The Essence of Az - Ruben J. Burciaga

This book depicts characters in a land called Az. This world parallels our own in a variety of ways to the basic life in America, as seen by a child with a different culture. The Essence of Az follows the life of a man who dreams his way back to his childhood years, in wonderment of his grandparent's dream they had for him. 

He finds himself engulfed in a dream world that's full of fantasies and miracles. His mind trek leads through a journey that he has witnessed before, but in this dream he must carry a destiny that must be fulfilled. He is told he must venture through Az to find the wizard that can help him. He must travel to the city of Ezmeralda, there the wizard leads him on a different quest.  

The world is dark and backwards and the child must find his destiny with his friends that want some hope to their lives. The journey takes him through the history of Az and why it exists. He realizes that some of the beings that are trapped and have never had a destiny to their lives. They came through the gate with greedy and wrongful intentions. 

As the child travels this memorable road he becomes aware that he has known a life like this before. The story unfolds with the witch and her world, the sorcerer's and their dark sides, the Citizen's greedy intentions and the simple people that have been caught up in quagmire of not being able to find their rightful bliss to fulfill their confused lives. As the child gets closer to discovering the secrets of Az, he sees the wizard become an Essence and as he ascends he remembers him as God in his real world. Thus, forming the Tri-fiction of the story. The light of god is upon the child through grace, faith and the gift of music. Thus the world is released out of darkness through the gift of music that comes from a seashell.