Pax    by Meg Davis Order:  USA  Can Booklocker, 2003 (2003) Paperback    Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto Without even reading Meg Davis's bio at the end of her debut novel, Pax, it is easy to discern which authors influenced her writing. Elements reminiscent of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis abound in this short epic fantasy. It's the story of a world in turmoil. After a great battle in which an evil foe rose to power, each race has retreated to their own country, and the unity that once held the world together has disintegrated. The only hope lies in a prophesy of a princess born of both mortal and immortal blood, who will lead the good to triumph over evil and once again unite all the people of the world. Like her favorite fantasy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Davis gives a seemingly small and insignificant protagonist the task of ridding the world of evil. A journey ensues though a world populated by men, elves, and dwarves, until the final great battle in which evil is vanquished and good restored. Davis incorporates songs in much the same way thatTolkien does and even tries to vary the speech of the different races. The influence of C. S. Lewis is seen in the final battle. Likewise, Pax's prophesy sounds similar to those in The Chronicles of Narnia. And many of the creatures in this story that cannot be found in Tolkien's worlds can be found in Lewis's. Even though most of the story seems directly influenced by the twentieth century's great fantasy writers, Pax does offer a few new tidbits. The author has created some terrifying dark creatures, although one of her races of good people, the Renaldi, is never thoroughly explained. Meg Davis has made a valiant first attempt at the epic fantasy genre. I am sure we will see more out of her after she finishes school and can devote more time to writing. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews