15 Books in 1: L. Frank Baum's Original "Oz" Series. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork Girl Of Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz, The Scarecrow Of Oz, Rinkitink In Oz, The Lost Princess Of Oz, The Tin Woodman Of Oz, The Magic of Oz, and Glinda Of Oz.

Average customer rating:

Classic Stories revisited

difficult to read

all the books none of the pictures

Look For Border's Edition

The books of OZ

15 Books in 1: L. Frank Baum's Original "Oz" Series. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork Girl Of Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz, The Scarecrow Of Oz, Rinkitink In Oz, The Lost Princess Of Oz, The Tin Woodman Of Oz, The Magic of Oz, and Glinda Of Oz.
L, Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic | Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

The Annotated Wizard of Oz (Centennial Edition)

Son of a Witch: A Novel

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition (Books of Wonder)

Ozma of Oz (Books of Wonder)

Return to Oz

ASIN: 0954840135

Book Description

This unique '15 books in 1' edition of L. Frank Baum's original "Oz" series contains the following complete works: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", "The Marvelous Land of Oz", "Ozma of Oz", "Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz", "The Road to Oz", "The Emerald City of Oz", "The Patchwork Girl Of Oz", "Little Wizard Stories of Oz", "Tik-Tok of Oz", "The Scarecrow Of Oz", "Rinkitink In Oz", "The Lost Princess Of Oz", "The Tin Woodman Of Oz", "The Magic of Oz", and "Glinda Of Oz". For over a hundred years, L. Frank Baum's classic fairy stories about the land of Oz have been delighting children and parents alike. Now, for the first time, the entire Oz series is available in this single, great-value, edition!

Customer Reviews:

Classic Stories revisited.......2007-10-10

Frank Baum is a classic writer that had a beautiful writing style that children should revisit that Grandparents enjoyed. These stories should be available in every library in our country as classic tales. My daughter is reading more and her imagination is in full bloom with this collection of books. The publisher and person responsible for puting this collection together should be applauded!

difficult to read.......2007-08-13

This book is condensed, I mean two pages printed on one page so the lettering is very small and none of the original art work is included. I did not realize when I bought it that the letters would be small. I also thought the original art work would be included. It's not bad if you want to read it with a magnifying glass.

all the books none of the pictures.......2007-06-25

I was wondering how they could fit all 15 oz books into 1 volume. the answer is by having no illustrations, two columns per page, and very small print. I felt like I was reading a text book more than a childrens set of books. it still works for a bedtime story for my son (though he really wants pictures), but for something to keep my son occupied while we ride on the bus it's a bit big to tote around. the story's are as I expected, designed for kids with no really scary parts and super simple plots; dull for a grown up but good for younger kids.

Look For Border's Edition.......2007-04-25

I give this book 5 stars because it is "OZ". I purchased something similar, but much much better from Border's , two years ago. Available from Amazon, look for 'The OZ Chronicles'. Volume 1 and Volume 2 contain all of Baum's Oz books. Green Leather Hardcovers, great size print. Volume 3 contains Baum's other books and stories. Incredible find and value.

The books of OZ.......2007-02-07

Great to have all of the stories included in one book. I don't need to worry about finding all the books to read. Great buy!

Wizard of Oz, Marvelous Land, Ozma, Dorothy, Road, Emerald City, Patchwork Girl, Tik-Tok, Scarecrow, Rinkitink, Lost Princess, Tin Woodman, Magic, Glinda, Little Wizard Stories

Average customer rating:

What a book!
Stories Great, Edition Not
A very dated children's fantasy
An Magnificient Compilation
I've never read anything so bad!

Wizard of Oz, Marvelous Land, Ozma, Dorothy, Road, Emerald City, Patchwork Girl, Tik-Tok, Scarecrow, Rinkitink, Lost Princess, Tin Woodman, Magic, Glinda, Little Wizard Stories
L. Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Kahley House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0978891422

Book Description

Although most children today are introduced to the world of Oz through the classic 1939 movie, L. Frank Baum has been captivating the hearts of the young, and not so young, for over a hundred years. This delightful compilation includes all fifteen books written by L. Frank Baum: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, The Patchwork Girl Of Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz, The Scarecrow Of Oz, Rinkitink In Oz, The Lost Princess Of Oz, The Tin Woodman Of Oz, The Magic of Oz, and Glinda Of Oz. Perhaps there is no better, or fitting, introduction one could give to this compilation than the author's note that Baum himself writes in his very first book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Here he reveals the true intention of his work. Folklore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

Customer Reviews:

What a book!.......2007-05-07

For those who love the Wizard of Oz there's nothing quite like having the complete set of related stories. My kids and I are reading and re-reading, carry the book with us on vacations and keep it on the bedside table at home. Wonderful gift for children (and adults) of all ages!

