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Gates of Hell
Captain Pyr Dhakynn Kaddani is one of the People. He is also a pirate and a telepath with extraordinary hearing and strength. None of which prevents his being fatally poisoned with stralisara.
Physician and wife of Captain Merkrates of the United Systems ship Tigris, Roxanne is also a Kaltiri, a telepath who can heal. On their journey to heal a planet overcome by plague, her ship is attacked and captured by slavers, but in a twist of fate, Pyr s ship attacks the slaver. On board the slaver he recognizes Roxy for a Kaltiri and claims healing from her then claims all of her as well. Now begins their true adventure: the hunt for the origin of the plague and the fight to save the worlds.
278 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2000
5 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Susan Sizemore
116 books606 followersSusan Sizemore's life and interests include such varied activities as medieval costuming and embroidery, being a chef, and working in the defense industry.She is owned by her spoiled rotten, beloved mutt dog, rather than the other way around, and this is just fine with her.Current hobbies include hiking and studying t'ai chi. She travels whenever she can, loves history, loud music, movies, good coffee, and writes constantly.She hopes readers enjoy her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.She has won the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award and has been nominated for two Romantic Times awards.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 29, 2014
reads like the 2nd or 3rd in a series but I can't see anymore books listed with this one.
It drags a bit for me at the start but I think that is because the H and h aren't together. It does pick up and I really enjoyed the last 2/3rd of the book. Interesting world building.
rereading
It drags a bit for me at the start but I think that is because the H and h aren't together. It does pick up and I really enjoyed the last 2/3rd of the book. Interesting world building.
rereading
January 9, 2023
Nuts and multi love groups and wonderful
I've found it difficult to find sci-fi with romance that doesn't involve bossy insufferable men (being alien doesn't make being a chauvinistic selfish pig ok) and desperate acting women, and was thrilled to find such an intricately woven romp through traditional, poly, and interspecies couplings (not all with our heros, but with close family) presented in such a neutral and refreshing way, along with Pirate derring do and world saving galore that I want to go there! Next best thing is giving it a read.
I've found it difficult to find sci-fi with romance that doesn't involve bossy insufferable men (being alien doesn't make being a chauvinistic selfish pig ok) and desperate acting women, and was thrilled to find such an intricately woven romp through traditional, poly, and interspecies couplings (not all with our heros, but with close family) presented in such a neutral and refreshing way, along with Pirate derring do and world saving galore that I want to go there! Next best thing is giving it a read.
February 1, 2013
This is a great book with a lousy title. Well, not lousy precisely but it does give the wrong impression of the book. This is an action based science fiction romance written by one of my favorite authors. It’s got space pirates [both good and bad], psychics with varied gifts, a death cult with the fast track on destroying the universe, and an outstanding cast of characters [again, both good and bad.]
The hero is Pyr, captain of the spaceship Raptor, widely known as a ruthless pirate, and as he [and we] find out in the first chapter, dying. A suitably alpha male he has things to accomplish before that happens, specifically he needs to track down a missing crew member. He doesn’t have time to look for a Healer but rushes to capture one when he stumbles across her.
The heroine is Roxanne, a uniquely gifted Physician and Healer. She trained hard to become a Physician with all the medical knowledge of the United Systems at her fingertips but she was born a Healer – a gift from her Koltiri mother. Healers use their own psychic powers to heal – but those powers are limited by the personal stamina of the Healer. As both Physician and Healer, Roxanne is called away from her ship to help fight the Sagouran plague which seems incurable and is burning its way through whole planetary populations .
He’s determined to find the missing crew member, she’s determined to find a cure for the Sagouran plague. The hero and heroine come together while fighting their backgrounds, the bond and each other.
Is there sex? Sure – but not detailed and a lot of it is mental maneuvering before sealing what the author calls a ‘shalsae’ bond which ties the bonded together soul to soul. Even more there is love in many forms between Roxanne and Pyr and their crewmates and kin.
Is there action? Lots! There’s the destroying the pirate base and rescuing the missing crew member; closely followed by the whole ‘save the universe’ gig.
I’d say if you like Sharon Lee and Steve Miller Liaden books, or Linnea Sinclair’s books – you’ll find this a satisfying read.
Sadly this a stand-alone novel. However she has written another futuristic SF novel called Dark Stranger in the Vampire Primes series [or the Vampire Book Club series, depends where you look]. There is also a short story related to Dark Stranger called By Sun and Candlelight [currently only available as an ebook].
The hero is Pyr, captain of the spaceship Raptor, widely known as a ruthless pirate, and as he [and we] find out in the first chapter, dying. A suitably alpha male he has things to accomplish before that happens, specifically he needs to track down a missing crew member. He doesn’t have time to look for a Healer but rushes to capture one when he stumbles across her.
The heroine is Roxanne, a uniquely gifted Physician and Healer. She trained hard to become a Physician with all the medical knowledge of the United Systems at her fingertips but she was born a Healer – a gift from her Koltiri mother. Healers use their own psychic powers to heal – but those powers are limited by the personal stamina of the Healer. As both Physician and Healer, Roxanne is called away from her ship to help fight the Sagouran plague which seems incurable and is burning its way through whole planetary populations .
He’s determined to find the missing crew member, she’s determined to find a cure for the Sagouran plague. The hero and heroine come together while fighting their backgrounds, the bond and each other.
Is there sex? Sure – but not detailed and a lot of it is mental maneuvering before sealing what the author calls a ‘shalsae’ bond which ties the bonded together soul to soul. Even more there is love in many forms between Roxanne and Pyr and their crewmates and kin.
Is there action? Lots! There’s the destroying the pirate base and rescuing the missing crew member; closely followed by the whole ‘save the universe’ gig.
I’d say if you like Sharon Lee and Steve Miller Liaden books, or Linnea Sinclair’s books – you’ll find this a satisfying read.
Sadly this a stand-alone novel. However she has written another futuristic SF novel called Dark Stranger in the Vampire Primes series [or the Vampire Book Club series, depends where you look]. There is also a short story related to Dark Stranger called By Sun and Candlelight [currently only available as an ebook].
September 13, 2011
I liked this one quite a bit, despite the problems with the proofing that had me stumbling over the words and/or grammar on occasion.
Anyway, the hero is a space pirate--who is also quite a bit more than that. In the beginning, he's trying to track down the source of a plague that's spreading like crazy through known space, and he's on a planet that worships a god of death and destruction. The heroine is a healer, also a member of a race that can not just track down diseases and find cures for them, but who are cures. But this plague is worse than usual. Hero and heroine hook up along the way, deal with all the complications and figure out where the plague came from and what to do about it--then they do it. I liked the story a lot, and would like to see more stories from Sizemore in this universe. (Hear that, Susan???)
Anyway, the hero is a space pirate--who is also quite a bit more than that. In the beginning, he's trying to track down the source of a plague that's spreading like crazy through known space, and he's on a planet that worships a god of death and destruction. The heroine is a healer, also a member of a race that can not just track down diseases and find cures for them, but who are cures. But this plague is worse than usual. Hero and heroine hook up along the way, deal with all the complications and figure out where the plague came from and what to do about it--then they do it. I liked the story a lot, and would like to see more stories from Sizemore in this universe. (Hear that, Susan???)
April 20, 2012
I liked it and the story is nice. BUT it reads like a part of a series without an editor and all the infos to really stand alone.
May 1, 2012
Got as a freebie for Kindle. I liked the plot better than the characters, who were OK.
Want to read
April 7, 2012Kindle free download 4/7/12
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews