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)

Writers shouldn’t narrate

Great story. The narration was in a voice of that of screeching, like that of fingernails on a black board. The writer should just stick to writing.

Great book; terrible narration

Author is great at writing. Lousy at narration. Sounds like a robot reading voices, changes the character’s voices through the book, and all “accents” sound the same. Gregory should keep writing and let the pros do the reading.

good story but. .

I am enjoying the storyline. however, I do not like the narration. there needs to be more definition between characters.

Not as bad as the reviews would lead you to believ

I read all the reviews about the writer being a poor narrator. I felt just the opposite. First off I had to read the sequel. I felt what better person to give life to his characters than the author himself. It was he that came up with the characters and he would know the way he intended the characters to sound. The story itself is not bad. I was thrilled to see a new outlook upon the Oz story. This time seen from the male point of view. I do recommend this book and the author as narrator.

Entertaining and Enthralling

I listend to Wicked and had to have Son of a Witch. Excellent narration, good story telling.

Interesting interpretation

After thoroughly enjoying the narration of Wicked, I found myself puzzled by the new choice of narrator for Son Of A Witch. I did not figure out who it was until the question and answer section at the end. It was the author...oops. It would seem to make sense, to have the author read the words that he had in his head, to hear them as he did when he was writing them. Sadly, all the different voices and his way of phrasing did nothing to enhance the story for me, and often confused me. (I noticed that subsequent books went back to the capable narrator, John McDonough.)
The story was well executed and interesting. It is definitely an adult book, with adult themes.

Low sound quality and poor enunciation

Would you try another book from Gregory Maguire and/or Gregory Maguire?

The story was very good. The adventure and character development was the only thing that kept me listening. It's kind of like listening to a child learn to play a musical instrument. You can tell what they are going for, but it's not there yet.

What did you like best about this story?

Twists and turns

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Gregory Maguire?

John McDonough

Do you think Son of a Witch needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Love the idea of a follow-up book. High quality story execution.

Any additional comments?

Recommend ensuring that that sound quality is level without static or volumn changes. Also, bypass the jolting musical chapter divisions. The music pushed me right out of the story. I actually thought another one of my divices was trying to connect to my car's bluetooth. It did not seem consistent with the story at all.

Awesome story! Great Sequel!

Gregory takes you on a journey so detailed that you really do feel like you're the main character, I recommend this to everyone!

Ewe!!! To start better later....

Why does it sound so bad. This is not the way a book should be narrated. I love audio books and the start of this one really threw me backwards. The whole point is to whisk the listener away to another place or so I thought. It has gotten better by chapter and Continues to do so. I'm soooo glad :) I almost removed this book. Not finished yet but when I do I'll amend the rating and review

I loved wicked and I loved the sequel!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It helped me deal with not knowing what happened to Nor in the first book. I do agree with many other reviews in the sense that the author reading the book was not fantastic, but it didn't ruin the story for me. I felt it introduced new characters as well in addition to recalling old characters! I cannot wait to listen to the next two books!