Son of a Witch: Summary and book reviews of Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire, plus links to an excerpt from Son of a Witch and a biography of Gregory Maguire.
Son of a Witch
by Gregory Maguire
Hardcover: Sep 2005,
352 pages.
Paperback: Oct 2006,
356 pages.
Ten years after the publication of Wicked, beloved novelist Gregory
Maguire returns at last to the land of Oz. There he introduces us to Liir,
an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy
did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully, Liir is
shattered in spirit as well as in form. But he is tended at the Cloister of
Saint Glinda by the 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? Can he find his supposed
half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison, Southstairs? Can he
fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess? In an Oz that, since the Wizard's
departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down
long enough to grow up?
For the countless fans who have been dazzled and entranced by Maguire's Oz,
Son
of a Witch is the rich reward they have awaited so long.
BOOK REVIEWS
Media Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
The book
works too hard to dazzle us; it's considerably more cluttered and strained
than Wicked.....but few readers will fail to stay its magical course. Once again,
the myth of Oz proves its enduring power.
Booklist - Paula Luedtke
This is no lightweight fairytale--entertaining, to be sure, but
also complex and multilayered in plot and meaning, thought-provoking, and
unforgettable.
Publishers Weekly
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.
Library Journal - Starr E. Smith
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.
The Washington Post - Katherine A. Powers
Though Wicked was not simply a reverse image of Baum's book or the
famous movie, it depended on their depictions of Oz as a foil for its own
maverick reshaping of the narrative. Those for whom potty humor is the acme of
wit and foul decay is horror sublime will be happy to know that Son of a
Witch is as well-supplied with those articles as the earlier book was.
What it has lost, however, is the shaping vigor gained by pushing against a
well-known story.
The New York Times Book Review - Sophie Harrison
Maguire clearly feels most comfortable when inventing freehand, and most of
his novel is set after the original Oz story ends. Dorothy's presence in the
text causes difficulties. She belongs too frankly in someone else's fairy
tale; her arrival strains Maguire's own confident production in an unhappy
way...Once he's freed himself from Baum's tenacious apron strings, Maguire
begins to enjoy himself, and the story picks up.
People
Maguire's captivating, fully imagined world of horror and wonder
illuminates the links between good and evil, retribution and forgiveness.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Janey Worth a read if you've read Wicked I felt compelled to finish this book having enjoyed Wicked so much. Unfortunately the author seems more intent on getting across to the reader a lot of underlining meaning, emotion and politics which will go over the average readers head (as it... Read More
Rated of 5
by Kimberlee ehhhh I enjoyed the book at first because it picked up exactly where it left off, but as I read on I started to become disappointed. I noticed that the pages were getting fewer and there wasn't much that was resolved. I was completely confused at the end... Read More
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Kirkus Reviews
of 5
by Janey
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