so glad you made this video. I've had a paperback copy from the 2010's I've been picking up and putting down for years because I really had no idea what I was reading, and with the movie coming out, everything just clicked. so excited to read this.
I hear u. I saw the movie the other day with a friend. My friend already saw the Broadway play and the movie, but she went with me again. Since I’ve seen the movie, I’ve been watching everything about it. I’m understanding it more now than b4. I tried, like u, to read it when the play first came out and I didn’t understand it either! 😳The book is deep. I’m trying to listen to book on tape.
I bought and read this book in 1995, the cover art drew me to it... way back then I wanted to see if there was any possibility of buying the original artwork for the "dragon clock" if I knew it was gonna blow up so huge I might have tried a little harder!! 😀 just saw the movie on new years eve, loved it!, couldn't help but think when I read this THIRTY years ago!, Arianna was ONE clueless that one day she would be glinda!! 😂
Glad I found your channel! You read with both joy and critical thinking. I only read the first two books, and I did enjoy them. Will consider some of the other recs you made
Love hearing you talk about them! Thank for acknowledging the sarcastic humorous voice of the writing, so many people called it a boring read I was shocked how many times I giggled. Did you hear about the prequel? Hope to get your opinions on it when it comes out
@@joshuajones3245 the Another Day trilogy is more like “the sequel trilogy” of the Wicked Years. The first book doesn’t even take place in Oz. But they do offer some closure to a few things.
i remember reading the first 2 books because i was seeing the musical on a field trip in high school, and really liking them. I didnt get my hands on any orhers (the first 2 were a gift) but with the movue coming out think its time to give the rest of the series a shot. I also liked confessions of an ugly step-sister, and i had no idea there was a sequel series so thank you for giving some details about it! loved the video 👍
I loved this video! I tried to listen to an audio of the first book? but I just couldn’t get into it. I love the new movie and the musical, so listen to you explain all of the books feels like I know the origin story!
@@amarapile3767 I did an in depth spoiler review of the first book in another video, also, and this upcoming Monday, I’m going to be recapping the plot of the sequel, as well!
I’ll never unsee it since someone pointed out that every time someone has sex it’s either 1) an affair, or 2) SA 🙃 Only ever those two instances of the numerous scenes in the book
@@sarahcha7119 yeah, it’s a book about the failure of systems and paradigms. So the breakdown of the healthy relationship is an echo of the breakdown in the government as things become more corrupt and xenophobic under the Wizard’s fascist rule. The toxic relationships in this book are very much a feature, not a bug!
Found your channel. New fan here. Enjoyed your video and the story backgrounds on the wicked books. This box set will be my next purchased! Thank you for sharing. Also, love the Wizard of Oz snow globe. Is that an Amazon purchase? Again, thanks!
@@kekambas79 thanks! The snow globe was a gift from a friend in college. It’s something she’d had for a while, but I’m not sure where she got it, haha. But I love it
Thank you. I have been an Ozian since my childhood, and got stuck on Maguire's language density in the first book when it first came out and could not move through the second. I will give the audio books a try, and appreciate your overview on how the pacing/overall story works.
you've got another subscriber :) by the way, i appreciate you avoiding the spoilers, but i would enjoy seeing a version of this video that DOES include spoilers, because i bogged down in the third book and i'll never read the rest, but i'd love to know what the hell the clock of the time dragon was all about
@@stilelits I am doing videos for each of the books! My video two weeks ago was a spoilery recap of the first book! In the new year, I will continue through the series
Thanks for an excellent video! One thing, though. Dorothy doesn't return to Oz until the third Baum book "Ozma of Oz". "The Marvelous Land of Oz" is Dorothy-free.
@ true story! And it has been years since I’ve read the original Oz books. I think I was in college last time I read them, and I didnt get through all of them…😬
Baum kept writing Oz books for three reasons: kids kept sending him letters asking for more, his editor was pushing him to also write more and all his other books were massive flops. So dude was stuck in a writer's nightmare: he couldn't make money out of the things he wanted to write and he got stuck writing a franchise he hated, but made lots of money.
@@LuizFelipe-lk1hs yep! Louisa May Alcott had a similar thing happen. She wanted to write gothic thrillers and horror stories, but they weren’t selling. She wrote Little Women purely to make money and it was a PHENOMENAL success, overshadowing everything else she ever wrote. But she wasn’t a fan of that book
I read the Oz series quite some time ago. I just discovered there was a newer trilogy. This was a great video! The first book Wicked is definitely in my top 5 books of all time. After I finish my current book( Fairy Tale- Stephen King). I definitely want to give the whole Oz series a re read and read the newer trilogy. I just discovered your channel and new subscriber here. This was an amazing video. Thanks for sharing!
@@christeanap719 thank you so much! I’ve got Fairy Tale on my TBR, too. I’ll probably read that in the winter. As for Oz, the series has its ups and downs, but when it’s good, it’s excellent!
@@bluecobaltsteph2689 yeah, the first two are really the only ones I’d say are my favourites. The Another Day trilogy was fine, and it fits in the bigger story, but ultimately it didn’t add THAT much.
Son of a Witch is a good book. I consider Wicked to be pretty much a work of genius. By far the best thing Maquire has ever written. I HATED Lost, I didn’t love the Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I haven’t read a lot of the other things and apparently I have missed at least one Oz book if not two. So thank you!!
@@Mister_Sosotrisfinishing your video - 1) we totally agree on Out of Oz, and 2) apparently I totally missed a whole new trilogy! How did I do that !!???
Nessarose was called a witch first, wasn't she? If memory serves, Elphaba herself predicts Nessie will be a real [rhymes with witch] if she lets herself.
