If you’ve sensed something magical brewing in the literary world, you’d be correct. Gregory Maguire’s bestselling Wicked series is returning with a new prequel book and a stunning lineup of special editions, just in time for the upcoming Wicked. Here’s everything we know so far, including exclusive insights from the author himself.
Details on the special editions of ‘Wicked’
In honor of the Wicked movie’s release later this month, William Morrow Publishing is releasing three special editions of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Maguire’s 1995 bestseller, which reimagined L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz series, will now come in a collector’s edition with green-edged pages, an elegant black ribbon bookmark, exclusive Oz maps and a beautifully foil-stamped cover.
Box set of the ‘Wicked’ series
For the first time, all four Wicked books—Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men and Out of Oz—will be sold as a box set. This illustrated box will feature a fresh design showcasing the Emerald City and the Wicked Witch’s hat. The books will also come with new cover designs to celebrate this milestone.
Movie tie-in edition
With the Wicked movie adaptation set to premiere on November 22, 2024, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, there will also be a special movie tie-in edition featuring the two stars on the cover.
Maguire on the legacy of ‘Wicked’
Wicked was originally published in 1995, was adapted into a hit Broadway musical in 2003 and will finally be hitting the big screen this month.
“Most storytellers I know dive into our created worlds—any Oz of our own invention—out of a need for solitude,” Maguire exclusively told Woman’s World. “But Wicked has detonated into the world big, loud and lastingly.”
“I’ve had to become presentable—mostly this involves more clean t-shirts—but it’s been worth it. The continued public embrace of Wicked in all its forms reminds me that in the private scribbling of our weird stories, alone in our coldwater garrets, we’re still trying to make a connection with readers. Maybe even to change someone else—for good.”
Each of these special editions is available for purchase now wherever books are sold.
Exclusive details on new prequel book: ‘Elphie: A Wicked Childhood’
If getting three new editions of Wicked wasn’t enough, Maguire and William Morrow are also releasing a brand new book in the series!
It is going to be called Elphie: A Wicked Childhood and is expected to hit shelves on March 25, 2025, 14 years after the release of Out of Oz, the last book in the Wicked tetralogy.
The book will serve as a prequel, focusing on Elphaba’s life as a child. According to a press release obtained by Woman’s World, the plot will follow the Wicked Witch of The West after she “encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be—until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Glinda.”
As is the case with Wicked, there will also be exclusive editions of this book featuring sprayed green edges and a stunning map of Oz.
You can preorder Elphie: A Wicked Childhood now wherever books are sold.
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