Out of Oz

I ventured into the world of Oz yet again as seen through the eyes of Gregory Maguire in "Out of Oz" (568 pages) in the final volume in the "Wicked Years." From the cover of the book:

"Once peaceful and prosperous, the spectacular Land of Oz is knotted with social unrest: The Emerald City is mounting an invasion of Munchkinland, Glinda is under house arrest, and the Cowardly Lion is on the run from the law. And look who’s knocking at the door. It’s none other than Dorothy. Yes. That Dorothy.

Yet amidst all this chaos, Elphaba’s granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of a Witch, has come of age. Now it is up to Rain to take up her broom—and her legacy—in an Oz wracked by war.

The stirring, long-awaited conclusion to the bestselling series begun with Wicked, Out of Oz is a magical journey rife with revelations and reversals, reprisals and surprises—the hallmarks of the unique imagination of Gregory Maguire."

What can I say? I'm a huge fan of the "Wicked Years" by Maguire. I've been hooked on the series since I pickup up "Wicked" for the first time a couple of years ago. I really think Maguire was back in full form after an uneven, though enjoyable, second and third installment in the series. The events formed and expanded upon starting with the first novel are wrapped up satisfactorily in this final book. Though, in keeping with the previous books, there's still some questions left to ponder by the author. Practically every character, major or minor from the previous novels, has either a role to play here or if not at least a mention. Good stuff.

Highly recommended for fans of the series, second only to "Wicked." I'd also recommend reading the other books in the series before tackling this novel solo as so much has happened over the course of the previous three installments.

-SPOILERS-

Who released Glinda from Southstairs near the novel's conclusion? I took it as Elphaba. One can dream...