Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tales Told in Oz | 2012 | Gregory Maguire | N/A |
| 2 | Elphie: A Wicked Childhood | 2024 | Gregory Maguire | N/A |
| 3 | Wicked | 1995 | Gregory Maguire | Buy |
| 4 | Son of a Witch | 2005 | Gregory Maguire | Buy |
| 5 | A Lion Among Men | 2008 | Gregory Maguire | Buy |
| 6 | Out of Oz | 2011 | Gregory Maguire | Buy |
| 7 | Elphie | 2025 | Gregory Maguire | Buy |
| 8 | Galinda | 2026 | Gregory Maguire | Buy |
The Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire reimagines L. Frank Baum’s Oz as a place of political oppression and moral ambiguity. Wicked (1995) tells the life story of Elphaba Thropp, the green-skinned woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, recasting her not as a villain but as a passionate, principled outcast crushed by the Wizard’s authoritarian regime. The novel was adapted into the hit Broadway musical Wicked in 2003, and a major film followed in 2024.
Son of a Witch (2005) picks up the story through Elphaba’s son Liir, while A Lion Among Men (2008) shifts perspective to Brrr, the Cowardly Lion. Out of Oz (2011) follows Rain, Elphaba’s granddaughter. Maguire returned to the series with Elphie (2025), a prequel covering Elphaba’s childhood, and Galinda (2026), a companion prequel about her famous rival. The name “Elphaba” was invented by Maguire from L. Frank Baum’s initials.