This is the sequel to “Wicked“, Macguire’s very popular debut novel, which retells “The Wizard of Oz” from the point of view of Elphaba, the so-called “Wicked Witch of the West”. In “Wicked” Macguire recreates Oz with a level of complexity, irony, and sophistication that makes the fairytale land in Baum’s version almost unrecognizable. Macguire’s telling has been produced into a wildy-successful eponymous musical, and the novel has been launched into the status of “cultural phenomenon” (whatever that means, I think marketing people make it up).

“Wicked” ends with the death of Elphaba (the “Witch”) at the hands of Dorothy Gale, the pig-tailed visitor to Oz from Elsewhere. “Son of a Witch” deals with the aftermath, and centers on the character of Liir, a teenage boy who may or may not be Elphaba’s son, who is struggling to find purpose and meaning in his life. What strikes me most about this book is the incredible tenderness and sympathy that Macguire has for his characters. He reminds me of LeGuin in his ability to use simple language in such a precise and expressive way.

Since “Wicked” Macguire has developed for himself something of a cottage industry in reinterpreting classic stories from alternate points of view: “Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister” as a retelling of Cinderella, “Lost” as somehow inspired by Dickens’ “Christmas Carol”. The latter book made little sense to me in that vein, and in general I think Macguire’s best writing can be found in these Oz retellings.

“Son of a Witch” probably doesn’t stand particularly well on its own, as too much of the focus of the book is on the consequences of events that took place in the first novel, and too many important notions are not at all explained for the naive reader (for example, the important difference between [talking] Animals and [dumb] animals, their political plight, and the discrimination they face).

A gorgeous, worthy successor.