About the Book In this third novel of the New York Times-bestselling series, civil war looms in Oz, and an ancient oracle named Yackle prepares for death. But before she can die, the Cowardly Lion arrives seeking knowledge about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West. Book Synopsis Return to a darker Oz with Gregory Maguire. In A Lion Among Men , the third volume in Maguires acclaimed, New York Times bestselling series The Wicked Years, a fuller, more complex Cowardly Lion is brought to life and gets to tell his remarkable tale. It is a story of oppression and fear in a world gone mad with war fever--of Munchkins, Wizards, and Wicked Witches--and especially of a gentle soul and determined survivor who is truly A Lion Among Men. From the Back Cover Since the publication of Wicked , millions of readers have discovered Gregory Maguires fantastically encyclopedic Oz, a world filled with characters both familiar and new, darkly conceived and daringly reimagined. In the third volume of the Wicked Years, we return to Oz, seen now through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion. At once a portrait of a would-be survivor and a panoramic glimpse of a world gone shrill with war fever, Gregory Maguires A Lion Among Men is written with the sympathy and power that have made his books contemporary classics. Review Quotes As usual, Maguire, a seasoned fabulist, populates his version of Oz with a cast of utterly fantastical characters who must face their own inner demons while tumult and uncertainty rages around them. An absolute must-read for fans of this ever-evolving dark fairy tale.-- Booklist Entertaining....The author mixes some relatively weighty existential themes--the search for self, faith, redemption--into his whimsical story line. [A] darkly enchanting saga-- Publishers Weekly Much to savor, laugh at, and think about. . . . A page-turning fantasy and a timely political allegory.-- USA Today Maguires 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 Engrossing...Maguire is a masterful storyteller with an uncanny flair for mixing political and personal while exploring what it means--and what it costs--to be accepted in a society.--New York Daily News So well-crafted that readers of all ages could enjoy witnessing Brrrrs transformation from an insecure kitten in the woods to a compassionate, engaged manimal.--Christian Science Monitor The minute you open A Lion Among Men, youre back in Maguires exquisitely detailed environment, caught up once again in his geography, his characters, his worldview, touched anew by the loneliness that lurks in the heart of all things.--New Orleans Times-Picayune The third book in Maguires Wicked Years is at once funny, charming, harrowing, bleak and incredibly beautiful.--The American Chronicle This Oz goes far beyond L. Frank Baums; its as surreal as a dream, but as immaculately and impeccably detailed as history. Maguires wizardlike grasp over every aspect of this reinvented land rivals classic literary landscapes like Tolkiens Middle Earth and Faulkners Yoknapatawpha County.--Albany Times Union A New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Denver Post, and USA Today bestseller--No Source