A Dubious Peace

Destiny's Crucible, Book 7

By: Olan Thorensen

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

A planet’s future is about to take a dramatic turn.

Joseph Colsco, Mark Caldwell, and Heather Chen. Cast away by aliens onto a planet inhabited by humans, transplanted there by a second alien race thousands of years in the past, and for reasons unknown. Each of the three found themselves left naked on beaches scattered across the planet Anyar. Each struggled to survive as strangers amidst humans with technology centuries behind Earth’s. Each lived through years of adjustments, trials, dangers, and new lives beyond anything they could have imagined - or feared. The aliens who left them to fend for themselves wanted them far enough apart so they would never meet, assuming that as individuals they would have no impact on Anyar’s civilizations.

Only now they have come together, and nothing will ever be the same.

©2021 Olan Thorensen (P)2021 Podium Audio

Should have been 50% shorter

This book dragged a bit with a lot of what I considered unnecessary details and subplots (if you can call going into excruciating detail about early industrial revolution era machining a plot). It only really perked up towards the last 10% of the book.

I liked it, but...

it is slow and overly detailed. I did find myself skipping over parts. It is definitely not for everyone.

Awesome as always for Olan!

Another amazing opportunity to immerse into the world of Joseph Colsco. I prefer Olan's deliberate pace that allows for full immersion. I alway lose myself in this series. Great job once again!

I couldn't stop listening!

A brilliant story who's characters you cheer for. I can't wait till the series continues.

Good continuation with some satisfying payoffs

Wonderful continuation for the series. The plot feels to have slowed down a bit, but this has given additional time to expand on the details of certain factions and characters. In all, a smaller story but mostly its just the "Empire Strikes Back" feeling in that it is a middle story in the series. my only complaint is that two of the Earth transplants don't have the depth of character of Mark. Yosef still feels a bit Horatio Hornblower, and we really could use more interaction with Heather. I have a feeling that she is in there to give something that isn't warlike to the story's world, but it feels like she's not around much. There is a story to that, in that her conflict would be almost the opposite of MArk and Yosef, considering they have ready made things to do all the time like inventions and leadership, but she really has an opportunity to fully realize the shock and sadness of losing her life as she knows it. Mark and Yosef seem to have benefitted greatly from the transplanting to Anyar, but she is an opportunity to turn the other side of that coin. Spoilers below: The Third act of the book felt very on-point, and is where a majority of the series major plot devices develop. Technology and diplomacy is leaning heavily to a "Pax Americana' (even indirectly referenced by Mark) I feel mixed about the toying with the possible deaths of major supporting characters, I think Yosef gets along too luckily (Obviously the death of his unborn child nonwithstanding). The supporting cast seems relatively invulnerable.