Stories Great, Edition Not.......2007-04-13

I honestly cannot understand giving any Oz story a rating of one because of the content. These stories are classic. I AM giving this edition a one, though, because this is probably the poorest excuse for a book that I have ever seen.

My first and biggest issue with this edition is the fact that the editor/publisher chose not to have paragraph breaks. Each chapter is a paragraph. It's terrible. Next, as these pages are large (almost as big as a typical textbook), you would expect columns to be used. Not the case. It's just one long line after one long line on the pages. The publisher did not even choose to put the next chapter on a fresh page, merely spacing once and beginning anew. It's extremely frustrating.

The next thing that finally make me close the book was the abundance of errors in the text. I honestly do not think this is L. Frank Baum's fault. I feel these errors are there because the editor and publishers were so intent on putting this on the market that they overlooked important things. Mostly, I am referring to technical and mechanical errors, but a few sentences don't even make sense. And, the thing I just REALLY couldn't get over was the fact that all of the chapter titles are in capital letters, and then randomly there was a title with lowercase letters! Such inattention to a book is unacceptable to me. I AM returning this book and getting a nicer edition!

By the way, I did try to contact the publishing company about this, but its Web site is not properly functioning.

A very dated children's fantasy.......2007-04-08

Nowadays, with the popularity of Harry Potter, there has been something of a re-examination of children's literature, in particular, the idea that it can't also be enjoyable for adults to read. Even older works, such as The Chronicles of Narnia have been reappreciated. It was along these lines that I decided to read L. Frank Baum's Oz books, figuring that, if nothing else, they would be a quick read. In addition, I felt I would get a better understanding of Gregory Maguire's Oz books (Wicked and Son of a Witch), which are much more based on Baum than any movie. After reading all fifteen "books" that comprise The Complete Oz, I have to say, I'm a little disappointed.

Like most people, my exposure to Baum's works was limited to the fantastic adaptation of his first Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, featuring Judy Garland. The cinematic adaptation only loosely follows the story, and there are many things that do not appear in the movie. Most importantly, while the movie pretty much explains the whole adventure as a dream, the book makes the land of Oz quite real; subsequent stories has Dorothy shifting back-and-forth from Kansas to Oz until several books in when she moves there permanently with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry (and Toto).

Although the characters change from story to story, the main characters are Dorothy and Ozma, the ruler of Oz. There are a number of other recurring characters, including the familiar Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Wizard and Glinda the Good Witch, along with others like Tik Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Shaggy Man. Each story typically has the characters exploring a new and strange land where they must solve some problem. Occasionally, the Emerald City of Oz is threatened by invaders, who are typically repulsed with great ease. Only the Nome King appears as an enemy in several books.

The problem with the Oz books is that, as imaginative as they are, they are not all that well-written. I realize I am applying an adult reader's scrutiny to stories designed for pre-teens, but I think only the youngest of readers would not see through Baum's plot holes and last-minute rescues. A standard Oz story would have certain characters in dire straits only to be rescued by Glinda or Ozma, who happen to be watching everything through a magic mirror. Everything is perfect in Oz...too perfect to create anything but the weakest form of danger. And I think even most young readers nowadays would find Baum's sugary language too cloying to be palatable. I suppose one hundred years ago, this may have fit with contemporary tastes, but there is just a lot out there that's better nowadays.

The Complete Oz is over 700 pages, but each page contains at least twice as much text as the page in a normal book. What the volume contains are only the fifteen stories: no illustrations or background material accompanies the text, which means that this massive volume is unlikely to even appeal to the only readers who might be able to enjoy it. Under some circumstances, I might even give this book two stars; I know, however, that I am not truly the target audience, so I am giving it an extra star to make up for that. Nonetheless, even if you feel that these might be good stories for children you know (and it is certainly G-rated stuff), you are better off buying these stories in a more kid-friendly format.

An Magnificient Compilation.......2007-02-14

I have been searching for a volume that contains all of the Oz stories, and this one is the "keeper". The editor did a great job with his type setting, making the stories more clear, and overall presentation of these classics. It's a great value at an honest price. I continue to recommend it to my friends and family.

