A Lion Among Men

"The Wizard was revealed as a mere mortal, and a bit of a charlatan at that. As clever with his hands - all those tiktok inventions, those terrifying images he projected - as he was with his diktats and fiats and fatwahs. Oh my."

"A Lion Among Men" is the third volume in the "Wicked Years" series by writer Gregory Maguire. The book follows the stories of various characters in a retold land of Oz, most notably, Brrr, the Cowardly Lion and Yackle, a mysterious figure who crossed paths with both Elphaba and Lirr in "Wicked" and "Son of a Witch".

Once again I was unable to put the book down, when I had time to pick it up. Maguire weaves a story that chronicles the two main characters from the beginning of "Wicked" to approximately ten years after the events in "Son of a Witch". Unlike the previous two books, there are some story lines that are tied up near the end; however, as with the other books, there is an ongoing arc that I'm eager to read more about. For me the latest entry was a little slower and uneven than the other books but it took off with a fury and ends with an explosion of events the last third of the book.

"A Lion Among Men" was published in 2008 which means my readings into Maguire's land of Oz is going to have to take a hiatus as there are no other chapters to read at the moment. I have read some rumors online that another installment is being written by Maguire, but I haven't heard anything about a projected release date. Supposedly the next book will feature Glinda... I can't wait!