A Lion Among Men

Review

Given that my speciality is postmodernism, it probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that I am drawn to retellings and reimaginings of classic stories. I read Gregory Maguire’s suberb Wizard of Oz interpretation Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West shortly after release, and while I skipped over the first sequel Son of a Witch, I picked up the series once more with the third installment, A Lion Among Men. Ostensibly about the Cowardly Lion - here named Brrr - the only honestly interesting major character that emerges from the novel is Maguire’s original character Yackle, a delightfully cracked “walking cadaver” (24) of an oracle who first made her appearance in Wicked. After imbuing the previously one-dimensional Wicked Witch of the West with genuine pathos, sympathy, and motivation, my expectations going into A Lion Among Men were ultimately disappointed in his depiction of Brrr.

Maguire’s prose is lofty and distinguished, flowing with a silky elegance uncommon to most contemporary literature. Unfortunately, the loveliness of his language is not enough to make up for the largely uninteresting portrayal of the titular feline. Given Brrr’s iconic timidity, Maguire was given plenty to work with in terms of characterization. What frustrates me the most is that the last two pages offer more potential to compellingly flesh out his role as a cognizant, self-aware lion living amongst humans than the entirety of his presence in the rest of the novel combined. Though Maguire grants him a detailed and generous backstory, Brrr lacks the depth of character expected from one who has faced so much adversity. His portrayal as a sophisticated, aloof socialite melds well with L. Frank Baum’s original intentions, but I found it flat and with little lustre. Much could have been done with this premise, but Maguire elects to play it safe rather than experiment with the same - and successful - risks he took with the far superior Wicked. Brrr sadly ends up resigned to an undeserved fate comprised of nothing but story with minimal substance to accompany it.

I would also recommend reading the previous two installments of the series prior to picking up A Lion Among Men. Having not read Son of a Witch, I found myself lacking in understanding of Oz and all the nuances of its sociopolitical structure. Events in previous novels certainly have an impact on the overall plot of the third novel - I admit I made a mistake thinking I could enter back into the series at any given point and still make sense of everything that transpires. Maguire can certainly spin a complicated and intriguing yarn into an intriguing and adventurous plot, which is probably his greatest strength alongside the fluidity and sensuality of the writing itself. Had his characterization of Brrr consisted of significantly more complexity and volume, Maguire could have easily penned a classic amongst revisionist fairy tales. Instead, A Lion Among Men stands as a forgettable sequel to one of the best examples of the genre.

Bibliographical Information

Maguire, Gregory. A Lion Among Men. Boston: William Morrow & Company, 2008.

Further Reading

As mentioned numerous times in the review, the original volume in Gregory Maguire’s return to Oz, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West stands on its own as a worthy, humanizing successor to L. Frank Baum’s essential allegorical fantasy The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I would recommend reading the latter first, obviously, before moving on to Maguire’s interpretation. Both encompass imaginative casts engaged in considerable action and emotion, and wrapped up nicely in prose that piques interest and moves the stories along at an agreeable pace. Fans of revisionist or postmodernist interpretations of popular and classic childrens’ folk tales will greatly enjoy James Finn Garner’s cheeky and greatly enjoyable Politically Correct Fairy Tales series. Some snaps of dialogue and descriptions from Maguire’s books recall Garner’s satirical, mischevious commentary.

~Riot