Heavier Than a Mountain: Destiny's Crucible, Book 3

This one felt close to great. I think Olan has run into the problem many authors do of trying to show too much and not concentrating on the main storyline. He also had Joe (Yosef) spend far too much time in mental anguish over little things. This is always something that drives me a bit crazy. Yes, we can afford that luxury in today's modern world, but in the worlds these books describe I can't see any character being rewarded for the amount of dithering that goes on sometimes, and Yosef is a master at it.Sadly, the little things like Yosef's constant dithering did end up bringing my impression down. My immersion in the tale was broken enough times that I cannot give this tale a full four stars. Its good, but I'd like to think it could have been tightened up and the characters made a bit stronger.

Obviously if I’ve gotten this far, I must have been enjoying this series. Gave book one and book two a 4. BUT, I went from “oh cool to oh crud.” There are a couple plot devices that I absolutely abhor. The author pulled one out and I hate, Hate, HATE it. I would have overlooked some of the other weaknesses (dithering going on and on). However, my investment in the series was not rewarded. I tried to slog through but my immersion in the story was gone. In fact, the more I tried to read, the madder I became. There are so many other avenues the author could have used to solve the “problem”. How about: take the kid to work? That would have been a feminine revolution. How about a nanny? How about the family - mom and sisters? What he did? No. No good reason for it. My respect and identification with the characters fell off a cliff. I felt my time, which I cannot retrieve, was disrespected. TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED.

The next book in this fine series  Heavier Than a Mountain (Destiny's Crucible Book 3)  continues the building and fighting as a stranded Earthling tries to protect his adopted land and people. Although still having issues about his role in this new society, Yozef is learning to accept and use the influence he has to better prepare the Caedelli clans for their conflict with the invading Narthon Empire.There are a (very) few editing issues normal for indie efforts and the chronology of the plot is a little broken in a couple of places, but I like this story. Also the political emphasis in this book may be too slow for some action readers, but it is necessary. Recommended.The author is working on book 4, however he has given up on estimates, since he is so bad at it. Just "several months" for the last one in the series (I hope he changes his mind on that).

Book three in the Josef Kolsco series of a man who is abducted and given the chance to live on another planet with humans who were transplanted there thousands of years ago. The technology of the world is 1800s a d Yosef is involved with a society who is at war with a aggressive brutal country trying to conquer the rest of the world. Yosef is trying to introduce more modern technology and thinking to the country he was left in. While successful with a large amount of his introductions such as medical , lighting, better weapons he is in a race against time to bring his adopted country to a point they can't be conquered. Very entertaining and worthwhile read. I would recommend reading the first two books or you may not understand some of the characters and decisions.

I really liked the start of the series, despite the large time gap between books… But this last book was definitely painful… It was like three chapters dragged into a book… Not sure how many books the author plans to write but at this slow pace of plot development it could go on forever

