The Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth as the ungifted human teenager Lester Papadopoulos, and his demigod friends must go through the Labyrinth to find the third emperor--and an Oracle who speaks in word puzzles--somewhere in the American Southwest.

In New York City, a chain of brutal murders begins....In Washington, a plot conceived at the highest levels of American government is at work to bring the economic colossus of Japan to its knees....In Tokyo, a critical power struggle is nearing its final stages for control of the enigmatic Black Blade Society, an ostensibly political cabal whose motives may encompass far more than politicis....

"The Oracle of Maracoor, the second in the trilogy called Another Day, continues the story of Elphaba's green-skinned granddaughter, Rain. That strange land, Maracoor--across the ocean from Oz--is beset by an invading army. In the mayhem, Rain and Cossy, a child felon, break out of prison. Helped by a few flying monkeys, they struggle to escape the city before it falls under siege. Their arresting officer, Lucikles, also retreats with his family to...