Son of a Witch: Volume Two in the Wicked Years

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		Son of a Witch: Volume Two in the Wicked Years
		Son of a Witch: Volume Two in the Wicked Years

基本信息·出版社：Harper
·页码：464 页
·出版日期：2008年09月
·ISBN：0061714739
·条形码：9780061714733
·装帧：简装
·正文语种：英语
·丛书名：The Wicked Years
·外文书名：巫师之子: 邪恶年代系列第2卷(邪恶年代系列)

内容简介 在线阅读本书

In this captivating New York Times bestseller, beloved author Gregory Maguire returns to the land ofOz and 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. At the Cloister of Saint Glinda the silent novice Candle tends to him, willing him back to life with her unusual 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 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.

作者简介

Gregory Maguire, like Alice, spent some time in a Catholic home for children when he was small. In addition to Missing Sisters, Gregory is the author of more than a dozen novels for young readers, including Leaping Beauty, and five novels for adults, including the New York Times bestselling Wicked. He holds a Ph.D. in English and American Literature from Tufts University, has lived abroad in Dublin and London, and now lives in Massachusetts.

编辑推荐 From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The death of Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West, brings about spectacular changes in this masterfully imaginative sequel to Maguire's 1995 blockbuster Wicked—most notably, the startling possibility that Elphaba had a son. Scattered among the ruins of great portions of Emerald City, many residents have been skinned and bloodied, supposedly by the barbaric Yunamatas. Travel caravan leader Oatsie Manglehand stumbles upon the body of an unknown young man, badly beaten but still alive. She presents him to the wise Superior Maunt, who recognizes the hurt boy as Liir, rumored to be the dead Witch's secreted son. A mute waif named Candle revives him with her haunting, ethereal music and hidden affections. Meanwhile, Maguire supplies alternating chapters of extensive, mesmerizing backstory of Liir's boyhood, from the witch's watery demise, to the trek to the Wizard's Castle with Dorothy and company, his search for the imprisoned princess Nor, and a long stint in the Munchkinland Army, all while donning his mother's black cape and clutching her magic broom handle. Along the way, a headspinning cast of vividly described, eccentric characters emerges, but nothing prepares Liir for Candle's shocking surprise announcement. Tucked into Maguire's enchanting fable are carefully calibrated object lessons in forgiveness, retribution, love, loss and the art of moving on despite tragic circumstances. Ten years after Wicked (which is still on Broadway), fans will once again be clicking their heels with wonderment.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Son picks up where Maguires highly successful Wicked (HarperCollins, 1995) left off, with the death of Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West. She left behind a daughter, Nor, and Liir, who may or may not be her son. After her death, he enters into a decade of listless soul searching. He travels for a time and then joins the military, enjoying the structure it provides his life. But eventually his rearing by the Witch as well as his possible heritage catch up to him and he finds himself in demand to start a new revolution against the tyranny of Emerald City. An odd series of disfiguring murders starts occurring all across Oz. Liir discovers that the new Emperor sits behind the machinations and uses the strange killings to spread distrust among the various races of the land. Wielding Elphabas flying broom and donning her magical cape, Liir makes some small but bold gestures that help the populace of Oz and replants the seeds of hope that Elphaba spread a generation before. Son is a tighter work than Wicked, making deft use of flashbacks and varying viewpoints to create a quicker pace. And Liirs quest–both to find himself and to save the people of Oz–is easier to believe than the motivations that drove the bitter yet heroic Elphaba. A well-written, well-crafted fantasy that can stand on its own.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Bookmarks Magazine
The best-selling Wicked, Maguire’s adult spin on L. Frank Baum’s classic, became a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical; by contrast, this sequel is a typical middle book, a bridge to a better novel to come, perhaps. Maguire introduces powerful, whimsical, and cruel characters and adds ethical and sexual complexities to the original story—if you can keep all the characters, flashbacks, and plots straight. Although Son, which starts where The Wizard of Oz leaves off, has the same wit and complex moral themes of its predecessor, they fall flatter here. Finally, though some readers will welcome Dorothy’s entrance, many will find the entire story too constructed for their taste. But the cliffhanger ending will keep them waiting for the third installment.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Liir has a lot of questions. He has always been with the witch Elphaba, but he doesn't know whether she is his mother. She always evades the issue. When she is unceremoniously dispatched by that girl from Kansas, Liir at 14 has nowhere to go and nothing meaningful to do. He has Elphaba's cape and broom but no magical abilities, and the question of his parentage is now more than bothersome. He leaves the castle and Elphaba's long shadow, and sets out into the wide world for some answers. But the questions get bigger and more complicated. For soon he wakes in the Cloister of St. Glinda, amnesiac and healing from broken bones, sprains, and internal injuries. How did he get in such a state? Another mystery: Candle, the mute young novice who pulled him from the edge of death with her extraordinary musical gift and has cared for him so intently, has unintentionally bound herself to him in ways that could change them into something bigger than they can imagine. The biggest question is, why has Liir's life been spared? Maguire fills out the sequel to Wicked (1995)--source of the hit musical--with astute, frequently comical observations on present-day politics, social injustice, religion, and the human condition. At the same time, in his hero's story, he acknowledges the human capacities for love, compassion, and courage. This is no lightweight fairytale--entertaining, to be sure, but also complex and multilayered in plot and meaning, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"An amazing novel." -- —John Updike

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