"Wicked" by Gregory McGuire

Alternatively known as Wicked – The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West this book was written by Gregory Maguire. Judging by this and other books he has written it would seem that the darker colours of the rainbow capture his imagination rather more then a bland (and according to this book) severely manipulated Dorothy.

The book itself focuses on the story of a driven and rather green young woman by the name of Elphaba who will, in the course of time, become known as the Wicked Witch of the West. But things aren’t as black and white in Oz as they may first appear and the ‘wicked’ and ‘evil’ Elphaba is in fact a complicated and passionate lead character. Manipulated and sickened by the twisted machinations of the tyrannical Wizard of Oz and angered by the blatant racism towards both her and the intelligent Animals of Oz she will be set on a path that can only have a tragic ending. While the story tackles a number of ideas along the way such as fate and freewill, racism, and the nature of magic and paganism in comparison to monotheism, the core of the book is centred upon the examination of evil. The main point of this seems to be to provoke thoughts on what evil actually is, how it works and where it comes from. This is used to ask questions of the reader when looking at Elphaba’s actions and motives in the dark and cynical world in which she inhabits. Although a large number of the philosophical musings in Wicked aren’t that original, the way the author expands the Oz universe and the context he puts them in feels quite refreshing and its always nice to see a fantasy book looking at the other side of a conflict between ‘good’ and ‘evil’.

Unfortunately the philosophical bent of the novel which adds extra zest to the story is also something that much of the time threatens to overwhelm it. You see by the time the characters start the hundredth debate over what is evil, good, and fate, it starts to wear a little thin. Add to this the fact that the pacing of the story is slightly uneven with a rushed ending and you’re left with the frustration of knowing it should have been a better book overall.

However having said all this it is still a book I would thoroughly recommend reading. It is entertaining, dark, funny and intelligent. It is excellently written with a very distinctive prose style, with an only mildly disappointing aftertaste in the knowledge that if the metaphysical musings had served the story rather then the other way round then the book would have been excellent rather then just very good.