Forged in Fire: Destiny's Crucible, Book 4

I had to reread the first 3 books in this series because it had been too long between them and this 4th book and now I find that the Author has written 9 books in this series! Enjoying them all so far and looking forward to more.

This is the fourth book in a great series so if you haven't checked out the first three I'd recommend starting there.Everything in the series up to this point has built to this book and it pays off in a big way. The stakes couldn't be higher and Yozef and company continually have to rise to the occasion to try to save their island. The battles are thrilling and the author does a good job of giving a sense of the epic scope that is taking place.I love the behind the scenes planning and waiting to see if things go according to plan. I didn't find it overly predictable, though I saw most of the arc playing out about as it went. I was on the edge of my couch though, reading at rapid pace and not wanting to put it down. I HAD to know what would happen!This is a really satisfying end to this part of the series. I know the author is revisiting Anyar but as far as the story of Yozef - it is neatly wrapped up. There are plenty of questions remaining but that is only because he created a world that felt full of life and vibrancy - of course not every single question is answered.

FORGED IN FIRE (DESTINY'S CRUCIBLE BOOK 4) is the latest, and perhaps final chapter in this fascinating "fish-out-of-water", "stranger-in-a strange-land" tale of one Joe Colosco, an average, regular guy chemistry grad student on his way to deliver his first really big invited talk. His airplane is hit by something, and he awakens on an alien spacecraft attended only by an AI who "repairs" his extensive, would be fatal damage by infusing him with nanites that not only fix him but make him better than new, with increased strength and healing and delayed aging and then promptly drop him off in his birthday suit on a relatively small island continent on a planet (he later learns is called Anyar) incredibly similar to Earth, including a number of plants and animals definitely of terrestrial origin. All this is early in the first novel.The newly named Yozef Koloszo learns the language, finds a wife, turns the circa 1700s technology of Caedellium (his new adopted island home) with some simple technologies including ether, distilled alcohol, disinfectants, soap etc, all of which make him a very wealthy man. Life is great except for the Narthani, an invading force from a much larger country that is part of a distant continent, whose aim is the completes subjugation of Caedellium and its slightly less than 1,000,000 inhabitants. Much of the second and third novels describe Yozef's assimilation into the Caedellium culture, and his steady ascension as trusted avisor and eventual son-in-law of the Hetman (Leader) of one of the more powerful and influential of the 21 Clans that comprise Caedellium.The fourth entry is entirely consumed with the inevitable war between Caedellium and the Narthani. There is a great deal of strategizing and planning described here, as the nanites that saved Yosef life (and that are transferred through his semen) also have given him increased recall abilities, and although a mild mannered nerdy grad Chem student on Earth, his experience with video games, TV and his reading (he recreates much of Sun Tzu's THE ART OF WAR for the Caedelli), he becomes a kind of super Commander-in-Chief that unites that Clans in preparation for their final battle for their country against the much greater forces of the war-like Narthani.As with the previous three novels, the world building is a thing of wonder. From the weird names (albeit some spelling and language inconsistencies), to the geography of Anyar and Caedellium, the culture of Caedellium that is both similar and wildly different from Joe's 21st century America to the level of technology, philosophy and religion, Thorensen has created a detailed, interesting and deeply captivating world. Many of the characters including Yozef, his friends and comrades-in-arms, his eventual wife Maera and others are very well developed.There is also a subplot running through all 4 novels concerning the alien ship that hit Colosco's plane and the AI that saved him and placed him on Caedellium, *another*, different rage of aliens that apparently transplanted humans, plants and animals from Earth to Anyar anywhere from several thousands to several million years ago. All of this is deliberately left vague and unanswered, and although there is final closure at the end of FORGED IN FIRE, the author himself lists in the epilogue a number of unanswered mysteries. I don't think we have seen that last of Yozef or Caedellium.Overall, a real treat for SF fans of world building, military SF, alien first contact and a lot of others.Highly Recommended (FORGED IN FIRE and the entire series).

