Gregory Maguire is the bestselling author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the basis for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name together with Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Lost and Mirror Mirror.
"As fantastical as a novel set in Oz should be." -- Entertainment Weekly"Maguire's captivating, fully imagined world of horror and wonder illuminates the links between good and evil, retribution and forgiveness." -- People"Maguire is full of storytelling brio . . . his Oz is meticulously drawn." -- New York Times"A powerful cast of characters . . . Maguire has engaged in virtuoso fashion the very themes that turned what many considered a literary trifle into an American classic. . . . One of those rare books that, although not designed for children, absorbs us in ways that only childhood reading usually can, even as it refuses to let us take cover from the real world while we are reading it." -- Los Angeles Times"Masterfully imaginative. . . . Mesmerizing. . . . A headspinning cast of vividly described, eccentric characters emerges. . . . [An] enchanting fable." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Richly detailed. . . . Filled with wonderful things. . . . Once again, the myth of Oz proves its enduring power." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"A tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit examination of good and evil." -- Library Journal"Maguire has done it again: Son of a Witch is as wicked as they come. . . . Thoroughly entertaining." -- Boston Globe
"Maguire is full of storytelling brio . . . his Oz is meticulously drawn." -- New York Times"A tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit examination of good and evil." -- Library Journal"Maguire has done it again: Son of a Witch is as wicked as they come. . . . Thoroughly entertaining." -- Boston Globe"Maguire's captivating, fully imagined world of horror and wonder illuminates the links between good and evil, retribution and forgiveness." -- People"As fantastical as a novel set in Oz should be." -- Entertainment WeeklyFor Wicked: "I fell quickly and totally under the spell of this remarkable, wry, and fully realized story." -- --Wally Lamb, author of She's Come Undone and I Know This Much is True"An amazing novel." -- --John Updike"Save a place on the shelf between Alice and The Hobbit--that spot is well deserved." -- --Kirkus Reviews
The death of Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West, brings about spectacular changes in this masterfully imaginative sequel to Maguire's 1995 blockbuster Wicked-most notably, the startling possibility that Elphaba had a son. Scattered among the ruins of great portions of Emerald City, many residents have been skinned and bloodied, supposedly by the barbaric Yunamatas. Travel caravan leader Oatsie Manglehand stumbles upon the body of an unknown young man, badly beaten but still alive. She presents him to the wise Superior Maunt, who recognizes the hurt boy as Liir, rumored to be the dead Witch's secreted son. A mute waif named Candle revives him with her haunting, ethereal music and hidden affections. Meanwhile, Maguire supplies alternating chapters of extensive, mesmerizing backstory of Liir's boyhood, from the witch's watery demise, to the trek to the Wizard's Castle with Dorothy and company, his search for the imprisoned princess Nor, and a long stint in the Munchkinland Army, all while donning his mother's black cape and clutching her magic broom handle. Along the way, a headspinning cast of vividly described, eccentric characters emerges, but nothing prepares Liir for Candle's shocking surprise announcement. Tucked into Maguire's enchanting fable are carefully calibrated object lessons in forgiveness, retribution, love, loss and the art of moving on despite tragic circumstances. Ten years after Wicked (which is still on Broadway), fans will once again be clicking their heels with wonderment. Agent, William Reiss at John Hawkins & Associates. 13-city author tour. (Sept. 27) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
This sequel to the adult fairy tale Wicked (1995)-later adapted as the hit musical of the same name-begins ten years after the destruction of Elphaba, a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West. In Maguire's dark version of the Land of Oz, there's not much to ring the bells for in the Emerald City, despite the tyrannical Wizard's departure. Corruption is rife, political factions compete for power, and radicals proclaim "Elphaba lives!" Elsewhere, a horribly injured young man called Liir wakes in the religious House of Saint Glinda to many puzzles. Who tried to kill Liir? How did an enigmatic Quadling girl revive him? Why is he expected to take up a quest on behalf of sentient Animals? Above all, was Elphaba his mother? These and other questions drive a tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit examination of good and evil-and leaves several doors open for future journeys over the rainbow into this cleverly constructed dystopia. Recommended for most fantasy collections.-Starr E. Smith, Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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