Other Side of the Sun: The First Planetary War on Htrae

by Terrell Franklin

The International Regime of Combat (iNRC) is a militia organization filled with a race of superhumans called Elites. The strongest of the Elites is Mac Little's older brother, Manny, whom he despises. In a plea for forgiveness, Mac's brother holds a birthday party for him in outer space to orbit around the sun. During their journey, the Elites stumble upon an Earth-like replica planet hiding behind our star. Join Mac, one of the few non-powered Elites to ever join the iNRC, as he battles against his bitterness towards his brother and fights to save the group of soldiers stranded on the alien planet, becoming one of the greatest heroes of his time.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2020

Reviews

[Elsie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea for the book and the general plot was very intriguing, and I believe the relationships and concepts have a lot of potential. I do think this book could have done with a few reads from a sensitivity reader, though—or perhaps just a feminist—because I thought the woman were extremely rushed compared to the men, and it included that typical women-can’t-do-something-so-a-man-has-to-protect-her-and-is-the-hero trope which rubbed me entirely the wrong way. I DO think this is a fascinating concept, but the writing seemed rushed, and the male characters seemed like the only ones with even a semblance of personality. Even then, a lot of the backstory of the main characters was told in large info-dumping sections that distracted from the plot and broke my immersion quite a bit.

(Sorry for the harsh review, bro. Love ya, but these are my honest criticisms!)

[Tiffany Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am usually not a Sci-Fi fan but this book gave so much for than merely a new universe. The author's use of friendship and brotherhood as themes through was exceptional. I bought more copies for my teenage family members because I thought it would also be a good Young Adult read. The characters sucked me in, before I knew it, I was engrossed in the universe and heavily invested in the storyline. I won't leave spoilers but I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Steven P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting concept

Overall a good story. The classic man vs machine concept brought to life in a new way. I thought the whole thing with the language was a bit immature, but it did provide some intrigue.

[Zoe Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, especially considering the age of the author. I liked the book overall, though there were a few areas where it seemed a little rushed, especially the ending of the book, but the storyline did make sense!