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ajsquilla's review against another edition
3.0
My feelings are mixed for the last of this quadrilogy. I read the first 3 books quickly and fervently. I struggled through many parts of this one and it took me months to finish. It is considerably longer, suffers from terrible pacing issues and unnecessary asides to bring back every single side character from the 3 previous books.
However, once I reached the end I was fairly satisfied with how the story concluded. I looked back fondly and remembered how much fun I had with this series as a whole. I felt like I spent a lifetime with the characters (you actually do as the book spans 3 generations), and it was sad to say goodbye as this epic tale concluded.
However, once I reached the end I was fairly satisfied with how the story concluded. I looked back fondly and remembered how much fun I had with this series as a whole. I felt like I spent a lifetime with the characters (you actually do as the book spans 3 generations), and it was sad to say goodbye as this epic tale concluded.
raquel_reading_stuff's review against another edition
4.0
So I read this book thinking it would be the best out of the sequels, but the main character, Rain, made the book three stars. She starts out quirky and imaginative and a little lost, and by the end she is sullen and like she's missing the big picture– perhaps not selfish, but definitely not the character I was interested in at the beginning of the story. Not to mention my dislike for how weird and different she acted when romance was introduced as a plot element.
That said: Wicked was definitely the best book in the series. I actually liked Lion Among Men the best out of the sequels because there is something very common and relatable about Brrr, and he came to be one of my favorite characters. The writing style of Maguire's Wicked Years continues to be extremely interesting and full of cool imagery and deep philosophical ponderings that are mostly easy to get through and very absorbing.
I loved how Maguire referenced so many small things from the original Baum books, and having read those beforehand it was cool and fun to think– "Ah! I know what's going to happen! But how is it going to happen?"
Oz is just as interesting as before– lots of politics and war... the strange thing is that with all the talk of war and fighting, the characters stay on the outskirts, and there never really is much action. It wasn't misleading but it led the book to be more meandery than I had expected.
All the way through, the book was very interesting and I enjoyed reading it. I was impressed at how well Maguire juggled all these characters from various prequels, doing a marvelous job of keeping their voices unique. There were only a few times where I thought people acted out of character, and I think those times were related to humor or just to introduce a quirky plot element, so I was fine with them.
While the other Wicked Years books focus on one main character and the different parts are about different parts of their lives (usually tied to location), Out of Oz does something slightly different, where different characters become the main one for the first few sections of the plot. It muddied who I should focus on, even if the book was still enjoyable.
The romance was minimal, but I'm still not a huge fan of how strange and dramatic the characters get when it's a romantic scene– like the way Maguire treats it as a plot element seemed inauthentic to me somehow. Maybe romance as a plot element in the Wicked Years books is just overdramatized.
The end– the very, very end– I found unsatisfying. I didn't think the last paragraph was the last until I turned the page and there was nothing there. I didn't much like the lead up to the last page, but I think the series was good enough to ignore the fact that the end seemed a little...unfinished. And there were some closure-like hints in the book before the very, very end, which made me happy. All in all an enjoyable series that I would recommend to late teens– because of the romance and because if they read it any younger, I seriously doubt the writing will be understood or appreciated fully.
That said: Wicked was definitely the best book in the series. I actually liked Lion Among Men the best out of the sequels because there is something very common and relatable about Brrr, and he came to be one of my favorite characters. The writing style of Maguire's Wicked Years continues to be extremely interesting and full of cool imagery and deep philosophical ponderings that are mostly easy to get through and very absorbing.
I loved how Maguire referenced so many small things from the original Baum books, and having read those beforehand it was cool and fun to think– "Ah! I know what's going to happen! But how is it going to happen?"
Oz is just as interesting as before– lots of politics and war... the strange thing is that with all the talk of war and fighting, the characters stay on the outskirts, and there never really is much action. It wasn't misleading but it led the book to be more meandery than I had expected.
All the way through, the book was very interesting and I enjoyed reading it. I was impressed at how well Maguire juggled all these characters from various prequels, doing a marvelous job of keeping their voices unique. There were only a few times where I thought people acted out of character, and I think those times were related to humor or just to introduce a quirky plot element, so I was fine with them.
