The global bestseller that inspired the hit musical phenomenon. The third book in Gregory Maguire's Wicked Years series - inspiration for the major movie and record-breaking box office sensation. As civil war looms in Oz, an ancient and tetchy oracle named Yackle prepares for death.Before she can return to dust, however, the Cowardly Lion - an enigmatic figure named Brrr - arrives seeking knowledge about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West.The woman who defended him when he was a cub. But Yackle, too, demands answers of her own.