- Paperback: 244 pages
- Publisher: Del Rey; 1st printing edition (May 12 1986)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345328698
- ISBN-13: 978-0345328694
- Product Dimensions: 14 x 1.3 x 21.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #643,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
About average, as far as Oz books go,
By Nathan M DeHoff (Absurd City) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Purple Prince of Oz (The Wonderful Oz Books, No 26) (Paperback)
As far as Oz books go, this one has a lot going for it. Kabumpo, my favorite Thompson character, is back, and he is accompanied by Jinnicky, the Red Jinn of Ev, in his first major role. The evil fairy Faleero, as an exaggerated puritanical character who allows no fun and games, makes a good villain. I don't think it's really among Thompson's best, partially because the plot seems a bit rehashed and hurried. This story had been preceded by numerous conquest by transformation plots, and PURPLE PRINCE is the second Oz book in which Pumperdink is in danger. The book, like most Oz books, contains visits to a lot of small villages, but most of them aren't developed very much, with the characters just coming in, being threatened, and leaving. It's almost as if Thompson felt she HAD to include some of these villages (maybe to pad out the book, which isn't one of her longer ones), but had trouble coming up with ideas for them that she could really develop. I don't think these flaws really hurt the book that much, though; it's just that I'd say it's only average among Oz books. This is a fun book to read, and one I would highly recommend to anyone who likes Oz.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Purple Price of Oz,
By A Customer
This review is from: Purple Prince of Oz (The Wonderful Oz Books, No 26) (Paperback)
A very wonderful book which is well written and very imaginative. You get to follow the adventures of Randy and Kabumpo as they journey on and on, so that Randy may prove he is a king. Clever and funny it is a very good childrens book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not One of Thompson's Best,
By John A Lee III "jal3" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Purple Prince of Oz (The Wonderful Oz Books, No 26) (Paperback)
As I lifelong fan of the Oz series, I remember as a child reading and re-reading Baum's womderful works. Back then the dust jackets always made mention of other Oz books written by Thompson but they were always out of print. Now they are available again.The bad news is that the best of Thompson's books (of the 12 I've read thus far) is not as good as the least of Baum's The early ones especially are fairly weak but they have tended towards improvement. This volume, THE PURPLE PRINCE OF OZ, though, is a throwback to some of her earlier works as to quality and enjoyability. The story is of Prince Randy who is one a quest. He has been sent out from his kingdom to prove that he is worthy to wear the crown. His quest brings him to the kingdom of Pumperdink where he befriends Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant of Oz. The Pumperdinkian royal family is abducted by a pretender to the royal throne and it is up to Randy and Kabumpo, with help from the Red Jinn, to secure the realse of the captives and set everything right again. It is this quest which forms the basis of the story. The story relies almost exclusively on characters that Thompson created herself. In this case, most of them have had at least a passing mention in her previous books. Usually, she seems to do a better job with these but this book is an exception to the rule. Kabumpo is likeably in an ornery sort of way and so are Randy and the Red Jinn. The problem is with their journey. In typical Oz fashion, they encounter many villages with creative themes. The land of the torpedos is an example from this book. These villages, however, do little or nothing to advance the story other than to give the heroes and opportunity to get into trouble and back out again. The source of trouble is usually nothing more than their mere presence. It very much seems like filler material and that the wonderfully creative ideas are not well fleshed out. Thompson does continue to demonstrate her flair for puns and other plays on words. The book is worth reading to rekindle the longing for all things Oz. It might very well appeal to very young readers and listeners as a story but I still lament the lack of any real meat to the story. I hope some of her others return to the caliber of the immediate predecessors of this book. Buy this one for the Oz connection but don't hold your expectations too high. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Several interesting characters,
By Theodore Shulman - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: Purple Prince of Oz (The Wonderful Oz Books, No 26) (Paperback)
I agree that this book has some weaknesses, including a pretty lame plot, but it also develops some very interesting characters. This is the first book in which Kabumpo really finds his voice, his unique blend of disdainful condescention, wry humor, and underlying good-heartedness.Jinnicky the Red Jinn, who had a cameo in JACK PUMPKINHEAD OF OZ, is a principal character for the first time here. I agree that there are a few too many side-adventures, too much wandering around meeting weirdos who yell at you. But one of the weirdos, Torpedora the Glorious, is hilarious. 4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Purple Price of Oz,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Purple Prince of Oz (The Wonderful Oz Books, No 26) (Paperback)
A very wonderful book which is well written and very imaginative. You get to follow the adventures of Randy and Kabumpo as they journey on and on, so that Randy may prove he is a king. Clever and funny it is a very good childrens book.
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