|
Son of a Witch: A Novel | 
| Author: Gregory Maguire
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy Used: $4.76
You Save: $11.24 (70%)
New (52) Used (71) Collectible (4) from $4.76
Avg. Customer Rating:  212 reviews
Sales Rank: 2941
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0060747226
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780060747220
ASIN: 0060747226
Publication Date: October 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Paperback with moderate shelf-wear, rubbing, fraying, tears, fading, smudges, stains, chipping and bumping to the cover, edges, corners, and spine. Binding is tight and square. Inside pages are free from underlining, note taking, and/or highlighting, however, the pages have tanned with age. Book is in stock and ready to ship from Phoenix, Arizona same or next business day. Select Expedited shipping and receive your book within 3 - 5 business days. Buy with confidence! Please leave feedback after your purchase. It helps other buyers know we are a responsible and reliable seller. Thank you!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Ten years after the publication of Wicked, beloved novelist Gregory Maguire returns at last to the land of Oz. There he introduces us to Liir, an adolescent boy last seen hiding in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully, Liir is shattered in spirit as well as in form. But he is tended to at the Cloister of Saint Glinda by the silent novice called Candle, who wills him back to life with her musical gifts. What dark force left Liir in this condition? Is he really Elphaba's son? He has her broom and her cape—but what of her powers? Can he find his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in the forbidding prison, Southstairs? Can he fulfill the last wishes of a dying princess? In an Oz that, since the Wizard's departure, is under new and dangerous management, can Liir keep his head down long enough to grow up? For the countless fans who have been dazzled and entranced by Maguire's Oz, Son of a Witch is the rich reward they have awaited so long.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 207 more reviews...
 Loved this book October 2, 2008
I was actually surprised to see that not as many people appreciated Son of a Witch as they did Wicked. I loved them both very much. I was so happy to return to Maguires version of Oz. I typically read on the subway, and have now found that whenever I go underground to make my commute, the smell of the subway reminds me of the book, and I feel as though I'm going in to Oz. So few books that I've read in my life have actually taken me to another place so completely. I loved Wicked, and was excited to read about Liir's continuing story. While I DO agree with some reviewers opinions on it paling slightly in comparison to the story of Elphaba, the whole book I felt suspense to find out whether or not he really was the green one's son! I enjoyed every moment of this read! Can't wait for Lion Among Men!!!
Well written but frustrated for the rest of the story October 1, 2008
*Spoiler Alert*
We already know Liir is Elphaba's son or his presence in Wicked and a whole sequel being based on him would be completely meaningless. It's gratifying at the end that he finally knows-for-sure he's Elphaba's son. The whole book basically leads up to him knowing-for-sure what the reader already knows. Too many questions are left unanswered. He doesn't find Nor. We don't know what happens with Candle. It's left open for another sequel. The book is very detailed and well written, but stretched out and slow. Some information is unnecessary and the necessary information is left out! But I do like Maguire's style and his adult rendition of a classic series. A third book is coming out about the Cowardly Lion- I'm sure I'll pick it up and I hope it gives me my answers this time!
 Gets better as you read August 25, 2008
I highly recommend that you read Maguire's "Wicked" before attempting this book or you may easily get lost in the characters and plotlines. "Wicked" is a tough act to follow and "Son of a Witch", while good, isn't as enchanting. It tends to feel less substantial in characters and plot but isn't a bad book; it's just that "Wicked" was better. Most of the interesting things in this book happen in the last 1/8 so keep at it even if you might feel like the plot is a little slow. That last 1/8th comes at you like an arrow shot from a crossbow. If you enjoyed "Wicked" this follow-up is a must-read. I can't wait for the third book, scheduled to come out on October 16, 2008, "A Lion Among Men" I think it's called. Hopefully,some of the plotlines in this book will be wrapped up; a bit of a cliff-hanger was "Son of a Witch".
 Lost time. August 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I liked Wicked. He did a great job creating a backstory and giving the characters depth. The "big" events in Wicked didn't need to be written as we're to remember them from the movie. Son of a Witch was written in the same way (i.e. just mentioning big events) but without giving the characters any depth. Just poorly done all the way through. Constantly waiting for something to happen, for some suspense to be created, but it didn't happen. Since I've only read two of his works, I don't know if he phoned this one in as a way of cashing in on the musical or if this is par for the course. What I do know, however, is that I won't be finding out 'cause I won't be spending any more money on his novels. Unfortunate.
an insult to Baum and readers August 8, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Liir, presumed son of the Wicked Witch (Elphaba), is on a quest to find his identity and his (maybe) half-sister. And nothing happens. As a fan of Baum's quirky and lovely original books, I can't quite get on board with Maguire. He sucks the magic and mystery out of Oz by soaking it in political and religious rhetoric and endless boring discussions on those matters. It is as if he doesn't trust readers of fantasy to be able to understand allegory. Baum did, and he was writing for children. Maguire's story is bogged down with these aspects, taking away from the characters and the magic, and boring his readers to tears. The novel rambles and seems to lack any point at all. His language is as silly as it is pointless, particularly is constant similes/metaphors, for instance, comparing the Cowardly Lion in the rain to "a stone lion in a fountain". He uses obscure vocabulary that breaks the flow of the reading. And, as a fan of the original works, I can't understand why he even bothers to place his work in Oz except as an excuse to cash in on another's work and shock the readers by making something so fluffy and light as Oz into a dark and political world. It's pretentious. I won't be reading anything else by this author, and I chucked out all his other books. Grade: F
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
