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Review
"Save a place on the shelf between Alice and The Hobbit--that spot is well deserved."----Kirkus Reviews
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Back in the land of Oz, the adolescent boy Liir was last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead, Liir is tended to at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by a silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts. What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba's son? He has her broom and her cape - but what of her powers? In an Oz that, since the Wizard's departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enought to grow up?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Elphaba lives! An enigmatic scrawl that is appearing on walls across the Emerald City defies the received wisdom that the Wicked Witch of the West has been vanquished by Dorothy Gale. Certainly across London it would seem that our green-skinned heroine has survived. Her enigmatic smile peers from a thousand poster sites, grinning enigmatically at whatever is whispered from her white-clad friend Glinda. With the success of the musical Wicked it was perhaps inevitable that a follow up book would arrive. But is it any good?
Firstly this is a review for those who enjoyed the first book. If you didn't enjoy Maguire's original subversion of the classic tale of Oz then it is unlikely that this book is going to do much for you. However, if the concept of the retelling of such a familiar tale and the creation of a whole new world of Oz left you wanting more, then this book is no disappointment.
In this book one of the survivors from the incursion into Kimano Ko is Liir. It was never made clear throughout Wicked who this child was. Bullied by his siblings, and clutching desperately to Elphaba despite her indifference he is now left with nothing. As a result this book is the story of him growing up in the face of a harsh and unforgiving post-Wizard Oz.
At first the socialite and philanthropist Glinda has filled the vacuum of power in the Emerald City, and is then succeeded by the Scarecrow before an all powerful Emperor assumes the throne in the name of the Unnamed God. Religion is perverted to serve power, and the whole of Oz faces the forced conversion to the Unitarianism. In the face of this power is there anyone who is willing to take up the Witch's mantle and defend the defenceless of Oz?
The book is considerably tighter than the original, focused solely on Liir, and only dwelling on others as they come into his life. It is surprising - Liir's personal life does not follow the Technicolor simplicity of the original Wizard of Oz series. This is Oz grown up, gritty and real.
As with Wicked the descriptive talent and storytelling mastery of Maguire is apparent. The man can weave a delicious narrative, and produce something that is a gripping, page turning treat. I think the book serves the reader better than its predecessor in filling in many of the gaps left by Wicked. It is a complete story in itself, perfectly intelligible and enjoyable without the background story of Wicked. But read in tandem it produces a powerful follow up, and one which gives firmer foundations for a trilogy or series of books based on this alternate Oz.
Perhaps most importantly for a book that is fantasy and escapism it is a cracking read, vividly painting the darker side to Oz whilst still producing the characters and storylines that are interesting and indulging.
Firstly this is a review for those who enjoyed the first book. If you didn't enjoy Maguire's original subversion of the classic tale of Oz then it is unlikely that this book is going to do much for you. However, if the concept of the retelling of such a familiar tale and the creation of a whole new world of Oz left you wanting more, then this book is no disappointment.
In this book one of the survivors from the incursion into Kimano Ko is Liir. It was never made clear throughout Wicked who this child was. Bullied by his siblings, and clutching desperately to Elphaba despite her indifference he is now left with nothing. As a result this book is the story of him growing up in the face of a harsh and unforgiving post-Wizard Oz.
At first the socialite and philanthropist Glinda has filled the vacuum of power in the Emerald City, and is then succeeded by the Scarecrow before an all powerful Emperor assumes the throne in the name of the Unnamed God. Religion is perverted to serve power, and the whole of Oz faces the forced conversion to the Unitarianism. In the face of this power is there anyone who is willing to take up the Witch's mantle and defend the defenceless of Oz?
The book is considerably tighter than the original, focused solely on Liir, and only dwelling on others as they come into his life. It is surprising - Liir's personal life does not follow the Technicolor simplicity of the original Wizard of Oz series. This is Oz grown up, gritty and real.
As with Wicked the descriptive talent and storytelling mastery of Maguire is apparent. The man can weave a delicious narrative, and produce something that is a gripping, page turning treat. I think the book serves the reader better than its predecessor in filling in many of the gaps left by Wicked. It is a complete story in itself, perfectly intelligible and enjoyable without the background story of Wicked. But read in tandem it produces a powerful follow up, and one which gives firmer foundations for a trilogy or series of books based on this alternate Oz.
Perhaps most importantly for a book that is fantasy and escapism it is a cracking read, vividly painting the darker side to Oz whilst still producing the characters and storylines that are interesting and indulging.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Elphaba lives! An enigmatic scrawl that is appearing on walls across the Emerald City defies the received wisdom that the Wicked Witch of the West has been vanquished by Dorothy Gale. Certainly across London it would seem that our green-skinned heroine has survived. Her enigmatic smile peers from a thousand poster sites, grinning enigmatically at whatever is whispered from her white-clad friend Glinda. With the success of the musical Wicked it was perhaps inevitable that a follow up book would arrive. But is it any good?
Firstly this is a review for those who enjoyed the first book. If you didn't enjoy Maguire's original subversion of the classic tale of Oz then it is unlikely that this book is going to do much for you. However, if the concept of the retelling of such a familiar tale and the creation of a whole new world of Oz left you wanting more, then this book is no disappointment.
In this book one of the survivors from the incursion into Kimano Ko is Liir. It was never made clear throughout Wicked who this child was. Bullied by his siblings, and clutching desperately to Elphaba despite her indifference he is now left with nothing. As a result this book is the story of him growing up in the face of a harsh and unforgiving post-Wizard Oz.
