Out of Oz, the fourth and final book in the Wicked Years series, is as disappointing
as its two predecessors. Though Maguire’s Wicked
offered an enchanting re-presentation of the events of the Wizard of Oz and recast the Land of Oz in an exciting new hue, his
subsequent attempts to complete the tale that he started lead readers into an
unenchanting labyrinth of intertwining stories that fail to capture the imagination.
This final installment in the mind-numbing saga is littered with uninspired
dialogue and is infested with stock characters. The story moves along at an
erratic pace, often taking unnecessary and unappealing turns to entertain bland
side narratives. The tale was so uninspiring that it has taken me several weeks
to sit down and write about it.
Out of Oz follows the exploits of
Elphaba’s young granddaughter, Rain, who like her grandmother possesses magical
abilities. Rain comes under the protection of Brr the Cowardly Lion, who
attempts to keep her out of the clutches of the armies of Munchkinland and Oz,
who are locked in a long war in which neither army has been able to gain the
upper hand. The leaders of Oz and Munchkinland—Rain’s uncle Shell, the
self-proclaimed emperor, and a mysterious sorcerous, respectively—seek to
capture Rain and use her magical abilities to defeat their enemy.
In a
parallel storyline, Rain’s father (Elphaba’s son Liir) remains on the run from
the authorities of Oz, who want to capture him and try him as a traitor for his
exploits (previously chronicled in Son of
a Witch). Liir’s main task is to keep himself safe and his daughter hidden
from the powers that besiege them. He fears that his enemies will use his
daughter to seek revenge against him, if they cannot capture him.
The
narrative is sprawling and dull, and somewhere along the line, Dorothy makes
her much unappealing appearance to annoy readers until the tale finally ends.
I’m surprised that I did not abandon this novel. After reading the previous two
installments, I simply wanted answers to the mysteries that Maguire had dangled
in front of me like stick full of carrots. Alas, few of the mysteries are
solved by the end of this novel, and those that are answered are not done so in
any fulfilling way. As a reader, I expect more from a novelist. I expect a
series to be more rounded out, or to at least carry out its themes and maintain
its promises. Some mysteries are meant to be left unsolved, but in this case,
the mysteries were simply too powerful for Maguire to corral.
I am
pleased to say that my next read is much more exciting. I’m already halfway
through the seven-hundred-page tome Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson. I look
forward to getting back to you with that review. In the meantime, enjoy Wicked, but expect anything from the
other books in the series; avoid them at all costs.
JCM
14 December 2014
