Son of a ...

 I read Wicked by Gregory Maguire back in 2007. I know I liked it but don't remember more than the basic plot (ignoring the musical - although it's awesome, it's not the book). Somewhere along the way I picked up the second book in the Wicked Years series called Son of a Witch and it lingered in my stacks.

I finally picked it up after reading so many heavy books, expecting a light hearted take on Elphaba's son. That is not what I got.

Liir is just a kid when Dorothy did in Elphaba. He hid with Nanny and the Lion while the deed was done. Afterwards, Dorothy was matter of factly ready to get back to Oz to prove she killed the Wicked Witch, but Liir now had no one. So he went with the crew, back to the Emerald City. Again, as in Wicked, Dorothy is not painted in a good light here and honestly, she shouldn't be. Liir doesn't know if Elphaba was his mom or who his dad is, but he's hoping to find something in Oz. He has no choice. He no longer has a family.

We get this back story on Liir only because his body was found by travelers, nearly every bone broken and on the verge of death, who take him to some sisters (Maunts) who would take him in and try to repair him. His bones are set but he remains in a coma. That is, until Candle, an orphan dropped at the Mauntery by her uncle, sits with Liir and plays her Domingon, music that is causing all of Liir's memories to surface.

While this is happening, we have maunts and travelers who are turning up dead with their faces scraped off (see? not a light hearted read). We have the Wizard gone from Emerald City and Glinda in his place, until she is replace by a straw man government. We also have an Elephant Princess who made Liir promise to help her return to her Animal form with Elphaba's magic that surely he must also possess. 

Everything is a mystery... until it's not. There are so many plot threads to keep up with, but in the end, most makes sense. I enjoyed this book but I had trouble with Liir's moping until about page 200, when he finally became himself. I didn't like most of his decisions but seeing how he was raised and how he had to try and grow up along (Thanks, DOROTHY), he really did the best he could.

Interestingly, the book ends with another green child. The granddaughter of Elphaba.

Fun comparison of the Wizard of Oz movie and Wicked