Everything to Know about Wicked the Book, Gregory Maguire, and The Reimagined Oz that has Captivated Generations

Published by Esther Fung, Aug. 14, 2024


Gregory Maguire may have began his writing career as a children’s fiction writer, but today, he is best known for Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a gravity-defying prequel to the classic novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. This thrilling re-imagining depicts an Oz full of Animals who can speak human language and a Wicked Witch of the West who is much more than meets the eye. In this guide, you’ll find a spoiler-free synopsis for Wicked, an examination of the differences between the book and the Broadway musical adaptation, and a reading list for the Wicked books as well as Maguire’s entire bibliography. So grab your broom, get out your dancing shoes, and let’s dive into one of the most popular classic retellings of all time.

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What is Wicked by Gregory Maguire about? 

“If everyone was always calling you a bad name, how much of that would you internalize? How much of that would you say, all right, go ahead, I'll be everything that you call me because I have no capacity to change your minds anyway so why bother. By whose standards should I live?”

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So asked Maguire in an interview with CNN in 2008. And that was the question he answered in his best-selling 1995 book, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. After becoming interested in where evil comes from, the children’s book writer began looking for a well-known stock villain as a vehicle through which he could explore his question. He ultimately settled on the Wicked Witch of the West, the antagonist in L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In the famous children’s book, Dorothy Gale is taken away from her home in Kansas by a tornado and dropped into a magical land called Oz. With a team of lovable misfits, she sets out to kill the Wicked Witch of the West so that she can safely return home to her aunt and uncle. But why was the Wicked Witch so evil? Who was she, and what had happened in her life to make her the way she was?


Wicked is the Wicked Witch’s villain origin story. Elphaba was born green and was ridiculed her whole life for her skin color and socially awkward behavior. When she leaves home to attend school, her magical abilities, along with those of her roommate, Glinda, and her sister, Nessarose, are discovered, nurtured, and weaponized. What follows is an action-packed and emotionally-charged story about propaganda, violence, betrayal, and, of course, wickedness.

The book was published by ReganBooks, which was an imprint of HarperCollins. It has a little over four hundred pages and is divided into two parts. Due to its length and complex storyline, we recommend working through the book slowly instead of rushing through it in one short day.


Currently, Wicked has an average rating of 4.33 stars on Pango. Ashley says that: “This is my all time favorite book. It’s funny, more stark than the musical, and a treat to read. There are a lot of big words in it. The best way to describe this novel? Magic.” Retail price for a paperback copy of Wicked is $18.48, while hardbacks are going for $26.99. However, you can find copies of Wicked starting at $1 here. Thank goodness for our Pango sellers!

How is Wicked the book different from the musical?

While on vacation, American composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz picked up Maguire’s Wicked and fell in love with the story. In October 2003, Wicked the musical premiered on Broadway, with Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. It has gone on to become one of the most commercially successful Broadway musicals, second only to The Lion King. It is also the source material for the two-part film, which is directed by John Chu and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.


If you’re a fan of the musical, we highly recommend giving the book a read as well, although there are many differences between the two. For instance, the book focuses a great deal on the question of where evil originates. On his website, Maguire shares that he was curious “about the mystery of evil and how the concept of the inhuman enemy is used to legitimize violence.” We see the subject of wickedness broached again and again, from the fire-and-brimstone sermons that Elphaba’s minister father gives to the underground terrorism groups working within Emerald City.

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Maguire further fleshes out this theme by creating a complex socio-economic and political landscape into which Elphaba’s story is inserted. In his interrogation of “institutionalized bullying,” the writer introduces the reader to activists advocating for equal rights for all Ozian residents, princes protecting marginalized communities, rebel groups working in the shadows, a secret police moving in the night, and an authoritarian ruler working to consolidate power in a fractured realm. Many characters are also deeply motivated by upward mobility and financial security. For example, Elphaba’s mother regrets marrying a man below her socio-economic class and leaving the comfort of her parents’ home, while Glinda’s manic social-climbing stems from her desire to achieve more than her small town has to offer. It is within this framework that Elphaba’s story unfolds; she is the vehicle through which we the reader explore moral ambiguities.


In contrast, the musical does not explore whether evil is innate or cultivated through experience to the same extent as the book does. Although in “No One Mourns the Wicked,” Glinda asks the reader to ponder whether people are born wicked or have wickedness “thrust upon them” (we love a good Shakespeare reference!), the musical has its eyes on other themes, specifically the way friendships evolve as people transition from childhood to adulthood.

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North are polar opposites, a binary highlighted in their titles. Maguire adds nuance to their relationship by casting them first as roommates who take an instant dislike to each other and then as unlikely friends who push each other to change for good. Schwartz takes this dynamic to the next level by making it the focal point of the musical. In the Tiny Desk Concert, Schwartz calls “For Good,” the emotional ballad between the two friends, the heart of the musical. (Fun fact: Schwartz asked his daughter to write a letter to her best friend from childhood as if they would never meet again, and much of the first verse of “For Good” is pulled from that letter. What a sentimental man!) Fans of the musical planning on reading the book should be prepared to encounter the same complicated relationships they saw on stage but set within an even more complex political landscape.

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Because of the change in focus, the lens through which the story is told is also different. Although the book is written in omniscient third-person narration, the story largely moves through Elphaba’s perspective. Her concerns, plans, and anxieties drive the plot forward, while all other characters, including Glinda, exist to support her arc. But the musical is as much about Glinda as it is about Elphaba. We hear from Glinda before we do from Elphaba, and it is Glinda’s confession at the beginning of “Dear Old Shiz” that she knew the Wicked Witch of the West from school that moves the audience back in time and really begins the musical, presenting her perspective as the framework for the rest of the show.


