Fiction Pick of the Week: A Lion Among Men

A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire 2008

A Lion Among Men is the third novel in Gregory Maguire's Wicked Years series, an inventive re-imagining of the OZ story as a much darker and more sinister land. This volume concerns Brrr, Dorthy's friend, the Cowardly Lion. He is portrayed as a feckless dandy, with an endless ability to muck things up. Civil war has erupted. The forces of the Emperor and those of Free State of Munchkinland are about to clash. At their centre, in a cloister, Brrr and Mother Yackle engage in a battle of wits. Each is looking for revelations. The Cowardly Lion has been assigned to find the magic book of spells used by Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Yackle, an ancient crone, has seen her mission as being to protect the life of Elphaba. She is tired of life and is looking for both death and some explanations. An evening of questions & answers, reminiscences and discussion on the nature of Fate and Courage ends with the inevitable battle and optimism for the Lion's future.