–1919)
L. Frank Baum is, of course, best known for THE
WIZARD OF OZ(1900), along with several sequels,
a children’s fantasy world so popular that other
writers have been adding to the series ever since.
Baum began writing for children in the late
1890s, but it was not until 1900 that the first Oz
book appeared. Baum would go on to write 13
more in the series, not all of them involving the
original characters, which greatly overshadowed
his other children’s fiction, some of which is
equally charming.
The Surprising Adventures of the Magical
Monarch of Mo(1900) appeared almost simultane-
ously with The Wizard of Oz.It has a similarly
whimsical setting and an odd cast of characters
but lacks the excitement and inventiveness of Oz.
Dot and Tot of Merryland(1901) has a plot remark-
ably similar to Oz. Two children wander into a
magical land consisting of seven valleys, make
friends with the local queen, but suspect her mo-
tives when it comes time to leave. The Master Key
(1901) is arguably science fiction, since the won-
ders are eventually explained scientifically. The
Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1902) is
Baum’s best known non-Oz book, an amusing
look at how Santa organizes his annual expedi-
tion; he followed it up with the short “A Kid-
napped Santa Claus” in 1904. In The Enchanted
Island of Yew(1903) a magical being wishes to be
transformed into a heroic human. Baum’s remain-
ing interesting non-Oz book was Queen Zixi of Ix
(1905), in which a magical cloak helps a young
boy become king.
It had become obvious by 1903 that the Oz
books were what the reading public wanted, so
Baum concentrated on them with mixed results,
the later volumes generally being less interesting
than the earlier ones as he ran low on fresh ideas
to sustain them. Occasional other works continued
to appear, including The Sea Fairies(1911) and its
sequel, Sky Island(1912), although the latter had
some connection with the Oz books. Baum’s early
short fiction for children is collected in American
Fairy Tales(1901).Beagle, Peter S.(1939– )
Peter S. Beagle’s debut novel, A Fine and Private
Place(1960), is a gentle and even sentimental fan-
tasy of a type that has largely disappeared from
contemporary fantasy literature. The setting is a
cemetery in which dwell a diverse group of charac-
ters, both living and dead, including a talking
raven. There is little physical action, and the story
is largely told through the dialogue and interac-
tions of the various characters in fairly static con-
ditions, although extra tension is added by the
apparent decision by a family to relocate one of the
bodies. Since the ghosts are tied to the physical
vicinity of their remains, this will separate a pair
who have found true love in this gentle afterlife
existence. Unfortunately, they are unable to com-
municate with their living relatives. Their affair is
mirrored by another among the living. The novel
remains very popular, and at the time there was
considerable interest in Beagle’s next work, al-
though he would prove to be disappointingly un-
productive for some time. Only one short story
appeared during the next several years, “COME,
LADY DEATH”, in which death personified appears
at a dinner party.
Beagle’s second fantasy novel, The Last Uni-
corn(1968), drew upon a much different tradi-
tion. The unicorn of the title is the only one who
remains free in a magical world, so she sets off on
a quest to find others of her kind, her efforts in-
tersecting the life of Schmendrick, a would-be
magician with maturity problems. Their subse-
quent adventures are episodic and frequently
amusing, and Beagle’s understated prose style is
highly effective. Ultimately, the unicorn is magi-18 Baum, L. Frank