Book Review: Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

• Genre: Fantasy
• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow
• Release Date: November 1, 2011
• Series: Wicked Years (Book 4)
• Source: Local Library

Blurb: The stunning conclusion to the smash New York Times bestselling series the Wicked Years. Hailed as “bewitching,” “remarkable,” “extraordinary,” “engrossing,” “amazing,” and “delicious,” Gregory Maguire’s Wicked Years series—a sophisticated fantasy cycle inspired by the classic children’s novel The Wizard of Oz—became national bestsellers and the basis for a hit Tony-winning Broadway musical. Now, Maguire returns with the final installment in his transformative work, a thrilling and compulsively readable saga in which the fate of Oz is decided at last. . . .

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.


Review:

So, we've finally come to the end of Gregory Maguire's Oz. While I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Maguire's vibrant, yet highly political Oz, it was time for the story to come to an end. In fact, I've had trouble with the series since Wicked. With each book I've hoped from something as engaging, as delightfully entertaining yet tragic, but I've always come up disappointed. I even got so fed up with A Lion Among Men that I nearly skipped Out of Oz altogether, but something about Maguire's world still intrigued me, and I wanted to see what he had in store for the final chapter.

Now, once again, Oz is in the midst of social unrest: the Emerald City is preparing to invade Munchkinland, Lady Glinda is under house arrest and the famous Dorothy returns to Oz, where she is put on trial for the murder of the Wicked Witch of the East. All the while, Elphaba's granddaughter Rain has grown up, and it's up to her to take on Elphaba's legacy.

Returning to Maguire's Oz was like returning to a familiar vacation spot to visit old friends. And it comes along with all the vivid detail, social unrest and unique politics that come along with the experience. Out of Oz also offers Maguire's signature style, which is highly lyrical and just jumps off the page with every sentence. I particularly enjoyed the trial of Dorothy -who would have thought that the little from the Wizard of Oz would ever have to atone of the witch's murder?

While there were some enjoyable elements on Out of Oz, I still found myself leaving Maguire's vision of Oz disappointed. The ending of Out of Oz just wasn't satisfying, and, ultimately, I was sad to see that Elphaba never made her triumphant return, even though it implies as much at the end of Wicked. I also thought it was somewhat strained to have Out of Oz focus on Elphaba's green-skinned granddaughter, which Maguire was trying to make into another Elphaba -but it's not the same. Out of Oz also suffered from a serious lack of editing. The book could have easily lost one hundred pages or so, but the published likely decided it didn't need to go on a book diet since the author is already so popular. Not a good call.

I'm ultimately torn on this book. There were some elements that were enjoyable to read, and it really is a joy to visit Maguire's vision of Oz and swim around in his mesmerizing sea of words, but I wasn't fully satisfied when it was time to get out.