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bearteddington's review against another edition
3.0
i didn't actually finish past wicked; son of a witch was just too uninteresting to get into.
there were problems with wicked, but it was at least fun enough to get through. i just didn't get what was going on with son of a witch.
there were problems with wicked, but it was at least fun enough to get through. i just didn't get what was going on with son of a witch.
hannelorexo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lizshayne's review
3.0
Son of a Witch was better than Wicked, although a lot of that had to do with the fact that Maguire no longer seemed to feel the need to completely twist everything that L. Frank Baum ever said in the original "Wizard of Oz" book or that MGM ever did in the movie and, as such, he could focus a bit more on making the plot make sense (and feel less like an exercise in the macabre - which I will grant is Maguire's forte but that doesn't mean I have to like it).
Still, it had many of the flaws of the original, but the one I hate most is Maguire's inability to make his characters feel like people. They always seem like puppets, held in the hand of a fairly talented puppeteer with an extremely macabre attitude towards just about everything. I never actually connect with the characters, because I could never see them as anything other than the written manifestation of someone else's imagination - they have no life of their own.
Still, it had many of the flaws of the original, but the one I hate most is Maguire's inability to make his characters feel like people. They always seem like puppets, held in the hand of a fairly talented puppeteer with an extremely macabre attitude towards just about everything. I never actually connect with the characters, because I could never see them as anything other than the written manifestation of someone else's imagination - they have no life of their own.
yarnreader's review
4.0
This story picks up Liir's point of view after the end of the first book, Wicked. It follows him through re-gaining his memories, after a near fetal accident, and his travels while he tries to find out who he is and where he belongs. You share the horrors he faces and meet the people who influence him in some way, past or present.
Gregory Maguire does a great job with painting each scene with vivid detail that it's easy to fall into the story. He influences his readers to root for the main characters and severely dislike those who've done wrong in the world of Oz.
For those who are worried about swearing and suggestive language, I would be cautious of this book. The humor of the book maybe not be everyone's cup of tea, so keep that in mind. Just keep an open mind, the book is fascinating and it really hooks you in. I would recommend this book for high school age and older, and those who enjoy re-workings of older stories.
Gregory Maguire does a great job with painting each scene with vivid detail that it's easy to fall into the story. He influences his readers to root for the main characters and severely dislike those who've done wrong in the world of Oz.
For those who are worried about swearing and suggestive language, I would be cautious of this book. The humor of the book maybe not be everyone's cup of tea, so keep that in mind. Just keep an open mind, the book is fascinating and it really hooks you in. I would recommend this book for high school age and older, and those who enjoy re-workings of older stories.
kingjason's review
4.0
Gregory Maguire has done a fantastic job of carrying on the legend of Oz, in Son of a Witch the main players that you know so well are gone. Instead we get to enjoy the story of the witch's son and the impact he has on the land of Oz.
The book is well written and if you can adapt to the new characters then you will be able to enjoy this book.
The book is well written and if you can adapt to the new characters then you will be able to enjoy this book.
eculatta's review
3.0
Not as good as Wicked, by any means, and thus took me awhile to get through. But good characters and the story did tie back around together quite neatly. A couple of poignant scenes or cutting lines that made it worth the read but not sure I'd recommend it to anyone. Good characters but not ones I liked, necessarily. Definitely a good escape read.
ultrabookgeek's review
4.0
I love how this book delves into the true history of OZ of L Frank Baum. I still battle with the protagonist's seemingly random wanderings into dark and deadly situations, but the characters are fun to explore.
hannaheugenie's review
3.0
Much of the contention surrounding this novel comes from what the reader expects from Son of a Witch. One of the first mistakes is to compare this book to its predecessor Wicked as it's not a continuation of that story, but rather delves into Liir's own journey.
Liir's search for identity (is he the son of Elphaba?) places us at a point of unease throughout much of the book; the third-person narration is unreliable, and we are constantly grasping at clues with little direction from Maguire. Questions of why, what and who are open from the get go, meaning that the novel lacks a sense of purpose for much of the first half.
We find young Liir now grown-up and in a coma, supposedly severely wounded, yet conveniently able to recall his story since the end of Wicked. We spend the first half following this catch up at a tediously slow pace. This is my main qualm with Son of a Witch; the action is overly restrained throughout, cramming most of it into the final third. Whilst the pace does eventually pick up from that point, it's difficult to let go of the frustration the previous 350 pages of drawn out material have built up. However, the latter half is filled with dragons, flying brooms and risk taking, so the exciting elements of this fantasy land do turn up, bringing with them the tension and adventure that readers might have expected.
Contrary to Wicked, the focus of this novel isn't on character development, which Liir's bland personality confirms. Of course this is a search for identity, so his uncertainty sits well with the plot, but fans of Wicked expecting a similar level of deep exploration into what has made the characters who they are will likely be left disappointed. This is partly why the novel fell far below my expectations.
Unfortunately the lack of pace isn't salvaged by the writing, which is often disjointed and clunky. A section recounting the beloved Wizard of Oz characters sits uneasily alongside the rest of the novel. Maguire portrays them with far more realism and frankness than in L. Frank Baum's original fairytale, departing from their humbler characters to more irritating versions ("her fanny wants spanking badly", Liir's nurse notes of Dorothy) that jar in this story. Luckily, Maguire moves on as swiftly as possible, ending Dorothy's presence abruptly in typical storytelling style: one minute she's there, the next she's never to be heard from again.
Whilst I wouldn't jump at the chance to read Son of a Witch again, a quick scan of Goodreads shows that readers thoughts on it are sharply divided, with many Wicked fans falling straight into the world again, whilst others found it didn't match up to the author's previous work.
Originally published on www.thislittlethought.com
Liir's search for identity (is he the son of Elphaba?) places us at a point of unease throughout much of the book; the third-person narration is unreliable, and we are constantly grasping at clues with little direction from Maguire. Questions of why, what and who are open from the get go, meaning that the novel lacks a sense of purpose for much of the first half.
We find young Liir now grown-up and in a coma, supposedly severely wounded, yet conveniently able to recall his story since the end of Wicked. We spend the first half following this catch up at a tediously slow pace. This is my main qualm with Son of a Witch; the action is overly restrained throughout, cramming most of it into the final third. Whilst the pace does eventually pick up from that point, it's difficult to let go of the frustration the previous 350 pages of drawn out material have built up. However, the latter half is filled with dragons, flying brooms and risk taking, so the exciting elements of this fantasy land do turn up, bringing with them the tension and adventure that readers might have expected.
Contrary to Wicked, the focus of this novel isn't on character development, which Liir's bland personality confirms. Of course this is a search for identity, so his uncertainty sits well with the plot, but fans of Wicked expecting a similar level of deep exploration into what has made the characters who they are will likely be left disappointed. This is partly why the novel fell far below my expectations.
Unfortunately the lack of pace isn't salvaged by the writing, which is often disjointed and clunky. A section recounting the beloved Wizard of Oz characters sits uneasily alongside the rest of the novel. Maguire portrays them with far more realism and frankness than in L. Frank Baum's original fairytale, departing from their humbler characters to more irritating versions ("her fanny wants spanking badly", Liir's nurse notes of Dorothy) that jar in this story. Luckily, Maguire moves on as swiftly as possible, ending Dorothy's presence abruptly in typical storytelling style: one minute she's there, the next she's never to be heard from again.
Whilst I wouldn't jump at the chance to read Son of a Witch again, a quick scan of Goodreads shows that readers thoughts on it are sharply divided, with many Wicked fans falling straight into the world again, whilst others found it didn't match up to the author's previous work.
Originally published on www.thislittlethought.com