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Out of Oz

Gregory Maguire
William Morrow (2011) HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN 9780060548940
Reviewed by Enid Grabiner for RebeccasReads (12/2011)

As we enter the final volume of the “Wicked Years” saga, we find that Emerald City is mounting an attack against Munchkinland.  Glinda is under house arrest and the cowardly lion is running from the law.  Dorothy, still unable to shake her original experience in Oz, is returning to Oz for some sort of closure, only to find herself a fugitive.  She is captured and put on trial for the murder of Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west.

This series is not a continuation of the jovial fantasy version of the original Oz story but rather a move into a dark social and political arena.  This segment focuses on Rain, the daughter of Liir and granddaughter of Elphaba.  She, menored by the seemingly superficial and scattered but loyal Glinda, is steadfastly determined to liberate Munchkinland from Shell Tropp, Elphaba’s powerful but wicked step-brother who is now ruling over Emerald City. 

Gregory Macguire weaves a witty and oftentimes humorous tale without losing his control of serious social commentary in "Out of Oz."  It is also a coming of age story about finding one’s strengths and using them judiously.  Multi-layering the story and characters makes this fourth entry a resoundingly satisfying finale.

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