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)

Fantastic

Loved it all day for some time when they started playing with them on my computer with the first few years and then the only thing I've been playing is

Good story, suboptimal narration

Compared to wicked, the narration was abysmal. I could hardly focus on the content due to the halting, choppy clipped way of speaking, never mind the nearly unintelligible character voices.

Already a fan

I am rereading the series which is not typical because I don’t love to revisit stories when I know what will happen. This series, however, continues to evolve in my mind as I get older and the world seems to become darker. The themes of resilience and compassion never cease to inspire. I see that others consider the narration abhorrent and I would have to agree that it certainly isn’t as good as the audiobook of Wicked but it is far from “impossible to listen to” or from the sort of audiobook that I stop listening to because of how bad the narration is. I adore Son of a Witch and I think more people should get into this series.

I wanted so much more for Liir

Liir is so much like his mother, Elphaba. I wish that she'd been more motherly and open with him. My heart broke for him throughout as he ventured on his unintended journey of self-discovery.

I love it!

I love being swept away in the mystical land of Oz with such great characters. I love the deeper story of such characters. I loved it.

Painful, pathetic & disappointing

I love love loved Wicked and was really excited for a follow up of the story. The author narrates and usually that's my preference, but he does a terrible job. He doesn't read smoothly. His voice is effeminate for about 95% of the characters which makes it hard to believe and take them seriously. I'm actually embarrassed by the voice he uses for Glinda which makes her sound like an absolute fool, when, from the first book, we know that isn't so.

As for the story, it's hard to get into because Liir is made out to be a pathetic dope and I don't really care what happens to him. He's the main character and I just don't care about him. Not to mention that there are inconsistencies between Son of a Witch and Wicked that make me wonder if the author remembers what he's written.

It's basically a pathetic attempt at creating a deep and moving story while using as many metaphors as possible.

I was so excited for this book that I actually spent extra money for it and didn't wait to use a credit. I feel completely ripped off. It's not worth a read, listen to or credit.

He can write but he can't narrate

The narration was awful. ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. I was expecting something as spectacular as the narrator for his other books (Wicked and Mirror Mirror) but no, the author decided to do it himself. I almost ripped my earphones off when he tried to do the voice of Glinda. I had to give up on the audio book and read the book instead.

Liir left short...

After reading Wicked, I was excited for the continuation of Liir's story. Saddly it did not live up to its mother book.

The story was drab and drawn out with very little plot and character development. The author repeated ideas, questions, conversations and conflicts too many times that it became tedious. I had to make myself return multiple times after moving on to other books. Upon finally completing the book, only one question was clearly answered and it had already been understood.

Saddly, the hardest part to muddle through was the author's choice to narrate the book himself. Character voices were consistent but difficult to relate to. And his emotional investment and inflection was poor and hard to follow.

Not as good as Wicked

this book doesn't even compare to Wicked and it jumps around a lot. Don't waist your time.

What the Heck was I thinking!!!

This genre is TOTALLY not my style, but I was tempted because Wicked (the play) was so great.

I had to finish it as punishment.