Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire (2005, Hardcover)

This book is the sequel to Wicked and continues the story of the "Wicked Witch of the West" after her death through the continuing life of her son, Lir. Although the storyline continues to be very deep and dark, I found it to be a surprisingly easy read (much less emphasis on politics) and the flow between the ending of Wicked and the beginning of this book is excellent. There are many references to things that happened in Wicked throughout this book as Lir reflects back on his childhood. It is therefore a MUST that you read Wicked before reading this- without that background information many things about the storyline will not make sense.

There are two things I found very enjoyable about this book. For one, the writing allows for much comparison between the personalities of Elphaba and Lir and how the differences play out when their characters were faced with similar situations. While Elphaba was very focused and purpose driven, Lir tends to plod through life, very unaware of self, allowing things to happen to him rather than trying to affect change. I also found it interesting to observe how Lir's feelings about Elphaba evolve through his reflections of her from childhood into adulthood. By the end of the book he has a much better understanding of who Elphaba was/what she stood for and ultimately gains a better understanding of who HE is.

Now for what I DIDN'T LIKE-- I was VERY disappointed by the way the book ends. There was very little, if any, resolution. Although Lir gains a better understanding of himself, little else about the plot is resolved- including the premise under which the book begins, Lir's search for his half-sister, Nor. There is also very little explanation of what happened to other main characters in this book. At the end they are just gone... I am wondering if there will be a 3rd book?? Otherwise, I will just feel cheated...