This small collection of three stories, "Heart of Tin", "The Straw King", and "Ruler of Beasts", give some much needed backstory for Dorothy's three companions: Tin Woodman, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion.  As standalone novellas, they are moderately interesting.  But, as backstory after you've already read the novels, I think they are much more fun. 

All three stories are intended to help the reader understand how and why the three friends became so wicked that they were able to perform the heinous deeds detailed in the novels.

"Heart of Tin" obviously refers to the Tin Woodman.  In the novels he was pretty one-dimensional in that he rationalizes his every action as inevitable due to his undying and unconditional love for Dorothy.  In this short story, we see that he's been in love with Dorothy since he first met her and he would do anything to see her return to Oz; making him extremely vulnerable to Glinda's manipulations. Tin sees the flaws in Dorothy's explanations and he is deeply suspicious of Glinda - at the beginning.  But his all-consuming love for Dorothy allows him to accept whatever she throws at him; and his jealousy separates him from his companions, Scare and Lion. This is also the first time we see Scarecrow becoming evil.  The events in this story occur just after Ozma is found and takes the throne of Oz.  We learn that Glinda thought she was putting a puppet on the throne that she could control; but Ozma is more than a simple young girl, she has steel and passion in her.  We, the reader, just know that Glinda is going to be planning something to take care of the uncooperative Queen.  We still don't know how Glinda became evil. 

In "The Straw King" the events take place while Scare is still King of Oz.  He believes he is a fair and just ruler but chafes at the necessary work of a King when he'd rather be reading. So, a revolution led by that possibly psychotic girl soldier, Jinjur, takes him completely by surprise.  The violence and mayhem has to be stopped but Scare is no General or even a real leader.  He and Lion escape the Emerald City and retreat to Lion's forest.  There they recruit the help of the Queen of the Flying Monkeys, Lulu, to help liberate the Emerald City.  Glinda comes to Scare, secretly, to reassure him that he is a fine ruler and to suggest that she feels closer to him than his other two friends and promises to help him.  The battle is a debacle and Glinda rescues him from General Jinjur and spirits him away to her palace. There he is introduced to the young and naïve Ozma.  Here is where we first see Glinda's machinations to put Ozma on the throne with the belief she can completely control the girl.  Glinda offers a clone army (clones of herself, of course) to Ozma to take back the city.  But events don't go quite as Glinda planned.  Ozma revealed much of who she was and what she could do when riled up.  And Ozma showed the first signs of resisting Glinda's manipulations.  This was disconcerting to Scare as he began to perceive his loyalties were going to be tested:  Glinda or Ozma?  This story is also the origin of Glinda's decision to bring Dorothy back to Oz; she starts to believe that the people of Oz would support a Princess Dorothy on the throne as much as they support Ozma's claim.  And Dorothy might be easier to control.  The end of this story implies that Scare's choice to embark on the path of evil was his own decision and brought about by either Glinda or events.  A disturbing thought… And we still don't know how Glinda became so wicked.

The last story, "Ruler of Beasts" brings us to the formerly-Cowardly Lion; now just Lion.  These events take place quite some time later than the battle for the Emerald City.  Lion is back in his forests and mightily bored.  We are treated to a more realistic version of the cuddly Lion.  He is a carnivore, naturally; and all the denizens of the forest report to him.  But he seems unnecessarily cruel in his choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  When Glinda appears in his forest, all pink and sparkly, and assuring him quite sincerely that he truly is the King of Beasts and that she simply must have him help her with a little project, he is so flattered and enamored that he allows her to brush away his questions and concerns.  Before he knows it, he is on his way back to Oz; with a secret mission.  Glinda wants him to search the Palace for a fabulous ruby necklace that she needs for a special gift for Ozma.  He has no idea how he's supposed to find it; or even explain to Ozma why he's there.  He commiserates with Ozma on the trials of being a ruler and the loneliness. He begins to feel a real connection and so is willing to follow Ozma deep underground the Emerald City on a mysterious mission.  There, very deep under the Deadly Desert, he is present when Ozma confronts the Nome King, and commands him to stop tunneling towards Oz and return to his own realm.  The Lion is astonished to discover the missing ruby necklace that he was to find had actually been in the possession of the Nome King.  Had Ozma not brought him to the confrontation he would never have found it.  And now he found himself in possession of it; but he couldn't find the courage to tell Ozma of Glinda's plan.  When they returned to the Palace, they had another surprise - Glinda.  Apparently, Ozma had had enough of Glinda's manipulations and had tossed her out of the Emerald city.  But due to a spell Glinda had placed on Lion, she was well aware that the necklace had been found.  In a magical battle, Ozma managed to banish Glinda through a magical portal but not before the witch managed to grab the necklace and take it with her.  Unfortunately, Lion's betrayal became obvious and Ozma's friendship towards him cooled.  She wasn't overly cruel but her rejection of him sent him back to his forest with a hard heart…and a determination that the next time he met Glinda, he wouldn't fail her, no matter what Glinda asked of him.  So now the stage is set for Lion to be swayed to the side of wickedness.  And the mystery of Glinda's wickedness and her plans to take over Oz remain just that: a mystery.  Maybe the next batch of stories will give the readers the satisfaction they need.

These were a fun read, although a bit bloody and horrific.  If you hold Oz near and dear to your heart but enjoy an edgier take, these books are definitely worth reading.  As they are Young Adult, they read pretty fast.  There is lots of awfulness, wickedness and evil; but no sex.  I'm not sure Ozians know what sex is… I would not recommend them to middle schoolers due to the amount of gratuitous awfulness. ~~  Catherine Book

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