At first the socialite and philanthropist Glinda has filled the vacuum of power in the Emerald City, and is then succeeded by the Scarecrow before an all powerful Emperor assumes the throne in the name of the Unnamed God. Religion is perverted to serve power, and the whole of Oz faces the forced conversion to the Unitarianism. In the face of this power is there anyone who is willing to take up the Witch's mantle and defend the defenceless of Oz?
The book is considerably tighter than the original, focused solely on Liir, and only dwelling on others as they come into his life. It is surprising - Liir's personal life does not follow the Technicolor simplicity of the original Wizard of Oz series. This is Oz grown up, gritty and real.
As with Wicked the descriptive talent and storytelling mastery of Maguire is apparent. The man can weave a delicious narrative, and produce something that is a gripping, page turning treat. I think the book serves the reader better than its predecessor in filling in many of the gaps left by Wicked. It is a complete story in itself, perfectly intelligible and enjoyable without the background story of Wicked. But read in tandem it produces a powerful follow up, and one which gives firmer foundations for a trilogy or series of books based on this alternate Oz.
Perhaps most importantly for a book that is fantasy and escapism it is a cracking read, vividly painting the darker side to Oz whilst still producing the characters and storylines that are interesting and indulging.
Firstly this is a review for those who enjoyed the first book. If you didn't enjoy Maguire's original subversion of the classic tale of Oz then it is unlikely that this book is going to do much for you. However, if the concept of the retelling of such a familiar tale and the creation of a whole new world of Oz left you wanting more, then this book is no disappointment.
In this book one of the survivors from the incursion into Kimano Ko is Liir. It was never made clear throughout Wicked who this child was. Bullied by his siblings, and clutching desperately to Elphaba despite her indifference he is now left with nothing. As a result this book is the story of him growing up in the face of a harsh and unforgiving post-Wizard Oz.
At first the socialite and philanthropist Glinda has filled the vacuum of power in the Emerald City, and is then succeeded by the Scarecrow before an all powerful Emperor assumes the throne in the name of the Unnamed God. Religion is perverted to serve power, and the whole of Oz faces the forced conversion to the Unitarianism. In the face of this power is there anyone who is willing to take up the Witch's mantle and defend the defenceless of Oz?
The book is considerably tighter than the original, focused solely on Liir, and only dwelling on others as they come into his life. It is surprising - Liir's personal life does not follow the Technicolor simplicity of the original Wizard of Oz series. This is Oz grown up, gritty and real.
As with Wicked the descriptive talent and storytelling mastery of Maguire is apparent. The man can weave a delicious narrative, and produce something that is a gripping, page turning treat. I think the book serves the reader better than its predecessor in filling in many of the gaps left by Wicked. It is a complete story in itself, perfectly intelligible and enjoyable without the background story of Wicked. But read in tandem it produces a powerful follow up, and one which gives firmer foundations for a trilogy or series of books based on this alternate Oz.
Perhaps most importantly for a book that is fantasy and escapism it is a cracking read, vividly painting the darker side to Oz whilst still producing the characters and storylines that are interesting and indulging.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After reading Gregory Maguire's Wicked and falling totally in love with it, it was inevitable that I was going to read the follow up. And did it match up to its predecessor? Yes and no. Yes, because the plot was interesting, always managing to keep my attention and continually surprise me. The characters were again created with the depth and mystery that made me fall in love with the first book, and the land of Oz is again as realistic and as lifelike as anyone could hope for in a fantasy novel. Yet there is something about this book that prevents it from being ranked up there with Wicked and I think I've put my finger on it: the absence of Elphaba. Without her amazing character in the forefront of the book, Oz is rather lacking in the magic that made the first book so successful.
Overall verdict: very enjoyable and well worth the read, but only if you liked the first book, and love the land of Oz enough to want to return to it after the demise of our heroine.
Overall verdict: very enjoyable and well worth the read, but only if you liked the first book, and love the land of Oz enough to want to return to it after the demise of our heroine.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Slightly Disappointed
Of course we've all heard of Wicked and it has been reviewed hundreds of times before. I enjoyed the first book in this series although it was much more religious and political... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Miss C. Thomson
Son of a Witch
I read Wicked (twice in the space of a week) and fell in love with it. I read Son of a Witch once in the space of a week and found that it lacked something. Read more
Published 8 months ago by A. Non
Wicked... It Was Not
I never really believed in the phrase over egging the pudding, I now feel that I can apply this to Son of a Witch the latest Gregory Maguire novel. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2009 by Simon Savidge Reads
Son of a Witch?
Thousands of people have fallen under the `Wicked' spell whether they actually read the book or have seen the adaptation of the book on stage. Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2008
Even more wicked than Wicked!
This book takes the tale of Oz to a whole new level and the developement of the character Liir is truly brilliant. Read more
Published on 25 May 2008 by Philip Thompson
Wickeder than Wicked!
Absolutely fantastic sequel to wicked. I wasn't going to read this as I thought anything that tried to build on wicked was bound to be a disapointment, but I was totaly wrong. Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2007 by Fiona M. Smith
I returned to the OZ!
Lirr,the boy who disappeared after Elphaba gone...He was still in the OZ!
The novel was little dull until halfway,but after it,romantic dialogue,beautiful representation of... Read more
The novel was little dull until halfway,but after it,romantic dialogue,beautiful representation of... Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2007 by Ali
Delicious slice of cakey novelette
I finished this book yesterday and ive yet to decide whether thats a good thing or not. When you find a good book, all you can think of doing is turning the page to get to the end. Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2007 by The Chosen One
Good sequel
Its rare to find a good sequel, but this is one of them. Follows the life of Liir after Elphaba's death and the land of Oz post-Wizard. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Published on 12 Jan 2007 by Mr. R. J. Farr
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