The Witch of Maracoor

Maguire closes out the Another Day series, a spin-off of his bestselling Wicked Years novels, with this memorable and satisfying adventure. Following the events of The Oracle of Maracoor, it’s time for Rain, the adolescent greenish-skinned granddaughter of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, to return to Oz, where the Cowardly Lion rules as the absent Ozma’s regent. The plot largely consists of a series of misadventures along the journey as Rain slowly overcomes her series-spanning amnesia and remembers her past life. Though she’s coming back to herself, she’s still struggling with the effects of the Grimmerie, a spell book with a strange level of control over her, despite having thrown it into the sea. She also pines for her young lover Tip, who is really the spellbound Ozma. Gradually, Rain tames her adolescent anger and loneliness by accepting the things she’s lost while she’s been away from home and realizing that the key to maturity is love. Maguire’s edgy take on Oz is as much fun to visit as ever, full of sentient animal wisdom from Rain’s goose familiar, complicated familial dynamics, and even some winged monkeys. Series fans will be thrilled. Agent: Moses Cardona, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Oct.)