The Brides of Maracoor

Experience the magic of Oz as you've never seen it before with this brand-new graphic novel adaptation of Gregory Maguire's masterpiece Wicked, the inspiration for the Broadway show and major motion picture-the second in a two-part series featuring stunning full-colour illustrations by Scott Hampton.

A gorgeous new edition of the classic collection of fractured fairy tales from Gregory Maguire, nationally bestselling author of Wicked-with new cover and interior artwork and two never-before-published stories!Once upon a time . . . nothing was as it seemed.What if Sleeping Beauty were actually a frog princess, cursed forever to weep, sleep . . . and leap? Or the Three Chickens had to outwit Goldifox? What if Cinder-Elephant had the chance to attend the ball of her dreams-can she bake her way to meeting a dashing prince?Zany animals of all species get their own fairy tale endings in this humorous fantasy collection of laugh-out-loud twists on the classics from Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of Wicked. What happens when beloved fairy tales get a zany, animal-centric makeover? - Twisted Fairy Tales: What if Sleeping Beauty wasn't a girl at all, but a frog princess cursed to weep, sleep... and leap?- Animal Fairy Tales: Meet Cinder-Elephant, who hopes to bake her way to the ball, and the Three Chickens who must outwit a clever Goldifox.- Funny Kids Books: Perfect for young readers who love clever wordplay and stories that are more giggly than grim.- Middle Grade Fantasy: A must-read from Gregory Maguire, the beloved, nationally bestselling author of the wildly imaginative classic, Wicked.

The New York Times bestselling sequel to Wicked, the multimillion-copy bestseller and basis for the #1 smash hit movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.When a Witch dies—not as a crone, withered and incapable, but as a woman in her prime, at the height of her passion and prowess—too much is left unsaid. What might have happened had Elphaba lived? Of her campaigns in defense of the Animals, of her appetite for justice, of her talent for magic itself, what good might have come? If every death is a tragedy, the death of a woman in her prime keenly bereaves the whole world.Gregory Maguire returns to the world of Wicked and the land of Oz in this epic fantasy novel to follow the story of Liir, the adolescent boy left hiding in the shadows of the castle when Dorothy did in the Witch.A decade after the Witch has melted away, the young man Liir is discovered bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully. Shattered in spirit as well as in form, he is tended by the mysterious Candle, a foundling in her own right, until failed campaigns of his childhood bear late, unexpected fruit.Liir's coming of age story is only one part of the world that Elphaba left behind. As a boy hardly in his teens, he is asked to help the needy in ways in which he may be unskilled. Is he Elphaba’s son? His quest for identity will determine if he has power of his own. Can he liberate Princess Nastoya into a dignified death? Can he locate his supposed half-sister, Nor, last seen in shackles in the Wizard’s protection? Can he survive in an Oz rife with political intrigue and little improved since the death of the Wicked Witch of the West? Can he learn to fly?In Son of a Witch, Gregory Maguire suggests that the magic we locate in distant, improbable places like Oz is no greater than the magic inherent in any hard life lived fully, son of a witch or no.

The New York Times bestseller and basis for the #1 smash hit movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana GrandeWith millions of copies in print around the world, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is established not only as a commentary on our time but as one of the great fantasy novels to revisit for years to come. Wicked relishes the inspired inventions of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while playing sleight of hand with our collective memories of the 1939 MGM film starring Margaret Hamilton (and Judy Garland). In this fast-paced, fantastically real, and supremely entertaining political fantasy novel, Maguire has populated the largely unknown world of Oz with the power of his own imagination. Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin—no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz’s most promising young citizens.But Elphaba’s Oz is no utopia. The Wizard’s secret police are everywhere. Animals—those creatures with voices, souls, and minds—are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals-a fight for Animal rights that means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas. Recognized as an iconoclastic tour de force on its initial publication, the novel has inspired the blockbuster Broadway musical of the same name—one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history. Popular, indeed. But while the novel’s distant cousins hail from the traditions of magical realism, mythopoeic fantasy, and sprawling nineteenth-century sagas of moral urgency, Maguire’s Wicked is a fairy tale retelling as unique as its green-skinned witch. What turns a smart, misunderstood girl into the Wicked Witch of the West?

**Pre-order Elphie, the spellbinding prequel to Wicked, now**<BR><BR>The global bestseller that inspired the hit musical phenomenon.<BR><BR>Now a major movie and record-breaking box office sensation.<BR><BR>In this classic tale of good and evil, what if we weren't told the whole story?<BR><BR>Long before Dorothy follows the yellow brick road and triumphs over the Wicked Witch of the West, a little girl with emerald-green skin is born in the land of Oz.<BR><BR>Elphaba grows up to be smart and prickly, a lonely outsider with an extraordinary talent for magic. Arriving at university, she dares to believe she might finally fit in.<BR><BR>But Oz isn't the haven she'd dreamed of. Some of its citizens are in grave danger, and Elphaba is determined to protect them from the Wizard's power.<BR><BR>And when the world declares her a wicked witch, Elphaba takes matters into her own hands...<BR><BR>Fall under the WICKED spell this year.

