So, I have never seen the musical, but I do have plans to watch it and the movie. I thought this book would be a good place to start. You know what? I was wrong.

Because this book is A LOT. I wasn't a fan of the writing style. It seemed too disjointed and jumpy, which made it hard for me to follow. Also, the constant sexualisation of everyone and everything was a turn-off. Half the time, I had no idea what was going on. Maybe I shouldn't have picked the audiobook. I had trouble liking the characters as well. They just didn't seem real or relatable to me. So, I 100% believe everyone who says the musical is better. And if you were thinking about reading this before the movie, mayhaps you should reconsider.

I might still give the second book a try, though. At least I liked Liir. And it was published 10 years after this one, so hopefully, it's better. Maybe the author has improved her writing skills and toned down the sexualisation. We'll see.

Here is yet one more instance that strongly supports the old and wise adage that “hindsight is 20/20.” This is because if only I had known how much sheer enjoyment I would derive from this book, I most definitely would have read it much sooner. I have no one else to blame but myself for taking all those negative reviews so extremely seriously.

For starters, there are several distinct types of people who really should not read this book as it will likely make them extremely angry. The most prominent among them is that particular group of folks who are vehemently opposed to any mention or portrayal of S-E-X in books. However, it must be noted that the sexy scenes in this book are far from being graphic. They aren't overly steamy or hot. In fact, they are nothing more than your typical, average sex scenes that for most of us (who are of legal age and over the age of consent) really aren't worth getting overly worked up or bent out of shape for.

And on top of all that, the book is also absolutely jam-packed with all kinds of complex issues that have the potential to make people feel quite uncomfortable. These issues include politics, religion, science, racism, magic, the occult, sexism, and class-based societies, just to name a few.

Mix all of this with a cherished fairy tale that a vast majority of us have some kind of childhood history and connection with, and you've got a truly sensitive subject matter. The story and the characters are ones that we are all intimately familiar with: Dorothy, the Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Scarecrow, Tinman, Cowardly Lion, and so on. But in this novel, Maguire has taken these beloved characters and twisted them in a rather unique and interesting way to suit his own creative purposes. The final product is something that you will either passionately love or strongly hate. As if the rating didn't already clearly convey it, I am most definitely a huge fan.

I initially picked up this book simply because of all the hype surrounding it and had no real expectations for reading any of the subsequent novels that Maguire has published. But now that I have finished this book, I find that my curiosity has been thoroughly piqued and I wouldn't at all mind following up with Son of a Witch to discover what exactly happens next in the political fiasco that is unfolding in Oz and the surrounding territories.

From the very first page, I found myself completely engrossed in the book, unable to put it down. I simply adored it! As my affection for the book "Wicked" and the Wicked Witch of the West deepened, my loathing for George Lucas increased in direct proportion. How could he have made such a mess of things?

I never made any pretense of liking the new trilogy. It had the potential to be a fresh and exciting story. It could have delved deeply into the character of Darth Vader, or rather Anakin Skywalker, and truly made him a tragic figure.

Instead of attempting to deceive the audience into liking Anakin by casting cute kids and mediocre actors, George Lucas could have crafted an engaging character. He could have told a genuine story.

With "Wicked," we get precisely that.

Either a person has read the book or, given the anti-reading culture we live in, most likely has seen the movie. Whichever it is, the Wicked Witch of the West is a fairly well-defined character.

She is evil. She is green. She is terrifying.

What "Wicked" does is take this evil, green, and scary witch and transform her into someone we can like and love. And it doesn't do it in a saccharine way where we say to ourselves, "oh what a cute green baby."

She is born a freak. Not only is she green, but she also has teeth like a shark and isn't afraid to use them. She lost fingers, and forget about breast feeding!

She has a severe allergy to water.

Her upbringing wasn't much better. She was an outcast. She had to help raise and take care of her beautiful and fanatically religious armless sister (who would eventually become the Wicked Witch of the East).

She was ostracized in school. Her roommate Galinda, who would eventually become Glinda, the good witch, could hardly tolerate her.

And yet, despite all of this, we come to like her. She is incredibly intelligent. She is funny and witty. She is sarcastic and actually quite enjoyable. And she cares for all living creatures. Can you believe it? She even gets involved in a cause to help protect the capital A Animals (like the Lion, those that can talk), who are being rounded up, Nazi-style, by the real villain of the story: The Wizard.

