Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (2005, Hardcover)

Whether you found Liir to be an interesting character in the first book or not you should definitely read this sequel. As a whiny, chubby, and lazy boy that followed Elphaba around in "Wicked," this book is focuses on Liir from the time Elphaba is killed until the time he is a grown man looking at a family of his own. Many of the characters from the first book reappear such as Glinda, Nor, Mother Yackle, the Superior Maunt, Commander Cherrystone, Oatsie, Christery, Nanny, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, Princess Nastoya, and Liir (of course). Also along the way come many new and interesting characters and more information about Elphaba and the legacy that she left behind. Many questions are answered in this book, including the most important, was Liir really Elphaba's son?

This book is the sequel to Wicked and continues the story of the "Wicked Witch of the West" after her death through the continuing life of her son, Lir. Although the storyline continues to be very deep and dark, I found it to be a surprisingly easy read (much less emphasis on politics) and the flow between the ending of Wicked and the beginning of this book is excellent. There are many references to things that happened in Wicked throughout this book as Lir reflects back on his childhood. It is therefore a MUST that you read Wicked before reading this- without that background information many things about the storyline will not make sense.

There are two things I found very enjoyable about this book. For one, the writing allows for much comparison between the personalities of Elphaba and Lir and how the differences play out when their characters were faced with similar situations. While Elphaba was very focused and purpose driven, Lir tends to plod through life, very unaware of self, allowing things to happen to him rather than trying to affect change. I also found it interesting to observe how Lir's feelings about Elphaba evolve through his reflections of her from childhood into adulthood. By the end of the book he has a much better understanding of who Elphaba was/what she stood for and ultimately gains a better understanding of who HE is.

Now for what I DIDN'T LIKE-- I was VERY disappointed by the way the book ends. There was very little, if any, resolution. Although Lir gains a better understanding of himself, little else about the plot is resolved- including the premise under which the book begins, Lir's search for his half-sister, Nor. There is also very little explanation of what happened to other main characters in this book. At the end they are just gone... I am wondering if there will be a 3rd book?? Otherwise, I will just feel cheated...

I loved both Wicked and Son of a Witch. I love the idea of the dark underbelly to OZ and the whole "what is evil" premise behind the books. This book takes place after the death of Elphaba and is the story of Liir, her son. Parts of it, particularly the part where Liir is in the military take a while to get where they're going but all in all I thought this was a great book. I loved the way things that happened in the first book that you may have completely forgotten about or thought would have no bearing at all come back in Son of a Witch with some important consequences. I liked the end and thought it put a nice wrap on the two books. The only thing I probably didn't like about this and/or both books is not getting a better explanation of who and what Yackle and Candle are. I haven't read any of Mr. Maguire's other books but I fully intend to now. He's a very witty and imaginative writer with very good writing skill.

i love the whole wizard of oz story line. i really loved wicked..the story was fantastic. It was great to see what happens to the other characters in the story . especially liir. You also got to learn more about Elphaba . She is fantastic. Gregory Maguire is a very clever story teller and I will definately purchase more of heis books.

I loved reading Wicked and I loved reading Son of a Witch. I was really disappointed when I finished because I didn't want it to end. It is a great story all the way to the end. I couldn't stop reading it. I won't spoil it for anyone, I will just say it is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Wicked. It is just as good and very well written. Gregory Maguire knows how to write a good book. I really got into the lives of Liir and Candle, and it's too bad Elphaba was gone because I loved reading about her too in Wicked. Everyone should read Son of a Witch!