A Lion among Men (Wicked Years Series #3)

Too much exposition, not enough plot.

I greatly enjoyed the first two books in the Wicked series. This only added to my disappointment with this book. While the idea of hearing the untold story of the Cowardly Lion does sound intriguing, this book lacked much in the way of a continuing storyline. Outside of retrospection, this book did very little in the way of furthering the story in respect to the first two books. While I wouldn't say not to read the book, I will say to wait for the paperback or borrow it from a friend as it was not worth the $20. In all due respect to Mr.Maguire, I think this book seemed more like a paycheck than a story. While I would love to see how things turn out for Brrr, Nor, Candle, and Liir, I would not want to spend over 300 pages to advance one day in the overall story.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful

Loved how this book kept OZ and its people alive!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

For one grownup on fairy tales

Maguire takes the lovely fairy tale world of the Wizard of Oz and twists the plot into a deeply intriguing and dark tale in this series. All are must reads.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

Not as great as the first two. I felt like this one was little harder to follow, but in the end everything came together.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Lion Among Men

If you read and liked Wicked and Son of the Witch, then you will definitely like this book. Just like the first two books, A Lion Among Men is sharply written, with interesting characters and a gripping plot. Not only do we find out the life story of the Lion who helped Dorothy kill the Wicked Witch, but we furthermore learn the story of Oz, the Witch, her son and other characters involved in their lives. Gregory Maguire's writing style is addictive, it was hard for me to put the book down.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Lion isn't as Wondrous as the other two.

I enjoyed reading this, although I wasn't as smitten as with WICKED, nor with SON of a WITCH. The prose is still wondrous and the imaginations of Mr Maguire are rich and full. I'm looking forward to the 4th in the Series, although not with as much eagerness as I sought #3.
It's good to connect and read all three in the series in order, and I'm glad I did. It's just not as fine.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A good read, but its predecessors were better

This book was good and interesting for the overall storyline, but in itself it had a lot of slow parts. It was a good story of the life of the Cowardly Lion but again was too dragged out.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Grreat!

Another great work from the wicked years. The character of Brr (cowardly Lion) was moving and his story compelling. The story follows this lonely misunderstood creature as he learns some of life's harder lessons and attempts to find his place in the world.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wicked Rules!

OMG! I can't wait for this to come out! It is going to be amazing!!! YAY!

1 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

Not as good as the first 2

I loved Wicked and Son of a Witch, but this seemed to drag on and got to the point that I made myself read it and finish the book so I could get started on the 4th book.

Great Novel

If you enjoyed reading Gregory Maguire's Wicked and Son of a Witch, then you'll definitely love this book as well.

The book tells the story of Oz once more, but this time through the eyes of the "cowardly Lion", Brrr. You go on his journey with him and, just like in Wicked, see how a title, and a perception of someone or, in his case, an Animal, doesn't really justify the way you think of them, considering you don't know their story and how they became the way that they are.

Gregory Maguire did a wonderful job writting this novel, as he did with his others. The style of writting is superb, in the sense that he tells you just enough to get you to figure things out on your own and make your own interpretations concerning the story. It allows you to think and use your mind, which most books lack now a days.

If you enjoyed any of his other books, then you'll love this one as well. Older readers will understand the novel more and fully grasp what is being conveyed, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to younger readers, as they may get confused throughout the story.

A hidden gem, must be read through to the end!

I initially was going to rate this book 3 stars, but the last few chapters definitely made this a 4 star read. There were moments where I grew weary of the Lion, but such is his character. There is meaning & hidden purpose in this book, and the characters of focus are a perfect match. The biggest plus for this installation into the wicked series is this: There IS closure! Some of the lingering questions from both "Wicked" as well as "Son of a Witch" are finally answered! This alone makes the book worth reading. The rest, is simply a bonus. I for one, am glad I gave it a chance, and I think lovers of the wicked series should as well.

Praise forBrr!

When i began this third installment in the series I was highly disappointed as it was difficult to follow and some parts were just boring, by but the end I was on the edge of my seat begging for more. This is definately one of those love hate relationships, but overall very happy with the interesting tidbits of back story andBrrs own turbulent journey through OZ.

Recommended

This sequel of Wicked gives a new "twist",as in twister, to the Dorthy saga. I greatly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the third in the series.

Gr

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

This is a great series. The twist on the stories are very entertaining.

Fair

I'm quite a fan of Mr. Maguire's and of his Oz series. This is my least-favorite of his books. Brrr's story is good to know, but he may not have been the best character to choose for an entire book. Several parts of Brrr's autobiographical reflections are rather boring and don't do much to develop the overall story arc. Congratulations, though, to Mr. M for developing Yackle, a seemingly minor character in the first two books, into such an interesting character. Only recommended for fans.

Good closer

A little slow in points but nice closer to good series.

This book wouldn't have existed...

without "Wicked" or "Son of a Witch".

I was intrigued by the Cowardly Lion and maybe a counter novel to L. Frank Baum's Oz novel of the Cowardly Lion. It was not to be.

The characterization of Brr was great. In the lines of dialogue you could almost hear Bert Lahr's voice for Brr. You find out that he is not so craven as much as he is a pragmatist. In times of great upheaval Brr lands on his feet. He may not land in a glorious manner; mind you. He might only gain a laughable title. He does land and not get driven out or swept away like the other Animals.

The other characters were dropped too quickly and were swept away. I wanted more of Cubbins and Jemmsy. It may have been done by design.

I hope the 4th book draws from the Baum novel that features TikTok, Pumpkinhead, and Mombi.

The timeline goes back and forth from past to present without warning. Those who enjoy characterization will enjoy this novel(as with Son of a Witch). If you want a coherent plot, you may be in for frustration and disappointment.

Fanstastic idea, brillent pupputer and a tragic stroy of our Brrr

What a smart way to patch the quilt by filling the missing pieces of Wicked and Son of a Witch, but there are some holes left unstich