A rakish priest is attempting to reform the Wicked Witch of Kriegspiel. He's about to get far more than he bargained for... Witch Erin Green seeks freedom far from the controlling machinations of her uncle, a priest. Becoming a professor at the University of Kriegspiel was supposed to be her fresh start, but the Church of the Cloth is at it again. To encourage the compliance and regulation of witches the church will utilize pairing ceremonies to bind these free-spirited women in marriage to their priests. To make up for past misdeeds, Chancellor Ren Boaz steps in to help the beguiling new professor remain unwed. After all the hearts his rakish ways have left broken, will the Wicked Witch of Kriegspiel turn out to be Ren's just deserts? Or maybe just dessert? Fantasy Romance ◆ Magical Gaslamp/Victorian Setting ◆ Forced Proximity ◆ Mature Characters ◆ Steamy

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? Gregory Maguire has created a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again.

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West—a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

The beloved multimillion-copy-bestselling novel and basis of the Tony Award-winning musical and movie, in a deluxe hardback edition with green stained edges, a ribbon marker, and an elegant foil-stamped cover. With millions of copies in print around the world, Gregory Maguire's Wicked is established not only as a commentary on our time but as a novel to revisit for years to come. Wicked relishes the inspired inventions of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while playing sleight of hand with our collective memories of the 1939 MGM film starring Margaret Hamilton (and Judy Garland). In this fast-paced, fantastically real, and supremely entertaining novel, Maguire has populated the largely unknown world of Oz with the power of his own imagination. Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin--no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz's most promising young citizens. But Elphaba's Oz is no utopia. The Wizard's secret police are everywhere. Animals--those creatures with voices, souls, and minds--are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals--even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas. Recognized as an iconoclastic tour de force on its initial publication, the novel has inspired the blockbuster musical of the same name--one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history. Popular, indeed. But while the novel's distant cousins hail from the traditions of magical realism, mythopoeic fantasy, and sprawling nineteenth-century sagas of moral urgency, Maguire's Wicked is as unique as its green-skinned witch.

The first book in the hilarious epic Witches at War! series.The headline in The Cackler is grim. Old Biddy Vicious, the Most Superior High and Wicked Witch and owner of the Black Wand of Ohh Please Don't Turn Me Into Aaaaarghhh...Ribbett is dead. But witches like their news on the dark side and there is great anticipation in the witching world. After all, there will need to be a new leader and a diabolical competition to find out who is to become the new Most Superior High and Wicked Witch.Esmelia Sniff fancies her chances, after all she is exceedingly wicked and has warts in all of the right places. As she and her surprisingly cheerful apprentice, Sam, set off to find three other witches to nominate her for the job, the meanest and the baddest witches in the world are hatching their own devious plan to become The Wickedest Witch.Visit the special Witches at War series website at www.witchesatwar.co.uk or by clicking hereOther titles in the series include (Book 2) The White Wand (9781843651345) and (Book 3) The Wild Winter (9781843651802).

Elphaba, born with emerald green skin, comes of age in the land of Oz, rooming with debutante Glinda at the university, and following a path in life that earns her the label of Wicked.

Wicked : the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West: Tells the story of Elphaba before she became the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz, tracing her career as nun, nurse, pro-democracy activist and animal rights defender.