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Gemini's Key:
Truth has a price.
Reid Taskiran has spent ten years overcoming obstacles on a quest to clear his dead father’s name. The Taskiran family was admired until charges of treason against his father echoed across the galaxy—and caught Reid in their net. Though legally cleared, the court of popular opinion still labels him a traitor. He’s traveled to a newly terraformed planet, hoping to win a Wormhole Guild internship that will provide access to an exclusive Guild asteroid.
And the keys to family secrets.
When a cyborg claiming to be a family friend makes him an offer he can’t refuse, Reid discovers his only chance to uncover the truth risks his entire future. But as the investigation leads Reid down a twisted labyrinth of intrigue, conspiracy, and danger, he encounters a destiny he never saw coming—one that will challenge everything he believes.
Pursued by a deadly foe, Reid races to find out what happened.
If he can’t, the next body might be his.
Reid Taskiran has spent ten years overcoming obstacles on a quest to clear his dead father’s name. The Taskiran family was admired until charges of treason against his father echoed across the galaxy—and caught Reid in their net. Though legally cleared, the court of popular opinion still labels him a traitor. He’s traveled to a newly terraformed planet, hoping to win a Wormhole Guild internship that will provide access to an exclusive Guild asteroid.
And the keys to family secrets.
When a cyborg claiming to be a family friend makes him an offer he can’t refuse, Reid discovers his only chance to uncover the truth risks his entire future. But as the investigation leads Reid down a twisted labyrinth of intrigue, conspiracy, and danger, he encounters a destiny he never saw coming—one that will challenge everything he believes.
Pursued by a deadly foe, Reid races to find out what happened.
If he can’t, the next body might be his.
- GenresScience Fiction
387 pages, Paperback
Published July 6, 2022
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
H Halverstadt
2 books4 followersOnce tasked with mapping our world, H. Halverstadt now forges her own with the help of her engineer husband. She has a degree in Geographic Information Systems, but her favorite way to use it is writing clean, far-future, multi world science fiction filled with adventure, mystery and intrigue. Her first flash fiction story, Toby’s Call, was published in Havok Magazine, and her website was featured in the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Bulletin. Gemini’s Key is her first novel. You can follow her at her author website and book review page, www.hhalverstadtbooks.com. You can get Toby’s Call for free when you subscribe to her newsletter, and her novelette Tumult’s Edge will be sent out for free to her newsletter subscribers when it releases later this year. Book 2 of the Taskiran Legacy is under construction.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 2, 2022
Gemini's Key follows the story of Reid Taskiran, a young cadet who is treated unfairly because his father was marked as a traior, something Reid has never believed. When Reid's hopes for a career in the wormhole guild are crushed by a teacher who can't abide the son of a traitor in the ranks, he sets off on a new quest - to investigate and prove his father's innocence.
The investigation takes him to a partially terraformed asteroid where he discovers that his father's history is connected to a much larger conspiracy, that could spell danger to all.
I had a lot of sympathy for Reid mistreatment. While I haven't experienced this myself, I was moved by the injustice, connecting me to him as a character. I also had a soft spot for Sevan. While he wasn't in a lot of the book, he was the one friend who accepted Reid for who he was, not who his father was.
There was some nice worldbuilding in this book. From the wormholes, to the habitates on the asteroids, unique properties of different planets that affected how people lived on them, and a community of people with cybernetic implants.
There were some really cool twists and turns in the plot which open up many intruiging questions to be answered about the protagonist.
Gemini's Key is a solid opening to the Taskiran Legacy, and I look forward to seeing where H Halverstadt takes this world in the future.
The investigation takes him to a partially terraformed asteroid where he discovers that his father's history is connected to a much larger conspiracy, that could spell danger to all.
I had a lot of sympathy for Reid mistreatment. While I haven't experienced this myself, I was moved by the injustice, connecting me to him as a character. I also had a soft spot for Sevan. While he wasn't in a lot of the book, he was the one friend who accepted Reid for who he was, not who his father was.
There was some nice worldbuilding in this book. From the wormholes, to the habitates on the asteroids, unique properties of different planets that affected how people lived on them, and a community of people with cybernetic implants.