While the other Wicked Years books focus on one main character and the different parts are about different parts of their lives (usually tied to location), Out of Oz does something slightly different, where different characters become the main one for the first few sections of the plot. It muddied who I should focus on, even if the book was still enjoyable.
The romance was minimal, but I'm still not a huge fan of how strange and dramatic the characters get when it's a romantic scene– like the way Maguire treats it as a plot element seemed inauthentic to me somehow. Maybe romance as a plot element in the Wicked Years books is just overdramatized.
The end– the very, very end– I found unsatisfying. I didn't think the last paragraph was the last until I turned the page and there was nothing there. I didn't much like the lead up to the last page, but I think the series was good enough to ignore the fact that the end seemed a little...unfinished. And there were some closure-like hints in the book before the very, very end, which made me happy. All in all an enjoyable series that I would recommend to late teens– because of the romance and because if they read it any younger, I seriously doubt the writing will be understood or appreciated fully.
tabatha_shipley's review against another edition
3.0
This is the fourth and final book in the Wicked series. The finale brings the story lines to a close in a cohesive and dignified way that leaves fans of Frank Baum (the original author of the Wizard of Oz) satisfied. The fastest and most intriguing book in a series that otherwise is a bit slow, I rate this closer 3 stars.
lisa_mc's review against another edition
3.0
Until a couple of months ago, I hadn’t read “Wicked.” I haven’t seen the musical, either, which apparently differs quite a bit from the book. When I picked up “Wicked,” I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I got — and that was a delightful surprise. Gregory Maguire’s Oz is not the Oz we all know from the movie (and let’s face it, that’s our point of reference — how many of us have slogged through L. Frank Baum’s original series?), and “Wicked” is definitely not a light little fantasy. It’s dark and deep, philosophical and theological, and definitely not a kids’ book.
“Out of Oz” is the final book in the series, and in it we meet Rain, Liir’s daughter, born as green as her grandmother Elphaba. For her own protection, she’s been growing up in ignorance of her parentage and with her skin under a disguise spell, serving as a member of Glinda’s household staff. Calling her an odd child is an understatement, and one has to be really different in Oz to qualify as “odd.”
Liir and Brrr, the Cowardly Lion, play key roles in this book, and Dorothy returns — this time deposited in Oz by the San Francisco earthquake and facing trial in Munchkinland for the murder of the Wicked Witch of the East.
So much happens in “Out of Oz” that it’s impossible to summarize. Most revolves around an impending war between Oz and Munchkinland, and the ancient magical book the Grimmerie, which is passed about like a hot potato to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. The plot lines bob and weave, split and rejoin, and finally converge to tie up not just these characters but the entire series.
Maguire’s prose is dense, metaphor-laden, even old-fashioned: the sentence structure and the level of detail are reminiscent of literature we now call “classics.” He uses a wide range of vocabulary — abstract and direct, archaic and modern, flowery and blunt — and often waxes philosophical.
An example: “Why does the day with the brightest blue sky come tagged with a hint of foreboding? Maybe it’s only the ordinary knowledge of transience — all comes to dust, to rot, to rust, to moth. That sort of thing. Or maybe it’s that beauty itself is invisible to mortal eyes unless it’s accompanied by some sickly sweet eschatological stink.”
You've been warned -- if this kind of writing bothers you, stay away from this series. But if you like it, this series has the twisting plots and complicated characters that this kind of writing is meant to support.
If you haven’t read the first three books, there are plenty of explainers in “Out of Oz” to fill you in on the background (which makes the story a bit clunky in spots if you’ve recently read the others, but provides a nice refresher if it’s been a while). Regardless, this isn’t the book to start with: it’s the book to end with.
“Out of Oz” is the final book in the series, and in it we meet Rain, Liir’s daughter, born as green as her grandmother Elphaba. For her own protection, she’s been growing up in ignorance of her parentage and with her skin under a disguise spell, serving as a member of Glinda’s household staff. Calling her an odd child is an understatement, and one has to be really different in Oz to qualify as “odd.”
Liir and Brrr, the Cowardly Lion, play key roles in this book, and Dorothy returns — this time deposited in Oz by the San Francisco earthquake and facing trial in Munchkinland for the murder of the Wicked Witch of the East.
