Out of Oz

The fourth and final book in the series The Wicked Years. This is a truly epic ending to a truly epic series. It only took me so long because I didn't want to miss a single delicious word. The very best part of the book is that it ties beautifully into L. Frank Baum’s sequel, The Land of Oz, which provides a real sense of closure. (In that the story does not have to be over, it just continues elsewhere.) Now I really want to go back and read the whole series again.

The beginning of the end takes place in San Francisco, where Dorothy's aunt and uncle have taken her to see the big city and the ocean for the first time. Dorothy, now 16ish, is pretty much unmarriageable (in Kansas, at least) due to the fact that she won't stop talking show more about an imaginary country named Oz. Dorothy and Toto stand on the roof of the hotel waiting for a sight of the ocean. As dawn breaks on April 18, 1906, "the buildings of San Francisco started to shake".

Meanwhile, in Oz, war has broken out. Munchkinland has seceded from Loyal Oz, which is ruled by Shell, Elphaba's brother, who has declared himself divine. Shell's army has marched to the great Munchkin lake of Restwater, Oz's main source of potable water, and plans to annex it. Lady Glinda Chuffrey refuses to take a side in the war, being an Emerald City citizen currently residing in Munchkinland. Unfortunately, her villa is strategically located on the shores of Restwater, and is thus commandeered by Loyal Oz's army. Under the guise of entertaining the troops, a travelling puppet show descents upon Glinda's home, with the secret purpose of depositing a magical book, the Grimmerie, in Glinda's lap. It might come in handy soon, if only there were someone in Glinda's household staff with enough magical blood to read it . . .

But that's all just in the first 60 pages.

As with the other Oz books, this is a long and detailed story of physical and emotional journeys. A cast of well-known and brand new characters lays its mark upon Oz, from The Glikkus to Kvon Altar, from Shiz to Ovvels. Oz has been in political, religious, and emotional limbo since the day the Wizard arrived and usurped the throne from the Ozma regent, but by the time the story ends, all that was lost will be called forward. show less

The only thing I have against Out of Oz is that it's not Wicked.

Elphaba kicked ass. She was such an amazing character, the kind of female character we almost never see in fiction, and in fantasy fiction even more rarely. She was an uncompromising, sharp-tongued, idealistic, ugly, morally flawed, brilliant, shy, political, complicated character.

Maguire's other Oz books have been good, even excellent, but how could they live up to Elphaba?

So it is with Out of Oz. Maguire competently and beautifully wraps up the main storylines into a pretty bow; he presents us with complicated, interesting characters facing complicated, difficult situations. It's just not Wicked.

But to pan Out of Oz by this comparison would be unjust. Compare it to the show more general run of fantasy literature and it comes out looking very well indeed: look, most of them still have knights or soldiers on noble quests to rescue maidens from dragons/monsters/dungeons and rightfully assume the crown of the novel's generic Middle Earth knock-off. Alternatively, it may be a lowly servant, stableboy or schoolboy who learns he is the Chosen One and who, through cunning use of his wits, rescues the maiden from the dragon/dungeon/monster and rightfully assumes the crown of the novel's generic Middle Earth knock-off. Any female characters run the same range: the saucy barmaid, the frizzy-haired cackling witch, the dark-haired evil sorceress, the hapless and possibly obnoxious princess, etc.

Compared to Raymond Feist, David Eddings, Piers Anthony, et al, Out of Oz is a work of genius. There are fully-realized, well-rounded, complicated female characters, good and bad parents, characters whose motivations and intentions you are never quite sure of, a very unusual and original romance (for fantasy--Yann Martel broke that ground in Self, so far as I know), an intriguing and well-paced plot ... just no Elphaba. show less

In the conclusion to his series "The Wicked Years" Gregory Maguire tells us the story of what has become of all the key players throughout the books, up to and including Dorothy. We start our adventure at Mockbegger, where General Cherrystone has imprisoned Glinda, and unwittingly lets Elphaba's granddaughter escape with Grimmerie accompanied by none other than the Cowardly Lion who will eventually lead her back to her parents, Liir and Candle, still in hiding. Munchkinland and Loyal Oz are still at war, and the erstwhile Dorothy who has returned in an earthquake, in a surprising turn is on trial for the murder of The Wicked Witches of the East and West.

There is a lot going on in this book, yet Maguire manages it well, as he always show more does. Much of the story is taken up by Brr, the Cowardly Lion, and Rain, Elphaba's granddaughter. This worked well for me, as Brr is one of my favorite characters, and I was glad to not be focusing on Liir again. Dorothy has become an incredibly annoying caricature, but blissfully her parts were few. I was quite surprised by how attached I got to Rain. Her character is a return to Wicked, and what made me fall in love with his books in the first place.