@@seto749 the label witch is given to both Elphaba and Nessarose sort of nebulously. You’re right that Nessa is called a witch when she begins to rule Munchkinland with an iron fist near the end of her life, but she is known as the Witch of the East mostly after her death. And Elphaba is vaguely known as a witch by some people here and there, and it’s not until she lets Sarima’s family call her Auntie Witch that she begins to cultivate that title. But yeah, the labels become solidified most definitely AFTER both are dead, but Nessa definitely got the title first
@@damemeow3693 the Another Day trilogy starts off in another land outside Oz but then it connects back to the big events of the Wicked books, and the final book takes place fully in Oz. It’s a bit uneven, but I enjoyed the way it deepened the lore of the Grimmerie!
@@bobbyspapercraft nothing wrong with that! I posted a video last week recapping the plot of the book specifically for folks who aren’t interested in reading it. It’s definitely not for everyone, and that’s okay!
I bought the first sequel but never read it. I didn't know he'd written a whole sh*t-ton of them, parlaying his initial success into a cottage industry.
@@thomask1424 while there are elements of the later books I do like, the quality definitely fluctuates. The third and fourth book definitely meander a lot. And the seventh book has an element that annoys me greatly (and isn’t even important to the story)
@@thomask1424 while there are elements of the later books I do like, the quality definitely fluctuates. The third and fourth book definitely meander a lot. And the seventh book has an element that annoys me greatly (and isn’t even important to the story)
Nice video. FYI (you mentioned you were a big Oz fan) - first-ever book about THE Wicked Witch "Margaret Hamilton From Cleveland Ohio to the Land of Oz" if interested
@@donbillie1883 oh nice! I’ll be on the lookout for that one! She was such a wonderful character actor, and I always found it unusual that she didn’t have as massive a career as she could have. But I know film contracts were different in that time.
Yeah, Fiyero is an interesting character. One could also read him as Indigenous, but it’s interesting how that’s one element that brings Fiyero and Elphaba together, they’re both Other in a way, but the musical doesn’t really engage with that element at all
Fiyero in the musical is the character “Avaric” instead. They just gave Fiyero’s name to Avaric’s character. I too was very shocked that the movie also chose to entirely erase Fiyero from the story. I would have thought in a story where prejudice and skin colour and a caste system are central themes, you’d honour the message of the story, the righteous plight of the protagonist and honour the source material. But then again, the book is a political thriller for adults, whereas the musical is a reductive, cliché high-school drama.
@@arc7375 I’d be curious to see a more faithful miniseries adaptation of the books that gets into its darker elements and ambiguity. I do genuinely like the musical because it tells a story about privilege and prejudice in a family-friendly packaging that is inspiring discussions and giving kids examples to relate to. Plus the music is fun. But I really enjoy the messiness of the books!
Also, Elphaba was portrayed by a white actor in the musical but in the movie THAT was completely taken out, so I guess race swapping is happening everywhere huh?
Great overview! I’ve read/listened to the first four, and this is the first I’ve heard about the Rain trilogy. I’m definitely gonna check them out. BTW, I’d love to watch in-depth videos on each of the (now) seven Wicked l books, with greater analysis and no fear of spoilers. Just the bits you talked about in this video already have me looking at the books in a different way. Keep up the great work.
@@danielc56 oh thanks! I think I definitely want to do really spoilery in depth reviews of my favourite books, so I will definitely add this to the list!
Me quiero leer la saga si o si. Desconocía los otros tres libros cortos y me dan ganas de leérmelos también; desafortunadamente en mi país sólo están traducidos los tres primeros de la saga.
I could be misremembering (I need to go back and reread). But I don't think that Galinda/Glinda was depicted as being a bumbling airhead that she is depicted as in the musical. I kinda liked the more sophisticated side of Glinda's character.
@@curtisharder7112 oh absolutely! She’s much more of a spoiled child at first who grows up to be a political figure and is quite savvy. At Shiz, she’s more indifferent to everyone and is just focused on how her time there will impact her future career.
@@bloodvamp04 I just learned about the next three this year! And I just read, he’s releasing a prequel focusing on Elphaba’s childhood soon. We’ll see if it’s as good as the rest!
According to him there are only 4 in the wicked series and will publish “Elphie” to make 5. Those are the only ones he considered part of the “Wicked” series. Just FYI.
@@saxyben81 yeah, the sequel series is called Another Day, and it starts off in another land outside Oz, but it explains what happens to Rain, Iskenarry, the Wizard, and the Grimmerie after the events of the Wicked series.
I didn't know there were books after the fourth one. I stopped at Son of Witch, because I didn't really care about any of the other characters to be honest.
@@Rahhelthethird that’s totally fair. It does kind of overstay it’s welcome a bit. I did like elements in the later books, but the first two are definitely the best
@@Rahhelthethird yeah, the Lion book rehashes a lot, but it DOES explain finally who Mother Yackle actually is, if you’re interested in that. But it takes a bit to get to that point
The original is the best IMO; the sequels of the "Wicked Years" were fine in their own right, but they did get progressively confusing. The newer sequel series, which feature Rain (Elphaba's granddaughter) outside of Oz, just seemed very rushed to me and uninteresting. I really wanted to like Rain's character moving forward.
@@Jon_from_LI yeah, I appreciated the exploration of the lore, but the sequels are definitely not as good as the first. I do enjoy the second book, but it’s very different in style
I read Wicked last year because every loved the play and i wondered what the hype was. I kinda hated it because while it was interesting it very much was not the Oz i grew up loving and it was pretty dark. A friend convinced me to go see the movie and i now understand they cut out a lot of the "problematic" parts and made Elphaba a more enjoyable character. I am considerig going back and reading the other books but maybe not since you say Wicked is the best of the bunch...