I've never read anything so bad!.......2007-02-06

The stories in this book, and most everything I've been forced to read from this author, are extremely bad. They are the most shallow stories Ive ever read! There is no character depth, the landscapes are ill defined and unbelievable, the stories are so repetative there's no point in reading more than one (and why would you want to anyway!) and the story is so underdeveloped that the characters simply state what they are doing and thinking all the time! Besides that, the wonderful imagination I was lead to believe is displayed in these books is missing, as 9/10 of his characters are characters obviously based on the works of other great fiction/fantasy writers and myths/legends of various regions. The only things moderately inventive are the mechanical men, a fascination he takes too far in having at least one such character in all his books!

Average customer rating:

One of the best of the Series
Tik-Tok of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum
One of Baum's funniest works
Ozma Redux
Tik-Tok of Oz- You'll never get tired of reading this book!

Tik-Tok of Oz (Books of Wonder)
L. Frank Baum
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 068813355X

Book Description

Join Tik-Tok, the Shaggy Man, and a host of other friends--both old and new--on an exciting, imaginative journey through the world of Oz.

The fun begins in an isolated corner of Oz, in the small country of Oogaboo. There Queen Ann Soforth musters an unlikely army and sets off to conquer the rest of Oz. Meanwhile, a girl from Oklahoma named Betsy Bobbin and her companion, Hank the mule, are shipwrecked and washed ashore in the Rose Kingdom, a magical land of talking roses. There they meet the Shaggy Man, who is on a quest to rescue his brother from the clutches of the wicked Nome King. Betsy, Hank, and the Rose Princess join the Shaggy Man on his journey, and before long they meet up with Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter; Tik-Tok; and Queen Ann with her army. The rest of Baum's tale is filled with hairbreadth escapes, wild puns, and mystifying magic.

Capturing all the fun are twelve color plates and nearly eighty black-and-white drawings by Oz artist John R. Neill, as well as a facsimile of Neill's full-color map endpapers of Oz and the enchanted realms that surround it--the first maps of Oz ever published!

Tik-Tok of Oz is the eighth Oz novel and the first to bring a girl other than Dorothy to Oz. Now, in this beautiful reproduction of the rare first edition, a whole new generation can discover the enchantment and joy that have made the Oz series such an enduring favorite.

"Join Tik-Tok and friends on an exciting, imaginative journey through the thrilling world of Oz, complete with hairbreadth escapes, wild puns, and mystifying magic....An enduring favorite."--School Library Journal. This lavish reproduction of Oz.

Download Description

Three days later the Grand Army of Oogaboo assembled in the square in front of the royal palace. The sixteen officers were attired in gorgeous uniforms and carried sharp, glittering swords. The Private had picked his gun and, although it was not a very big weapon, Files tried to look fierce and succeeded so well that all his commanding officers were secretly afraid of him.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best of the Series.......2006-06-19

I teach creative writing to children and have used this book as an excellent model for the fantasy genre. It has all the great elements of a fantasy story--strange and enchanted happenings, magical creatures, faeries, and a wonderful quest. Many of Baum's books are not so plot-driven; this, like "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" is an exception, and the story works marvelously. Fans of the Oz series will know that this book is a re-telling of "Ozma of Oz," but there are enough new characters, settings, and details to make it a fresh and rewarding tale. Certainly, old favorites such as Tik-Tok, the Nome King, Polychrome, and the Shaggy Man are at their best in this tale (one of the most delightful scenes is when Shaggy "breaks the law"), while new additions Private Files and Quox the Dragon bring much humor and whimsy. Young children will certainly enjoy the test of the three maidens towards the end of the book. This books has a very cohesive direction (not always the case with Baum) and I especially enjoyed how each chapter title is alliterative (I suppose that's the English Lit in me!). And, as usual, the John R. Neil's illustrations are wonderful; my favorite illustration is that of the greedy Nome King strutting out of his kingdom, his countless pockets filled with jewels.

Tik-Tok of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum.......2005-08-23

Tik-Tok of Oz (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum being the 8th book in the oz series written by Baum is the zaniest and funniest oz book to date and also the strangest. Here we are on a wild, fun and odd journey with Betsy Bobbin, Tik-tok, the shaggyman and many other wonderfull charachters. Yes it is true that we also read nothing about Dorothy, ozma or the the olde tyme charachters such as the cowardly lion, the tin man but the story is very well written and the plot is fabolous with strong charachter devlopment and fabulous illustrations as always. I am especially fond of the festy and adventurous Betsy Bobbin and I can not wait to read more exciting oz stories.

