Son of a Witch: A Novel (Wicked Years, 2)

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Son of a Witch is certainly much different than Wicked. I can see why many people were diappointed with this book as they were probably expecting a second Wicked. This is not the case. Liir and Elphaba are very different thus have very different stories. This book has its charms in the fact that Liir is not sure of himself at all. He does not have a concerete plan, he doesn't know where to go. It is through the course of the book and all his experiences that he must figure out who he is or at least who he feels he is. Does it even really matter if he is the witch's son or not? Through the course of the book he falls into a number of things, the army included. His moral center is not perfectly set and not everything he does is good and in a way we can see Elphaba in him there. Gradually however we see him become much like Elphaba in the causes he takes on and what he does. The novel moves in a rather different way from Wicked. While Elphaba started out idealistic and cause driven only to descend into near insanity and hermitage, Liir begins lost and naive only to become clearer in what the world is, what love is, and what gifts he does posess. I enjoyed the novel a great deal. I liked very much how different Liir was in many respects from Elphaba but how he never could really leave her in the past. As a result if you looked you could see her over and over in things he did. I enjoyed the imagrey as always with Maguire and the somewhat darker tone, if you can believe that, of the novel. I think if you are looking for a repeat Wicked you won't find it here but if you like Maguire's writing style, have read his other books you will enjoy this.

Gregory Maguire has far surpassed Wicked with this book. Son of a Witch is far more exciting and suspenseful. I honestly had no idea how much I had read until I put the book down at the end of the night. Unlike wicked it moves very quickly, the whole way through; whereas with Wicked Maguire needed the first seventy pages or so to get into a groove that worked for me. But his prose are fantastic, his descriptions of the world around Liir are vibrant and far from pretensions. This is a good book to get lost and relax in, as well as an incredible book for a discussion group. There's something for nearly every kind of reader.

Although not as good as Wicked was, Son of a Witch should be a noteworthy sequel to it. The book goes with a much different storyline then the first, and it seems that this book was only written to wrap what happened to Liir, and only raises more questions. Enough questions, infact that a third book might just be planned. Maguire recreates a magical world rich with detail and wonderment. Although i wish there was a little bit more character development, but hey, what can you expect from someone in a coma? But I am hoping for a third novel, at least to tie up some ends.