. This book was excellent; one of the best I've read in a long time, and I highly recommend it to those that are familiar with the "Wizard of Oz" but have a satirical streak.The book tells the story of Elphaba (otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West), from birth through the events of "Wizard of Oz". We find that she perhaps isn't the evil to the core person we are introduced to in glimpses in "Wizard". The story covers a few periods in her life from birth, then to her college experience (which I think is one of the most interesting periods in the book), and others including adulthood in the timeframe of "Wizard". The book is sort of using a gimmick (the backstory behind a famous movie villainess) but is not at all gimmicky; it is very well thought out, and makes you think. There are challenging themes of what is good and evil, what is choice, as well as fairly rich political, social, and religious debates. It is a good exercise in taking preconceived ideas (the "Wizard" movie or book) and challenging that with more information that was previously hidden. I'll let you read the book and form your own opinions about the Witch, the Wizard, and Oz.
The one minor disappointment I had was really my own misunderstanding of the book. I thought it was strictly following the "Wizard of Oz" and would just fill in the gaps. However, it actually tells a different version of some of the scenes (basically playing on the fact that the movie might be a revisionist telling of the "true" events). I was a little confused where scenes passed that happened differently in the movie, but that is a minor complaint.
So, in summary, I highly recommend this book. It was fun, well written, and surprisingly deep, plus it adds to an already great story.
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