Wicked

Gregory Maguire was living in London during the Gulf War when headlines comparing Saddam Hussein to Hitler sparked a question: is anyone truly born bad? That question became the seed for Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a dark fantasy novel published in 1995 by ReganBooks. The book reimagines L. Frank Baum's Oz from the perspective of its most infamous villain, renaming her Elphaba Thropp, a green-skinned girl born with sharp teeth and a fierce intelligence who grows up to become the Wicked Witch of the West.

The narrative follows Elphaba from her birth through her social ostracism, education at Shiz University, and eventual radicalization under the Wizard's corrupt regime. Along the way she forms a complex friendship with Glinda, later Glinda the Good, and the two navigate rivalry over a shared love interest as well as their own moral compromises. Maguire's Oz is far from the sunny land of Baum's children's book: it is a place of totalitarian propaganda, terrorism, and explicit adult content, including graphic violence and sexual scenes. The novel is emphatically not for young readers, despite confusion that arose after the 2024 film adaptation led some parents to buy it for tweens.

The book did not take off immediately at publication. A New York Times review complained about Maguire's politicization of beloved characters. But word of mouth built slowly, and the novel eventually became a massive bestseller with millions of copies in print worldwide. It holds a 4.2 out of 5 star rating on Amazon from over 13,500 customer reviews, with readers praising its complexity and moral depth. The novel established a template for revisionist fairy tales and launched Maguire's Wicked Years series, which includes three sequels and a forthcoming prequel. [edit]