What I really liked about this book, and truthfully as his others, is that Maguire never makes anything simple and easy. There are twists and turns, and while all the stories get wrapped up, it's never in the way you expected, not with happy endings, but in a way that is a little truer to life. I appreciate an author who can take a story, especially fantasy, and make you feel as if it is possible. This was a fitting conclusion to the series and I would definitely recommend it to those who read the Wicked Years books, even if they didn't like the second and third entries into the series. show less

Maguire satisfies the readers who have followed him through his novels with this final novel of the "Wicked" series. There is a lull in the middle, where a trial feels rather dry and devoid of drama, but that may have been the point. As always the descriptive language and use of advanced diction makes this novel feel vibrantly alive, even in its dull moments. Enjoyable too is the ending, which surprises and liberates. It is also admirable that the artwork of his novels is always so intricate and symbolic, greatly enhancing the narrative. A good read for those familiar with Maguire's style as well as the original stories of Oz.

SOMETHING FINALLY HAPPENED!

[b:Son of a Witch|13521|Son of a Witch (The Wicked Years, #2)|Gregory Maguire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1370992595s/13521.jpg|845295] and [b:A Lion Among Men|3124249|A Lion Among Men (The Wicked Years, #3)|Gregory Maguire|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1370992593s/3124249.jpg|3155594] suffered from lagging plots -- too much backstory, too much ground covered again from a different POV, but NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENING! Finally, the conclusion picked up some steam and moved the story along.

The book opens with Dorothy, now 16 and considered unmarriageable because she can't stop talking about Oz, taking a trip to San Francisco with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Getting caught in an elevator during the 1906 show more earthquake somehow sends her back to Oz, where she's eventually tried for her crimes. In the meantime, Glinda finds herself under house arrest as the Army of Oz commandeer her house due to its proximity to a crucial lake. She's forced to dismiss most of her staff, but keeps a few key people, including a strange little girl named Rain. Soon the Clock of the Time Dragon shows up, along with Brrr, Nor, and the dwarf known as Mr. Boss. The Grimmerie makes a reappearance, a family is eventually reunited, and some of Baum's original characters from [b:The Marvelous Land of Oz|179565|The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz, #2)|L. Frank Baum|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1172470286s/179565.jpg|21430714] (Mombi, Tip, and General Jinjur) show up, but with Maguire's spin on their stories. It's all very entertaining and ACTIVE! There's lots of traipsing around Oz, military intrigue, family drama, and even some romance.

This last book had many cultural references -- to the original Oz series, to the musical Wicked, to American culture in the time Baum was writing -- and a sly sense of humor. I wasn't crazy about the final conclusion, which leaves as many ends loose as tied, but overall, it's been a fun series that dragged in the middle. show less

After taking my sweet time working through the series, I am sad. The entire story beginning with The Wicked Years on through to Out of Oz was beautiful, confusing, and wondrous. Then came the end of Out of Oz. It left me confused and desiring so much more. There were more questions left unanswered than I had had throughout the entire series. Is Elphaba back? Why did Rain make the trek? Where did Candle go and does she return? Does Glinda ever go free? What is up with Ozma behaving as if the tryst were some one night stand? What happened when Dorothy returned home? I have so many more questions and so much sadness that I will never be able to find the answers. I finished the book 2 nights ago and I am still in that deep funk that single show more ladies feel when their Prince Charming turns out to be a fraud. Not that Out of Oz or any of the other 3 books were a fraud. I am just disappointed by the ending. I don't expect a perfect happy ending. I just expect to know more than what I was left with. show less

After taking my sweet time working through the series, I am sad. The entire story beginning with The Wicked Years on through to Out of Oz was beautiful, confusing, and wondrous. Then came the end of Out of Oz. It left me confused and desiring so much more. There were more questions left unanswered than I had had throughout the entire series. Is Elphaba back? Why did Rain make the trek? Where did Candle go and does she return? Does Glinda ever go free? What is up with Ozma behaving as if the tryst were some one night stand? What happened when Dorothy returned home? I have so many more questions and so much sadness that I will never be able to find the answers. I finished the book 2 nights ago and I am still in that deep funk that single show more ladies feel when their Prince Charming turns out to be a fraud. Not that Out of Oz or any of the other 3 books were a fraud. I am just disappointed by the ending. I don't expect a perfect happy ending. I just expect to know more than what I was left with. show less