So much happens in “Out of Oz” that it’s impossible to summarize. Most revolves around an impending war between Oz and Munchkinland, and the ancient magical book the Grimmerie, which is passed about like a hot potato to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. The plot lines bob and weave, split and rejoin, and finally converge to tie up not just these characters but the entire series.
Maguire’s prose is dense, metaphor-laden, even old-fashioned: the sentence structure and the level of detail are reminiscent of literature we now call “classics.” He uses a wide range of vocabulary — abstract and direct, archaic and modern, flowery and blunt — and often waxes philosophical.
An example: “Why does the day with the brightest blue sky come tagged with a hint of foreboding? Maybe it’s only the ordinary knowledge of transience — all comes to dust, to rot, to rust, to moth. That sort of thing. Or maybe it’s that beauty itself is invisible to mortal eyes unless it’s accompanied by some sickly sweet eschatological stink.”
You've been warned -- if this kind of writing bothers you, stay away from this series. But if you like it, this series has the twisting plots and complicated characters that this kind of writing is meant to support.
If you haven’t read the first three books, there are plenty of explainers in “Out of Oz” to fill you in on the background (which makes the story a bit clunky in spots if you’ve recently read the others, but provides a nice refresher if it’s been a while). Regardless, this isn’t the book to start with: it’s the book to end with.
ladyzbyrd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Of the Wicked Series, this conclusion is the slowest-moving, least adventurous, least interesting book. On top of that, the ending and closures for just about every character was left so wide open and inconclusive, it was unsatisfying. It won’t prevent me from reading other books by Gregory Maguire, and I’m not entirely disappointed in having read the Wicked Series, either.
danilanglie's review against another edition
4.0
Oh man. I... I loved it. I feel like I keep saying this about these books: they're weird. And I completely see why someone wouldn't enjoy this novel. There are so many things about it that defy the parameters of what I would usually consider a good novel. The storytelling is somewhat meandering and lacks cohesiveness, the fates of the characters are left incomplete, things get mentioned that don't get brought up again or have the significance that they should... but all of these things somehow only enhanced my enjoyment of the novel. It's weird. It has a tone about it, a feel, that I really can't compare to anything else in the world.
That little moment where Glinda is in her cell and someone comes to get her? Oh my God. What a perfect way to suggest Elphie without making the whole book about her. Rain brings back Elphaba in spirit, and that's enough. But, of course, there is the suggestion of more! And Dorothy being this annoying girl who can't stop singing, and Toto being this insufferable dog that everyone hates, just cracked me up. She finds herself a network of friends who become family, and that is just totally my jam.
Also - Rain and Tip-turned-Ozma? I ship it harder than anything in these books other than Liir/Trism. And you guys! I never thought we'd see Trism again but we DID! And they still love each other! Obviously the ending is not exactly happy for either of these couples. Candle leaves Liir, and he ends the novel alone, without either of the people he loved so deeply. And Rain runs off, unable to face Tip after their transformation into Ozma. I love that Maguire has created a world full of all sorts of dark and upsetting things, but it also appears to be a world without homophobia. Nobody, not even Dorothy from early 20th century Kansas, bats an eye at the thought of Rain and Ozma finding love, and nobody seems troubled by the thought of Liir and Trism. I'm just going to quietly head-canon that after enough time has passed, Rain comes back and gets with Ozma. And Liir goes off and finds Trism and they're happy forever. Okay. Glad that's been settled.
I'm rambling. I liked this book a lot. I liked the early parts with Glinda. I liked the stuff with Brrr and Nor (RIP...) and the time dragon. I loved Rain's whole journey. And I loved that somehow, despite the meandering and long-winded nature of this novel, everything sort of wraps up in a really satisfying way. The answers aren't spoon-fed to you, but they are there. This was a series of books about a time of political turmoil in Oz. We didn't get to see the beginnings of the troubles, but we do get to see the end, as an Animal becomes Throne Minister of Oz, and the matriarchy re-asserts itself in the form of Ozma. Yay!
One final note: Maguire peppers in some references to songs from the musical, most notably when he has Rain say: "don't wish, don't start, wishing only..." before trailing off. I, personally, adore this. I can see why someone would think it was too much, but it fit just right for me. There's something so precious and beautiful about the relationship between these books and the popular musical. The musical came out before Maguire had written any of the sequels, so you can see the feed-back loop, as one begat one and then that one begat the other. It's fascinating to me. I know that the legacy of Oz and its characters will continue on into perpetuity, and I'm glad I got to enjoy this particular interpretation of it!
