Out of Oz

Volume Four in the Wicked Years

By: Gregory Maguire

Narrated by: John McDonough

“Maguire’s work is melodic, symphonic, and beautiful; it is dejected and biting and brave. How great that people flock to these magical novels.”
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

Bestselling author Gregory Maguire’s remarkable series, The Wicked Years, comes full circle with this, his fourth and final excursion across a darker, richer, more complex landscape of “the magical land of Oz.” Out of Oz brilliantly reimagines L. Frank Baum’s world over the rainbow as wracked with social unrest—placing Glinda the good witch under house arrest and having the cowardly Lion on the lam from the law as the Emerald City prepares to make war on Munchkinland. Even Dorothy makes a triumphant return in Maguire’s magnificent Oz finale—tying up every loose green end of the series he began with his classic Wicked, the basis for the smash hit Broadway musical.

Tied up in typical Maguire fashion!

If you could sum up Out of Oz in three words, what would they be?

War Rain Peace

What did you like best about this story?

The bringing together of all the characters from the four books for a satisfying conclusion.

Which scene was your favorite?

Bringing Liir back from the dead.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Would have loved to, but too long to do it! However, I did stay up quite late on the last night. Had to see how it ended!

Any additional comments?

The author wants his readers to draw their own conclusions, like always. At first I was unsure of the ending, but thinking it over now I love it. (The last sentence in the book is eerily similar to the first sentence in Wicked).

Readers should look for sly references to the musical, Judy Garland, The Wiz and of course the previous books. There are also some fun asides to Gone With The Wind which was also produced in 1939.

Just plain Odd and anticlamatic.

What did you like best about Out of Oz? What did you like least?

I have enjoyed all the other books in the

Which character ??? as performed by John McDonough ??? was your favorite?

He is good at all of them

Was Out of Oz worth the listening time?

It was better to listen to than read, at least the reader is entertaining.

Takes so long to get out

This novel requires no grasp of the plot; drop the needle on any track and listen for a few hours. Repeat randomly. Enjoy. The adult zany silliness built on Oz trivia (books and movie mingled) would entertain the Oz-Savy Tween, were it not for the challenging parlance, the opacious plot and the plethora of ribaldity. Well, maybe such readers would actually go for the latter, and it would be an excuse for binge listening. But 28 hours are a bit much; the cure is to listen at 2.5 speed: the narrator was clear and entertaining even at that speed.


Accolades aside, I may be a minority on this but it saddens me to see Baum’s concept of a de-fanged fairy world (in which a brave little girl of 1900 can have adventure) refashioned by this cynical revisionism. I shudder to think what will be done some day, once unprotected by copyright, to Sheeta, Mei, Satsuki, Kiki, Mononoke, Ponyo, Arrietty, Shizuku, Marnie, Kaguya, etc of the Ghibli universe (perhaps presented as a mono-gender cartel running a ponsi scheme defrauding gullible and greedy villagers); or Hermione Granger (Euro-centric, upwardly mobile, category-hopping, privileged & gifted causcasian).

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Where does Out of Oz rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Out of Oz ranks with the rest of the Wicked series as like #5.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Out of Oz?

When Rayne is really revealed in all of her green glory as Elphaba's Grand-daughter.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Rayne figures out that magic is just magic, but love and life are far greater!

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

Out of Oz...where do the possibilities end?

Any additional comments?

Mr. McDonough is the most execptional narrator! I love hearing his voice lend it's talent to such a wonderful work.

Great story

As with all the Wicked series books, this was a wonderful story and ended the series very well.