The bestselling classic and basis for the smash hit movie series starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Wicked and Wicked: For Good, here paired for the first time with the other three books in the Wicked Years series (Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz) in a stunning box set featuring a gorgeous design.Gregory Maguire's groundbreaking New York Times bestselling series redefined the land of Oz, its inhabitants, its Wizard, and the Emerald City, viewing the world created by L. Frank Baum through a darker and greener lens.Wicked. The first novel in the series, basis of the smash hit musical, explores a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West—a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.Son of a Witch. A decade after the Witch has melted away, her son, a young man called Liir, is discovered bruised, comatose, and left for dead in a gully. Shattered in spirit as well as in form, he is tended by the mysterious Candle, a foundling in her own right, until failed campaigns of his childhood bear late, unexpected fruit.A Lion Among Men. While civil war looms in Oz, the Cowardly Lion, an enigmatic figure named Brrr, arrives in search of information about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West.Out of Oz. The marvelous 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.

The global bestseller that inspired the hit musical phenomenon.<BR><BR>Now two major movies and a record-breaking box office sensation. ¿ ¿<BR><BR>In this classic tale of good and evil, what if we weren't told the whole story?<BR><BR> Long before Dorothy follows the yellow brick road and triumphs over the Wicked Witch of the West, a little girl with emerald-green skin is born in the land of Oz.<BR><BR> Elphaba grows up to be smart and prickly, a lonely outsider with an extraordinary talent for magic. Arriving at university, she dares to believe she might finally fit in.<BR><BR> But Oz isn't the haven she'd dreamed of. Some of its citizens are in grave danger, and Elphaba is determined to protect them from the Wizard's power.<BR><BR> And when the world declares her a wicked witch, Elphaba takes matters into her own hands...<BR><BR>This is the original novel by Gregory Maguire, first published in 1995. It is a reimagined prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and contains adult content.<BR><BR> ¿ Fall under the WICKED spell this year ¿<BR><BR>'One of my absolute favourite books! A completely different take on the classic' <BR><BR>'Kept me on the edge of my seat from the second I picked it up'<BR><BR>'I have a penchant for fairytale retellings that are a bit dark and misunderstood villains and this ticked all my boxes'<BR><BR>'This is a real Oz, it makes you believe in it'<BR><BR>'A real joy to sink into a very different world'<BR><BR>'You see the Wicked Witch and Dorothy in a whole new light'<BR><BR>'Funny, sad and unputdownable'<BR><BR>'Honestly, it's better than The Wizard of Oz!'<BR><BR>'Wonderfully written, witty and thought provoking' <BR><BR>'A favourite of mine for many many years'

**A stunning special hardback edition of WICKED**<BR><BR>The global bestseller that inspired the hit musical phenomenon.<BR><BR>Now a major movie and record-breaking box office sensation.<BR><BR>In this classic tale of good and evil, what if we weren't told the whole story?<BR><BR>Long before Dorothy follows the yellow brick road and triumphs over the Wicked Witch of the West, a little girl with emerald-green skin is born in the land of Oz.<BR><BR>Elphaba grows up to be smart and prickly, a lonely outsider with an extraordinary talent for magic. Arriving at university, she dares to believe she might finally fit in.<BR><BR>But Oz isn't the haven she'd dreamed of. Some of its citizens are in grave danger, and Elphaba is determined to protect them from the Wizard's power.<BR><BR>And when the world declares her a wicked witch, Elphaba takes matters into her own hands...<BR><BR>Fall under the WICKED spell this year.<BR><BR>*Holofoil design<BR>*Soft-touch hardback casing <BR>*Full-colour illustrated endpapers<BR>*Head and tail bands<BR>*Ribbon marker

The global bestselling series that inspired the hit musical phenomenon.<BR><BR>The final book in the series that inspired the major movie and record-breaking box office sensation.<BR><BR>**Book 4 in a new collector's edition of the WICKED YEARS quartet, with stunning 'vintage' variant cover artwork**<BR><BR>The once peaceful and prosperous land of Oz is besieged 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 Dorothy.<BR><BR> Yes, that Dorothy.<BR><BR> Amid all this chaos, Elphaba's granddaughter has come of age. Now, a girl with emerald-green skin will take up her broom in an Oz wracked by war - one last time.<BR><BR>Fall under the WICKED spell this year...<BR><BR>'An epic end to an epic series' <BR><BR>'Absolutely full of wonder!'<BR><BR>'A captivating page-turner'

New York Times BestsellerWhat happened to young Elphaba before her witchy powers took hold in Wicked? Almost 30 years after the publication of the original novel, Gregory Maguire reveals the origin story of prickly young Elphie, the future Wicked Witch of the West-setting the stage for the blockbuster international phenomenon that is Wicked: The Musical and the Wicked smash hit movie series.Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; this riveting Wicked prequel is the coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl.Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be-until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.In the vivid world of Oz, Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood-most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviors, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.