We see her take a lover and fall in love. We see her lose her lover.

The progression that leads to her becoming the Wicked Witch of the West is natural and logical. And even at the end, as crazy as she becomes, we understand her and pity her, making her all the more tragic.

What a wealth of material George Lucas could have utilized to truly show us a young Anakin Skywalker.

How about this (and I know I'm borrowing a bit from "Wicked"): What if Anakin Skywalker wasn't a cute kid? What if he was born disabled? What if, in order to be mobile, he needed prosthetics from the start? Oh sure, we'd still have that battle with Kenobi where he loses a whole lot more to become that intimidating guy in the black suit, but maybe he had to endure a lifetime of being part machine. That would make Kenobi's later line of "He's more machine now than man" even more poignant.

And maybe he's just a little bit angry about having mechanical parts? Maybe his first awareness of the force is through his anger. Of course, the beginning would be about how, on his own, through his own strength and integrity, he overcomes the anger and the darkness, and chooses the light side of the force.

And he comes to terms with his deformity. And he works on his charm and personality to such an extent that he wins a princess (or a queen, whatever).

He could even have a cause that he fights for. Anakin built C3PO, so why not take up for droid rights or something similar? After all, he is part machine.

Why, oh why George, did you give us such rubbish?!

It could have been possible. And then we could have had a science fiction exploration and analysis of the origins of evil. We could have added more depth and substance to a classic space opera.

This is one of my favorites. I generally have a penchant for McGuire's books, but in my humble opinion, this one stands out as by far the best among them.

After spending my teenaged years devouring countless sci-fi/fantasy books where the characters are often predictably stereotypical "golden boys" (and more often than not, they are indeed boys), it is truly a breath of fresh air to come across a book where the protagonist is deeply flawed, yet we can't help but respect her. The characters and interpersonal relationships in this book are intricate and complex, leaving you constantly guessing about the details that unfold behind the scenes and curious about the tales that remain untold.

This isn't to say that the convoluted style doesn't have its moments of frustration. There are occasional scenes that I still don't fully grasp, but for the most part, these have simply enhanced the "re-readability" of this novel and kept me on the edge of my seat while reading. The story, due to some of these complications, doesn't make for easy reading either, and I can envision the story potentially turning off readers who might have been misled by the seemingly fairy-tale-esque premise of the book into expecting something entirely different.

McGuire effortlessly weaves some of his philosophy into the dialogues and actions of the characters. There were instances when I would read through a seemingly innocuous sentence, only to have a mental epiphany seconds later, amazed at how a profound statement was seamlessly integrated into the story without any fanfare or preamble.

In my view, at the very least, this is an entertaining book if you have ever watched The Wizard of Oz. But I also believe it to be much more than just a captivating story. It delves deeper into the human psyche and explores themes that are both thought-provoking and engaging.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written, complex, and thought-provoking read. It's a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

Bullet Review:

Sometimes when you read a book, you may have a strong aversion to it. At other times, you might fall head over heels in love with it. And then there are those rare occasions when you reread a book that you despised more than 15 years ago and find yourself completely smitten.

In place of a traditional bullet review, here are my responses to my younger self who couldn't fathom the complexity of this book.

What exactly do Unionism, Lurlinism, pleasure faith, and others entail? It's quite evident that Unionism is a substitute for modern Christianity, Lurlinism is a form of Paganism, and pleasure faith isn't really a faith at all but more like secularism. While it's crucial that the characters have beliefs that drive their actions, the specific nature of those faiths isn't truly relevant.

Where did they come from? This has no real bearing on the story, just as knowing the origins of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity doesn't significantly impact the actions and motivations of characters in fantasy, sci-fi, or contemporary stories.

What function does the Time Dragon serve and why is it so respected? This remains unanswered at the end of the book. Perhaps it's explored further in later installments; maybe it's a remnant of Frank L. Baum's Oz books. I find it fascinating to speculate about the symbolism of Elphaba being born under the Time Dragon, but like the previous questions, I don't think we need to know why people respect it, much like we don't necessarily need to understand 100% why people respect the Rings of Power in Lord of the Rings.

