Wednesday 18 May 2016

THE QUEST FOR NOBILITY THE RULE OF OTHARIA BOOK 1 BY DEBRA MARTIN


The Quest for Nobility The Rule of Otharia Book 1
Debra Martin
Publisher: Amazon Media EU
Pages:254
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Synopsis:
The idyllic life of royal teenagers, Darius and Dyla Telkur, from the planet Otharia takes a horrifying turn when their parents are murdered. With their cousin appointed as Regent until Darius comes of age, it doesn't take the twins long to figure out that he’s bent on stealing their throne one way or another. To escape their cousin’s wrath and a false murder charge, they flee to the only safe place they know where no one will find them – the forbidden and quarantined planet Earth.

Safe on Earth for the moment, the only way for them to return home is to find an ancient 10K travelling crystal left behind by their Otharian ancestors who visited Earth 1500 years ago. Enlisting the help of a London university archaeologist, they begin their search for the crystal from clues buried deep within the Arthurian lore of Merlin and Lady of the Lake. What they find instead is evidence of a secret trade pact between Otharia and Earth that was established centuries ago. Before Darius and Dyla can understand what it means, they’re in jeopardy again; this time pursued by those on Earth who want the secret to remain hidden. Who is behind the trade pact and what is being traded are the questions the twins need to figure out while trying to stay one step ahead of the Earth assassins.

Review:
The first in a series, book 1 is a fair mix of fantasy and science fiction with interesting characters written into an original sounding story where their society is somewhat advanced, yet they have no modern modes of transport and don't make use of natural resources when plenty will be available. What makes the story original is that they use telekinetics to transport goods and do normal things we take for granted by doing manually.

This does come in useful for them, and if we did it, it would make life a lot easier, but with the modernity of their life, they through the story have to look beyond it back to what happened in the past back to the stories about King Arthur as there are clues to where the crystal might be. Darius and Dyla have to go on a quest to find the travelling crystal, LOTR style gathering a small gathering of helpers to come with them in the hope they will find it. Otharia ends up being so far away, and without the crystal they might never get back. Earth is the only place they can stay where they won't be hunted for the meantime, but it will only be so long before someone comes.

There are several on Otharia who are dangerous and will stop at nothing to kill others for what they want and it is evident in this story before Darius and Dyla have to escape. The Quest for Nobility is the sort of book that is impossible to put down, and has explanations for almost every aspect of Otharia and its people that is both interesting and refreshing to read.