@@ciannacoleman5125 I like the second one. And the fifth one where Elphaba’s granddaughter leaves Oz is good, but the rest suffer from a lot of meandering sections that can get kind of tedious.
Having only watched the film, so Act 1 of the musical, I have to wonder what version you watched, because all the descriptions you give for characters and themes in the book were present in the film, at least for me. Just because a character looks pretty or has a cheery song, does not make them a "good guy". Apart form the Magic Teacher's attitude, everyone else clearly expects Galinda to thrive, and the Wizard is shown to be autocratic and controlling from pretty early on in his portrayal. As for Elphaba being a "magical prodigy", her abilities are portrayed as dangerous when untrained, for all their potential, and she is ostrasized and feared until Galinda "adopts" her. Over other details and world-building I expect the book to be different to the musical, and look forward to discovering those things. I just wanted to put the case for the musical/film, as I see it thus far.
@@VaughanCockell the broad strokes are very similar, for sure. The musical does a great job of distilling the story down to exploring how Elphaba and Glinda’s experiences are different. The book is just messier, and it’s more about the effects brief friendships can have on a person. In the novel, Elphaba is more natural at using magic, but she doesn’t realize this until years after she’s graduated. Galinda is the one who begins studying magic at school and becomes quite proficient at it, while nobody expects Elphaba to amount to anything. But the impact of their brief friendship on one another is still there.
I have read plenty of the legitimate Oz books from the original series and the more modern books from other independent publishers who are fans of the original series. I have tried my hardest to read the Wicked books, but unfortunately they seem to become a chore to read for me more than anything as the books seem to meander a lot. I feel if they were much shorter, I might like them more.
@@tylerlaird1663 that’s totally a fair assessment. The original Oz books are a delight. This series has its strengths, but it IS a bit meandery and in love with its own cleverness at times.
That whole older/younger thing is something that Piers Anthony was guilty of in some of his books, particularly in And Eternity, from the Incarnations Of Immortality series.
**SPOILERS FOR FIRST BOOK One thing I don’t understand about the first book (only one I’ve read) are the random moments of misogyny or racism that pop up and are never addressed again. Off the top of my head: Elphaba’s gran victim-blaming Elphaba’s mum after she’s r*ped; Elphaba’s dad slapping the gran; two characters (are they twins? Can’t remember) making racist comments about Fiyero’s skin colour; Fiyero straight up considering r*ping Elphaba!!! These moments pop up out of nowhere and are never addressed again. I don’t feel they’re supposed to impact how we feel about a character, like the racist duo continue to be used for comic relief (and Elphaba continues to be friends with them), obviously we’re supposed to like and root for Fiyero (and I did, because that moment felt almost removed from everything else we know of him as a character, it was bizarre!) So it’s hard for me to work out what the author’s intentions are with those moments. Possibly that these are all morally imperfect characters, but more worryingly that he personally doesn’t consider these thoughts or comments to be “that big of a deal”, hence no deal is made about them at all Also thought it was a curious choice to have the soldier being tortured for his very inappropriate comment about 14 year old Dorothy, be taken pity on and put out of his misery by Elphaba. Is that to show nuance, or did the author not think the soldier’s comment was that serious and so he was very unfairly punished??? (I agree the torture is extreme and it’s a tricky situation, but I don’t know if the author views it that way)
@@rangoooo2312 prejudice is a big theme of the book. The Wizard stokes prejudice against Animals to maintain control, and racism towards Winkies and Quadlings because it makes the rich white people in the Emerald City feel superior. Maguire is reflecting the real world where a great deal of racist aggressions towards minorities aren’t addressed or dealt with. It’s meant to shock us that this kind of behaviour is so normalized that nobody comments on it.
@ but that particular racism (towards black characters) is only shown by that one comment. And Elphaba is meant to be vehemently against racism so it doesn’t make sense for her to remain friends with them or at the very least to not have some sort of reaction to it, even if that turns out to be biting her tongue and avoiding the issue. The way it comes off is more random than meaningful commentary
@ yeah, that’s true. Elphaba gives me the impression that she’s so beyond caring what other people think that she just blocks out any of the microaggressions she hears her friends doing. Also, she’s acquaintances with Glinda’s circle, but she never really comes across as being genuine friends with any of them. She’s just kind of there. She seems like she holds pretty much everyone at Shiz with contempt.
@@rangoooo2312 Elphaba is also a complex character who chooses her battles wisely(so she thinks), but is also flawed in that she hyper-focuses on the racism toward Animals, much like others who put all their focus toward one issue and don't think about the repercussions of ignoring the big picture in favor of the smaller, which is eventually brought up as Oz falls further into decline in later books. Maybe not perfectly, but it is very realistic for human nature.
@@ianlove29 it’s doing to the second Baum book what Wicked did to the first. So it’s continuing the main story but it lines up with the events of The Marvelous Land of Oz with Ozma and Mombey and all that. The whole series is kind of a blending of the aesthetics of the books and the movies (so the magic slippers are sort of both Ruby AND silver because of the way they’re made).
@ oh I see what you mean. No, it’s not a meta book. It’s set IN Oz, and retells the events of the first two books, following other characters. The first is the wicked witch of the west’s story (but she looks as she did in the movie, not the book), the second follows her son, the third follows the Lion after the events of the second book, and the fourth follows multiple characters as they deal with Dorothy returning to Oz. Books 5-7 tell a separate story following the Witch’s granddaughter as she travels to a different land outside of Oz.
A good meta Oz book would be Was by Geoff Ryman. It has three time periods, one follows the author, one follows Judy Garland, and one follows a man who’s obsessed with Oz
@@Mister_Sosotris i'm not much into Meta retellings like Dorothy must die and Lost in Oz. I'm looking for alternate oz stories/dark oz/ not a crossover with other fantasy series like Wonderland. Just a straightforward reimaining similar to the Wicked Years and Emerald City the tv show.
Side comment for the algorithm: right now I’m super annoyed because books I want to read (by audiobook, I’m not reading regularly other ways right now) are not available in the app I use. I use audiobooks because I don’t feel like giving Bezos even more money for Audible if I can avoid it. Top ones: The Will of the Many and Tress by Sanderson. And a really cool third part to a Sherlock Holmes speculative fiction book too. I raced through the first two and now I have to wait. But at least it will be released soon …….. (take that, Rothfuss!!!!).
@@bluecobaltsteph2689 oh that’s annoying! I have an audiobook subscription through kobo and get one credit a month, but there are some books that unfortunately are ONLY available on Audible, so I try to find those on Libby if I can. It’s definitely a process
The kindle app will read ebooks out loud. I use it when I go for a walk. The robot voice takes some getting used to, but it's perfectly understandable.
Huh… But wasn’t the first Wicked book supposed to be a standalone? Like, there wasn’t supposed to be more after that weird cliffhanger on the last page?
@@ElizaHamilton1780 it was initially a standalone. It became so popular that Maguire wanted to continue the story. I know one element that he didn’t like leaving unresolved was Nor’s fate. She’s captured and dragged away by soldiers in Wicked, and the book never explained what happened to her. He dedicated Son of a Witch to the cast of the Wicked musical, so by then the book was crazy popular, and there was definitely a market for sequels!
@@Luverofmysoul2 Yeah, I just learned about the sequel trilogy this year. The Anotehr Day trilogy follows Elphaba’s granddaughter and ties up some loose ends with a few characters. And Maguire recently announced that a prequel novel following Elphaba as a child is going to be coming out soon. So eight books total!
I only tried reading the first, but I have such a trouble with the fact that it seems that nearly everything sexual is assult, most of that being full on r-pe. I have no problem with sex or even SA as plot, but boy did this seem excessive. No shame on anyone who likes them, but they were just too off putting to me.
@@scaper8 the only SA is the scene in the philosophy club, which I can understand. That’s a troubling moment. The interactions between Melena and Turtle Heart are fully consensual. And Elphaba and Fiyero’s relationship is fully consensual, too. Thankfully he isn’t very explicit, but the author is pretty frank about sexual encounters.
tried reading it, stopped halfway when it got too sexual in book 1, i hate smutty books, and i could care less about sexual stuff that happens to the characters that just took me out of the world completely.
Yeah, they’re very adult, and while I do like how they explore the demonization of feminine sexuality and power, it’s very much not the kind of read that you can just sink into and enjoy. It’s quite a prickly series
so glad you made this video. I've had a paperback copy from the 2010's I've been picking up and putting down for years because I really had no idea what I was reading, and with the movie coming out, everything just clicked. so excited to read this.
@@gavinstem8441 it’s a terrific book! Enjoy!
I hear u. I saw the movie the other day with a friend. My friend already saw the Broadway play and the movie, but she went with me again. Since I’ve seen the movie, I’ve been watching everything about it. I’m understanding it more now than b4. I tried, like u, to read it when the play first came out and I didn’t understand it either! 😳The book is deep. I’m trying to listen to book on tape.
@@Mister_SosotrisI have a question
I bought and read this book in 1995, the cover art drew me to it... way back then I wanted to see if there was any possibility of buying the original artwork for the "dragon clock" if I knew it was gonna blow up so huge I might have tried a little harder!! 😀 just saw the movie on new years eve, loved it!, couldn't help but think when I read this THIRTY years ago!, Arianna was ONE clueless that one day she would be glinda!! 😂
Glad I found your channel! You read with both joy and critical thinking. I only read the first two books, and I did enjoy them. Will consider some of the other recs you made
@@CesarTorres13 that’s so kind! Thank you!
I would LOVE videos about other Gregory Maguire books !!!!!
Love hearing you talk about them! Thank for acknowledging the sarcastic humorous voice of the writing, so many people called it a boring read I was shocked how many times I giggled. Did you hear about the prequel? Hope to get your opinions on it when it comes out
@@maroon_cartoon I’m excited for the prequel! Definitely going to talk about it
I was today years old when I found out there were more than 4 books and I read the first 4.😭
@@joshuajones3245 the Another Day trilogy is more like “the sequel trilogy” of the Wicked Years. The first book doesn’t even take place in Oz. But they do offer some closure to a few things.
I kept thinking my washing machine was running in the background until I realized yours was.
@@LeleJackMusic HAHA! Yeah, it makes cameos sometimes. It’s like two rooms over, but the sound travels through walls very easily
i remember reading the first 2 books because i was seeing the musical on a field trip in high school, and really liking them. I didnt get my hands on any orhers (the first 2 were a gift) but with the movue coming out think its time to give the rest of the series a shot. I also liked confessions of an ugly step-sister, and i had no idea there was a sequel series so thank you for giving some details about it! loved the video 👍
@@zeoranger4green313 thanks! It’s an interesting series, for sure!
I loved this video! I tried to listen to an audio of the first book? but I just couldn’t get into it. I love the new movie and the musical, so listen to you explain all of the books feels like I know the origin story!
@@amarapile3767 I did an in depth spoiler review of the first book in another video, also, and this upcoming Monday, I’m going to be recapping the plot of the sequel, as well!
