Son of a Witch

By: Gregory Maguire

Narrated by: Gregory Maguire

Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

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 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.

Listen to an interview with author Gregory Maguire.

©2005 Gregory Maguire (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Masterfully imaginative....Ten years after Wicked (which is still on Broadway), fans will once again be clicking their heels with wonderment." (Publishers Weekly)
"A tale that adroitly mixes drama, humor, and political satire into a well-knit examination of good and evil." (Library Journal)

Fascinating, brilliant, extremely detailed...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Gregory Maguire has created the world within the original story of Oz. Wonderfully detailed descriptions which creates a very long story. Although some of the unnecessary details could have been cut and still have the same outcome to be shorter version. I would recommend Out of Oz to my friends, but this is not a book you can listen to all in one sitting!

What does Gregory Maguire bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrative by Gregory Maguire brings the passion, excitement and details to the story which he intended while writing the story that you cannot get from reading alone.

Could you see Son of a Witch being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

The Oz serioes by Gregory Maguire would make a great TV series simiar to the recent amazing Once Upon a Time series.

Interesting in a weird way.

I found myself not really liking the character at times and wishing he'd make some decisions... but that's kinda the point. He's lost, in the same way that many of the main characters in this series ...are. And, this is his, the Son Of A Witch's, story.

Fantastic writing and story

If you could sum up Son of a Witch in three words, what would they be?

engaging, loved it, recommed it

What other book might you compare Son of a Witch to and why?

Wicked because it is an OZ book and because it diverges in a facinating unique way from the traditional story.

What about Gregory Maguire’s performance did you like?

Speech was clear, the voices of the characters were identifiable when there. Emphasis and cadence were great.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The Story of Oz! A new perspective!

Poor narration

the author is brilliant; his narriation is awful. I could not enjoy or follow this storyline as easily as the other Wickd volums, Read by John McDonough .

Writers do not (always) good readers make!

The awful narration of what is possibly a good story made it a proper task to finish this book! Between the horrible attempts at accents, the ridiculous affectations, the jerky cadence, and the... oh I don't know, it was just hard to listen to. I almost quit at least a dozen times. I'd love to say the story was worth it in the end, but I'm left with nothing but an unfortunate "meh" feeling. I am disinclined to continue with the series, but I will soldier on.

Great Book--bad music

Great story, well read. But the music between the chapters needs to be toned down. Don't listen to it without having access to volume control!
If you like Wicked, you need to continue the experience by listening to Son of a Witch.

Great story

I throughly enjoyed Wicked and just had to listen to Son of a Witch. The story was great, continuing in the land of OZ.
Gregory Maguire is a fantastic author but he is a less than steller narrator, if it wasn't for that I would have given this 5 stars.
Don't get me wrong, it's "listenable"

This just left me flat

I was really hoping this would live up to the hype, but it really felt like a waste of a credit. The story just never got good and I just couldn't get into the author/reader's voice.

Not nearly as good as Wicked.

After I finished this book, I went to book three, which is the Lion's story, and it left me unfulfilled and kind of cheated. After the son's story, and the country of Oz being run so poorly from the time of the Wizard forward....and then the son having a green baby girl himself....I was looking forward to reading about Elphaba's granddaughter and not the Lion. Anyway, I quit the series about 1/3 of the way through the Lion's story because it had completely soured my desire to read the entire series at this point. Maybe at some later date I will pick up the 4th of the series, Out of Oz and see if it brings some closure to the tale. 😕

I love the story...hate the voice

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Go away Gregory Maguire. You aren't a narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was so dead in the voice. I would have gotten through it quicker except for the fact that Maguire was so horrible