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amethystbookwyrm's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Ryan Toxopeus for giving me this book to review.
When Thomas kills a co-worker, he and his best friend, Sarentha leave everything they have known, and in the dead of night they are offered a job they cannot refuse. As they become part of a nobleman’s plans, they meet Eliza and together they go on quests across the Tamorran Empire. With grand plans in motion, will the trio be able to withstand what faces them and discover the truth?
A Noble’s Quest is an enjoyable fantasy adventure, which is fast paced and has a well-developed world. It is similar to classic fantasy novels but it also has influences of video games. However, this gaming influence does not work well in a book as in a game one of the main aims is killing things but in books you want more depth and internal debate over killing people, rather than randomly slaying things, and it didn’t feel like this book did that.
Thomas is a classic fantasy hero as he is brave and strong but he is a fantasy stereotype. Sarentha is a funny and rogue-like character but like Thomas he is clichéd. There are some good secondary characters, especially Eliza, and it was interesting to learn more about the different races.
I did not see the truth coming and while the book had some issues I look forward to reading the next book. I would recommend A Noble’s Quest to fans of classic fantasy books and fans of fantasy RPG games.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
When Thomas kills a co-worker, he and his best friend, Sarentha leave everything they have known, and in the dead of night they are offered a job they cannot refuse. As they become part of a nobleman’s plans, they meet Eliza and together they go on quests across the Tamorran Empire. With grand plans in motion, will the trio be able to withstand what faces them and discover the truth?
A Noble’s Quest is an enjoyable fantasy adventure, which is fast paced and has a well-developed world. It is similar to classic fantasy novels but it also has influences of video games. However, this gaming influence does not work well in a book as in a game one of the main aims is killing things but in books you want more depth and internal debate over killing people, rather than randomly slaying things, and it didn’t feel like this book did that.
Thomas is a classic fantasy hero as he is brave and strong but he is a fantasy stereotype. Sarentha is a funny and rogue-like character but like Thomas he is clichéd. There are some good secondary characters, especially Eliza, and it was interesting to learn more about the different races.
I did not see the truth coming and while the book had some issues I look forward to reading the next book. I would recommend A Noble’s Quest to fans of classic fantasy books and fans of fantasy RPG games.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
samalexauthor's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. It's a tale of unexpected heroes with a twist of humour. The novel had me right from the first page. The immediate sense of urgency kept me wondering what is going on, who is this person I"m following, and why are they running. The characters are very clearly defined and the story moves at a very comfortable pace I never once felt like I needed to use my skimming abilities to jump through a page or two. In fact I gave myself three days to read this and did it in two. That is saying something.
The world is is described with just enough detail so that you get a feel for the realm, but not so much that you feel you're being bogged down by the details. The two main male characters Sarentha and Thomas were very believable as friends. They had a way of talking to each other that only life long friends can acquire, especially their way of talking to each other when not talking. Sarentha, hilarious. Thomas, made me smile, And the third hero, Eliza, sold the book for me. If there's anything I like in an adventure novel it's a kick ass heroine. I'm so over the damsel in distress stuff. What I liked about her is that she wasn't too head strong like some heroes and heroines are. She new when to not push and that made it more believable that sometimes she went against the grain, and sometimes she did what she had to do.
The journey was one I could follow with ease with all the ups downs, and bonding that three youngsters on a secret mission, with next to no information should have. The suspense I found played out very well. I wanted to know the secret. Why are they doing what they are doing, who are the real players in the game. Why is everyone so on edge. When will I get to the end of this novel I must know the secret. Very well played. And the side characters where equally as entertaining. The wizard apprentices gave me quite a few chuckles, the dwarf and his tales of war were entertaining. The cloaked figures here and there kept up the intrigue. Too many good things to say about this novel. I was glad also to see a love interest in there. And more happy that it made me smile instead of go 'ewwwww mush'.
Fight sequences. Definitely could read them all again, except for one character, but I'll mention that later. And most importantly the big secret, which I cant tell you, I missed completely. And that gets total bonus points. The ending was cleaned up nicely and I never expect endings to be the way I want them. As this is the first of a trilogy some ends should be left open and I was more than happy with the things unconcluded. Even the ones I was dying for answers for, why? Because it made sense to me. It all made sense to me. And another good thing was the character I expected to be the level headed one turned out not to be. That was a pleasant surprise. So all in all if you like adventure, a good bit of self discovery, humour, and of course kick ass action then you wont be disappointed with this novel.
Cons
Not many really. I had a bit of a difficult time with the names spliced with commas. It could be that I'm just not smart enough to pronounce them but it is what it is. Although the main secret I didn't figure out at all, again very well played, there where somethings that I kind of saw coming that bugged me but not enough to really care over all. And I don't mind reluctant heroes but one of the characters was bordering on a little too reluctant, I almost screamed 'just do it already' a few times. But since I liked the character I sort of just got over it. This characters ending fight scenes impressed me much less than their first.
I would recommend this novel to anyone, and at only 200 pages, definitely worth adding to your library.