I’ll never unsee it since someone pointed out that every time someone has sex it’s either 1) an affair, or 2) SA 🙃
Only ever those two instances of the numerous scenes in the book
@@sarahcha7119 yeah, it’s a book about the failure of systems and paradigms. So the breakdown of the healthy relationship is an echo of the breakdown in the government as things become more corrupt and xenophobic under the Wizard’s fascist rule. The toxic relationships in this book are very much a feature, not a bug!
@@Mister_Sosotrisoh I know, I just hadn’t realized until someone mentioned it and I was like “wait really? Every time??” Still love the book ^^
@ right?? Yeah, it’s mega uncomfortable in a good way. Definitely makes you think!
Found your channel. New fan here. Enjoyed your video and the story backgrounds on the wicked books. This box set will be my next purchased! Thank you for sharing. Also, love the Wizard of Oz snow globe. Is that an Amazon purchase? Again, thanks!
@@kekambas79 thanks! The snow globe was a gift from a friend in college. It’s something she’d had for a while, but I’m not sure where she got it, haha. But I love it
Thank you. I have been an Ozian since my childhood, and got stuck on Maguire's language density in the first book when it first came out and could not move through the second. I will give the audio books a try, and appreciate your overview on how the pacing/overall story works.
@@Erni3K you’re most welcome!
you've got another subscriber :) by the way, i appreciate you avoiding the spoilers, but i would enjoy seeing a version of this video that DOES include spoilers, because i bogged down in the third book and i'll never read the rest, but i'd love to know what the hell the clock of the time dragon was all about
@@stilelits I am doing videos for each of the books! My video two weeks ago was a spoilery recap of the first book! In the new year, I will continue through the series
Here’s a link if it works: th-cam.com/video/LBifvyfBgoc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nQrrXNblk3exUSTQ
@@Mister_Sosotris haha, i just finished watching that when i got this notification, thanks!
wow i didn't know there were more books! i read the first book and have been considering the rest of the series
@@mikaelakathleen1817 I really like book 2, and 5!
Love your analysis you got a new subscriber look forward to all of your content
@@shinglepicker thank you kindly!
@@shinglepicker thank you kindly!
Great review, I’m definitely going to check out these books 😊
@@DragonRyder94 oh thanks! It’s definitely a series for ✨vibes✨ so if you like the feel of the books, that definitely continues throughout
I love LOVE the books! I don't have the last 3 though.. I didn't know anything about them, but i will look into it.
@@cashaetaylor7466 they’re interesting. The first and third are my favourites
I love the wicked years and liked another day, but I agree another day felt unnecessary.
@@Ozma1198 yeah, it just kind of said stuff that had always been implied. I didn’t hate it, but it also didn’t add a ton to the overall story
Thanks for an excellent video! One thing, though. Dorothy doesn't return to Oz until the third Baum book "Ozma of Oz". "The Marvelous Land of Oz" is Dorothy-free.
@@johnburnside7828 Oo, good catch! I get those two mixed up a lot.
@@Mister_Sosotris There's a lot to keep track of!
@ true story! And it has been years since I’ve read the original Oz books. I think I was in college last time I read them, and I didnt get through all of them…😬
@@Mister_Sosotris Yeah, they get less and less interesting as they go on.
the glinda opening chapters were hilarious. i loved them. haha.
@@o.g.6221 yeah, I love the wit and sarcasm between her and Cherrystone
Baum kept writing Oz books for three reasons: kids kept sending him letters asking for more, his editor was pushing him to also write more and all his other books were massive flops. So dude was stuck in a writer's nightmare: he couldn't make money out of the things he wanted to write and he got stuck writing a franchise he hated, but made lots of money.
@@LuizFelipe-lk1hs yep! Louisa May Alcott had a similar thing happen. She wanted to write gothic thrillers and horror stories, but they weren’t selling. She wrote Little Women purely to make money and it was a PHENOMENAL success, overshadowing everything else she ever wrote. But she wasn’t a fan of that book
@@Mister_Sosotris I didn't know that, thanks for letting me know! 😉
I read the Oz series quite some time ago. I just discovered there was a newer trilogy. This was a great video! The first book Wicked is definitely in my top 5 books of all time. After I finish my current book( Fairy Tale- Stephen King). I definitely want to give the whole Oz series a re read and read the newer trilogy. I just discovered your channel and new subscriber here. This was an amazing video. Thanks for sharing!
@@christeanap719 thank you so much! I’ve got Fairy Tale on my TBR, too. I’ll probably read that in the winter. As for Oz, the series has its ups and downs, but when it’s good, it’s excellent!
Love to hear your thoughts in a review that includes spoilers for those of us that are well acquainted with the series.
@@arc7375 I think I may do that for this weekend’s video! I’ve been wanting to do a spoiler-filled video for all of them
Wicked definitely absolutely must-read. Son of a witch - yeah. The rest……. Hmmm. Not so sure. A lion among men not so much.
@@bluecobaltsteph2689 yeah, the first two are really the only ones I’d say are my favourites. The Another Day trilogy was fine, and it fits in the bigger story, but ultimately it didn’t add THAT much.
Son of a Witch is a good book. I consider Wicked to be pretty much a work of genius. By far the best thing Maquire has ever written. I HATED Lost, I didn’t love the Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I haven’t read a lot of the other things and apparently I have missed at least one Oz book if not two. So thank you!!
@@Mister_Sosotrisfinishing your video - 1) we totally agree on Out of Oz, and 2) apparently I totally missed a whole new trilogy! How did I do that !!???
Nessarose was called a witch first, wasn't she? If memory serves, Elphaba herself predicts Nessie will be a real [rhymes with witch] if she lets herself.
