“A delight….[A] funny and warmhearted exploration of the sacred and the profane.” — Washington Post “Reading The Next Queen of Heaven is like hanging on to the back of an out-of-control carnival ride—terrifying, thrilling, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.” —Ann Patchett   New York Times bestseller Gregory Maguire—who re-imagined the land of Oz and all its fabled inhabitants in his monumental series, The Wicked Years—brings us  The Next Queen of Heaven , a wildly farcical and gloriously imaginative tall tale of faith, Catholic dogma, lust, and questionable miracles on the eve of Y2K. The very bizarre and hilarious goings on in the eccentric town of Thebes make for a delightfully mad reading experience—as The Next Queen of Heaven shows off the acclaimed author of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror in a brilliant new heavenly light. Maguire, author of the popular Wicked series of novels, which gives imaginative backstory to the events taking place in The Wizard of Oz, brings his creative storytelling from the realm of fantasy to the world of reality—but just barely. Quickly but delightfully read, Maguire’s new novel has as its canvas the entire little town of Thebes in Upstate New York. His natural compassion for people’s quirks gives his razor-sharp satire on small-town life a comfortable bed on which to rest. Maguire looks backward in time, to the advent of the new millennium in 2000. His theme is that, at this significant historical moment, town characters, including the church-lady Leontina Scale and her profanity-spewing daughter and the gay choir director, now face having their personal choices being called into question but eventually seeing the disparate pieces of their lives reconciled. Amusing entertainment but with a serious side as well. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Once word is out that the Wicked author has a new book, whether it is part of that series or not, requests will begin flowing into the public library --Brad Hooper “Reading The Next Queen of Heaven is like hanging on to the back of an out-of-control carnival ride―terrifying, thrilling, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.” - Ann Patchett, bestselling author of Bel Canto and Run “Comes alive in many dimensions, many of them funny and slightly bonkers.” - Los Angeles Times “A delight. . . . [A] funny and warmhearted exploration of the sacred and the profane.” - Washington Post Originally published in 2009 as a limited-edition book by Concord Free Press for charity, Maguire’s (Wicked) latest takes on religious life in rural upstate New York. Leontina Scales, thrice-divorced single mother of three teenagers, is a faithful member of the Cliffs of Zion Radiant Radical Pentecostal Fellowship, which shares a parking lot with the Catholic church next door. When she tries to borrow some milk from the church kitchen, she gets hit on the head by a decommissioned statue of the Virgin Mary, and all hell breaks loose for her family. Meanwhile, gay Catholic music director Jeremy Carr ends up befriending a bunch of ancient nuns at Our Lady of the Sorrowful Mysteries cloister. By turns serious and hilarious, this novel is classic Maguire despite its “real-life” setting. His take on the Radiant Radicals is a bit irreverent, but he shows sympathy for the Catholics in the story, particularly the elderly cloistered nuns. Verdict Recommended for readers interested in religious commentary with a sense of humor and Maguire fans not wedded to the fantasy genre. - Library Journal With the new millennium approaching, the eccentric town of Thebes grows even stranger. Mrs. Leontina Scales begins speaking in tongues after being clocked by a Catholic statuette. Her daughter, Tabitha, and her sons scheme to save their mother or surrender her to Jesus—whatever comes first. Meanwhile, choir director Jeremy Carr, caught between lust and ambition, fumbles his way toward Y2K. The ancient Sisters of the Sorrowful Mysteries join with a gay singing group. The Radical Radiants battle the Catholics. A Christmas pageant goes horribly awry. And a child is born. Only a modern master like Gregory Maguire could spin a tale as frantic, funny, and farcical as The Next Queen of Heaven . Gregory Maguire is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked ―the beloved classic that is the basis for the blockbuster Tony Award–winning Broadway musical of the same name and the major motion pictures― Son of a Witch , A Lion Among Men , and Out of Oz . His series Another Day continues the story of Oz with The Brides of Maracoor , The Oracle of Maracoor , and The Witch of Maracoor , and his other novels include A Wild Winter Swan , Hiddensee , After Alice , Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister , Lost , and Mirror Mirror . Some of his novels for children include Cress Watercress , Leaping Beauty , and Egg & Spoon , winner of a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor. He lives in New England and France.