‘Wizard for Hire’ by Obert Skye

Ozzy, a boy surviving on his own in rural Oregon, enlists the help of an eccentric man named Rin, who calls himself a wizard. Ozzy is trying to locate his parents, who were kidnapped years earlier, and piece together their involvement and discoveries in a mysterious experiment.

Wizard for Hire is very entertaining, definitely a fun read. Written by Obert Skye, it will be published this March by Shadow Mountain.

At first, I was concerned that Ozzy didn’t display much agency; several years went by before he tried to find his parents. This inaction was explained by Ozzy thinking it was “normal” for children’s parents to be taken away, and I did note that as Ozzy acquired more information and stimulus, he began to engage more with the outside world.
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Two characters, especially, have a positive impact on Ozzy’s development: Clark, a solar-powered, talking, metal bird that was invented by Ozzy’s father; and Sigi, a girl whom Ozzy meets at the beach when he goes exploring one day. Both of them contribute to Ozzy being more interested in the broader world.

Rin, of course, is a force of nature, entirely irrepressible. I enjoyed the way Rin’s attributions of magic to seemingly mundane occurrences would butt up against Ozzy’s skepticism. An underlying theme seems to run throughout the book: “Is Rin really a wizard, or isn’t he?” I think that no matter which way readers decide, they will enjoy reading it.

One final observation: Oregon readers may note a discrepancy between a routine activity as depicted in this book, and the way it has occurred in real life.

I was reading an advance copy, and would hope these references are updated before the book makes it into print, but the version I read, made frequent mention to people pumping their own gas. But for decades in Oregon, it has been the law that an attendant had to to pump gas for drivers.

Case in point: A witness recalls a group of men at a gas station, several years before the setting of the story. The men were “arguing with each other over whose turn it was to fill up the van.”

But only as of Jan. 1 of this year, and only in counties with populations of less than 40,000, have Oregon gas stations been allowed to offer self-service to motorists. A far likelier scenario, consistent with the choice to set this story in Oregon, would have been for the men to have been arguing over whose turn it was to pay the station attendant.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinion expressed is my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”