One of Baum's funniest works.......2003-11-15

Growing up, reading the Oz books, I found "Tik-Tok of Oz" to be one of my favorites. Rediscovering them now, as an adult, I find it still delights me more than most.

The plot, I must admit, is quite reminiscent of "Ozma of Oz" -- a girl and a mortal animal wash up on the shores of some fairyland, encounter the man Tik-Tok and find themselves trapped in a battle with the king of the Nomes. It has been said,in fact, that the plot of this novel came when Baum converted "Ozma" into a stage play, then converted the stage play back into a novel.

However, the book itself is still quite delightful. We don't meet too many really interesting new characters in this book -- not as many as most Oz books, in fact -- but it no longer follows the tired "someone tries to get to the Emerald City and meets interesting creatures along the way" formula that began in the very first book and crippled several books after "Ozma."

Tititi-Hoochoo and Quox the Dragon stand out as the new characters, and it is the sequences featuring them that I find most entertaining. Kaliko and Ruggedo in the Nome Kingdom again draw a grin from me, and the final few pages have a laugh-out loud moment that must have come when someone pointed out an inconsistency in the Oz books that Baum had to suddenly explain away.

"Tik-Tok of Oz" may not be the best of the Oz books, but it's probably the funniest, and it's certainly one of my favorites.

Ozma Redux.......2003-02-20

When L. Frank Baum set out to write and produce a second Oz musical for the stage, he discovered he had signed away the theatrical rights to his early Oz stories and characters. Apparently unwilling to create new material, Baum drafted a play that he called Tik - Tok Of Oz, which was simply a retelling of his third Oz novel, 1907's Ozma Of Oz, with some character names changed and minor plot elements rearranged. Since he owed publishers Reilly & Britton a new Oz book, Baum then rewrote his new play into a novel, and 1914's redundant Tik - Tok Of Oz was born.

With such a circuitous pedigree, it's no wonder that Tik - Tok Of Oz is a generally unimpressive entry into the Oz chronicle. Baum was occasionally careless with his prestigious fairyland, and nothing suggests that here more than the fact that wind - up mechanical man Tik - Tok, though his name lights up the book's title, is only a secondary character in the narrative and often appears to be absent from much of the story, even when present in theory. In fact, the Tin Woodman or Jack Pumpkinhead could have replaced the clockwork man without altering the essential plot in the least. But the uncomplicated Tik - Tok was particularly useful in a lazily composed narrative, since, as a preprogrammed machine of limited potential in need of continuous winding, Baum could silence him at any time by simply having him run down, no dramatic action or mental fatigue required. Despite several warm and imaginatively written chapters, such as `The Lovely Lady Of Light,' the book plods on without building in strength or imagination until its final section, when it suddenly awakens to life.

Dorothy Gale doppelganger Betsy Bobbin, accompanied by sidekick Hank the Mule, reaches the shores of fairyland when a ship on which she is inexplicably a passenger explodes at sea. Baum's ho - hum attitude towards his material is immediately evident when introducing Betsy, who does indeed do some "bobbing" up and down on the waves and billows: "Suddenly the sea was lighted up by a vivid glare. The ship, now in the far distance, caught fire, blew up and sank beneath the waves." No mention is made of the fate of the other passengers or of Betsy's guardians. Meanwhile, in the tiny northern Winkie kingdom of Oogaboo, irritable queen Ann Soforth ('And so forth') has decided to conquer all of Oz through the use of her army, which consists of four Colonels, four Captains, four Generals, four Majors and one soldier. The third plot thread finds the Shaggy Man tramping across Oz in search of his missing brother, who he believes has been captured by the Nome King. Ozma, concerned about the Shaggy Man's progress, sends Tik - Tok to assist him, though he promptly gets thrown down a well.

Potentially interesting new character Princess Ozga, a beautiful vegetable woman grown from a rose bush, remains underdeveloped and underutilized, while the apparently always - on - standby Polychrome strays from the rainbow yet again, and acts, here as elsewhere, as a convenient deus ex machina whenever Baum writes himself into a tight corner. To his credit, Baum allows Polychrome a little more common sense and perception than she reveals in other titles. Arch Oz villain Ruggedo, whose original name was Roquat before he drank from the `Waters of Oblivion,' is alternately called the Metal Monarch or the Nome (Gnome) King, while on the other side of the planet readers are introduced to the "Famous Fellowship of Fairies," which is overseen by the Jinjin, who is also known as the Private Citizen and as Tititi - Hoochoo, a name which must have delighted grade school boys and irked educators for decades. Readers never learn the true name of Shaggy Man's brother, but, when he is not referred to as such, is simply called the Ugly One due to a punishing enchantment Ruggedo has cast upon him. Like the Little Wizard and Dorothy and Captain Bill and Trot, the Shaggy Man and Betsy eventually form a partnership: elderly man - little girl relationships lacking blood ties are common in the Oz chronicle.

