Changing Wax By Jared Quan, Book Review

The world of Wax is divided between the dark and light. Each side has a single leader, a Lord of Darkness and a King of Light. Even for them, there is a stronger force. The Master Book of Magic governs all on Wax. The monks of Wax are the keepers and scholars of the book and according to the book they need a witch for the upcoming proceedings between the two rulers. What they didn't know was the witch would tell of a prophecy that will change Wax.

Changing Wax by Jared Quan is a middle grade fantasy. The publisher includes a statement that all material is suitable for children over the age of 12. I obtained a copy of Changing Waxfor review purposes.

Plot

Changing Wax is an epic quest adventure story. An unlikely trio of adventurers (a monk, a warrior, and an imp) come together through circumstances that at first seem random. But isn't that how prophecies usually work? The companions don't know they are part of a prophecy, but the leaders of the world do. The leaders decide they need to save themselves from the prophecy. To do that they have to eliminate the three adventures. They are sent on impossible quests.

The quests don't turn out as planned, but there is enough hope for the Lord of Darkness, King of Light and the Head Monk, for them to keep sending the remaining party members on to the next one.

The story comes to a climatic conclusion in a battle that doesn't just involve the armies, but everyone from the lands of light and dark.

Characters

The 3 main characters are good examples of the type of people who are part of the world of Wax.

Gorath is a monk who is known for not being as competent as others. Head Monk Towe was counting on the level of competence of Gorath when he sends him on a mission. Gorath, though, has learned from his past and is prepared for just about anything. He has stowed everything he can think of that might be useful on his assignment. Luckily for him, he has a bag that can hold it all, stored in another dimension so the bag doesn't weigh much.

Dallion Quimbie Haberdasher Nocks Drisbie Horlon Everton, also known as Drip, is an imp with a peculiarity of wanting to be a writer instead of a servant like all other imps. He is sharp and able to understand what he sees. Drip can do more than write about others, he can use the information to create viable plans.

Thomas Twostead is the twelfth child. She, yes she, was named Thomas because a prophetic wizard told her parents their twelfth child, Thomas, would do great things. Why let anything like gender stand in the way. Thomas has risen in the ranks of the Dark Scouts and is a good fighter. It helps that she has a magical shield and sword.

The characters in Changing Wax fit into the humorous fantasy style of the book. They are somewhat whimsical and have something about them that most people who are struggling to be a part of a world such as junior high school.

Style

Changing Wax is written in episodes. These aren't just a different name for chapters, the story was originally published episodically every week. After the completion of the story, the episodes were brought together to be published as a book. This episodic approach means each episode is roughly the same size and they usually end with a hook, or cliff hanger, to bring the reader back the following week. You can read more episodic tales from the publisher, Big World Network.

Jared Quan also wrote with a flare of humor that is reminiscent of the style of Terry Pratchett with his Discworld series (wiki page), but well targeted for a younger audience. There are points of interest regularly brought up providing a humorous view of the world of Wax, the people who live there, where they live, and the events they have to deal with.

Along with the humor, there are magical items that do all sorts of different things. Several are even personalities to help carry the story forward.

All if this comes together for wonderful middle grade fantasy tale.

Overall

Changing Wax is a fun read. I think many middle graders will enjoy it. There are characters for everyone to relate to. They are put in serious, yet ridiculous, situations and find a way to do what is right along with doing the right thing for that particular dilemma.

The episodic approach allows for short bursts of reading to fit into shorter amounts of available time, each episode is about six pages long. The humor is fitting for the age as with any of the other material covered. There is a war, but nothing graphic.

I recommend Changing Wax for readers who would like a whimsical fantasy.

You can find Changing Wax on Amazon (link).

About the Author (from the book)

Jared's childhood was split between Phoenix, AZ, and Snowflake, AZ. Jarod's sense of writing and adventure was established with the help of his fourth grade teacher. She introduced him to authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. This was combined with the stories of his grandfather as a Seabee with the U.S. Navy during World War II, and the stories of roles the Quan (Guan) family played in the romancing of the three kingdoms in China (184 AD–280 AD). He possesses a great deal of love for history and war. Jared achieved a milestone with his book Ezekiel's Gun getting published in 2010, an adventure/spy novel. He has hopes to have several more books published in the future. He would like to travel the world and see places like China, Europe and South Korea.

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