Who is the Kumbric Witch and why is she respected? The Kumbric Witch is intertwined with paganism and the overall culture; one origin story suggests she gave birth to Animals. Again, asking "Why does this society respect this thing?" seems to be a distraction. It's not relevant to the story Maguire is telling.

What else does the Wizard do that is so bad? The Wizard sent people to mine the Quadling country for Rubies, leading to poverty and unrest throughout Oz. Also, Animals are being treated as second-class citizens and dying.

Where did the terrorist come from and what happened to them afterwards? Terrorism stems from civil unrest. When the government fails to serve the people, some will take the violent path. This is just "human nature" and requires no further explanation - similarly, they probably still exist in some form (since Shell is a seditionist) but have changed over the years.

Why do Fiyero and Elphaba fall in love? Fiyero has wondered where Elphaba has been for 5 years. It's likely he has developed a crush on her due to his arranged marriage and her strong opinions. Elphaba, on the other hand, desperately craves companionship.

Where did Fiyero and Elphaba's affair come from? See the above explanation. When two unhappy people meet, sometimes sparks fly.

What is the purpose of the puppet scene? The puppet scenes add to the fantasy and magic of the world. The dwarf implies having some sort of clairvoyance - he also mentions using it at the fringes to influence current events. People enjoy the tawdry gossip and use it as an excuse to be mean to others.

What happened that was so terrible at the Philosophy Club? Tibbett was essentially sexually assaulted by a Tiger in a three-some.

How did it impact everyone? It's telling that after this incident, we skip forward 5 years. What was supposed to be a fun night after Ama's funeral, a night to forget, instead tore everyone apart. Each person was traumatized in their own way - Tibbett most明显, as he is never made whole and is the only one of the group to be explicitly killed.

Are all the sexual scenes really necessary to describe what is going on (especially since they are thrown in haphazardly and seem to drag the plot)? The sex scenes are hardly the most graphic or numerous that one might encounter. That said, The Wizard of Oz was written for children and the play is more family-friendly, so if you have that in mind, it may be a bit of a shock to see how adult the content is. But adults have sex, have affairs, do drugs, get drunk, and are violent. Children can also be cruel and bully and assault each other. Life shouldn't be sugar-coated just because it's unpleasant.

How does Glinda become the sweet, good Witch of the North from a society snob? She realizes that her society friends wouldn't think twice about betraying her; after Ama's affliction and Dr Dillamond's death, she realizes that what she thought she knew about the world was wrong and far more serious. Not to mention, it's relatively easy to be good when you help a bunch of unfortunate people and then return to your wealth and privilege.

How does the Wizard appear cruel and immoral and yet is so kind and stupid around Dorothy? And I thought he said that the people of Oz appointed him as Wizard, not that he arrived with all guns blazing on his balloon and took over Oz. Isn't it interesting how people can lie to those with no prior knowledge? So many people love to tell their side of the story, but it may or may not be true.

And Elphaba herself comes across as pitiful, powerless, and unable to take care of herself. How does she become the manipulative, feared Wicked Witch of the West? She's actually the most honest character in the book; others label her as manipulative and to be feared because she looks different, and people are scared of her. The point of the book is that all of this is a LIE told by truly evil people.

Isn't she the Wicked Witch of the West that the story is supposed to be about? Yes, but the point of the book is to show how society made hasty judgments about her and painted her as something other than what she really is. Honestly, Elphaba is a bit of a failure - she isn't really a Witch, isn't a revolutionary, has no love life to speak of, is a terrible mother, has no real friends, can't obtain the forgiveness she desires, and can't get her father's approval - overall, everything she does goes wrong.

Why do we not get to see into her head until over halfway through the book? Why an author chooses certain points of view over others intrigues me. I believe Maguire thought it would be more impactful to show how others reacted to her rather than her immediate thoughts. We see her after she's been broken by life, when the youthful glow has faded.

Was Maguire afraid of writing from her point of view? See above.

If this book is about the Wicked Witch of the West, why are there more points of view about people other than the Wicked Witch of the West? See above. Sometimes you can learn more about a person through the eyes of others than from the character themselves.

I don't know if I could have understood the nuances nearly 20 years ago, but I do know that respectful conversations with my friends about this book are what ultimately made me want to reread it and what made me change my mind, not name-calling or trying to force me into alignment with the popular view.

