Memory's Gate: A Pax Terminus Novella

by Theo Tsirigotis

Semprys has one job: break into an ancient fortress-prison, steal a few relics from under the nose of the Vigil, and pay the debt threatening her brother's life. When everything goes wrong and she's trapped in the ruins beneath the prison, she discovers that the relics are more than she thought, the prison guards aren't her only enemies, and the price of escape might be higher than she can bear. A grimdark fantasy novella about the weight of grief, the cost of magic, and what we owe the dead.

Memory's Gate is a prequel novella to the events of Splinters of Heaven, Book 1 of Pax Terminus.

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 1, 2026

About the author

Theo Tsirigotis is the author of the Pax Terminus series.

Before that, he served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and as a Green Beret captain. He now lives in Austin, Texas.

Splinters of Heaven is his debut novel. Find out more, see upcoming work, and get a free prequel novella (coming 1 July 2026) at https://www.theotsirigotis.com.

Reviews

[L. Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, dark, punchy novella that perfectly compliments the first book in the series. The bulk of the story unfolds in the subterranean labyrinth of a complex of old ruins, and every single sentence dripped with claustrophobia and impending doom.

There's a scene in the first book, Splinters of Heaven, where the main characters are trapped in the dark underground, pursued by unholy creatures, and the entire sequence just ticked every box for me because of how well done the horror element was.

This whole novella is that sequence: absolute perfection.

I'm a huge fan of the "ragtag bunch of misfits" trope, and MC Semprys's crew, with whom she's trying to steal relics on behalf of a violent crime lord, played up to this dysfunctional dynamic brilliantly. Their banter, traded insults, and bitter arguments reminded me a lot of Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold (my favourite book ever, btw).

I was impressed by how well-crafted each member of the crew was, considering how short this novella is. We're given an accomplished sense of their character motivations, whether it be Semprys wanting to save her brother from the crime lord she's working for, mage Grateful wanting to get a bit of cold, hard revenge, or twins Raklin and Karlin wanting to get a few boastful adventures under their belt.

Overall, a wonderful bit of bite-sized grimdark that makes me keenly look forward to what's coming from this world next.

Thanks to the author for the ARC :)

[E. P. Soulless · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a bit harder to pin down. It’s contemplative yet quick-paced—the perfect heist novella for a rainy afternoon in the world of the Pax Terminus series, dripping with all that signature necro-industrial flavor. Rift gates, cruelty, extortion, profanity, and plain bad luck… there’s a surprising amount packed into these ~100 pages, and it’s all fascinating. Theo clearly has a strong grasp of combat, danger, and tension, and as usual, even the best-laid plans go gloriously awry. The resulting chaos is excellent. Though this is a prequel, I’d recommend reading the first book, Splinters of Heaven, beforehand to get the most out of it. And yes, I absolutely love the title. Simple, but so powerful!

4.00 / 5.00

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book throws you right i to the stry and brings you back to the dark world of book one in the series. This is a novella that you can read in one sitting. It will capture you. The chaos that ensures will not let you put the book down.
The world is dark, cruel and there is profanity. It feels like a good addition to the series, but I recommend reading book one first. This way you will come back to a beloved world.

I recived an ARC by the author.

[Breanna Platt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brb gotta go grab my copy of Splinters of Heaven…

Overall an intriguing read! Reading this prequel first felt like I was dropped right into the middle of a well built world. It might’ve been a little disorienting at first, but as I read on I caught up and enjoyed the adventure. For that reason (and from other people’s reviews) I’d say read Splinters of Heaven first. Either way, I loved the banter between characters and well thought out scenes. 👏🏻👏🏻

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story, this novella has peaked my interest about book one. I can’t wait to understand more about the lore of this world. At the start it seemed it was going to be a more lighthearted heist type story but I was pleasantly surprised at how dark and brutal things got.

ARC Netgalley Review

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy from NetGalley.

Memory's Gate drops you in a story already in progress, which I liked. It was darker than I thought it was going to be but that didn't change how much I enjoyed it. It made me interested in and want to read the book it's a prequel for, Splinters of Heaven.

I definitely recommend it.

[Catherine Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The character development was very good for a novella. It made me want to read past the ending. Thankfully this is a prequel to a new series so I
will be able to dig further into this world and these characters. It starts out like you think you know where it's going and then gets dark and twisty. I look forward to reading the Pax Terminus Series.

I received an eARC from NetGalley.