A good indicator of a weak Baum title is an absence of imaginative description, as readers will find here. Baum's Nome Kingdom might have been wondrously described, as E. T. A. Hoffman detailed his own underground fairyland in 'The Mines of Falun.' Hoffman's underground caves, mines, and tunnels emit a claustrophobia readers can feel, a strange otherworldly magic that is both threatening and powerfully seductive. Once Baum establishes that his characters are underground, except for a brief scene in a metal forest, readers are left to visualize the rocky, gem - rich nome world as best they can, or rely wholly on John R. Neill's humorous illustrations.

In an apparent mistake on Baum's part, sorceress Glinda the Good's castle on the far boundary of the southern kingdom of the Quadlings is said to "stand far north of the Emerald City where Ozma holds her court," despite the two comprehensive maps which open and close the book and demonstrate that the castle rightly stands in the red southern kingdom of the Quadlings where it should.

Oz newcomers beware: Tik - Tok Of Oz reads much like the uninspired retread it is; like the clockwork man himself, the book is sorely in need of additional winding under its left arm. Baum should have saved the few good ideas he introduced here for his next entirely new manuscript. This is one of the few Baum - authored books in the Oz series which readers may decide to put aside before finishing.

Tik-Tok of Oz- You'll never get tired of reading this book!.......2002-07-09

Tik-Tok of Oz is one of the best books in the Wizard of Oz series! It introduces many characters, such as Betsy Bobbin, Hank the Mule, and Queen Ann of Oogaboo. (I won't name then all.) Shaggy Man is in search of his brother who is imprisoned by the evil Nome King. The most exciting part of the book is when they visit the Nome King. The things that happen are really funny and very interesting. And, at the end, you'll get to see Ozma, Dorothy, and the Wizard.

Book Description

Something has gone very seriously wrong with Tik-Tok's "asimov circuits." They should keep him on the straight and narrow, following Asimov's first law of robotics: A robot shall not injure a human being, or through inaction allow a human being to come to harm. But, that's not what's happening. Although every thing looks fine from the surface, and Tik-Tok maintains the outward appearance of a mild-mannered robot, his agenda is murderously different. And, it's not just because of his artistic tendencies and sympathy for the robot rights movement, either. This witty chronicle of one abnormal machine-man, and his dealings with an assortment of deranged and maniacal humans, truly showcases the satirical genius of John Sladek.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Tik-Tok is the story of a robot who manages to overcome his 'asimovian' programming, and hence is able to do whatever he likes.

This book is also a satire, and the robot main character gets to experiment with whatever he likes. This includes murder, mayhem, manipulation, and even worse, politics.

Tik-Tok? Oh, Tik-Tok is a robot. He just is not a "normal" robot........2007-03-06

There is a mystery for me concerning this book, which is: I have (evidently) owned it for several years. Recently, I found it (and that's the end of the "mystery"). I read it, and after doing so, the next book I read was this book (again). It really is that good, and it also has some things that, for me, stimulated thought.

Author John Sladek, now deceased, created an outrageously satirically hilarious book when he wrote "Tik-Tok." How did I miss the genius of Sladek? I really do not know, but I did.

At times, the humor is dark, and some might not appreciate that, but for anyone who wants to read a truly unique Sci-Fi book and likes to laugh, this book would be 1 of the first books I would recommend.

Besides the obvious humor, there is a deep current that is a tad bit harrowing, and that hopefully will stimulate you to think about many issues.

Regardless, if you only read it to laugh, it is well worth purchasing. I do not believe you will be disappointed if you do buy it.

Tik-Tok? Oh, Tik-Tok is a robot. He just is not a "normal" robot.

Powerful and provocative.......2002-10-15

The title character is a 'domesticated robot' living in a time when most humans own at least one and sometimes more, using them as slaves; as he awaits jugement for crimes he perpetrated, he writes his memoirs. Sladek uses a lively back-and-forth structure that weaves together two main timelines. Tik-Tok, in platonic terms, is a 'liberated prisoner' among robots: unlike the others, he is aware of what went behind his construction and 'education', but rather than alerting the other robots, he is more interested in making various experiments to see how far he can go with this discovery. His actions speak less of a downright vengeance on his one-time human masters than of curiosity - hence his relative contempt for both humans (because of their lies and contradictions) and robots (for their incapacity to wake up and refuse passive submission). The conscience of his freedom liberates him from what humans have called 'Azimov circuits' (based on the three inhibitory laws formulated by Isaac Asimov), but these, as he remarks, could very well be illusions used to solidify human authority. There's a relentless cynicism, even nihilism running through the entire work, but it is mainly upsetting because it forces the reader to re-evaluate preconceptions about the world. Whether 'Tik-Tok' ultimately convinces us of its conclusions or not, the book is too powerful to ignore.

Good fun, but no masterpiece.......2002-06-30

I had heard this book was an outrageously funny masterpiece of black humor, so finally, after many years I tracked it down at the library. While I discovered is a brief satire with a one joke premise that's diverting, but ages quickly. Told in 26 chapters-each of whose first word follows the sequence of the alphabet (Chapter 1, "As"; Chapter 2 "Broaching"; Chapter 3. "Culpritwise" and so on, at least until the final letters, where Sladek's gusto for this very little joke seems have run dry)-the story tells of a sociopathic robot in future America.

Tik-Tok has "asimov circuits" which are supposed to keep him from harming humans, but somehow these aren't working, or as he suggests at one point, never really existed in the first place, but are part of some massive groupthink. The result is that Tik-Tok kills sadistically over the course of the book, all while building himself a corporate empire and manipulating social and political opinion so that robots are allowed to own property and vote. This is all fairly predictable from the beginning, but what I did find unexpectedly interesting are the parallels with Bret Easton Ellis' highly controversial novel American Psycho, which was written eight years later. In both, an outwardly impeccable character engages in nasty sadism, even tells other people what's he's done, only to have them think it's a joke.

Mixed in with Tik-Tok's ascension are his reminisces of past owners, which are mostly played to comic effect, with a running commentary equating robots with slaves. Traditional caretakers of the moral status quo such as priests, judges, military, and aristocracy are repeatedly revealed to be charlatans, sadists, and just plain crazy. On the other end of the spectrum, the civil rights do-gooders of the "Wages For Robots" movement come under equal unsubtle satirical attack, as does the celebrity media industry. Capitalism itself, along with the military-industrial complex is further fodder for Sladek's acid pen. Ultimately, however, none of the satire is as subtle as I would have liked, and much of the book reads like an author riffing on familiar subjects. It's a nice addition to robot literature, but hardly the masterpiece it's made out to be.

murderous robot?.......2000-03-09

fist of all 2 who doesnt have d time or d patience 2 further reading THIS NOVEL IS A MUST for all those who like science fiction & for learning how 2 write a story which is a warning sign , cynical , humorous & most important : interesting & fluent . usually when i read a book i can spot d points where d author has been " stacked " (if u know what i'm talking about if no just go 2 another review ). in TIK-TOK i just could'nt find this. it is (my humble opinion) a perfectly fluent story

Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse of Oz,: Also Tik-tok and the gnome king of Oz,

Average customer rating:

Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse of Oz,: Also Tik-tok and the gnome king of Oz,
L. Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Rand McNally & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Tik-Tok of Oz

Manufacturer: THe Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I1S7YM

Adventures in Oz Vol. III: The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz

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Adventures in Oz Vol. III: The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz, Tik-Tok of Oz
L., Frank Baum
Manufacturer: Wilder Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

For generations L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz books have captured and enthralled millions of readers. These stories are as delightful today as they were the day they were written. In The Patchwork Girl of Oz you will accompany Ojo the Unlucky on his quest to gather the five ingredients needed to make the antidote for the Liquid of Petrifaction to save his aunt and uncle. In Little Wizard Stories of Oz you will thrill to six short stories with many of your favorite friends from Oz. And in Tik-Tok of Oz you can travel with the Shaggy Man as he struggles to rescue his brother from the Nome King.

Average customer rating:

Bugg Bk Tik Tok
Charles Reasoner
Manufacturer: Price Stern Sloan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0843112107

DUNE BUGG & TIK TOK (Read Aloud Topsy-Turvy Library)

Average customer rating:

DUNE BUGG & TIK TOK (Read Aloud Topsy-Turvy Library)

Manufacturer: H.S. Stuttman, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H0KBI4

Average customer rating:

Dune Bugg ; Tik Tok (Bugg books)
Stephen Cosgrove
Manufacturer: H.S. Stuttman Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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