Loud and clear, for all to hear: I was wrong about this book, and I love it.

This is a re-read of the book.

Still, the four stars remain, but only because I'm rounding up from 3.5.

I didn't enjoy it as much as I did when I first read it. However, 15 years have passed. Just like Elphaba at the end of this first installment of the saga, I'm no longer a naive girl and not so easily impressed.

The story, which I once found so captivating, now seems to have lost some of its charm.

Perhaps it's because I've grown and changed, or maybe my expectations have shifted.

Nonetheless, I still appreciate the author's creativity and the unique world that was built.

A longer, and hopefully well-thought review will be coming soon.

I look forward to delving deeper into the story and sharing my more detailed thoughts and feelings.

Until then, this four-star rating will have to suffice.

I had the rather unique opportunity to approach MacGuire's most famous work without any immediate familiarity with his source material. I had neither read L. Baum's original work nor seen the Judy Garland vehicle. Certainly, some of the Oz mythos has filtered down into society at large over the years and I am broadly aware of some of the story's more famous bits.

I knew of the yellow brick road—upon which I presumed the entire tale took place. I knew of the ruby slippers, though little more than that such shoes were extant. I knew that Dorothy arrived in a house that crushed a witch and had in mind the image of two spindly legs clothed in candy-cane-striped socks emerging from beneath its deadly weight. I knew of a quest for a heart, a brain, and some other thing. Perhaps a spleen. I knew that the villain melted and suspected it was due to some sort of molecular aquaphobia. And I knew that one ought pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Oh. And that flying monkeys apparently played some role.

With that in mind, I can say that MacGuire crafts a tale that takes a path down a road that with few exceptions is easy enough for even an Oz Neophyte to follow without getting lost. I did occasionally wonder what happened to seemingly significant characters with whom the narrative seemed to grow weary and decided to abandon outright, never to be seen again. Case file: the Scarecrow and the Woodsman. Both seem to carry some narrative force and even feature prominently in the prologue. But Macguire leaves them apart and away from Dorothy and Elphaba near the climax and never returns to them or their presumed plight. I was not quite sure of their function in the story then save perhaps because lore required their presence.

But otherwise, yes. Wicked carves a narrative path that is simple enough for even a newcomer to follow. Unfortunately, the path—which began in earnest and promised great sights and breathtaking vistas—becomes dull and plodding and any number of things that a desirable trek would hope to avoid.

Plainly then? Wicked loses steam in its first third and never regains its spirit. It becomes, in a word, boring.

I was engaged-if-perplexed in the first section, in which we are introduced to the infant Elphaba and her deleteriously bankrupt family. I was excited throughout her college years as she first learns to relate (or attempts to do so) with classmates and experiences tastes of the wider world of ideas and ideals. This second section of MacGuire's journey is easily his strongest work here and he creates a likable, mischievous cast with which Elphaba might parry and riposte. He hints at great things to come and struggles for which Elphaba and her friends have only just begun to take up arms.

Unfortunately, it all falls apart immediately upon Elphaba's abandonment of her education. Not only does Elphie cease to develop in constructive ways, but her story becomes a shambles, never gaining the traction required to make the reader care. Oh, there are moments that hint of the things that could have been—the elephant queen, Liir's involvement with the great fish, Nor's experience of flight. Alas, these all remain as undeveloped and unevolved as the philosophical content at which the novel toys (the level of thoughtfulness is comparable to what one might find in a dormroom in which five college sophomores launch into outspoken dissertations on the nature of our reality fueled only by second-rate marijuana and a subconscious desire to feel important).

MacGuire's Wicked is, in the final reckoning, deeply unsatisfying. Which is really too bad as the book is as long as a Harry Potter tome—only minus the fun.

\\n  I love my physical edition of this novel. It's truly a delight to hold in my hands. However, the reading experience wasn't as good as I always thought that it would be.\\n



\\n  MANY SHADES OF GREEN\\n


As I began to "label" this book during the review process, in my virtual shelves of Goodreads, I was amazed at how many different genres the novel touches. It涵盖了 Politics, Religion, Romance, Humor, Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, and even Espionage. I was very tempted to select Military too but ultimately opted not to. Certainly, the mood and themes of the story embrace all those genres and perhaps more. I first learned about this book series several years ago while researching the topic of Oz in general. Ever since then, I thought it could be good to read it.



