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. Maps of Anyar are available for viewing and downloading at olanthorensen.com

H. Bala, Amazon Top 100 ReviewerI was oblivious to the world, immersed as I was in this author's storytelling.” “ . . . readers end up losing sleep because they're compelled to keep turning pages.” Destiny’s Crucible Joe Colsco boarded a flight from San Francisco to Chicago to attend a national chemistry meeting. Through a freak accident, he never sets foot on Earth again. He is unaware he has been poured into a crucible, where time and trials will transform him in ways unimagined, and that will send him and his descendants to a destiny beyond one planet. Book I: Cast Under an Alien Sun On planet Anyar, Joe is abandoned unconscious on a beach of a large island (Caedellium) inhabited by humans where the level of technology is similar to Earth circa 1700. He awoke amidst strangers speaking an unintelligible language and despaired losing his previous life. He used knowledge of chemistry to introduce innovations—but not too advanced of the planet’s technology to avoid being labelled a demon. He found a place in the society and developed new friendships, male and female. But all was not idyllic. Joe was dropped into a clash between the people who cared for him, and a military power from elsewhere on the planet, a power with designs on conquest. Joe survived his first experience in deadly conflict but knows it was only a foretaste of what was coming. Book II: The Pen and the Sword The Narthani, a militant realm who believe their manifest destiny is to rule the entire planet, Anyar, plan to absorb Caedellium into their empire and crush any resistance. Yozef Kolsko (aka Joe Colsco) works to find ways to increase the chances of his, and the society which has accepted him, ability to resist the Narthani’s planned conquest. Despite his desire to devote himself to introducing peaceful knowledge, Yozef is drawn more and more into developing weapons and giving tactical and strategic advice—things he knows he’s unqualified to give. The enemy is coming. The odds seem overwhelming, and it will take all Yozef can do, the courage of his new people, and luck, to survive. 

Beware of creating your worst enemy. All Joe Colsco wanted out of life was a reasonably interesting job supporting a quiet, comfortable suburban lifestyle, eventually a small family, and time to pursue hobbies. Instead, a freak accident casts him naked onto a beach of another planet inhabited by humans with technology circa 1700. In time, Joe, now known as Yozef Kolsko, makes the difficult acceptance of a new life, has a respectable position in his new society, and is married with a child on the way. But all is not rosy. He has become embroiled in a struggle beyond any dream he could have had—or any nightmare. The Narthani are a militant society intent on subjugating the Caedelli, the people he’s come to identify with. Despite Yozef’s hope to focus his life on transferring scientific knowledge and support a quiet life, he finds his life’s direction moving beyond his control. As his actions and ideas become more important in resisting the Narthani, he reluctantly finds himself dragged into leadership roles he doesn’t believe himself qualified—including efforts to unite the Caedelli clans. The transformation of Joseph Colsco to Yozef Kolsko is about to take another step. Unwittingly, the Narthani themselves are creating an opponent unlike any they have ever faced, an enemy beyond their conceptions.

An expansion on the universe of Destiny’s CrucibleThe Destiny’s Crucible series chronicles the incredible adventure of Joseph Colsco, a college student of no particular importance, who is thrust into an unimaginable fate by an accident that couldn’t happen—but did.Cast naked on the planet Anyar, he forges a new life for himself and rises to prominence and responsibilities he would otherwise never have imagined. However, much is left undone and uncertain. For readers who finished the first four books, many questions were left unanswered, and many stories left untold.This collection of short stories and novellas addresses some of the questions, expands previous books, and points to future directions. The anthology begins not on the planet Anyar but on Earth, with the aftermath of the improbable accident that starts Joseph Colsco on his new life.

Amazon Top Reviewers for books in the Destiny’s Crucible series. “Overall a real treat for SF fans of world building, military SF, alien first contact and lots of others.” “ . . . the world building is a thing of wonder.” “I could not put this down, written with honesty and verve, solid character development, with a well thought out plot” “This series is badass. I was oblivious to the world, immersed as I was in this author's storytelling. The guy can write. He can write well enough that readers end up losing sleep because they're compelled to keep turning pages.” 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. More Reviews of Destiny’s Crucible“What an enjoyable read!” A C Bennett, Amazon TOP 1000 REVIEWER Five stars. “Another wonder” Amazon Customer, Amazon TOP 500 REVIEWER Five stars. “Mixture of SF, time travel, and alternative history.” “Knowledge is power” M.W. Broscheit, Amazon TOP 1000 REVIEWER Five stars. “Any lover of action adventures, war drama, political intrigue, or science fiction should do themselves a favor and check out the Destiny's Crucible Series.” Clabe Polk, Midwest Book Review. “Science fiction, history, and romance are woven to create an intricate story.” “Outrageous story line made believable, fast moving action, superb character development.” “ . . . a character that is all too believable. His situation is only a device but we are drawn in to the narrative with a deft touch.” “I didn't really expect to like this story. Since getting the book 6 days ago I have read it twice.” “Engrossing” “A book to get lost in.” “Wow” “Great Book You Will Remember Always” “Couldn't put it down once I started” “My favorite book of all time is Mark Twain A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Cast Under an Alien Sun is the first book I've ever found to so completely modernize this story and yet keep completely to all the quirks, traits and storylines that also make the story great, all the while remaining a unique work on its own.” “Character development at its finest!” “Compelling and thought-provoking!” “Elements of hard science fiction, soft science fiction, adventure, and fantasy. There's a whole new world to explore; its name is Anyar.” “Great fantasy of how one person can change history” “An immersive adventure rich in detail and focused on a conclusion.”

Destiny’s Crucible: Joe Colsco boarded a flight from San Francisco to Chicago to attend a national chemistry meeting. Through a freak accident, he never sets foot on Earth again. He is unaware he has been poured into a crucible, where time and trials will transform him in ways unimagined, and that will send him and his descendants to a destiny beyond one planet. Book I: Cast Under an Alien Sun On planet Anyar, Joe was found unconscious on a beach of a large island (Caedellium) inhabited by humans where the level of technology is similar to Earth circa 1700. He awoke amidst strangers speaking an unintelligible language, and despaired losing his previous life. He used knowledge of chemistry to introduce new knowledge—but not too advanced of the planet’s technology to avoid being labelled a demon. He found a place in the society and developed new friendships, male and female. But all was not idyllic. Joe was dropped into a clash between the people who cared for him, and a military power from elsewhere on the planet, a power with designs on conquest. Joe survived his first experience in deadly conflict but knows it was only a foretaste of what was coming. Book II: Pen and the Sword The Narthani, a militant realm who believe their manifest destiny is to rule the entire planet, Anyar, plan to absorb Caedellium into their empire and crush any resistance. Yozef Kolsko (aka Joe Colsco) works to find ways to increase the chances of his, and the society which has accepted him, ability to resist the Narthani’s planned conquest. Complicating his life is attraction to a brilliant daughter of an island leader, and his uncertainty of his own mind, hers, or intricacies of Caedellium customs. Despite his desire to devote himself to introducing new knowledge Yozef is drawn more and more into developing weapons and giving tactical and strategic advice—things he knows he’s unqualified to give. The enemy is coming. The odds seem overwhelming, and it will take all Yozef can do, the courage of his new people, and luck, to survive.