@@seto749 the label witch is given to both Elphaba and Nessarose sort of nebulously. You’re right that Nessa is called a witch when she begins to rule Munchkinland with an iron fist near the end of her life, but she is known as the Witch of the East mostly after her death. And Elphaba is vaguely known as a witch by some people here and there, and it’s not until she lets Sarima’s family call her Auntie Witch that she begins to cultivate that title. But yeah, the labels become solidified most definitely AFTER both are dead, but Nessa definitely got the title first
I feel like the live action Maleficent drew inspiration from wicked.
@@clivechiam I can definitely see that! The themes of demonizing strong women run through both!
There's 7??? I thought there was 4!! I've only gotten to read 2 of them!!
@@SparkleP8nter and since this video was released, Maguire revealed he’s writing a prequel focusing on Elphaba’s childhood. We’ll see if it holds up
I was just about to post the same thing! I only knew about 4. Guess I know what I'll be doing this winter...
@@damemeow3693 the Another Day trilogy starts off in another land outside Oz but then it connects back to the big events of the Wicked books, and the final book takes place fully in Oz. It’s a bit uneven, but I enjoyed the way it deepened the lore of the Grimmerie!
For some reason, I’ve tried to read wicked several times and cannot do it
@@bobbyspapercraft nothing wrong with that! I posted a video last week recapping the plot of the book specifically for folks who aren’t interested in reading it. It’s definitely not for everyone, and that’s okay!
I bought the first sequel but never read it. I didn't know he'd written a whole sh*t-ton of them, parlaying his initial success into a cottage industry.
@@thomask1424 while there are elements of the later books I do like, the quality definitely fluctuates. The third and fourth book definitely meander a lot. And the seventh book has an element that annoys me greatly (and isn’t even important to the story)
@@thomask1424 while there are elements of the later books I do like, the quality definitely fluctuates. The third and fourth book definitely meander a lot. And the seventh book has an element that annoys me greatly (and isn’t even important to the story)
Nice video. FYI (you mentioned you were a big Oz fan) - first-ever book about THE Wicked Witch "Margaret Hamilton From Cleveland Ohio to the Land of Oz" if interested
@@donbillie1883 oh nice! I’ll be on the lookout for that one! She was such a wonderful character actor, and I always found it unusual that she didn’t have as massive a career as she could have. But I know film contracts were different in that time.
Also, Fiyero was portrayed as a black person but in the musical that was completely taken out.
I thought they would’ve added that to the movie tbh
Yeah, Fiyero is an interesting character. One could also read him as Indigenous, but it’s interesting how that’s one element that brings Fiyero and Elphaba together, they’re both Other in a way, but the musical doesn’t really engage with that element at all
Fiyero in the musical is the character “Avaric” instead. They just gave Fiyero’s name to Avaric’s character.
I too was very shocked that the movie also chose to entirely erase Fiyero from the story. I would have thought in a story where prejudice and skin colour and a caste system are central themes, you’d honour the message of the story, the righteous plight of the protagonist and honour the source material.
But then again, the book is a political thriller for adults, whereas the musical is a reductive, cliché high-school drama.
@@arc7375 I’d be curious to see a more faithful miniseries adaptation of the books that gets into its darker elements and ambiguity. I do genuinely like the musical because it tells a story about privilege and prejudice in a family-friendly packaging that is inspiring discussions and giving kids examples to relate to. Plus the music is fun. But I really enjoy the messiness of the books!
Also, Elphaba was portrayed by a white actor in the musical but in the movie THAT was completely taken out, so I guess race swapping is happening everywhere huh?
Great overview! I’ve read/listened to the first four, and this is the first I’ve heard about the Rain trilogy. I’m definitely gonna check them out.
BTW, I’d love to watch in-depth videos on each of the (now) seven Wicked l books, with greater analysis and no fear of spoilers. Just the bits you talked about in this video already have me looking at the books in a different way.
Keep up the great work.
@@danielc56 oh thanks! I think I definitely want to do really spoilery in depth reviews of my favourite books, so I will definitely add this to the list!
@@Mister_Sosotris that's great! P.S. -you've gained a new subscriber, I will definitely be around to listen for more reviews.
@ thank you so much!
Me quiero leer la saga si o si. Desconocía los otros tres libros cortos y me dan ganas de leérmelos también; desafortunadamente en mi país sólo están traducidos los tres primeros de la saga.
@@DunstanoMAdare That’s awesome! Hopefully, translations of the rest become available soon!
I could be misremembering (I need to go back and reread). But I don't think that Galinda/Glinda was depicted as being a bumbling airhead that she is depicted as in the musical. I kinda liked the more sophisticated side of Glinda's character.
@@curtisharder7112 oh absolutely! She’s much more of a spoiled child at first who grows up to be a political figure and is quite savvy. At Shiz, she’s more indifferent to everyone and is just focused on how her time there will impact her future career.
I thought there were only 4. Thanks!
@@bloodvamp04 I just learned about the next three this year! And I just read, he’s releasing a prequel focusing on Elphaba’s childhood soon. We’ll see if it’s as good as the rest!
I would a spoiler filled review with your thoughts on events of the story and how they connect to the original series!
@@ashleighcalvert8937 I’ve just started a read through of the original Baum books, so I will definitely do that!
I wish the musical followed the books more closely. I wish they would come out with a show that followed the book more closely
@@katherineburke58 I’d love to see a TV adaptation of the whole book series!
According to him there are only 4 in the wicked series and will publish “Elphie” to make 5. Those are the only ones he considered part of the “Wicked” series. Just FYI.
@@saxyben81 yeah, the sequel series is called Another Day, and it starts off in another land outside Oz, but it explains what happens to Rain, Iskenarry, the Wizard, and the Grimmerie after the events of the Wicked series.
