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Welcome to the online book club for A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire.
The Wicked Years books brings to life the characters well known and loved in the Wizard of Oz, but in a way true to L. Frank Baum’s original stories. A Lion Among Men is the third and final book in the series. I read the first book, Wicked, in 2010 and the second book, Son of a Witch, in 2014.
Brrr is the Cowardly Lion, taken from his mother as a cub to be shown at a university and studied to see if he is an animal or Animal. In Oz, Animals can talk and walk and reason, but they have faced persecution through the years. This persecution is what Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, tried to stop when she was a student at the university. She was actually in the class where Brrr was presented and came to his defense. A Lion Among Men tells how Brrr went from being the small lion cub to the Cowardly Lion who helped Dorothy to the current day where he is tracking down Elphaba’s magic book – the Grimmerie.
I enjoyed this book and I love anything to do with the Wizard of Oz. I have read some of the original books and Maguire’s books are based on those more than the movie – although there are some nods to the movie version:
“I have the distinct feeling I’m not in Oz anymore,’ said Brrr.”
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Are you a Wizard of Oz or Wicked fan? If so, did that make you enjoy the book more or less?
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Have you read the other books in The Wicked Years series? What did you think of them?
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Were you confused by the plot starting with this book if you haven’t read the others? If so, how?
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Do you find Brrr to be a likeable character? Why or why not?
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Do you wish Dorothy and the Wicked Witch had been mentioned more in this book? What do you think about Brrr’s version of when Dorothy melted the Wicked Witch?
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Why do you think the Maunt couldn’t die until after Brrr arrived?
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Ilianora has a smaller role in this book, but a larger one in the other books. Liir is much sought after since he is believed to be Elphaba’s son. As Liir’s half sister, their interactions create many of the plot twists. What do you think of her character?
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Oz is a land of strange oddities and magic. What do you think about the Dragon Clock?
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What was your favorite scene in the book? Least favorite?
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Any question I didn’t ask that you want to discuss?