Finally, the audience of the book differs wildly from that of the musical. The Braodway hit is recommended to children ages eight and up, with fun musical numbers that make us want to alternatively cry and dance through life. But the book is distinctly adult due to its violent and sexual content. If you’re a fan of the musical but want more kid-friendly stories, we recommend checking out Maguire’s children’s books, which are listed below. It is also worth noting that the book and the musical’s endings are not the same and are reflective of each of the story’s distinct tones and priorities.

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What book is Wicked based off of?

Wicked is a retelling of the classic American children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Buam, which was originally published in 1900 by the George M. Hill Company. Since Wicked’s publication in 1995, Maguire has made a name for himself for his creative reimaginings of famous stories. Readers who loved Wicked should also read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Mirror, Mirror, and Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker, which are based on Cinderella, Snow White, and The Nutcracker, respectively.


Why is the Wicked Witch called Elphaba?

Maguire coined the name Elphaba from L. Frank Baum’s name as an homage to the original creator of the characters and world he reimagined in Wicked. 

What age is appropriate for Wicked the book?

We recommend Wicked to readers aged eighteen and above. I personally read it as a sixteen-year-old and feel that I should have waited a few more years. As always, we recommend looking up content warnings before diving into a book.


Who plays Elphaba and Glinda the Good Witch? 

In the popular 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Margaret Hamilton played the Wicked Witch of the West while Billie Burke played the Good Witch of the North. In the original Broadway cast of the musical, Idina Menzel portrayed Elphaba opposite Kristin Chenowth’s Glinda. In the two-part movie adaptation directed by John Chu, Elphaba will be played by Cynthia Erivo and Glinda will be played by Ariana Grande. Other cast members include Jeff Goldblum playing the Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh playing Madame Morrible, and Jonathan Bailey playing Prince Fiyero. 

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Wicked Series Order:

The Wicked Years:


The Maracoor Books, a post-Wicked trilogy:


Other Oz books:

  • Out of Oz (2011)
  • Elphie: A Wicked Childhood (2025)

Who is Gregory Maguire?

Throughout history, thousands of writers have turned their pen to reimagining beloved fairytales and classic literature. Few have had wide-reaching success that Maguire has found. If you're curious about the man that spawned a best-selling series, a sensational Broadway musical, and a highly-anticipated movie, read on to learn all about Gregory Maguire.


Maguire was born in Albany, New York in June 1954. After his mother died from labor-related complications, the infant went to live with an aunt, who then passed him on to an orphanage. After his father remarried, he brought his two-year-old son home.


The child attended Catholic schools until he enrolled in the State University of New York at Albany. He graduated with a B.A. in English and art before going on to earn an M.A. in children's literature from Simmons College and a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Tufts University. Fittingly, the subject of his doctoral thesis was children's fantasy written between 1938 and 1989. He then went on to teach at The Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature before co-founding a nonprofit charity called the Children's Literature New England, Inc. in 1987.


When he was twenty-five, Maguire published his debut novel, The Lightning Time, which is about a child's magical visit to his grandmother in the Adirondacks. In 1995, he published Wicked, which was also his first novel for adults. It was not an instant hit. However, by the time the Broadway musical premiered in 2003, Wicked had sold five hundred thousand copies. Now, it's undeniably Maguire's most famous work.


Currently, Maguire, his husband, and their three children live in Concord, Massachusetts.

In what order should I read Gregory Maguire books?

Below, we've listed out all of Gregory Maguire books in order by publication year. Our personal favorites apart from the Wicked books is Mirror, Mirror, which is a reimagining of Snow White with Lucrezia Borgia as the Evil Queen, and Egg and Spoon, a prince-and-the-pauper-style fantasy set in rural Russia featuring folktale icon Baba Yaga.


  1. The Lightning Time (1978)
  2. The Daughter of the Moon (1980)
  3. Lights on the Lake (1981)
  4. The Dream Stealer (1983)
  5. The Peace and Quiet Diner (1988)
  6. I Feel like the Morning Star (1989)
  7. Lucas Fishbone (1990)
  8. Seven Spiders Spinning (1994)
  9. Missing Sisters (1994)
  10. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995)
  11. Oasis (1996)
  12. Six Haunted Hairdos (1997)
  13. The Good Liar (1997)
  14. Five Alien Elves (1998)
  15. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (1999)
  16. Crabby Cratchitt (2000)
  17. Four Stupid Cupids (2000)
  18. Lost (2001)
  19. Three Rotten Eggs (2002)
  20. Mirror, Mirror (2003)
  21. Leaping Beauty: And Other Animal Fairy Tales (2004)
  22. A Couple of April Fools (2004)
  23. One Final Firecracker (2005)
  24. Son of a Witch (2005)
  25. What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy (2007)
  26. A Lion Among Men (2008)
  27. Matchless (2009)
  28. The Next Queen of Heaven (2010)
  29. Out of Oz (2011)
  30. Tales Told in Oz (2012)
  31. Egg and Spoon (2014)
  32. After Alice (2015)
  33. Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker (2017)
  34. A Wild Winter Swan (2020)
  35. The Brides of Maracoor (2021)
  36. The Oracle of Maracoor (2022)
  37. Cress Watercress (2022)
  38. The Witch of Maracoor (2023)
  39. Elphie: A Wicked Childhood (2025)

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