Review: Eclasius Jortac and the Goblet of Fire
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 23, 2010
Debra L. Martin and David W. Small's science fiction/adventure novel has a lot going for it: believable lead characters, a classic coming-of-age narrative, and an interesting mixture of both high-tech science fiction and fantasy elements.  The incorporation of Arthurian lore and Stonehenge mythology was a pleasant plot twist-although, I really think Darius, Dyla, and Elasius would have been better served collaborating with a historian rather than an anthropologist.  Just saying.Speaking of our young heroes-the teenaged Darius, Dyla, and Eclasius bear some resemblance to the Harry Potter Generation's own favorite trio.  But that doesn't mean The Quest for Nobility is derivative: the setting has less to do with spell-casting than aristocratic in-fighting.  For the SF reader, that's par for the course.Reading time: 2 - 3 weeks.  The pace of the plot can be slow at times, but mainly because Martin and Small need some exposition to set up the background for the society of Otharia.Recommendation: I'd probably classify The Quest for Nobility as Young Adult fiction-not because the ideas or writing are simplistic, but because I can see the characters appealing to a teenage audience.  We all like to read about ourselves and ourselves, after all.