In an interview that was included with the Son of a Witch audio CD, Gregory Maguire gave two reasons for writing the book: "the many letters from young fans asking what happened to Nor, last seen as a chained political prisoner, and seeing the Abu Ghraib torture photographs.

"[1] Oatsie Manglehand discovers a young man, badly bruised and near death, by the side of a road in the Vinkus and brings him to the Cloister of Saint Glinda.

After being forced to participate in the destruction of a Quadling village, Liir deserted the Home Guard and returned to the castle of Kiamo Ko.

The new Emperor of Oz is afraid of the Birds' power to spread news throughout the land and has sent the dragons to attack them.

Returning to Apple Press Farm, Candle tells Liir she is pregnant, explaining that she had raped him while he was unconscious.

Liir meets with his old military friend Trism bon Cavalish, who he discovers is responsible for training the dragons to perform their killing missions.

With her help, they come up with a plan for the pair's escape: Liir will fly away on his broom, while Trism will leave with Glinda, disguised as her servant.

Liir flies about Oz, collecting and training a huge flock of Birds, which he leads to the Emerald City.

When he arrives at Apple Press Farm, Candle is gone, but he finds wrapped in Elphaba's cloak a newborn baby who he initially thinks is dead but revives under his care.

In a subplot, Liir meets the Scrow people and their leader Princess Nastoya, an Elephant who took human form in order to hide from the Wizard.

Oatsie Manglehand: A woman who runs a horse-and-coach caravan that transports passengers along the Grassland Trail through the Vinkus.

During the siege of the Cloister, she abdicates as sole authority of the mauntery and establishes a triumvirate consisting of herself, Sister Doctor, and the absent Candle.

The Scarecrow: This character has a more substantial role in Son of a Witch than the Tin Man or the Cowardly Lion.

Writing for The Boston Globe, Sarah Smith wrote, "Maguire has done it again: Son of a Witch is as wicked as they come,"[4] but Katharine Powers for The Washington Post called it "off-kilter and aimless.

"[5] Kirkus Reviews keeps the middle ground of these two characterizations, writing, "The book works too hard to dazzle us; it's considerably more cluttered and strained than Wicked.