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Wicked

Wicked

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Fairy TalesFantasy
Pages
406
Published
1995
Language
English

Synopsis

Discover the untold story behind the Wicked Witch of the West. This novel explores her origins and the events that shaped her, challenging everything you thought you knew about Oz. It's a rich fantasy world where animals fight for rights and the nature of good and evil is questioned.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkThought-ProvokingComplexPhilosophical
Morally GreyRedemption Arc

Genres

Fairy Tales Fantasy Folklore Literary Fiction Mythology Classics Contemporary Literature Paranormal

About the author

G
Gregory Maguire

Gregory Maguire is an American novelist born in Albany, New York, in 1954. He studied at the University at Albany, Simmons University and Tufts University. His first novel, The Lightning Time, appeared in 1978. Wicked (1995), his first novel for adults, retells The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West and became the basis of the Broadway musical and a two-part film adaptation. He has written many further novels for adults and children that reimagine class...

Characters

Madame MorribleAntagonist

Shiz University's Horrible Head, who recruits students into the Wizard's secret service and helps engineer Elphaba's downfall.

Nessarose ThroppSupporting

Elphaba's devout, wheelchair-using younger sister, later installed as the Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland.

BoqSupporting

A Munchkinlander schoolmate who befriends Elphaba at Shiz after being rebuffed by Glinda.

LiirSupporting
Galinda UplandSupporting
All characters in Wicked

Frequently asked questions

  • How does the book differ from the musical and film adaptations?

    The novel is a significantly darker and more cynical adult-oriented work that explores complex sociopolitical themes like propaganda and religious movements, such as the Clock of the Time Dragon, which are largely absent or simplified in the stage and screen versions.

  • Is this book part of a larger series?

    It serves as the first installment in a four-book series titled The Wicked Years, which continues the narrative of Oz across subsequent novels.

  • Where did the name Elphaba come from?

    The protagonist's name is a phonetic tribute to the initials of the original Oz author, L. Frank Baum, pronounced as L-F-Ba.

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