A Lion Among Men: Volume Three in the Wicked Years

Maybe you have to be an animal lover, or an Animal lover, but this one is the BEST YET! I love this Lion. Gregory Maguire has somehow brought alive the Cowardly Lion of the original Oz books, but there is so much more to THIS Lion. I found his lack of socialization and his awkward making his way through the world extremely touching. Of Maguire's three books in the Wicked series, this one risks the most in sentimentality and achieves the most emotionally. Brrr is blundering, funny, likable and ultimately heroic. I love this Lion. I longed for him to curl up at my feet so I could scratch him under the chin, just where he would have liked it.

Third in the series... it ties up ALOT of loose ends, and makes your heart ache for those of us who do not 'get' things done quite right. It leaves you thinking, "perhaps , I need to go back and re-read 'Son of a Witch'". Do you think there will be a fourth book? ? ? I need to know more about 'the Dwarf'...EXCELLENT read!

This book is a great follow up to Son of a Witch! I can't wait for the next book in this series!!!!

This book is the best one yet. Just as with Elphaba we find that the "Cowardly Lion" is complex and missunderstood. As with all Maguire books it's confusing in spots and painful in others, but, that's what makes his characters so real.

Gregory Maguire is a rare author indeed. He manages to take classic somewhat worn fairy tales and give them a completely new interpretation and perspective that is stunning and thoughtful. And this is his work for adults! I have long been one of his fans, to the point where I have even read a fair number of his books for younger folk to my children. They have loved his originality and genius as well (I think; maybe they just know a good story when they hear one!). What began for me with "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" continued through the first book in the "Wicked" series. I am alternately amazed, bemused, and thrilled by the wonderful plots and beautifully descriptive writing. "Wicked" itself is certainly a masterpiece in my eyes. Not only is it engaging on an almost visceral level, it left me with questions and thoughts for a very long time. It was no surprise to me that it has become practically an icon of pop culture (a Broadway play no less, that of course did not come close to doing this fine work justice). I was not as impressed with "Son of a Witch" which I felt lacked the enduring originality of some of Maguire's other writing. It was nevertheless a great tale in its own right. "A Lion Among Men" is the latest in this series, and for me it signals a return to Maguire's strongest point as a writer: his ability to create deep empathy for a fictional character by making him as real and lovable/hatable as your next door neighboor. I loved the Cowardly Lion of this tale; his struggles were so utterly human that at times I forgot he was an animal. His search for a place in the human world; his struggle to forget or perhaps understand the past; his attempted sexual conquest; his love for his transparent cat: all of these and so much more made this character one worth getting to know. The Lion's tale was set for the most part amidst great turmoil and political strife in Oz, which was a wonderful counterbalance to the introspection of our protagonist. I was sad when the book ended, for I feel there could be a great deal more to this story. Maybe this character will appear in later books in the series! In short, this was a great, fun and thoughtful read and I cannot wait for Maguire's next book.