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The book Wicked; The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, written by Gregory Maguire, certainly earns a place among books that are especially unique and unusual. It takes on the perspective of Elphaba and her attempts to make it in the land of Oz as a girl with green skin and an uncannily accurate perspecitive of the world. All your preconceptions of the story of the Wizard of Oz, I can assure you, will be forever marred. Oz takes on the personification of a land not much unlike earth in its struggles with racism, class, security, religion, and politics, not to mention the constant struggle with what exactly is "good" and "evil." Gregory Maguire offers amazing insight into the mind of one of fantasy's greatest villains in a world where she is doing everything in her power to make a difference and stand up for her beliefs. Through it all, we watch the psychological decline of Elphaba and the warped minds of those who are forever power-hungry. While it is a great book, it is also a little on the strange and, perhaps, eclectic side. There are a couple scenes that, if you tend to lean toward more conventional books, may be disliked by some, and were in, to some opinions in poor taste. However, all the scenes and every line seemed to be very carefully planned and contributed significantly to the plot and/or the understanding of it. I definitely plan on reading his other books which supposedly follow the same the lines, but for other fairy tales. (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Mirror Mirror, Lost, and I think there's one more, but I can't think of it at the moment).
Chelsea Grimmer
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