Changing Wax

by Jared Quan

Changing Wax is an action adventure comedy, taking place in the fantasy world of Wax, which resides just seven hundred sixty-two thousand, five hundred twenty-two million and five light years from Earth (give or take half a light year depending on Earth’s rotation). Wax revolves around rules established in the ancient Master Book of Magic, rules that don’t always follow basic logic or sanity. The story follows three adventurers: Gorath the misfortunate monk who can’t seem to get anything right, Odd Drip the Imp who is too smart for his own good, and Thomas Twostead, a teenage girl born on the wrong side of Wax’s never-ending war between Light and Dark. In the end, their teaming up might decide the fate of the world, while seemingly defying the will of the Master Book of Magic. Or are they…?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

396 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2014

About the author

Jared’s childhood was split between Phoenix, Az, and Snowflake, AZ. Jared’s sense of writing and adventure was established with the help of his fourth grade teacher. She had 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 how the Quan (Guan) family participated in the romancing of the three kingdoms in China.

Jared had achieved a milestone with his book Ezekiel’s Gun getting published in 2010, adventure/spy novel. Jared 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.

Reviews

[Amanda Meuwissen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading Changing Wax, I was reminded of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy given the humor and tendency at times to speak directly to the reader, but it was the characters and a constant desire to know what would happen next, since I was almost always surprised, that kept my attention through every short but impactful chapter. Fun for all ages, and if you're a fantasy/sci-fi fan, who loves a dose of humor as well, I honestly think you'll enjoy this. Quan has a great imagination and a wonderful ability to flush out unique characters that are like none I've known elsewhere. I can't wait to read what he has in store for us next!

[J. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, to my knowledge, never collaborated.

The world would be poorer for it, if not for Jared Quan and his book "Changing Wax".

Quan's style of storytelling is a perfect marriage of humor, sword and sorcery, and surprises. (As a side note, any book that has its characters read from a book called 'Traversing the Dark Side' with a section on accidentally capturing villages, is comedy gold!)

This is a book I read on Bigworldnetwork.com and cannot wait to have on my shelf at home!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds me of Monty Python and The Lord of the Rings all rolled into one. I also caught shades of Shakespeare's comedies and a bit of tragedy.

Quan's book is fast paced which I think will appeal to younger readers. This is a rollicking adventure which never gets too scary - it's all in fun.

This book is more plot driven than character driven. I would have liked to see a bit more character development, but all in all, this is a fun read.

[Bryan DeWeese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jared is a good friend of mine... and an amazing writer!! Changing wax was very entertaining novel that led me(along with the characters) on quests down curvy roads and decisive tunnels and through to amazing adventure! I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and who enjoys being entertained! The world is ruled more by magic then science or one could also call this book science fiction. The characters were vibrant and alive and the challenges were overwhelming but the payoff was there! I loved reading this book! Great Job Jared!

[Daniel Yocom · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

You can read teh complete review at https://guildmastergaming.blogspot.co...

[Mark Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if Douglas Adams had written the Hithchiker's Guide as a fantasy instead of a sci-fi. This is a hilarious take on fantasy tropes that just shakes it all up and doesn't even try to put it back together. I particularly loved how all of the threads of motivation and destiny converged at the end.

[K Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous, funny and detailed story! I realized I started reading only one or two chapters a day, because I loved it so much. I've got to reread it so I can go understand some of the beginning of the book-and I look forward to it.

[Mikey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird. Cool, but weird.