There were some really cool twists and turns in the plot which open up many intruiging questions to be answered about the protagonist.
Gemini's Key is a solid opening to the Taskiran Legacy, and I look forward to seeing where H Halverstadt takes this world in the future.
September 30, 2023
Whoa!
Super deep and intense mystery, with more and more layers and a solution I never saw coming
Very detailed worldbuilding, but not info-dumped; I probably couldn't explain half of what was going on, but the world felt lived-in and unique--from the wormhole physics to the young people taking fashion pills to dye their skin
Got a little lost in all the characters, but I enjoyed getting to know most of those we really spent time with; took me too long to figure out our MC's age, though, and I kept picturing him younger than he was
Cool technology all over the place, although I had a hard time wrapping my head around some of the Teilan stuff especially--but I liked the way that some of the history, implications, and prejudices were not just referenced but wrapped into the story
Liked the way that Reid started to lower his defenses about Christianity, although there's still quite a lot to work through there
Content--mentions of various technologies and their ethical implications, including artificial intelligence (everyday use, with limits), powerful neural implants and related technology (legal but viewed with prejudice), and human cloning (illegal); mentions of violence, including murder and attempted murder; mentions of blood and wounds (not graphic); some in-world exclamations and slurs; society has moved away from marriage to temporary "partnerships," and those who continue to marry for life are seen as weird
Super deep and intense mystery, with more and more layers and a solution I never saw coming
Very detailed worldbuilding, but not info-dumped; I probably couldn't explain half of what was going on, but the world felt lived-in and unique--from the wormhole physics to the young people taking fashion pills to dye their skin
Got a little lost in all the characters, but I enjoyed getting to know most of those we really spent time with; took me too long to figure out our MC's age, though, and I kept picturing him younger than he was
Cool technology all over the place, although I had a hard time wrapping my head around some of the Teilan stuff especially--but I liked the way that some of the history, implications, and prejudices were not just referenced but wrapped into the story
Liked the way that Reid started to lower his defenses about Christianity, although there's still quite a lot to work through there
Content--mentions of various technologies and their ethical implications, including artificial intelligence (everyday use, with limits), powerful neural implants and related technology (legal but viewed with prejudice), and human cloning (illegal); mentions of violence, including murder and attempted murder; mentions of blood and wounds (not graphic); some in-world exclamations and slurs; society has moved away from marriage to temporary "partnerships," and those who continue to marry for life are seen as weird
April 28, 2024
I’m going to preface this by saying that this isn’t my usual genre. I’m more of a fantasy gal, and I only dabble in sci-fi. This book ALMOST lost me in the first chapter, because it was a LOT of techno-babble that went completely over my head and left me sort of dazed and confused. I blame that on not being used to this genre. I am always determined to give an author a chance, so I kept reading, and BOY AM I GLAD I DID.
This book is absolutely fantastic. It’s definitely sci-fi and has all the epic worldbuilding you’d expect of sci-fi, with different worlds, fantastical environments, and glimpses of a distant future we COULD have. There is still a lot of tech stuff, but aside from the first chapter, it seemed easy to understand and easy to follow. Lots of drones, tech-y implants, atmosphere-regulating equipment, things like you’d expect with traveling to and living on other worlds. And, of course, your typical laser guns and things of that nature.
Please note that the story doesn’t have much space travel, and no space battles. This is a much more grounded-on-the-planet story. There are some interesting vehicles, but if you’re looking for epic spaceship battles, look elsewhere.
The sweet spot of this story, though, is the characters, character arcs, and the super interesting plot that’s sort of like a murder-mystery whodunit. The protagonist is in a dire situation and throws his whole life into finding out what caused his father’s death, which ultimately leads him to different worlds and into an incredibly dangerous plot with incredibly dangerous enemies coming after him. The tension starts off fairly strong but increases throughout the entire story, so I found myself turning the pages faster, and faster, and faster, to the point I couldn’t put the book down. The overall arc has a strong conclusion but leads well into future books, which is a huge win to me.
