Wax Dragon

by Scott C. Wyatt

Daniel Fisher is sick. When he awakes from a hypnotic delirium; he is in the hotel room where he has been living for the last ten months on work assignment. As he recuperates, he discovers that the power is out, communication is impossible, and he is almost completely alone in the world. He has survived a sickness that has claimed nearly everyone around him and he is eight hundred miles from home. As he sets out across the countryside to discover the fate of his family he encounters other survivors who have shared the same illness, and who are now trying to reconstruct their lives based on the assumptions that each holds about what happened; what it means to them; and how best to rebuild their lives. They will all discover that the world, without our complex network of food and supplies, has become an unregulated frontier: It is unpredictable and dangerous. In order to survive Daniel must learn to adapt to the shifting conditions of a constantly changing landscape of characters, interacting with those he can, defending himself against those he must, and discovering the measure of the man he is.

Genres: Fantasy

319 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2013

About the author

"Bookstores don't sell books. Readers do!"

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Please visit his webpage at www[dot]scottcwyatt[dot]com for more detail.

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Scott was born in the suburban Detroit area, and was raised in various places around the state of Michigan, which included rural as well as urban communities. He Moved to Illinois as a teenager and graduated High School there, in a suburb west of Chicago.

Scott attended the College of Dupage, and Northern Illinois University where he majored in Philosophy and minored in Literature. Fate had other plans for him, however. In 1986 his life took a severe left turn and, as a waypoint, he found himself working in manufacturing without earning his degree.

In 1989, Scott returned to Michigan and started a family, living for over ten years in the Ann Arbor area. Then, In 2009 he emigrated to the great state of Tennessee to take up a traveling position that would carry him for extended periods to Missouri (where he first put together the storyline for Wax Dragon); Mexico [City], and York, Pennsylvania where he would meet his wife Shana.

Now that his oldest daughter has been properly transitioned into her own life as an adult, and his own life has begun to look a little less accidental, Scott has returned to his first love: writing.

Look for a short story about a high school girl who is living in Pennsylvania Deutch/Amish country while first contact with an alien race occurs, soon followed by another novel intended to follow the Wax Dragon storyline.

You can also see some of his essays and other writtings on his blog page: scottcwyatt[dot]wordpress.com.

Scott's writtings focus on relationships, and the mechanisms by which we relate to each other in various settings. His favorite settings are Dystopian lanscapes, or environments where a narrow perspective suddenly becomes embroiled in a shift to a larger worldview.

Feel free to Friend Scott here on Goodreads, or look for his Author page on facebook.

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was provided to me for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.

I began this book under the impression that it was a stand-alone novel, so I became a bit anxious as I neared the end and the story didn't feel as if it were going to wrap up. In fact, it ended rather abruptly. Daniel, the main character, got some of his answers he was seeking, but other questions were left unanswered. Daniel's journey felt unfinished, so I am assuming (hoping) that a sequel will be in the works.

I was completely immersed in the story due to the author's highly descriptive storytelling. The characters were multidimensional, the plot was compelling, and the dialogue was thought-provoking. I enjoyed the dialogue the most; it was free-flowing and honest.

The book shines a light on humanity at its best and worst. What actions are necessary to survive an apocalypse and what are just overt grabs for power and abuse of those at a disadvantage? Who can you trust, but more importantly, should you place your trust in others? The landscape is bleak, the human population has been decimated, and all hope seems lost. There is much to ponder as you read this book.

I do hope a sequel is to come!

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a first reads winner. I was looking forward to reading this book as it had an interesting premise and I was not disappointed. The story itself was really immersive and the characters were notable. Daniel was an interesting personality and Isobel was a great counterpoint to him. Mr. Wyatt creates an interesting dialogue flow between all characters introduced which really draws the reader in. there are no wasted or filler pages all are important and directly drive the story and also the development of relationships in the story. The only downfall was that the ending seemed rushed. I would however still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action, philosophy, adventure, and introspection.

[Samantha Lemmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will leave you wanting more. It's very thought provoking, while at the same time, exciting. Daniel's journey.is beyond physical. Give us more Mr. Wyatt!

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

There was an almost surreal feeling that seemed quite prevalent for most of this book. For a lot of it, I was wondering if the events of the book were going to turn out to be a fever-induced dream.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of Daniel for a lot of the book. His interactions with other characters were interesting at first, but seemed to degenerate into more violence by the end of the book, in places when a peaceful solution might have been possible. Then again, society in general had already fallen into that state.

Waking up to find that a lot of the world is dead or gone is quite a scary thought. Humans are social creatures - and, more than that, most people no longer live off the land. And a lot of those who do use machinery that runs on electricity. With the collapse of society, I doubt there are many people who would cope, if the amount of those walking around with mobile phones glued to their ears is any indication.

It was interesting to see different people's opinions about what was going on and why certain people had survived the illness or not been infected at all. With the complete lack of communication, who can say who was wrong and who was right?

Daniel's attitude of interacting with people who weren't threatening him was one that I think more people should adopt - though it was good to see that he was prepared to act to protect people who couldn't necessarily protect themselves.

I found that a lot of the book was well-written in the terms of the descriptions; but I did notice a lot of errors in the writing. I also felt that the use of the square brackets was a little strange - and I wasn't sure what half of the content was supposed to mean.

I was a bit disappointed by the ending and the fact that Daniel didn't succeed in finding what he was looking for. When his past was revealed, I was even more disappointed in him - though then his actions with Isobel made sense.

I'm not sure if I would read a sequel to this book or not. I think I'd have to wait and see what it was about.

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

What would I do to survive in a bleak post-apocalyptic world where there appears to be very little hope for civilization and you don't know if the few people you meet can be trusted or not? Who will become heroes and struggle to maintain the veneer of civilized society and who will take advantage of the most vulnerable to take over the world and abuse their power? These questions and more are the basis for this book and, for the most part, the premise worked well.

Daniel was a very complex, interesting character with several flaws but a number of good qualities as well. There were times when I didn't like him very much and times when I respected his actions and words.

I think what took away from my enjoyment of this story a little bit was the awkward phrasing and dialogue in places. To me, it just didn't flow as well as it could have. For example, when Daniel and Isobel first met, I found the interaction between them very bizarre and almost disturbing. The description of their encounter didn't sit well with me at all. That was also one of those times when Daniel's behaviour made me cringe and dislike him immensely. Even some of his later behaviour toward Isobel was not very nice. I lost a great deal of respect for him and actually for Isobel, too. I didn't like how she meekly submitted to his domineering actions.

I was also somewhat disappointed in the ending, which seemed very rushed and abrupt and left a lot of questions unanswered. Perhaps that means there might be a sequel in the works. If that is the case, I will probably read it because Daniel's new world is definitely thought-provoking and intriguing.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

What starts out as a good premise---a man awakes, disoriented, from an unidentified sickness, to find the world around him nearly deserted---deteriorates quickly into a disjointed mess of violent encounters with other survivors and a dysfunctional relationship with a woman who tags along with him as he travels from Missouri to Michigan to see if his daughter has survived. Too many issues are left unresolved at the end. Combined with numerous editing issues, the overall effect is, at best, amateurish.

[Pamela Hovanec · Rating 4 out of 5]

well mr wyatt,
i really enjoyed this book, that was a interesting theory on what could happen to our world. although you never know, things like that could happen.. their encounters were crazy at times and reckless, paul was a nut to say the least and the 3 boys well lets just say i new something was up with them, i figured they would want the girl. i would think this could be a mini series on tv i really liked it thanks so much for the road trip!

Merry Christmas

Pamela Hovanec