\\n  LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT... FOR A BOOK'S EDITION\\n


Some months ago (2013), by chance, I found this edition on a shelf of a local bookstore. I recognized the title of the book and impulsively picked it up. The cover was gorgeous, featuring the poster of the musical version. BUT what truly stunned me was the detail that this particular edition has the edges of the pages colored in green. GREEN!!! Ah?! Honestly, I can't think of anything cooler to make this edition irresistible. Those marvelous green edges on the pages of the book sold me the novel right away, and I couldn't put the book back on the shelf. Thankfully, the magic of the credit card allowed me to leave the bookstore with the novel.



\\n  THIS IS NOT KANSAS!\\n


When I started reading the book, I knew for sure that I wasn't in Kansas anymore! Geez! The Cowardly Lion and the Tin Woodman kiss their mothers with those filthy mouths?! The introduction of the book is like a slap to the readers, making them understand quickly and harshly that this is indeed an adult book. You know? I'm not a prude, not in the least, but I think Maguire made a significant effort to ensure that this would be an adult novel. I believe that many of the issues touched here could have been addressed just as effectively without the need for some strong language and sex scenes. The drugs, however, had to stay, hehehe, since they did play an important role in key moments. It was like: "Well, since we have sex, drugs, and rock n' roll (well, no, no rock n' roll, really, not even in the musical version), this is a story for only us, the adults. Sorry, kids, you'll have to keep busy with Baum's cute books while you grow up a few more years." Well, C.S. Lewis said that any children's tale that can't be enjoyed by adults just as much is a poor children's tale. So, facts of life... first, kids aren't dumb; they can understand heavy topics, especially the new generations who grow up with the internet as their nanny. And second, adults don't need sex, drugs, and r... (you know what I mean) to enjoy an intelligent story.



\\n  IT'S NOT EASY TO BE GREEN\\n


Since this is a really smart tale, perhaps my expectations affected my final rating of the book. First, there are really big "jumps" between the chapters. While there are some unexpected turns and twists (which one might think is a good thing), some of those twists were... ah? With him? Really? Geez! And romance left the building! Later, I really expected an explanation of how a person can turn evil or be seen as evil. But Elphaba turned out to be wicked not so much as evil but as crazy, and for really odd reasons. Also, from the beginning, there's something I don't understand. Elphaba was born with green skin, okay, HERE, in our beloved Kansas and the rest of the Earth around, it could be a real problem. But hey, they aren't in Kansas anymore; that's Oz, a land where animals can talk and people can do magic! How odd can a person with green skin really be over there? Honestly, I could be more freaked out by a talking goat or lion than by seeing a person with green skin. Also, the green skin became an odd issue again at some point. You see, Elphaba is in hiding, but she's walking around the city. How good can her hiding be for "several" years if she's supposed to be the only woman with green skin in all of Oz? What? The Gale Force recruited colorblind people?! Geez! Also, I have my theories about the physical problem of Nessarose (Elphaba's sister), but since it wasn't explored beyond being just a birth defect, I don't see the point of her problem. Even I think the story was evolving quite well until Maguire tried to merge his own story with the original story when Dorothy arrives in Oz.



\\n  WICKED READING\\n


Despite all my complaints, the book is still a smart vehicle for touching on sensitive topics of politics, religion, and social interaction without fearing harsh criticism. He cleverly uses the characters and themes in Oz, and you have to deduce those allegories on your own. At the end, they will be your own ideas and not necessarily what the author intended to say. However, the book lacks some action; everything happens at a very calm tempo. Nevertheless, I want to try in the future the other books by Maguire in this Wicked series and his other stand-alone novels based on retellings of classic children's books.

DNF at 55%. I don't usually add DNFs with ratings, but dear lord, I deserve the credit for my reading challenge, at least for enduring this book.

The movie and musical are great! I was hoping for something similar, but instead, I got a book with strange sex scenes, flat characters, and writing that was simply a chore to read.

The sex scenes felt out of place and didn't add anything to the story. The characters lacked depth and development, making it hard to connect with them. And the writing was so dull and unengaging that I found myself constantly losing interest.

Beware of this book if you're looking for a captivating and well-written story. It may not be what you expect.

