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)

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

Very creative

I bought overall, it was very enjoyable.this book because I was dying to klnow what could possibly happen next with all of the characters were left behind after the witch died. I wish his other books were available through audile ("Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister", specifically).

Great but no Wicked

I'll start by saying that it is a fabulous book. However, it doesn't hold a candle to Wicked. It's unfair to expect that it would, but my selfish wish is that it could at least come close.

I loved the story but the authors voice is hard to tolerate. Maybe it's just me, but he sounded like a robot and I had a hard time separating his voice from the words and really getting into the story. Other than that, I highly recommend it.

Fantastic

I love this four book series. Much like the first four books of Dune you should either just read the first one or read all four. I don’t think I’m out of line to say that you should consider all four books as one complete story that need to be viewed as a conglomerate. I was never bored or lost reading these books but things really do get past casual listening. Great book. Great series. Amazing world building and realization of the imaginative world of Oz.

Son of a witch

Read before, many years ago. Was good to "read" again. Less religious rambling than the first book. Enjoyable. Preferred narrator of Wicked to author's narration (Sorry Gregory).

Great

Was sad when it ended. I liked the narrator because that is how I envisioned the character would sound.