Narrator Debra Wise guides listeners through Gregory Maguire's latest series set in Oz's Wicked universe. Listeners are introduced to an enormous cast of characters, ranging from a girl to an old woman, with a cranky goose thrown in for good measure. The fact that at no point will listeners ever be confused as to who is speaking is a testament to Wise's vocal talents. Listeners will feel as though they are in the story, sitting down to dinner with the cast, running next to frightened villagers, or arguing with the grouchy goose. She does all of this while mastering Maguire's dense and poetic style. At various points her voice drifts into a melody that carries the listener through this epic adventure. A.R.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

06/28/2021

There must always be exactly seven brides in exile on the island of Maracoor Spot—but in the complex, enticing fantasy that launches bestseller Maguire’s latest trilogy, a spin-off of his Wicked Years series, the balance is upset when the green-skinned Rain crash-lands offshore with a talking goose in tow. She has no memory of where she’s from or how she got there, and her arrival upends the brides’ status quo, which is further shaken by the death of one of their own. When overseer Lucikles arrives from the mainland of Maracoor Abiding for his annual check-in, he’s left reeling in the face of these changes—and doubly so when he returns home to discover that Maracoor Abiding has been attacked by an enemy navy. Blame for the attack falls on Rain due to the suspicious timing of her arrival. Meanwhile, one of the brides is accused of murder, and Maracoor itself begins to unravel. Maguire cleverly teases out the characters’ motivations and desires, turning what at first appears to be a straightforward tale into a gripping page-turner. Fans will revel in this triumphant return to the world of Wicked. Agent: Moses Cardona, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Oct.)

Rain’s story—begun in The Brides of Maracoor and finished, last month, in The Witch of Maracoor—felt like a gift. . . . The series is odd and dreamy, amnesiac and inventive, and full of what Maguire calls ephrarxis, which he defines as ‘nostalgia for something that had never been.’” — Tor.com

“A decade after she flew Out of Oz in Maguire’s Wicked series, Elphaba’s granddaughter crash-lands on an island inhabited by seven sacrificial virgins. The arrival of the green-skinned teen (and her talking goose) upends their enclave. An exquisitely crafted introduction to a new fantasy trilogy.” — People

“Fans will look forward to reading more about the interaction of Oz, Rain and the strange society of Maracoor.” — Wall Street Journal

“Wonderful attention to detail. . . . [Maguire] does excellent character work. . . . The larger world of Maracoor Abiding . . . has echoes of Greek mythology and looks to be fertile ground as a setting for more books. An expertly crafted introduction to a new series of magic and adventure.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The Brides of Maracoor once again shows Maguire’s rich, mesmerizing world building, full of small, frustrating human absurdities. . . . It also shows off his gift for crafting compelling characters. . . . It’s an intriguing, witty start to a fantastical proposed trilogy.” — Booklist

“With its rich character development and a healthy dash of Maguire’s humor, this latest Oz tale is as satisfying a read as the Wicked Years quartet.” — Buzzfeed

“[A] complex, enticing fantasy. . . . Maguire cleverly teases out the characters’ motivation and desires, turning what at first appears to be a straightforward tale into a gripping page-turner. Fans will revel in this triumphant return to the world of Wicked.” — Publishers Weekly

“Sharp and wry, funny and pointed, [Maguire] writes in Brides with a certainty and a sort of world-sized elegance, creating something new from scraps of the cloth he worked for years. He remains a master of a specific sense of intimacy amid scale, able to craft precise moments of fallibility, of humans picking our way through our lives, against the fate of nations and the endless sea.” — Tor.com

 “Amazing novel.” — John Updike on Wicked

“Maguire’s work is melodic, symphonic and beautiful; it is dejected and biting and brave. . . . In fabulous details and self-mocking language, Maguire displays his gift for whimsical portrayals of the broken, the powerless, the hopeless, the bad.” — Los Angeles Times on A Lion Among Men

 “[A] masterwork…. Concludes…one of the most audacious and successful fantasy series of the past few decades…. Hilarious, heart-wrenching and extremely poignant…. The greatest fantasy series make one want to read them again. That’s what I intend to do with this one.” — Washington Post on Out of Oz

“In four books, Maguire has expanded the mythology of Oz from L. Frank Baum’s books and created a land that’s just as rich as Middle-earth or Narnia, and balances the serious with the sublime. . . . Out of Oz is a satisfying finish to the Wicked Years saga.”  — USA Today on Out of Oz

“[A] sassy reimagining of Baum’s world. . . . Maguire’s canvas is incredibly rich. . . . This last installment is one to savor.”  — People (4 stars) on Out of Oz

Fans will look forward to reading more about the interaction of Oz, Rain and the strange society of Maracoor.