Busting out my born-and-raised Bostonian accent, let me just say, this is Wicked awesome!

Gregory Maguire's Wicked is a remarkable work that, while not taking itself too seriously, shows great respect for Frank L. Baum's original. It uses reverential satire, witty wordplay, and plain silliness to tell a fan's version of the Wicked Witch of the West's backstory. Like a roaster gently and affectionately teasing the roastee out of love and respect, Maguire delicately prods Baum's material. For example, he gives unintended meanings or invests heavy innuendo in scenes and situations that the originator probably left open to interpretation.

The book centers around the central character's descent into a kind of madness. Maguire's Witch becomes a Raskolnikov-like character, overthinking herself into believing her own mania, similar to Dostoyevsky's anti-hero in Crime and Punishment. She is driven by emotion, which she tries to suppress, and an ideological movement that she fully embraces to the point of being consumed by it. By the end, both have her in their tight grip. Maguire's handling of this descent is relatively subtle. He takes his time to lay out the important breaking points in the Witch's life that transform her from a little girl into a monster, a very real one if not for the reasons she is thought to be one.

I've only read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz once and seen the movie countless times, so my understanding of the story is tilted towards the Hollywood version. This has its pros and cons. The good thing is that the movie improved on the source material by cutting out unnecessary fluff. The bad thing is that it distorts some parts of the book. This isn't a big deal unless you're trying to remember the details. Maguire assumes the reader already knows this stuff. If you don't, you'll be a bit lost in the new characters and creatures from Baum's fantasy world. Maguire's addition of politics may slow down the story and bore you. Also, you won't get some of the jokes. So, I suggest reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz before Wicked.

It took me a while to read Wicked myself. I thought its appeal was mainly to women since they were the only ones reading it. It does have a feminine slant with most of the main characters being female. Another factor that held me back was that it had been made into a very popular Broadway hit, loved by a seemingly uncritical, Disney-loving crowd. The number of reviews on Goodreads by people who saw the show first and then read the book and gave it a bad review seemed to support this theory. But when they criticized it as "too vulgar", "not like the show at all", "too long", and said the musical "summed up the first half of the book in an 8-minute song", I realized this was probably a really good book worth reading. If it makes non-readers turn up their noses, then it's the book for me!

Ugh.

Where do I even begin? I'm awarding this book just one star, even though it seems that I'm in the minority with this opinion. I managed to get through the initial couple of sections, but then I simply couldn't endure it any longer. It was truly painful.

I'm certain that the Broadway musical is wonderful; indeed, I really do aspire to see it one day. Those who have witnessed the musical and also read the book state that they are extremely different. I truly hope this is the case.

As I flipped through each page, I found myself skipping entire paragraphs out of sheer boredom. The only portion that I took a liking to was the prologue. In a remarkable story, particularly a fantasy one, a reader ought to feel carried away, enthralled by every sentence. Instead, the author crafted a narrative where the characters are two-dimensional, uninteresting, and often perverted. Was it really essential to incorporate that into the Merry Old Land of Oz?

The book is also rife with politics, and the author appears to go to great lengths to flaunt how extensive his vocabulary is. I'm not the least bit impressed by his vocabulary. In fact, it's one of the most exasperating aspects of this exceptionally irritating book. If you're anticipating this book to be, as I was, a fantasy in the vein of L. Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz" series, you're going to be deeply disappointed.

Okay, folks. Today, this book showed up in my notifications, and I immediately thought, "Why on earth did I give it three stars?" So, I'm correcting that right away. It's been several years since I read this book, but here's what I can recall.

This is not the "Wicked" that we know and love from Broadway. In fact, very little of the storylines match, and what does match is hidden beneath layers of dull politics and cringe-worthy sexual fetishes, such as bestiality and drug use.

It's an uncomfortable read. It leaves you unfulfilled and unpleasant. This is not the magical and wonderful Oz that so many people love. The reader will quickly alternate between the boredom of reading a breakfast cereal ingredient list and then pushing the bowl away because of something revolting noticed in that list. And the reader is left with numerous questions.

I would rate this book an R for sexual scenes including bestiality, drug use, and some violence. There might be more, but I can't remember because other things are etched very clearly in my mind.

Original review published February 28, 2021.