A Lion Among Men: Volume Three in the Wicked Years

By Gregory Maguire

Book Overview

New York Times Bestseller

Focusing on the Cowardly Lion, the third book in the Wicked Years series which started with Wicked, the multimillion-copy #1 New York Times bestseller and basis for the smash hit movie series starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

In A Lion Among Men Gregory Maguire continues to flesh out the world of Oz, seen this time through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion--remembered from Wicked as a tiny cub defended by Elphaba.

While civil war looms in Oz, an ancient and tetchy oracle named Yackle prepares for death. Before she can return to dust, however, the Cowardly Lion--an enigmatic figure named Brrr--arrives in search of information about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West. As payment, Yackle who hovered on the sidelines of Elphaba's life, demands some answers of her own.

Abandoned as a cub, Brrr's earliest memories are only gluey hazes. But his path from infancy in the Great Gillikin Forest is no Yellow Brick Road. Seeking to redress an early mistake, he tumbles through a swamp of ghosts, becomes implicated in a massacre of trolls, and falls in love with a Cat princess. Sidestepping the laws that oppress talking Animals, Brrr cannily avoids a jail sentence by agreeing to serve as a lackey to the warmongering Emperor of Oz.

A Lion Among Men traces a battle of wits between adversaries distracted by the armies approaching on either side of them. What does the Lion know of the whereabouts of the Witch's boy, Liir? What can Yackle reveal about the auguries of the Clock of the Time Dragon? Is destiny ever arbitrary? Can those tarnished by infamy escape their sobriquets--cowardly, wicked, brainless, criminally earnest--to claim their own histories, to live honorably within their own skins before they're skinned alive?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060859725
• ISBN13: 9780060859725
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

a lion, indeed~

Third in the series... it ties up ALOT of loose ends, and makes your heart ache for those of us who do not 'get' things done quite right. It leaves you thinking, "perhaps , I need to go back and re-read 'Son of a Witch'". Do you think there will be a fourth book? ? ? I need to know more about 'the Dwarf'...EXCELLENT read!

Review for A Lion Among Men

This book is a great follow up to Son of a Witch! I can't wait for the next book in this series!!!!

Best one yet...

This book is the best one yet. Just as with Elphaba we find that the "Cowardly Lion" is complex and missunderstood. As with all Maguire books it's confusing in spots and painful in others, but, that's what makes his characters so real.

Maguire continues to amaze with his reinterpretation of classic fairy tales.

Gregory Maguire is a rare author indeed. He manages to take classic somewhat worn fairy tales and give them a completely new interpretation and perspective that is stunning and thoughtful. And this is his work for adults! I have long been one of his fans, to the point where I have even read a fair number of his books for younger folk to my children. They have loved his originality and genius as well (I think; maybe they just know a good story when they hear one!). What began for me with "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" continued through the first book in the "Wicked" series. I am alternately amazed, bemused, and thrilled by the wonderful plots and beautifully descriptive writing. "Wicked" itself is certainly a masterpiece in my eyes. Not only is it engaging on an almost visceral level, it left me with questions and thoughts for a very long time. It was no surprise to me that it has become practically an icon of pop culture (a Broadway play no less, that of course did not come close to doing this fine work justice). I was not as impressed with "Son of a Witch" which I felt lacked the enduring originality of some of Maguire's other writing. It was nevertheless a great tale in its own right. "A Lion Among Men" is the latest in this series, and for me it signals a return to Maguire's strongest point as a writer: his ability to create deep empathy for a fictional character by making him as real and lovable/hatable as your next door neighboor. I loved the Cowardly Lion of this tale; his struggles were so utterly human that at times I forgot he was an animal. His search for a place in the human world; his struggle to forget or perhaps understand the past; his attempted sexual conquest; his love for his transparent cat: all of these and so much more made this character one worth getting to know. The Lion's tale was set for the most part amidst great turmoil and political strife in Oz, which was a wonderful counterbalance to the introspection of our protagonist. I was sad when the book ended, for I feel there could be a great deal more to this story. Maybe this character will appear in later books in the series! In short, this was a great, fun and thoughtful read and I cannot wait for Maguire's next book.