Cast Under An Alien Sun
by Olan Thorensen
Author's Description:
“Joe Colsco boarded a flight from San Francisco to Chicago to attend a national chemistry meeting. He would never set foot on Earth again. Castaway on an alien planet and amidst a human into a foreign society, never to see home again?
A story science fiction in premise, adventure in execution. A cross-genre adventure with elements of science fiction, history, hard science, epic fantasy, time travel, romance, alien contact, and space colonization.
On planet Anyar, Joe is found unconscious on a beach of a large island inhabited by humans where the level of technology is similar to Earth circa 1700. He awakes amidst strangers speaking an unintelligible language and struggles to accept losing his previous life and finding a place in a society with different customs, needing a way to support himself, and not knowing a single soul. His worry about finding a place is assuaged when he finds ways to apply his knowledge of chemistry—as long as he is circumspect in introducing new knowledge not too far in advance of the planet’s technology and being labelled a demon.
As he adjusts, Joe finds that he has been dropped into a developing clash between the people who cared for him, and for whom he develops an affinity, and a military power from elsewhere on the planet, a power with designs on conquest.
Unaware, Joseph Colsco has been poured into a crucible, where time and trials will transform him in ways he could never have imagined.”
A story science fiction in premise, adventure in execution. A cross-genre adventure with elements of science fiction, history, hard science, epic fantasy, time travel, romance, alien contact, and space colonization.
On planet Anyar, Joe is found unconscious on a beach of a large island inhabited by humans where the level of technology is similar to Earth circa 1700. He awakes amidst strangers speaking an unintelligible language and struggles to accept losing his previous life and finding a place in a society with different customs, needing a way to support himself, and not knowing a single soul. His worry about finding a place is assuaged when he finds ways to apply his knowledge of chemistry—as long as he is circumspect in introducing new knowledge not too far in advance of the planet’s technology and being labelled a demon.
As he adjusts, Joe finds that he has been dropped into a developing clash between the people who cared for him, and for whom he develops an affinity, and a military power from elsewhere on the planet, a power with designs on conquest.
Unaware, Joseph Colsco has been poured into a crucible, where time and trials will transform him in ways he could never have imagined.”
My Review - Rating - 9.5/10
This is easily my favorite sci-fi series of 2020. The book combines a fascinating premise with an excellent plot and solid character development. I got this book one afternoon in 2020 and ended up staying up till about one o’clock on a school night because I could not put this book down. I was completely immersed in the world that Thorensen created, and I was so immersed that I found myself getting excited in real life over events in the book. The only criticisms I have of this book and the series, in general, are that: 1) the book has a slow pace, which doesn’t make the book boring but might not appeal to slower readers; 2) the characters are too logical, and the author doesn’t give them enough emotional reaction to emotionally devastating news or major issues, and 3) there are a lot of meetings to give you insight into both sides of the conflict, which can feel very repetitive and sometimes boring. Those problems are completely outweighed by just how great this book and this series are. I would still highly recommend this book, despite the minor issues I listed. If you have even an interest in books that deal with science fiction, fantasy, military fantasy/alternate military history, or world-building, do yourself a favor and pick up this book ASAP.
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