I didn't know there were books after the fourth one. I stopped at Son of Witch, because I didn't really care about any of the other characters to be honest.
@@Rahhelthethird that’s totally fair. It does kind of overstay it’s welcome a bit. I did like elements in the later books, but the first two are definitely the best
@@Mister_Sosotris Well, I might read the ones after the Lion book, since it does sound very skippable.
@@Rahhelthethird yeah, the Lion book rehashes a lot, but it DOES explain finally who Mother Yackle actually is, if you’re interested in that. But it takes a bit to get to that point
@@Mister_Sosotris Good thing it's the shortest book then I guess. :)
The original is the best IMO; the sequels of the "Wicked Years" were fine in their own right, but they did get progressively confusing. The newer sequel series, which feature Rain (Elphaba's granddaughter) outside of Oz, just seemed very rushed to me and uninteresting. I really wanted to like Rain's character moving forward.
@@Jon_from_LI yeah, I appreciated the exploration of the lore, but the sequels are definitely not as good as the first. I do enjoy the second book, but it’s very different in style
I read Wicked last year because every loved the play and i wondered what the hype was. I kinda hated it because while it was interesting it very much was not the Oz i grew up loving and it was pretty dark. A friend convinced me to go see the movie and i now understand they cut out a lot of the "problematic" parts and made Elphaba a more enjoyable character. I am considerig going back and reading the other books but maybe not since you say Wicked is the best of the bunch...
@@ciannacoleman5125 I like the second one. And the fifth one where Elphaba’s granddaughter leaves Oz is good, but the rest suffer from a lot of meandering sections that can get kind of tedious.
Having only watched the film, so Act 1 of the musical, I have to wonder what version you watched, because all the descriptions you give for characters and themes in the book were present in the film, at least for me. Just because a character looks pretty or has a cheery song, does not make them a "good guy".
Apart form the Magic Teacher's attitude, everyone else clearly expects Galinda to thrive, and the Wizard is shown to be autocratic and controlling from pretty early on in his portrayal. As for Elphaba being a "magical prodigy", her abilities are portrayed as dangerous when untrained, for all their potential, and she is ostrasized and feared until Galinda "adopts" her.
Over other details and world-building I expect the book to be different to the musical, and look forward to discovering those things. I just wanted to put the case for the musical/film, as I see it thus far.
@@VaughanCockell the broad strokes are very similar, for sure. The musical does a great job of distilling the story down to exploring how Elphaba and Glinda’s experiences are different. The book is just messier, and it’s more about the effects brief friendships can have on a person. In the novel, Elphaba is more natural at using magic, but she doesn’t realize this until years after she’s graduated. Galinda is the one who begins studying magic at school and becomes quite proficient at it, while nobody expects Elphaba to amount to anything. But the impact of their brief friendship on one another is still there.
I have read plenty of the legitimate Oz books from the original series and the more modern books from other independent publishers who are fans of the original series. I have tried my hardest to read the Wicked books, but unfortunately they seem to become a chore to read for me more than anything as the books seem to meander a lot. I feel if they were much shorter, I might like them more.
@@tylerlaird1663 that’s totally a fair assessment. The original Oz books are a delight. This series has its strengths, but it IS a bit meandery and in love with its own cleverness at times.
Been looking for someone to explain the books cause I'm really interested in reading them. 😊
@@stardragonblast15 the series is a bit uneven in pacing, BUT when it’s good, it’s outstanding!
@Mister_Sosotris Can't wait to read it 👌
That whole older/younger thing is something that Piers Anthony was guilty of in some of his books, particularly in And Eternity, from the Incarnations Of Immortality series.
@@dmnemaine oh man, yes. He was NOTORIOUS for that. It annoyed me in his books, too.
@@Mister_Sosotris I almost wondered if the man himself had secret fantasies of teenage girl sex. lol
**SPOILERS FOR FIRST BOOK
One thing I don’t understand about the first book (only one I’ve read) are the random moments of misogyny or racism that pop up and are never addressed again. Off the top of my head: Elphaba’s gran victim-blaming Elphaba’s mum after she’s r*ped; Elphaba’s dad slapping the gran; two characters (are they twins? Can’t remember) making racist comments about Fiyero’s skin colour; Fiyero straight up considering r*ping Elphaba!!!
These moments pop up out of nowhere and are never addressed again. I don’t feel they’re supposed to impact how we feel about a character, like the racist duo continue to be used for comic relief (and Elphaba continues to be friends with them), obviously we’re supposed to like and root for Fiyero (and I did, because that moment felt almost removed from everything else we know of him as a character, it was bizarre!)
So it’s hard for me to work out what the author’s intentions are with those moments. Possibly that these are all morally imperfect characters, but more worryingly that he personally doesn’t consider these thoughts or comments to be “that big of a deal”, hence no deal is made about them at all
Also thought it was a curious choice to have the soldier being tortured for his very inappropriate comment about 14 year old Dorothy, be taken pity on and put out of his misery by Elphaba. Is that to show nuance, or did the author not think the soldier’s comment was that serious and so he was very unfairly punished??? (I agree the torture is extreme and it’s a tricky situation, but I don’t know if the author views it that way)
@@rangoooo2312 prejudice is a big theme of the book. The Wizard stokes prejudice against Animals to maintain control, and racism towards Winkies and Quadlings because it makes the rich white people in the Emerald City feel superior. Maguire is reflecting the real world where a great deal of racist aggressions towards minorities aren’t addressed or dealt with. It’s meant to shock us that this kind of behaviour is so normalized that nobody comments on it.