 “[A] masterwork…. Concludes…one of the most audacious and successful fantasy series of the past few decades…. Hilarious, heart-wrenching and extremely poignant…. The greatest fantasy series make one want to read them again. That’s what I intend to do with this one.

The Brides of Maracoor once again shows Maguire’s rich, mesmerizing world building, full of small, frustrating human absurdities. . . . It also shows off his gift for crafting compelling characters. . . . It’s an intriguing, witty start to a fantastical proposed trilogy.

A decade after she flew Out of Oz in Maguire’s Wicked series, Elphaba’s granddaughter crash-lands on an island inhabited by seven sacrificial virgins. The arrival of the green-skinned teen (and her talking goose) upends their enclave. An exquisitely crafted introduction to a new fantasy trilogy.

Sharp and wry, funny and pointed, [Maguire] writes in Brides with a certainty and a sort of world-sized elegance, creating something new from scraps of the cloth he worked for years. He remains a master of a specific sense of intimacy amid scale, able to craft precise moments of fallibility, of humans picking our way through our lives, against the fate of nations and the endless sea.

With its rich character development and a healthy dash of Maguire’s humor, this latest Oz tale is as satisfying a read as the Wicked Years quartet.

Maguire’s work is melodic, symphonic and beautiful; it is dejected and biting and brave. . . . In fabulous details and self-mocking language, Maguire displays his gift for whimsical portrayals of the broken, the powerless, the hopeless, the bad.

 “Amazing novel.

Fans will look forward to reading more about the interaction of Oz, Rain and the strange society of Maracoor.

The Brides of Maracoor once again shows Maguire’s rich, mesmerizing world building, full of small, frustrating human absurdities. . . . It also shows off his gift for crafting compelling characters. . . . It’s an intriguing, witty start to a fantastical proposed trilogy.

In four books, Maguire has expanded the mythology of Oz from L. Frank Baum’s books and created a land that’s just as rich as Middle-earth or Narnia, and balances the serious with the sublime. . . . Out of Oz is a satisfying finish to the Wicked Years saga.” 

[A] sassy reimagining of Baum’s world. . . . Maguire’s canvas is incredibly rich. . . . This last installment is one to savor.” 

In four books, Maguire has expanded the mythology of Oz from L. Frank Baum’s books and created a land that’s just as rich as Middle-earth or Narnia, and balances the serious with the sublime. . . . Out of Oz is a satisfying finish to the Wicked Years saga.” 

In four books, Maguire has expanded the mythology of Oz from L. Frank Baum’s books and created a land that’s just as rich as Middle-earth or Narnia, and balances the serious with the sublime. . . . Out of Oz is a satisfying finish to the Wicked Years saga.” 

Narrator Debra Wise guides listeners through Gregory Maguire's latest series set in Oz's Wicked universe. Listeners are introduced to an enormous cast of characters, ranging from a girl to an old woman, with a cranky goose thrown in for good measure. The fact that at no point will listeners ever be confused as to who is speaking is a testament to Wise's vocal talents. Listeners will feel as though they are in the story, sitting down to dinner with the cast, running next to frightened villagers, or arguing with the grouchy goose. She does all of this while mastering Maguire's dense and poetic style. At various points her voice drifts into a melody that carries the listener through this epic adventure. A.R.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

★ 2021-08-18
A mysterious young woman washes up on the shore of a secluded island in the first of a new trilogy from Wicked author Maguire.

There are always seven Brides of Maracoor, no more, no less. They live their entire lives in seclusion on their island, Maracoor Spot, where every day they go down to the water and weave their nets, a ritual that divides time into the well-ordered daily segments that allow civilization to function. Each year the Minor Adjutant, currently a bureaucrat named Lucikles, arrives from the mainland nation of Maracoor Abiding to check on the brides and bring them a replacement baby girl if one of their number has died. But one day, a young woman with green skin washes up on their shores, her arm flung around a goose and her hand clutching a raggedy broom. Rain, the green girl, can’t remember much of anything about her life before she washed up on the beach, leaving the brides to discuss among themselves what to do with her. Maguire’s longtime fans will remember Rain from Out of Oz(2011), but even newcomers will instantly connect the dots between her green skin and her broom, and if that’s not enough there are those odd rumors of flying monkeys looking for a green girl. Maguire is setting up for a spinoff trilogy here, and the obviousness of Rain’s origins for readers new and old alike allows him to spend more time fully creating the world of Maracoor Abiding with wonderful attention to detail. Sketching out just enough about Rain to build momentum for Book 2, this first installment does excellent character work with the people around her, particularly with regard to the power struggles among the brides on their strange island, with their strange task of weaving time. The larger world of Maracoor Abiding, with its priestesslike brides, mysterious artifacts, and its own systems of magic, myth, and politics, has echoes of Greek mythology and looks to be fertile ground as a setting for more books.

An expertly crafted introduction to a new series of magic and adventure.