I consume most of my pleasure reading via Audible, yet when I stumbled upon this series a few weeks ago I was so engrossed in the audiobooks that I couldn't stomach waiting until the end of the year when the Kindle book was already out. So I broke down and bought the Kindle, I'll in all likelihood buy the audiobook when it's released as well because the narrations by Jonathon Davis have been excellent thus far and this book really is one that was written to be heard. Perhaps, my favorite aspect of this book in the series was the introduction of the Fuomi. This is not merely for the purpose they play in the plot, but more on that later. It is because of the literary effect I get as a reader. I've spent hours getting to know the characters, this society and now there's a new set of characters that come on the scene and I get to observe them forming their own opinions. The Fuomi scenes were some of my favorite in the book because of this alternate version of dramatic irony introduced. I mentioned the Fuomi as a plot purpose. In terms of plot, the Fuomi serve two purposes, one is a way of providing aid to the Islanders to "tip the scales". The other is to reorient our perspectives, for the past three books we've been focused on what's happening on this one little island, and the Fuomi arriving tells us we need to look at Anyar from a larger perspective. The theory side would be a reference to Keneth Waltz levels of analysis, individual, state, and system. Think about the first two books as an exploration of the individual, Yozef Kolsko, in the Third and fourth while still developing the characters, Caedellium came to the fore more so than the earlier parts --state level. My best guess is the main reason for introducing the Fuomi is so the author can then look at the system level in future novels. If Caedellium plays an even more important role in the geopolitics of Anyar in the short-term future then that's likely to draw the attention of the Watchers and possibly the Others for an even grander entanglement. So, this series has significant future promise.So, read, listen, and recommend​ to friends. If you don't do audiobooks, give this series a try for your introduction, you'll find yourself experiencing and imagining the story in whole new ways.

Congratulations to Olan Thorensen for this amazing series. It’s difficult to find such an interesting and exciting author who not only writes intelligently but also provides top rated plots, characters and excitement in the stories. I’m really looking forward to the next book.

some times when reading a new book and you find yourself immersed in the story, and wonder if the author can follow up and not lose his way and forget where he started from,olan doesn"t fail in that regard each book keeps the reader waiting for more and he succeded.any person who reads his books will enjoy all of them.thnx olan

The ending of the series, Forged in Fire marks the (current) end of Joseph Kolsko's tribulation against the empire that would enslave his adopted home.There's nothing really surprising about the book; it's the direct continuation of book 3, there are no real new secondary plots coming to muddle things. You get a satisfying resolution, plus enough background material that you could start another series. There's hints of activity from the Watchers, but nothing concrete to set up anything yet.Hope there's more, but if there is not, it is still satisfying as a whole.

What can I say?This is one series of books that I could not put down. I have never been a science fiction fan, more of a Ken Follet, Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow fan. The Destiny Crucible series of books is one those stories that captivated me and delved me into the lives of the people living in Caedellium.It's a fantastically written book with some great characters and it just makes you think of what it would be like if you were transported back in time and what you could do to aid your fellow man with the skill sets that you posses.Thank you Olaf Thorensen.

The longest - and best - book in the Destiny's Crucible series. Olan Thorensen's gradual build up of the conflicts and major battlescenes is first class. With all four books leading up to a final battle for freedom and Cadellium itself it's hard not, as a reader, to really care about who comes out on top and keep one's fingers crossed that most of one's favourite characters are left standing by the end of it all.Having read all 4 books back-to-back over a couple of weeks, I'm now hoping that Olan Thorensen has more up his sleeve to share with us and perhaps we'll get to visit Melosia and other major land masses in subsequent books.

I have read the whole tetralogy, and I liked most the first book because it was centered with Yosef personality, his capability to adapt to the new alien life, and characters were very well presented and deeply analysed in their nature. Moreover, it was easier for me to read, because I am not English mother tongue. The following books increased the "military" aspect, that, in this fourth book, is predominant. Because I am not very much fond with this aspect, it was more difficult to me to read, but still the story was very catching. I appreciated very much the kind of "alternative" morality of Anyar inhabitants, and how Yosef managed to get used to it, but especially how Yosef made life of Anyar inhabitants better, by using is knowledge acquired on Hearth and reinforced by the aliens, switching from the lazy person on Hearth to the hero that makes the difference in Anyar. As far as I could understand, also the military aspect was very elaboratedMaybe the author just found a Columbus's egg by inventing this story, but it is ingenious exactly like it was the Columbus's egg! And the tetralogy (to which I hope it will follow a fifth book) is so endearing that I just wonder why a TV series based on it has not been proposed yet!!!!!