@ but that particular racism (towards black characters) is only shown by that one comment. And Elphaba is meant to be vehemently against racism so it doesn’t make sense for her to remain friends with them or at the very least to not have some sort of reaction to it, even if that turns out to be biting her tongue and avoiding the issue. The way it comes off is more random than meaningful commentary
@ yeah, that’s true. Elphaba gives me the impression that she’s so beyond caring what other people think that she just blocks out any of the microaggressions she hears her friends doing. Also, she’s acquaintances with Glinda’s circle, but she never really comes across as being genuine friends with any of them. She’s just kind of there. She seems like she holds pretty much everyone at Shiz with contempt.
@@rangoooo2312 Elphaba is also a complex character who chooses her battles wisely(so she thinks), but is also flawed in that she hyper-focuses on the racism toward Animals, much like others who put all their focus toward one issue and don't think about the repercussions of ignoring the big picture in favor of the smaller, which is eventually brought up as Oz falls further into decline in later books. Maybe not perfectly, but it is very realistic for human nature.
Is Out of Oz a "meta" novel where the Baum books and the 1939 movie exist in the books' universe?
@@ianlove29 it’s doing to the second Baum book what Wicked did to the first. So it’s continuing the main story but it lines up with the events of The Marvelous Land of Oz with Ozma and Mombey and all that. The whole series is kind of a blending of the aesthetics of the books and the movies (so the magic slippers are sort of both Ruby AND silver because of the way they’re made).
@Mister_Sosotris Is it "meta" (Baum books and 1939 film exists in its universe) or just a straightforward alternate Oz retelling?
@ oh I see what you mean. No, it’s not a meta book. It’s set IN Oz, and retells the events of the first two books, following other characters. The first is the wicked witch of the west’s story (but she looks as she did in the movie, not the book), the second follows her son, the third follows the Lion after the events of the second book, and the fourth follows multiple characters as they deal with Dorothy returning to Oz. Books 5-7 tell a separate story following the Witch’s granddaughter as she travels to a different land outside of Oz.
A good meta Oz book would be Was by Geoff Ryman. It has three time periods, one follows the author, one follows Judy Garland, and one follows a man who’s obsessed with Oz
@@Mister_Sosotris i'm not much into Meta retellings like Dorothy must die and Lost in Oz. I'm looking for alternate oz stories/dark oz/ not a crossover with other fantasy series like Wonderland. Just a straightforward reimaining similar to the Wicked Years and Emerald City the tv show.
Side comment for the algorithm: right now I’m super annoyed because books I want to read (by audiobook, I’m not reading regularly other ways right now) are not available in the app I use. I use audiobooks because I don’t feel like giving Bezos even more money for Audible if I can avoid it. Top ones: The Will of the Many and Tress by Sanderson. And a really cool third part to a Sherlock Holmes speculative fiction book too. I raced through the first two and now I have to wait. But at least it will be released soon …….. (take that, Rothfuss!!!!).
@@bluecobaltsteph2689 oh that’s annoying! I have an audiobook subscription through kobo and get one credit a month, but there are some books that unfortunately are ONLY available on Audible, so I try to find those on Libby if I can. It’s definitely a process
The kindle app will read ebooks out loud. I use it when I go for a walk. The robot voice takes some getting used to, but it's perfectly understandable.
It's definitely worth it for me
Huh… But wasn’t the first Wicked book supposed to be a standalone? Like, there wasn’t supposed to be more after that weird cliffhanger on the last page?
@@ElizaHamilton1780 it was initially a standalone. It became so popular that Maguire wanted to continue the story. I know one element that he didn’t like leaving unresolved was Nor’s fate. She’s captured and dragged away by soldiers in Wicked, and the book never explained what happened to her. He dedicated Son of a Witch to the cast of the Wicked musical, so by then the book was crazy popular, and there was definitely a market for sequels!
Movie was good!!
@@jacobjones8731 I’m seeing it on Monday!
I only thought there were 4.
@@Luverofmysoul2 Yeah, I just learned about the sequel trilogy this year. The Anotehr Day trilogy follows Elphaba’s granddaughter and ties up some loose ends with a few characters. And Maguire recently announced that a prequel novel following Elphaba as a child is going to be coming out soon. So eight books total!
@Mister_Sosotris I'd rather a prequel about Lorlina.
@ that would be awesome! Get into the mythology
I only tried reading the first, but I have such a trouble with the fact that it seems that nearly everything sexual is assult, most of that being full on r-pe. I have no problem with sex or even SA as plot, but boy did this seem excessive.
No shame on anyone who likes them, but they were just too off putting to me.
@@scaper8 the only SA is the scene in the philosophy club, which I can understand. That’s a troubling moment. The interactions between Melena and Turtle Heart are fully consensual. And Elphaba and Fiyero’s relationship is fully consensual, too. Thankfully he isn’t very explicit, but the author is pretty frank about sexual encounters.
@Mister_Sosotris Hm. I seem to remember more. Perhaps time has colored my memories. I may have to give it a once over again.
I tried 5 times to read the book. One of the worst books ever. Painfully so.
@@nixhixx it’s definitely an experience, haha
@Mister_Sosotris so is stepping on broken glass
tried reading it, stopped halfway when it got too sexual in book 1, i hate smutty books, and i could care less about sexual stuff that happens to the characters that just took me out of the world completely.
Yeah, they’re very adult, and while I do like how they explore the demonization of feminine sexuality and power, it’s very much not the kind of read that you can just sink into and enjoy. It’s quite a prickly series
Smutty? Lol
If you could care less, it means you care on some level.
Say that you _couldn’t_ care less.
I’ll save you the video: NO
Boo