The world is is described with just enough detail so that you get a feel for the realm, but not so much that you feel you're being bogged down by the details. The two main male characters Sarentha and Thomas were very believable as friends. They had a way of talking to each other that only life long friends can acquire, especially their way of talking to each other when not talking. Sarentha, hilarious. Thomas, made me smile, And the third hero, Eliza, sold the book for me. If there's anything I like in an adventure novel it's a kick ass heroine. I'm so over the damsel in distress stuff. What I liked about her is that she wasn't too head strong like some heroes and heroines are. She new when to not push and that made it more believable that sometimes she went against the grain, and sometimes she did what she had to do.
The journey was one I could follow with ease with all the ups downs, and bonding that three youngsters on a secret mission, with next to no information should have. The suspense I found played out very well. I wanted to know the secret. Why are they doing what they are doing, who are the real players in the game. Why is everyone so on edge. When will I get to the end of this novel I must know the secret. Very well played. And the side characters where equally as entertaining. The wizard apprentices gave me quite a few chuckles, the dwarf and his tales of war were entertaining. The cloaked figures here and there kept up the intrigue. Too many good things to say about this novel. I was glad also to see a love interest in there. And more happy that it made me smile instead of go 'ewwwww mush'.
Fight sequences. Definitely could read them all again, except for one character, but I'll mention that later. And most importantly the big secret, which I cant tell you, I missed completely. And that gets total bonus points. The ending was cleaned up nicely and I never expect endings to be the way I want them. As this is the first of a trilogy some ends should be left open and I was more than happy with the things unconcluded. Even the ones I was dying for answers for, why? Because it made sense to me. It all made sense to me. And another good thing was the character I expected to be the level headed one turned out not to be. That was a pleasant surprise. So all in all if you like adventure, a good bit of self discovery, humour, and of course kick ass action then you wont be disappointed with this novel.
Cons
Not many really. I had a bit of a difficult time with the names spliced with commas. It could be that I'm just not smart enough to pronounce them but it is what it is. Although the main secret I didn't figure out at all, again very well played, there where somethings that I kind of saw coming that bugged me but not enough to really care over all. And I don't mind reluctant heroes but one of the characters was bordering on a little too reluctant, I almost screamed 'just do it already' a few times. But since I liked the character I sort of just got over it. This characters ending fight scenes impressed me much less than their first.
I would recommend this novel to anyone, and at only 200 pages, definitely worth adding to your library.
marianc6f98's review
4.0
Elves and dwarves, men and halflings, gnomes and orcs...this is a high fantasy story in the tradition of Terry Brooks, with gaming influences also apparent. Fast paced, and with a unexpected twist towards the end, The Noble's Quest suitably entertained me. The gaming influences, I think, are most apparent in the pace of the story, and the characters' self-awareness, tending towards 'kill now, think about it later' rather than the more reflective nature of some fantasies.
But if it is adventure you are after, The Noble's Quest has it in spades. Thomas and Sarentha, the two protagonists, are peasants working as lumberjacks until Thomas accidentally kills the boss's son. Forced to flee, they are caught up in a quest that involves an ancient map, the branch of a magical tree, and silver dragons that breath frost, not fire. (I liked that dragon, a neat inversion of the usual.)
There's a bit of a fan fiction feel to parts of the world Ryan Toxopeus has created, strengthened by his use of the terms orcs and mithril, but to some extent Middle-Earth belongs to the generations now, part of a shared consciousness and the foundation of much of high fantasy, whether the authors realize that or not. The characters are a bit predictable (well, most of them – no spoilers!), but that's less important in a story shaped by the adventure, not by the personalities. Sometimes the solutions to problems seemed a bit 'deux ex machina', especially towards the end, again reflecting (in my opinion) the influences of gaming.
The Noble's Quest is followed by its sequel, A Wizard's Gambit, which I will be reading as soon as I get through my backlist! Overall, 3.5 stars from me for The Noble's Quest, which translates to 4 on Goodreads and Amazon.
I received a copy of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
But if it is adventure you are after, The Noble's Quest has it in spades. Thomas and Sarentha, the two protagonists, are peasants working as lumberjacks until Thomas accidentally kills the boss's son. Forced to flee, they are caught up in a quest that involves an ancient map, the branch of a magical tree, and silver dragons that breath frost, not fire. (I liked that dragon, a neat inversion of the usual.)
There's a bit of a fan fiction feel to parts of the world Ryan Toxopeus has created, strengthened by his use of the terms orcs and mithril, but to some extent Middle-Earth belongs to the generations now, part of a shared consciousness and the foundation of much of high fantasy, whether the authors realize that or not. The characters are a bit predictable (well, most of them – no spoilers!), but that's less important in a story shaped by the adventure, not by the personalities. Sometimes the solutions to problems seemed a bit 'deux ex machina', especially towards the end, again reflecting (in my opinion) the influences of gaming.
The Noble's Quest is followed by its sequel, A Wizard's Gambit, which I will be reading as soon as I get through my backlist! Overall, 3.5 stars from me for The Noble's Quest, which translates to 4 on Goodreads and Amazon.
I received a copy of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
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