Son of a Witch: Large Print Edition for Accessibility (Wicked Years, 2)

I really enjoyed this book because it told Liir's story. That being said, the mechanism for how the first half is told is different, through flashbacks. Some may not like that, but I thought it was a clever way to visit him as he grew up. The other characters in the book were used to a smaller degree. Candle and Trism are used sparingly, but I felt their usage left a door opened for further usage and some don't need to be used again. I think one of the subplots was wrapped up well also. Now, all that being said, I did see that this is the weaker book in the series and I can't say if it is till I read them all, which I plan to though. There was very little overlap with the Oz mythos but that doesn't bother me since I know the other books are heavy in it. Overall, I can't complain. It told an engaging story about Liir who really is a character with his own issues concerning with his identity or lack thereof and it was interesting.

"Son of a Witch" isn't perfect, and it probably isn't as good as its predecessor, "Wicked". So what? I get the distinct impression that Maguire isn't done with Oz yet, which would make "Son" the middle book of a trilogy - traditionally the weakest slot anyway. So I'm going easy on it. Most of the weaknesses in this book become much more explainable, if not excusable, if you look at it as the placeholder that second books usually are. Liir, the main and title character in "Son", was a minor character from "Wicked" who is suddenly thrust front and center, and he's not really up to it. Particularly compared to the amazingly complex Elphaba, Liir is frustratingly one- (occasionally two-) dimensional, opaque and even dull at times. (This is even overlooking the parts when he's in a coma.) Candle, the novice who saves his life and becomes his sort-of romantic interest, is, if possible, even duller. Only Trism, Liir's army buddy (in the Brokeback sense of "buddy") has any depth or personality, and he doesn't become a major character until the last 1/4 of the book. In addition, the story itself is somewhat vague and meandering. I finished the book not quite sure what the point was, except to fill in the gap of the ten years after Elphaba's death and set the stage for an anticipated third book. This is a typical middle-child problem in almost every series, so I'm used to it. Now, enough kvetching. I really did enjoy this novel, as I enjoy most of Maguire's work. (Except "Mirror Mirror" - and this book was miles ahead of that snooze fest.) His Oz is as imaginative as L. Frank Baum's, if not more so. It doesn't entirely mesh with the original, but they do overlap in places. I guess you might call Maguire's books an alternate history of Oz. (And for the record, I highly, *highly* recommend that you READ both "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and "Wicked" before you read "Son". The movie and the musical are NOT the same as their source material! Reviewers who complain that they didn't "get" this book, but have only seen the Broadway play of "Wicked", have only themselves to blame.) Even in his blandness, Liir is a sympathetic character. He is torn between his desire for a normal existence and loyalty to his possible mother, Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba's followers keep turning to him, expecting him to pick up her causes and continue her legacy, but Liir is (at least at first) so markedly ordinary that it's easy to understand his frustration and the sense of hopelessness that occasionally threaten to paralyze him. Liir's journey from being moved along by outside events, to taking part in them, to shaping them and taking up Elphaba's torch (or at least her broom) make up the arc of this book, and the payoff at the end is both surprising and gratifying. A chance encounter with a certain old woman, her four-horned cow, and a young boy named Tip should give fans of Baum's original series a good clue as to what's in store for the next book. (A hint that has me, if possible, even more excited about this series.) For those of you who haven't read "The Marvelous Land of Oz" (which you should - it's available for free on Project Gutenberg), the last sentence of "Son" should still be enough to give you a delightful thrill of anticipation. No, "Son of a Witch" isn't Maguire's finest work. But it's still a darn good read, and it keeps the magic of Oz alive for one more go-around.

At the beginning of the book, Liir is found unconscious by stagecoach driver Oatsie Manglehand and is brought to the nunnery to recuperate. The head nun recognized Liir as being the same boy that had gone off with Elphaba many years before. While at the convent, Liir was cared for by Candle, who played a string instrument that caused memories of the past to surface. Thus, we find out much of what happened to Liir from the time he left the convent, as a boy, and the time he returned unconscious. From the first book, we know that Liir had remained with Elphaba at Kiamo Ko, the home of her lover, Fiyero, with Fiyero's family; they remain after the family is kidnapped. At the end of the first book, Elphaba has been killed inadvertently by Dorothy. This leaves Liir to fend for himself and to try and discover who he is, since Elphaba has not told him anything, because she, herself, is unaware of all the circumstances of Liir's birth. Interwoven with Liir's own story are the politics and religions of Oz. There has been much fighting among the different groups of Oz, because the Wizard has instigated suspicions between the groups, so he could go in and acquire the resources of those areas. The book is a page turner because you want to find out what has happened to Liir and how the politics of Oz affects the trajectory of Liir's life after he leaves the convent upon his recovery. Throughout his various wanderings and work situations, Liir looks for Nor, one of Fiyero's daughters, whom he bonded with at Kiamo Ko. If she were still alive, she could be in the Southstairs prison, a horrible place from which very few escaped, and many were never seen again. This creates suspense as to if Nor is still alive and where she is. Many characters come and go throughout the book, each filling in a part of Liir's background and leading him to his eventual path in life.

