Before the Shattered Gates of Heaven Part 1: Trickster's Pit

by Bryan S. Glosemeyer, September C. Fawkes (Editor)

One kill stands between her and her dreams . . .

Deep in the subterranean Labyrinth of a cruel, alien world, a nameless girl longs for the stars she’s never seen, the name she’s been denied, and the chance to live up to the past glories of her bloodline. The girl has but one way to make her dreams a

Nine victories in the bloody fighting pits of the Divine Masters.

Only by proving her ruthless fighting skills and unwavering faith in the Gods can she join the Servants, holy warriors tasked to unite the galaxy under the Masters’ rule. With eight kills behind her, she is one fight away from earning her name and joining the conquest of the stars. But what must she sacrifice, and what must she become, in order to survive the Trickster’s Pit?

Part 1: Trickster’s Pit is an action-packed novelette introducing the world of Before the Shattered Gates of Heaven, a science fiction adventure through outer and inner space.

Before the Shattered Gates of Heaven (Shattered Gates Volume 1)
Part 1: Trickster’s Pit - A Novelette



Part 2: Infiltration Crew - A Novella


Released 12/13/18 - Discounted pre-order available now.


Part 3: Eon - A Novella


Released 01/17/19 - Discounted pre-order available now.


Part 4: Sacrificial Altars - A Novella


Released 02/07/19 - Discounted pre-order available now.

Genres: Science Fiction

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2018

Reviews

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic setting! Loved the way the story carried me throughout. I quite enjoyed part. 1!

[S.C. Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I just finished reading this novelette from Bryan S. Glosemeyer and I just... wow.

After the first chapter I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. There’s a bit of an acclimatization needed as you get plunked into a very unfamiliar world. But I’m an SF&F reader. I know the best books are often challenging.

But once this one took off, I was hooked. I was totally rooting for our nameless protagonist and I was on the edge of my seat as she battled to earn her name.

I’m hooked. I’m ordering the next books in this series right now.

If you love action packed Sci-Fi with gladiator style fighting and alien species, plus complex world building and badass female characters, stop what you are doing right now and read this book!

[vena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originality

I came along at the edge of my seat. I liked the action and the storyline. Will read the rest of the series.

[No0ne No0ne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging. The author’s use of language pulls the reader into a complex world with a rigid social structure that defines the motivations of the main character. The end leaves you wondering what will this girl do and what will happen to her?? I, for one, can’t wait to find out!

[Hayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m super interested in discovering more about this world and these characters. This was a great start to something bigger. I wish I felt more suspense in the pit fight scene and didn’t predict exactly what would happen.
Full review will be with volume 1.

[Sam Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my full review on the full length book's page!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[Bryan Glosemeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey, if you can't give your own book five stars, then . . .

[Peter Kordas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried really hard to like this series.

Clearly, a lot of blood sweat and tears went into its writing... and that is where the problem lies..

It is unrelentingly gory, ultra-violently gory. I thought, OK, get the starter out of the way, the central character, Sabira, needed to have a back story... But the blood-lust just doesn't let up.

I've got as far as completing the first 4 books of the Shattered Gates and 1/3 of the way through "Beyond the Gates Infernal" in the fading hope the vivid breakdown of each violent act, broken down into its moment by moment minutiae, would let up. That the story would progress in some sort of meaningful way.. and it does, albeit with glacial slowness. Interspersed with gratuitous violence, if not with other biologics then with AI machines. It just doesn't stop.

And so, the desire to continue reading the story gets choked by this relentless onslaught. What happens to each character matters less and less, until the brain screams "Enough!"

So, this series will remain unfinished. It simply is not worth the unrelenting grimness and brutal savagery. Not if there is a skerrick of humanity within you.

From what moral cesspit did this get born from from? My guess is only if a person is so inured by playing violent games that they begin to think this sort of "writing" is OK.

It's not.

I'll go before I get trolled... Highly NOT recommended. Don't even bother to start.

[Sam Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goes down smooth.

I’m not especially well versed in the realm of space opera, but I certainly feel comfortable commenting on literary quality. This is a particularly enjoyable read and a respectable debut effort from the author. Borrowing some of my favorite elements from writers like Frank Herbert and Phillip K. Dick, it’s a gentle wade into the waters of sci-fi that doesn’t require previous exposure to the genre in order to appreciate this new cast of characters and the world into which we’re thrown.

This is my second reading of the work, first time through this newly-revised format, and I deeply appreciate the recent edits and the decision to portion out the tale across four separate segments. The first book of the series is a strong start and a quick, compelling read. Well worth the absurdly low promotional price on Amazon. Get ‘em all while they’re hot, kids.

Excellent work, Bryan! Really looking forward to the next installment.

[Norman Hirschman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting story concerning the humáns and their place among aliens. It takes a while to absorb the writing from the author but amazingly everything comes together. I am sure further stories with in the series will prove worth reading.