A few years ago I read the first book in the Destiny’s Crucible series by Olan Thorensen: Cast Under an Alien Sun. It was an interesting premise, but I did not actually like the book. I did not plan on reading the second one, but I was at a standstill in my other series recently and needed something. I decided to give The Pen and the Sword a shot. I am glad I did because there was definitely some cool ideas, but honestly, the things I disliked about the first book were still there.
So, what do I like? Well, the premise. Our main character (Joseph Colsco) is a chemistry grad student (I think, or he just finished up his dissertation, I cannot remember) and is on a flight when his plane crashes into a UFO. The aliens have to make it seem everyone is dead, so they give Joseph an option to either die (I think?) or go to a different planet that has humans who are not as technologically advanced. He obviously chooses the planet.
There is a mystery of why this planet has humans and other random Earth flora/fauna. And it is cool to see Joseph make a life for himself by using his scientific knowledge in a world that is roughly akin to the 1700s on Earth. One of the first things he does is introduce antiseptic to the people, then he continues inventing and refining items they use.
The planet has an evil empire, who is trying to take over the island where Joseph lives and each book ends with him in a battle. Turns out that his other big thing is military tactics (I think he studies military history as well or as a hobby…I know, convenient).
So what did I dislike? Well…it is predictable. And I hate the different POV character switching. I think things would work better if it were just told from Joseph and Maera’s point-of-view. Jumping to the bad guys POV just breaks up the story, but not in a good way.
Finally, just Thorensen’s writing style is not for me. Look, I am awful at writing, and should not criticize anyone else, but sometimes it feels like the story is dragging on and on and on…
But, after all that, I will most likely read the next book because I am curious as to where this is going. Who put the humans there? Did any of the other people from the flight survive and end up on the planet? Can a chemist save his new people from an evil empire?