For content-wary readers, I have nothing major to complain about with this one. There’s some violence and scary situations (and, of course, murder situations), but nothing particularly graphic. I think readers 12 and up would be perfectly fine with this, although the characters and life circumstances do lean a little more YA/NA (graduating college, getting jobs).
I highly recommend Gemini’s Key to readers looking for an interesting sci-fi with a strong character arc and personal stakes (but that isn’t short of conflict/tension). It’s a great one! I’ll be checking out more of this author’s work in the future, for sure!
This book is absolutely fantastic. It’s definitely sci-fi and has all the epic worldbuilding you’d expect of sci-fi, with different worlds, fantastical environments, and glimpses of a distant future we COULD have. There is still a lot of tech stuff, but aside from the first chapter, it seemed easy to understand and easy to follow. Lots of drones, tech-y implants, atmosphere-regulating equipment, things like you’d expect with traveling to and living on other worlds. And, of course, your typical laser guns and things of that nature.
Please note that the story doesn’t have much space travel, and no space battles. This is a much more grounded-on-the-planet story. There are some interesting vehicles, but if you’re looking for epic spaceship battles, look elsewhere.
The sweet spot of this story, though, is the characters, character arcs, and the super interesting plot that’s sort of like a murder-mystery whodunit. The protagonist is in a dire situation and throws his whole life into finding out what caused his father’s death, which ultimately leads him to different worlds and into an incredibly dangerous plot with incredibly dangerous enemies coming after him. The tension starts off fairly strong but increases throughout the entire story, so I found myself turning the pages faster, and faster, and faster, to the point I couldn’t put the book down. The overall arc has a strong conclusion but leads well into future books, which is a huge win to me.
For content-wary readers, I have nothing major to complain about with this one. There’s some violence and scary situations (and, of course, murder situations), but nothing particularly graphic. I think readers 12 and up would be perfectly fine with this, although the characters and life circumstances do lean a little more YA/NA (graduating college, getting jobs).
I highly recommend Gemini’s Key to readers looking for an interesting sci-fi with a strong character arc and personal stakes (but that isn’t short of conflict/tension). It’s a great one! I’ll be checking out more of this author’s work in the future, for sure!
June 3, 2024
While aesthetically a science fiction story, the heart of Gemini's Key is a murder mystery featuring a young Ried Taskiran. He travels the galaxy to find the person who murdered his father and ruined his good name. There’s a bit of political intrigue but it plays more of a background role to the murder mystery.
Gemini’s Key is an enjoyable sci-fi tale where the characters always took centerstage. The tech system is advanced enough but grounded in today’s reality. It wasn't confusing and didn't need much exposition.
The story asks for patience from the reader. It takes some time to ramp up the stakes and action. I tend to prefer books with a faster pace, but I’m glad I hung around for the last half of Gemini’s Key because once it does get going, it’s quite a ride.
The cast is quite large, and I tend to struggle with names, even in “real life.” There were several times I had difficulty recalling who a specific character was. Each character also has their own named AI so it’s like two names per character. For future readers, there’s a helpful glossary of characters in the back of the book. If you can’t remember a specific name, you can flip back there and check it out. I wish I had known about that while I was reading.
There are no content warnings needed for this book. Yes, there’s some sci-fi violence, but there’s no graphic depictions, and no language or sexual content. I would feel completely fine with my thirteen-year-old reading this, and I appreciate that.
Overall, I found Gemini's key to be an enjoyable read that kept my interest throughout. There’s a twist in the final act that I did not see coming despite several clues left along the way.
I would recommend Gemini's key for anyone who enjoys a good sci-fi murder mystery adventure.
Gemini’s Key is an enjoyable sci-fi tale where the characters always took centerstage. The tech system is advanced enough but grounded in today’s reality. It wasn't confusing and didn't need much exposition.
The story asks for patience from the reader. It takes some time to ramp up the stakes and action. I tend to prefer books with a faster pace, but I’m glad I hung around for the last half of Gemini’s Key because once it does get going, it’s quite a ride.
