The Wicked Years
#6713.50 of 689 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 1995–2011 Reading commitment Medium Gregory Maguire Last reviewed 2026-09-11
Overview
The Wicked Years is a complete four-novel quartet by Gregory Maguire (1995-2011) reframing L. Frank Baum's Oz from the witches' side, beginning with the life story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The first book, Wicked, is the basis for the hit Broadway musical and its film adaptations. It is a separate, unrelated work from this project's already-admitted L. Frank Baum Oz universe -- a deliberate retelling of it, not the same underlying continuity.
Fairy-tale retelling · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
The Wicked Years Gregory Maguire
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West | 1995 | 1 | core | 3.50 (694,298 ratings) |
 | Son of a Witch | 2005 | 2 | core | 3.51 (72,115 ratings) |
 | A Lion Among Men | 2008 | 3 | core | 3.36 (33,863 ratings) |
 | Out of Oz | 2011 | 4 | core | 3.84 (23,525 ratings) |
Complete four-novel quartet (1995-2011) reframing L. Frank Baum's Oz from the witches' side, beginning with Elphaba's life story. Wicked is the basis for the hit Broadway musical and 2024/2025 film adaptations. A separate, unrelated work from this project's already-admitted L. Frank Baum Oz universe (a deliberate retelling of it, not the same underlying continuity).
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Wicked Years? The Wicked Years's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for The Wicked Years? Publication order, starting with Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Wicked Years finished? Complete (1995–2011).
- How much reading does The Wicked Years take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books).
- How is The Wicked Years ranked? #671 of 689 ranked universes on this site, based on 823,801 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #671?
Ranked #671 of 689 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.50 across 4 core books.
- Backed by 824k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.36 to 3.84.
- Less than 0.01 behind #670, Wars of Vis (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 4 books · Complete · 824k ratings · Ranks #671 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995)
- Son of a Witch (2005)
- A Lion Among Men (2008)
- Out of Oz (2011)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.50 across 823,801 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Wicked Years (Gregory Maguire) accepted 2026-09-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Wicked Years Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Wicked (Maguire novel) Tier 2
- Reader rating aggregator: Gregory Maguire author list Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-09-11
Rule: Core Canon is the complete four-book quartet: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995), Son of a Witch (2005), A Lion Among Men (2008), and Out of Oz (2011), all published by ReganBooks/HarperCollins.