It makes a great gift and it tells another side of the story. It was received as a gift and it was well received.

I was hoping that by reading this book, I would finally get some answers to questions unanswered in 'Wicked'. How unfortunate that I didn't. *Warning: If you did NOT read this book, proceed with caution as spoilers are to follow* Where do I start? Liir, the possible son of the late Elphaba Thropp (aka The Wicked Witch of the West), has been revived by the same maunts that 'saved' Elphaba several years earlier and is off on a quest of self-discovery, as he strongly believes himself to be the product of Fiyero and Elphaba's love affair, and the hunt for his possible half-sister Nor. Along the way, he lives out his lifelong dream of becoming a soldier and joins the Army, meets a few strange characters that come and go throughout the story, and falls in love with a young maunt-in-training (?) named Candle, who eventually gives birth to his child. This pretty much sums up the book. It's not much different than 'Wicked', really: It's the same old questions of what's right and what's wrong, the same old confusion on what the main character really wants out of life, and the same frustrating 'what if?' premise that Gregory Maguire put into his readers' minds with 'Wicked'. ***DEFINITE SPOILERS AHEAD...stop reading NOW if you haven't read this book!*** Example: After much evasion, we find out that Nor is alive by the end ("The word on the street: 'Elphaba lives!'. Nor's handwriting."), but where exactly is she and what is her life like now that her family is gone? That's the last we hear of her! Also at the end of the book, it's the moment many have been waiting for: Liir becomes a father and discovers 'the truth'. While to some people this finally answers the question as to Liir's true parentage, I have to say that I felt it explained nothing. As someone who has 'played the game', I was left believing there could be a twist to it, since Liir denied ever sleeping with Candle (thus disqualifying himself to be the baby's father, although in all fairness Candle does explain *how* she knew he was the father...to him, not us). Specifically, I was left wondering if maybe The Wizard had somehow returned and was up to his old tricks (unlikely, but possible, yes?), or if Candle somehow controlled Liir's fate (as Mother Yackle did with Elphaba's fate in the original), or if Elphaba was simply reborn in the form of Liir's child but not necessarily conceived through original sin. In my mind, the possibilities are endless as to the baby's true relation to Liir (and thus to Elphaba) and the future of Oz. I guess it's ironic that the constant 'What if?' had me asking just that when the question of Liir's parentage was finally answered. ***Spoilers finished*** Overall, if you loved 'Wicked', you will probably like this sequel. As for me, it was the same frustration of questions unanswered all over again.

I bought this many many years ago and it was such a great book and retelling of the story. I had to get the rest of the collection also. Very well done and the cover is super beautiful to put on my bookcase.

I'm over halfway through the novel and am thoroughly enjoying the story-line. The story is well written in Gregory Maguire's typical style. Gregory keeps it interesting by not following the linear story-line as in Wicked, but toggles back and forth between events that happened just after Wicked concluded and events that are happening currently where some 20 years have passed. However, I am not enjoying Gregory's reading of the novel. His normal speaking voice is pleasant enough, but he only has 2 other voices for all of the various characters: a higher pitched version of his own voice which he uses for most of the female and younger characters, and a "gruff" voice which he uses for the male and older women characters. Unfortunately, the "gruff" voice is usually performed in a 'one...word...at...a...time' cadence. This gets annoying especially when multiple older women and male characters are in the same scene, and then almost all of the characters voices are done in this monotonous cadence. I would have preferred that Gregory just read the book in his own voice and paid more attention to the rhythm and emphasis within the sentence structure.

I cannot understand which book some of these naysayer reviewers read...I can only imagine that they got lost along the way to their refrigerators looking for bologna sandwiches and stumbled into a text wholly foreign to the brilliant book I read: SON OF A WITCH. Perhaps their attention spans have been befuddled by too much reality television, because if one got confused or bored by SON OF A WITCH then it is surely their own fault and not the author's. It's mesmerizing, it's clear, it's easy: LIIR IS THE WITCH'S SON. OK? AND SO ON. This book is a marvel and one need not have read WICKED to enjoy it thoroughly. So many parallels to the war of today are illuminated, so much delicious satire and sly dialogue, so much joy and pain and exquisite description and action in equal measure. Fly out of your own hell on a broomstick made of words, up the draft into Maguire's world of Oz. Just magnificent and compelling, every word and phrase a gem. I could stay in Oz forever, if it is this well written and intelligent and hilarious. Bravo!

Fantastico!

This is part of a series with a whole new take on the Wizard of Oz. I enjoyed them all.

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.

Esperava pelo exemplar original, mas este parece ter sido uma cópia. Não é da editora oficial, não possui as ilustrações da maneira padrão desta série e se parece muito com o formato do ebook. Pra alguém que pagou 60 reais e recebeu a cópia, haja motivos de indignação. :/

Gran libro y muy buena presentación