Reading the 'Wicked' Books in Order Before Seeing the Movie Will Change Everything
True fans must pick up the books to understand even more about Elphaba and Glinda.
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It's hard to think of a more iconic Broadway song than "Defying Gravity." Seeing it in the new Wicked movie is just one of the reasons fans are so excited for their favorite musical to hit the big screen this fall. But die-hard Wicked fans know that the book Wicked by Gregory Maguire came before the musical we know and love.
The movie is based on the Broadway adaptation of Wicked the book, which is based on The Wizard of Oz, a story by L. Frank Baum that is a political allegory about populism. Safe to say, there's a lot of Wicked lore behind the lyrics (and we don't just mean the Wicked makeup collabs or the Wicked LEGO sets). If you want to do a deep dive into the world of Oz, the books are the best place to start! They're darker and more detailed than the musical, and they add so much more drama to the story of Elphaba and Glinda.
There are currently four Wicked books —a prequel titled Elphie is set to release in March 2025. Together, the series is called The Wicked Years. The books explore the familiar world of Oz with some unfamiliar twists, showing a darker and more dangerous version of the world where discrimination and political tension reign. There are some major differences between the book and the musical, including the ending. Here's how to read the Wicked books in order and find out!
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Born with green skin and sharp teeth, Elphaba is a smart but prickly girl. This is the story of how she becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West, as she fights discrimination against the talking Animals and finds herself gravely misunderstood.
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The sequel to Wicked follows Liir, a young boy who may be Elphaba's son. As he seeks to understand his identity and survive the turmoil of Oz, can he take up Elphaba's mantle to fight for change? And can he find his half-sister in the process?
This installment follows Brrr, the Cowardly Lion, once a young cub that Elphaba defended in Wicked. As civil war looms across Oz, Brrr meets a young girl named Dorothy and searches for information about Elphaba.
This finale of The Wicked Years series brings together mysteries from the previous three books and ties them all together. Munchkinland has seceded from Oz, and hunters seek Elphaba's book of spells to use in the war. The Cowardly Lion looks for redemption, while Dorothy is brought back to Oz to stand trial for murder. Throughout it all, Liir's daughter, born green, is placed into Glinda's care as she comes of age.
Sarah Vincent (she/her) covers the latest and greatest in books and all things pets for Good Housekeeping. She double majored in Creative Writing and Criminal Justice at Loyola University Chicago, where she sat in the front row for every basketball game. In her spare time, she loves cooking, crafting, studying Japanese, and, of course, reading.
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