Finally! I'd been feverishly checking up and checking up to see if the third book had come out yet. And, yes, it has. I tore thru Heavier Than a Mountain (Destiny's Crucible Book 3) like it was a tasty breakfast burrito, flipped them pages all thru the wee hours of the morning. I realize "Olan Thorensen" is the pen name of some established sci-fi author, but whoever you are, sir or ma'am, I can't possibly favor your other stuff over this series. This series is badass.Finally, we get to catch up with the doings of our stranded chemistry graduate student on the planet of Anyar. On the island of Caedellium, Joe Colsco has done pretty well for himself. His "inventions" and his new-fangled notions have earned him wealth and respect and privilege and any number of odd looks. He married the hetman's shrewd daughter, and if you don't know what a "hetman" is, that's a chieftain, pal. Joe Colsco - or, as he's known in these here parts, "Yozef Kolsko" - is an interesting cat in that he's a departure from the typical flashy, actiony hero. Yozef isn't out for glory or adventure. He prefers a quiet life. He second guesses his actions constantly. He'd rather stay in his comfy nest in provincial Abersford, from where he can carefully introduce things from his old world. He desperately wants to stay in his comfort zone.Except that, some months ago, Yozef had distinguished himself in combat against the invading Narthani army, and not only on the field of battle but also in the war room. So, now, he's even more on everyone's radar. His clan chieftain (and father-in-law), the hetman Culich Keeland, has come to value his often outlandish advice, has got plans for the eccentric young man. One of the things Culich requires is for Yozef to relocate from Abersford to the more metropolitan Caernford, the hetman's capital, so as to involve him more in formulating plans to resist the Narathi. You also can't blame a father for wanting his daughter back home, especially since she's preggers.There's a fourth book promised, slated for release in February 2017 (fingers crossed!), meaning that Heavier Than a Mountain won't give us the end game. What it does is continue Yozef's ascension from nobody to Somebody, as those around him purposely (and unwittingly) groom him for an even more visible leadership role, with Yozef a reluctant participant. You should know that there's not much action in this book, at least not until the frenzied third act. I didn't mind it since I'm so into the characters, not just Yozef but, as well, his exceptional wife Maera, his three bodyguards, the hetman himself and his fam, and so on. I ate up scenes in which these characters are simply in a room having a conversation. The writer doesn't scrimp on giving us the enemy's perspective as there are extensive chapters dedicated to the various military cogs in the voracious Narthon Empire. I like that most of the "bad guys" aren't depicted as slimy jackhats, as evil incarnate. They're just doing their jobs, man.As ever, with this sort of time-travel premise (except it's more time travel adjacent), much of the fun lies in what the clever Earthman can "invent" to astound the primitives in his midst. Stuck in a society of which technology runs circa early industrial age, Yozef must be cautious about what he brings about. Anything too crazy, and he might be accused of witchcraft or demonology. Ergo, his invention of... the blackboard! Doesn't get more harmless than that.Because of the Narathi encroachments, he's had to scrap or put on hold most of his preferred projects in favor of doing his part for the war effort. Yozef must scramble to catch the Caedelli islanders up on the concepts of strategy and tactics and logistics, in all of which the Narathi are already well-versed. But maybe my favorite contribution of Yozef's to the area of combat is the concept of the mean, bullying drill sergeant. Those few pages cracked me up.And for those who were wondering, the writer does address questions concerning the changes the aliens had worked in Yozef. I don't even mind the cheat that comes with Yozef's now near-perfect recall as that justifies his coming up with the wide assortment of stuff he's come up with. Imagine if you or I were stranded in a backwards society; what can we come up with? Probably nothing so game-changing as ether or cannons. Me, I can invent sports. The chili dog. The dab...Is it February 2017 yet?

Depending on the readers preferences this is good empire building novel or a sedate action novel? There is action certainly although the empire building seems to hover between the M/c being either a “genius” or a “saint” to the Clansmen. This seems to make the plot drag a little(?) but dont let it put you off still a good read. 6/10

Very good read, found it hard to put this one down. There is a part of this book that builds the suspense and makes it hard not to skip to the outcome, instead of reading your way to it ( I won't spoil it for others but you will know the part I am talking about when you get to it) Looking forward to starting book 4 .

This is the third book of a tetralogy. If you haven't done so already, I recommend that you purchase all three preceding books and read, back-to-back, the adventures of Joseph Colsco, an unwilling stranger in a strange land.There are wheels within wheels in this fascinating series, ranging from the psychology of the castaway all the way through to the strategies of inventing 'new' concepts without getting burned at the stake.

This is the best of an already amazing series. I enjoyed every page of it and I could really see Olan style maturing into a masterpiece of the genre. It has all the elements of a great story without resorting to common tropes. Perhaps the only exception is the sometimes overly successful main character, but it is part of what makes this series so good. His emotional, rational and down to earth behaviour is a breath of fresh air compared to the mediocre and rather silly protagonists of many popular books.

The story rachets up a notch in book 3 of the Destiny's Crucible series as we continue to observe and root for Yosef Kolsco as he, his family and growing circle of friends and family face the threat and full might of the Narthani army. Olan writes his battle scenes to leave you on the edge of your seat as each scenario develops, another real page-turner of a book.I hope there's many more books in Olan's head concerning Anyar and Caedellium to be written and published in the coming years ahead. He's chosen a rich premise for his novels and hopefully a seam to mine with many still unexplored potential treasures to discover. More please!