Review: Fascinating idea and world, neat blend of fantasy and sci fi
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2011
The Kingdom of Otharia is no longer ruled by a king - instead there are duchies, each ruled by a duke and a Grand Counsel over which a Grand Duke, elected by his peers, rules.  Long ago Otharia explored Earth, but when the exploration team is massacred, it is decided to quarantine the planet; however, not everyone obeys that.  One of the dukes, reliant upon the mining of crystals for his duchy's wealth, maintains a private portal from deep within one of his mines to a crystal mine on Earth.Fast forward many centuries and we find Otharia remaining much as it was - but scheming and plotting are in abundance, and who will end up paying the price for the power plays of the greedy?  I don't wish to provide more details, as I don't want to spoil the story - it is very fast-paced and any more details I provide will give away something!I should note that "The Quest for Nobility" is sort of a blend of fantasy and science fiction; while Otharia is a fairly advanced culture, their reliance on psi powers keeps them from exploiting natural resources (other than crystals) in the same way that people of Earth do - Otharia has no cars, airplanes or trains.  Trading is done by sea, or items are moved through portals controlled by telekinetics.  It is a fascinating idea and one I thought could be further explored; perhaps it will be in future books in the series.A highly engrossing book, I read this in one long sitting.  As mentioned, the story is fast-paced and there are a lot of threads of which to keep track.  However, this is only the first book in the series, a fact which is evident in the world-building that occurs.  I enjoyed it quite a lot and think any fans of fantasy and soft science fiction will as well.  Check it out and look for further books in the series - #2 is already available.