The cast is quite large, and I tend to struggle with names, even in “real life.” There were several times I had difficulty recalling who a specific character was. Each character also has their own named AI so it’s like two names per character. For future readers, there’s a helpful glossary of characters in the back of the book. If you can’t remember a specific name, you can flip back there and check it out. I wish I had known about that while I was reading.
There are no content warnings needed for this book. Yes, there’s some sci-fi violence, but there’s no graphic depictions, and no language or sexual content. I would feel completely fine with my thirteen-year-old reading this, and I appreciate that.
Overall, I found Gemini's key to be an enjoyable read that kept my interest throughout. There’s a twist in the final act that I did not see coming despite several clues left along the way.
I would recommend Gemini's key for anyone who enjoys a good sci-fi murder mystery adventure.
September 8, 2023
One part classic space adventure, and one part cyberpunk thriller, Gemini's Key introduces a world that's diverse, gritty, and filled to the brim with cool tech, rich environments, and no small amount of political unrest. Reid Taskiran's search for the truth about his father opens the door to a galaxy of secrets, lies, and shady dealings. The only question is whether he will let the political and social pressure blow the galaxy apart, preserve long-dead secrets, or drag everything into the light of day.
The pacing begins with a slow heat, building to a full, rolling boil by the time Reid confronts his true enemies. The characters are sympathetic and immediately identifiable. These are people with struggles, flaws, ambitions, and hope. The world is lush and fully developed, from natural extensions of modern tech to wildly speculative alien worlds and wormhole travel. The writing is clean and concise, graphically descriptive, and clearly phrased.
Halverstadt has built a fully realized setting with empathetic characters and a clear sense of conflict and consequences. There is more at work here than we are able to perceive, which is good because there are more stories to be told! Written for an adult audience but suitable for a YA reader, Gemini's Key contains no obscene language, graphic violence, or sexual situations - just lots of mystery, intrigue, and sci-fi action!
The pacing begins with a slow heat, building to a full, rolling boil by the time Reid confronts his true enemies. The characters are sympathetic and immediately identifiable. These are people with struggles, flaws, ambitions, and hope. The world is lush and fully developed, from natural extensions of modern tech to wildly speculative alien worlds and wormhole travel. The writing is clean and concise, graphically descriptive, and clearly phrased.
Halverstadt has built a fully realized setting with empathetic characters and a clear sense of conflict and consequences. There is more at work here than we are able to perceive, which is good because there are more stories to be told! Written for an adult audience but suitable for a YA reader, Gemini's Key contains no obscene language, graphic violence, or sexual situations - just lots of mystery, intrigue, and sci-fi action!
August 14, 2023
I love starting a series at the beginning, especially fantasy or science fiction series. You get to be there from the start for the world building. Halverstadt builds a very believable and understandable science fiction world with planets and types of humanoids that come solely from the author’s imagination.
I think teen readers will be able to relate to Reid - who has to live up to (or live down) his family heritage. Reid is also someone they can look up to. He takes the negative experiences in his life and turns them into something to work to overcome.
Some of the characters in the story are Christians but Reid has a bias against Christianity so at this point the Christian influences are very subtle. I am curious to see where the Christian themes go in future books.
Gemini’s Key could find a place in a K-12 Christian school library. The book is appropriate for advanced middle school readers and older.
I received a complimentary copy of Gemini’s Key. This is my honest review.
I think teen readers will be able to relate to Reid - who has to live up to (or live down) his family heritage. Reid is also someone they can look up to. He takes the negative experiences in his life and turns them into something to work to overcome.
Some of the characters in the story are Christians but Reid has a bias against Christianity so at this point the Christian influences are very subtle. I am curious to see where the Christian themes go in future books.
Gemini’s Key could find a place in a K-12 Christian school library. The book is appropriate for advanced middle school readers and older.
I received a complimentary copy of Gemini’s Key. This is my honest review.
December 24, 2022
Great space opera romp.
February 2, 2023
This is a very good debut novel. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot just rips along. I can't wait for more books in the series.
February 21, 2023
H.Halverstadt created a galaxy both excitingly new and yet familiar enough that you can sink right in. You do not want to miss this!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews