Wicked

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is a 1995 dark fantasy novel by American writer Gregory Maguire, with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first novel in The Wicked Years series, and was followed by Son of a Witch (September 2005), A Lion Among Men (October 2008), and Out of Oz (November 2011), plus a number of short stories since 2012. Wicked is a cynical, adult-oriented revision of the characters and setting of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, along with its sequels and 1939 film adaptation. The novel is presented as a biography of the Wicked Witch of the West, here given the name Elphaba Thropp. The book follows Elphaba from her birth through her social ostracism, school years, radicalization, and final days. Maguire depicts the traditionally villainous character in a sympathetic light, using her journey to explore the problem of evil and nature versus nurture debate, as well as themes of terrorism, propaganda, and existential purpose. In 2003, the novel was loosely adapted as the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical Wicked, in turn adapted into a two-part feature film, with the first film released in November 2024 and the second film released in November 2025. Despite heavy changes from his novel, Maguire gave high praise to the adaptations, dedicating Son of a Witch to the musical and speaking highly of the films.