That little moment where Glinda is in her cell and someone comes to get her? Oh my God. What a perfect way to suggest Elphie without making the whole book about her. Rain brings back Elphaba in spirit, and that's enough. But, of course, there is the suggestion of more! And Dorothy being this annoying girl who can't stop singing, and Toto being this insufferable dog that everyone hates, just cracked me up. She finds herself a network of friends who become family, and that is just totally my jam.
Also - Rain and Tip-turned-Ozma? I ship it harder than anything in these books other than Liir/Trism. And you guys! I never thought we'd see Trism again but we DID! And they still love each other! Obviously the ending is not exactly happy for either of these couples. Candle leaves Liir, and he ends the novel alone, without either of the people he loved so deeply. And Rain runs off, unable to face Tip after their transformation into Ozma. I love that Maguire has created a world full of all sorts of dark and upsetting things, but it also appears to be a world without homophobia. Nobody, not even Dorothy from early 20th century Kansas, bats an eye at the thought of Rain and Ozma finding love, and nobody seems troubled by the thought of Liir and Trism. I'm just going to quietly head-canon that after enough time has passed, Rain comes back and gets with Ozma. And Liir goes off and finds Trism and they're happy forever. Okay. Glad that's been settled.
I'm rambling. I liked this book a lot. I liked the early parts with Glinda. I liked the stuff with Brrr and Nor (RIP...) and the time dragon. I loved Rain's whole journey. And I loved that somehow, despite the meandering and long-winded nature of this novel, everything sort of wraps up in a really satisfying way. The answers aren't spoon-fed to you, but they are there. This was a series of books about a time of political turmoil in Oz. We didn't get to see the beginnings of the troubles, but we do get to see the end, as an Animal becomes Throne Minister of Oz, and the matriarchy re-asserts itself in the form of Ozma. Yay!
One final note: Maguire peppers in some references to songs from the musical, most notably when he has Rain say: "don't wish, don't start, wishing only..." before trailing off. I, personally, adore this. I can see why someone would think it was too much, but it fit just right for me. There's something so precious and beautiful about the relationship between these books and the popular musical. The musical came out before Maguire had written any of the sequels, so you can see the feed-back loop, as one begat one and then that one begat the other. It's fascinating to me. I know that the legacy of Oz and its characters will continue on into perpetuity, and I'm glad I got to enjoy this particular interpretation of it!
ericadeb's review against another edition
3.0
Before I say anything about this book, I have to put out there that the first in the series is my favorite book of all time. That being said, I had a few issues with this conclusion of the Wicked Cycle. First off, it was a rough and tough read. While the first book, and even the majority of the second were focused mostly on the main character (Elphaba or Liir) with social commentary and political and religious undertones throughout, the last two books, this one especially were about 75 percent politics and 25 percent character driven. Yes it was interesting to see what has happened in Oz after all these years, but at times I felt like I was trekking uphill with the clock of the time dragon tied to my back. In the end, some questions we answered and some stories were tied up, but there were just as many, if not more questions left to ponder. SPOILER ALERT! Who the heck was the wizard anyway? Why was Shell such a terrible emperor and how did he go from Southstairs drug dealer to ruling Oz? What happened with Rain and Tip? Did Candle ever come back? Where did the clock come from and who was Mr. Boss's boss? And for God sake, was that Elphaba who opened Glinda's cell door? I mean come on! I was happy to read Rain's story, but I can't say that I was completely satisfied with this conclusion. I would have liked to see things all tied up in a nice little bow, or at lease a haphazard knot.
robyndansereau's review against another edition
3.0
I can finally cross Maguire's "Wicked" series off my to-read list! Again, I liked "Out of Oz" more than the first "Wicked" books because it was further removed from the musical. I especially liked the sections from the perspective of Elphaba's granddaughter. Glinda's chapters were quite entertaining to read as well! I was glad to see more of her, as in the last few books she took a backseat in the series. Someday I may read the original "Wizard of Oz," but I think I'll take a break from this universe for now!
cleaper's review against another edition
3.0
Not as thrilling as Wicked, but if you've read the other three books in the series, you should read this to find out how it all ends.