A well-thought-out science fiction story that fantasy fans can also enjoy

In The Forsaken Planet, we follow the story of twenty-something Colton, who is hanging out with his friends when his city is attacked by an alien ship. Another alien party comes to their aid, after which humanity is given the chance to go to Vintara, a planet where-unlike Earth-solara can be wielded. A mysterious power latent in every person that can be decisive in a fight. After the death of their friend, Colton and his friends choose to go to Vintara to learn everything they are offered to avenge their friend and protect their families on Earth.

I have not read enough science fiction to determine the extent to which the concept is original, but for me it was the first time I read this kind of story. The use of a magic source gives it a fantasy feel, which I personally thought was a nice touch. Another element you often come across in fantasy is the existence of a prophecy. In this story, this also plays a big role. For a long time, Solara cannot be wielded on Earth, so the prophecy is that the one who can is the son of the Prophets and will lead the people to peace.
Colton has instinctively wielded on earth–but so did the story's antagonist. This leads to an interesting conflict: who will the alien people follow: the human who comes from a planet where people can't even interact with Solara, or a very powerful wielder who causes death and destruction? Many people look down on the Earthlings and do not want to believe that one of them is their saviour. What is remarkable is that they stick to these two options. Why don't they go to Earth again? If there are already two people who can wield, why not more? Especially because these two options generate so much unrest, you would think they’d keep sending other people hoping to find someone who fits their expectations better.

Most of the book concentrates on the preparations being made for joining the alien army. The author has thought this through well: step by step, Colton and his friends learn about Solara and battle tactics. Through various simulations, the recruits are tested: this too was done in a well-thought-out manner. The training is described with a lot of detail, but this also slowed down the story a bit. The conflicts between the Earthlings and Vintara’s recruits were mediocre and did not create any real tension. Most of the tension was created during the simulations, but since we know they are simulations, it is not really exciting either. Because I knew that nothing really happened to the participants, I soon lost interest in these scenes.
Only toward the end did the book start to get really exciting. That's where I expected a final battle – I thought this was a standalone book – but it's clear that the story hasn't ended yet and that a sequel is still to come.

Where I also missed a bit of tension was on a relational level. The characters were all a bit moderate. Pretty decent guys, whereas I personally like characters that are a bit more morally grey. The characters of this book were all honourable–which of course fits the setting–but slightly more daring characters would have piqued my interest a bit more.

In conclusion, The Forsaken Planet is a well-thought-out science fiction story that fantasy fans can also enjoy. The planets weren’t described in depth, but a lot of attention is paid to the social, political and military organization. Furthermore, the characters might be a bit on the well-behaving side and might strike some as somewhat dull–but for readers who just want to read a story about ordinary people like you and me, this story might be a good fit.