In this third novel of the New York Times--Bestselling series, civil war looms in Oz, and an ancient oracle named Yackle prepares for death. But before she can die, the Cowardly Lion arrives seeking knowledge about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West--the woman who had defended him when he was a cub.
I really like original wizard of Oz story, it is one of my favourites and I think that it is fantastic that somebody is keeping the story alive.
A Lion among men is biography of the cowardly lion. The experience of reading this is very similar to a real biography that has some shocking truths in it. I wasn't expecting the lion to say the sort of things he does about the characters from the original story...my opinion of Dorothy has completely changed now. haha
If you are a fan of the wizard of Oz and wicked then give this story a go.
I'm torn about this, the third book in the Wicked series. I was so unexpectedly moved by the second book in the series, Son of a Witch (more so even than the oh-so-popular first book Wicked). In many ways, this volume was a retread of similar themes. Once again we have a protagonist faced with nearly identical issues: unclear sense of parental origins, a disconnectedness from the world around him, cowardice and retreat from destiny at every turn. The novelty that this time it's the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz keeps the proceedings aloft for a while, but ultimately this book fails to resolve itself with the emotional punch of its predecessor. Son of a Witch made me overcome with emotion in its final pages; not so here. I presume we'll have books on the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Glinda, and Toto to look forward to in years ahead, but …
I'm torn about this, the third book in the Wicked series. I was so unexpectedly moved by the second book in the series, Son of a Witch (more so even than the oh-so-popular first book Wicked). In many ways, this volume was a retread of similar themes. Once again we have a protagonist faced with nearly identical issues: unclear sense of parental origins, a disconnectedness from the world around him, cowardice and retreat from destiny at every turn. The novelty that this time it's the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz keeps the proceedings aloft for a while, but ultimately this book fails to resolve itself with the emotional punch of its predecessor. Son of a Witch made me overcome with emotion in its final pages; not so here. I presume we'll have books on the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Glinda, and Toto to look forward to in years ahead, but this volume has dimmed my excitement at the prospect quite a bit. That is not to say Maguire has been robbed of his gifts: oh no, this book is full of lush beautiful prose, subtle wonderful snarky one-liners, the unexpected twist and turn. But (as in the two preceding volumes) the dirge like relentless gloom that infuses all the proceedings can be a bit much after a while. If you loved Wicked, you'll want to read this. If you loved Son of a Witch even more, prepare for a letdown.