“We’re off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!”
Those memorable words from the classic 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” have sparked “wiz mania” in today’s culture-rich world. From the latest TV adaptation, “Tin Man,” to the acclaimed Broadway musical “Wicked,” the classic Oz story never goes out of style.
In the literary world, award-winning author Gregory Maguire gives the Land of Oz new life in his latest novel, “A Lion Among Men,” telling the tale from the viewpoint of the “overlooked” characters originally created by L. Frank Baum.
Before reading “A Lion Among Men,” check out Maguire’s other two Oz novels.
The first novel, “Wicked,” paints a different picture of the land Dorothy visited in the movie. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, acclaimed ruler and altogether great guy, turned out not to be so wonderful after all. The Wizard of Oz (WOO) was a tyrant who oppressed the people of Oz.
Maguire instead gave the world the real hero (or heroine) in the Land of Oz: public enemy number one, the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba Thropp, the supposed Wicked Witch, was born green, cursed to a destiny as an outcast. She was an “evil witch” fighting against the WOO, trying to free the land from an oppressor, and spent her life doing what she thought right.
In death, she left behind her young son Liir, whose story is told in Maguire’s second novel, “Son of a Witch.”
In “A Lion Among Men,” the latest tale of Oz follows the Cowardly Lion, Brrr, on a mission to record the truth behind Elphaba’s infamous past and find the Grimmerie, her mysterious magic book — all to keep his own hide out of jail. War looms on the horizon between Oz and the seceded Munchkinland, and the enigmatic Clock of the Time Dragon roams again around the countryside.
A newly self-appointed emperor sits on the throne and is a new-fangled tyrant in the making. In a world where magic exists and the politics of the Emerald City choke the land, it’s up to the cowardly, wicked and morally corrupt to break free of their own infamy and save Oz.
The narrative provides a view of viable, dynamic characters. They feel pain; they suffer, and they have hopes and fears. The main characters in Maguire’s novel are Brrr, the Cowardly Lion, an old prophetess, Yackle, a young girl saved from captivity by the keepers of the Clock of the Time Dragon and a strange, fragile cat that seems made of glass.
The story is told mostly from Brrr’s point of view, and it is interesting to note how cynical the Cowardly Lion is. The reader automatically sympathizes with Brrr in the beginning as he recounts his first encounter with man: a conversation he had with a young man whose leg was caught in a trap. Brrr, a young cub at this point, does not understand the man’s suffering and it’s painful as a reader to watch the interaction between the two.
After a while, Brrr’s tendencies, mannerisms and selfishness become aggravating and the question has to be asked: will Brrr ever be able to overcome his own cowardice to become a decent (and likeable) character?
Though the characterizations are fabulous, the storyline can be slow and tiresome. Some of the actions are easily passed over; dull to readers, the importance of some passages become inconsequential. The writing itself is average, on par with majority of other fantasy writers.
In Maguire’s case, it is the storytelling that makes the novel so great, not the writing. When he debuted “Wicked” in 1995, it was a phenomenal hit. The story was new, exciting, intriguing and captivating. Sadly, as is the case with most sequels and series, “A Lion Among Men” pales in comparison. The bravado found first in “Wicked” has since diminished, and it is as if Maguire is continuing on his version of Oz to appease readers’ insatiable desires to know what happens after the melting of the Wicked Witch.
Avid fan of the “Wicked” series? Go buy a copy today. Merely curious as to how Maguire personifies the Cowardly Lion? Go to the nearest library and rent a copy. Enjoy the novel and be prepared for dry spots. Stick with it though; it’s rewarding in the end.
4 out of 5 stars
