Release Date: 01/11/11
SYNOPSIS:
The marvellous land of Oz is knotted with social unrest: The Emerald City is mounting an invasion of Munchkinland, Glinda is under house arrest, and the Cowardly Lion is on the run from the law. And look who's knocking at the door. It's none other than Dorothy. Yes, that Dorothy. Amid all this chaos, Elphaba's granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of a Witch, has come of age. Now, Rain will take up her broom in an Oz wracked by war. Out of Oz is a magical journey rife with revelations and reversals, reprisals and surprises - the hallmarks of the brilliant and unique imagination of Gregory Maguire.
REVIEW:
Having been upset with the series after the cracking opening of the first book, this last one in the quartet really picks up the pace and returns to the form that the fans came to love from the first outing. It has great characters, the plotline moves at a great pace and the reader is given a wonderful set of players to march alongside to cheer or book accordingly.
Add to this a wonderful story arc that will keep you glued, top notch dialogue and an expansion to the established which leaves the reader in no doubt as to the work that’s gone into the series to make this one the best yet. Finally add to this a good enough title to restore a certain amount of faith in Gregory and with luck, it lets the series go out with a huge explosion that has been demanded for quite some time. Cracking.
Release Date: 16/08/10
BOOK BLURB:
A compelling ghost story from the internationally bestselling author of WICKED Winifred Rudge, a writer struggling to get beyond the runaway success of her mass-market astrology book, travels to London to start her new novel about the ghost of Jack the Ripper. Upon her arrival, she finds that her step-cousin and old friend John Comestor has disappeared, and a ghostly presence seems to have taken over his home. Is the spirit Winnie's great-great-grandfather, who, family legend claims, was Charles Dickens's childhood inspiration for Ebenezer Scrooge? Could it be the ghostly remains of Jack the Ripper? Or a phantasm derived from a more arcane and insidious origin? Winnie begins to investigate and finds herself the unwilling audience for a drama of specters and shades - some from her family's peculiar history and some from her own unvanquished past.
REVIEW:
What Gregory has always done well in his writing is his character creation, it gives you someone that you can not only empathise with but want to spend time with which, as far as I’m concerned is the cornerstone for any novel.
However whilst the prose and humour was just as sharp as ever what this title lacked was any clear plot outline as it felt like the more idea’s the author had the more he added without any real thought as to cohesion for the project as a whole. This just led to confusion, a great deal of head scratching and to be honest will be something that will leave a lot of people wondering whether he’s all spent up with the previous two offerings.
Release Date: 14/10/10
BOOK BLURB:
Strange events are occurring in the small town of Thebes, USA. Knocked out by a falling statue of the Virgin Mary, Mrs Leontina Scales wakes up not quite the woman she was before. What on earth are her sons and her foul-mouthed daughter Tabitha supposed to do with a mad mother who speaks in tongues? Meanwhile, choir director Jeremy Carr needs a rehearsal venue for his gay singing group. Could the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mysteries be his salvation? As the year draws to a close, the Radical Radiants battle the Catholics, a Christmas pageant goes horribly awry, and a child is born...Frantic, funny and farcical, The Next Queen of Heaven is a modern masterpiece from the incredible imagination of Gregory Maguire.
REVIEW:
The latest release from Gregory and to be blunt, one that was a real struggle to get through. Why? Well to be honest with you I hated the principle female character. She was not only obnoxious but also one that really didn’t fit in that well with what the author was trying to do which when backed with a barrel load of swearing meant that it lost any point in being there in the first place. Was the author trying to shock? Possibly. Was the author trying something new? Nope. There are other authors who have written this type of tale better and in all honesty smarter than this writer.
Swearing isn’t big and it isn’t clever. If you’re going to use it, it needs to be in context as well as appearing only as a last resort so that the reader knows that it’s a real time of peril etc. Here it’s just littered into the text almost carelessly which overall loses all point of its use. A great shame as the title did have a lot of potential but if you want witty writing with a great sense of humour backed with some serious plot outline then go for Tom Holt or Terry Pratchett or for something a little different try Christopher Moore. All the aforementioned authors are definitely way above this puerile title.
Release Date: 01/11/11
