TALTRIX Book One SURVIVING THE GAUNTLET

by Cecilia Copeland

Overview

Literary Titan: Gold Book Award. "Copeland's dense worldbuilding allows for the cast and their backstories to shine... An engaging interplanetary cross-genre story that's only just getting started." - Kirkus Reviews

"From the opening chapter, the intricate world-building captivates, drawing readers into a future that feels both imaginative and hauntingly plausible... Surviving the Gauntlet is a dynamic and immersive sci-fi adventure that blends exhilarating action with emotional depth and imaginative world-building. Whether you're a seasoned science fiction fan or new to the genre, this novel offers a fresh and engaging story that will leave you eager for more. If you're searching for a book that not only entertains but challenges, this is a must-read." - Literary Titan

In the year 5514, what we would call magic has evolved into dark biodynamics. RT, short for Redder Torch, is on her way to Taltrix, the most prestigious space cruiser university in all three regions of colonized space. She's reuniting with her older brother Avi, and together they hope to find safety, far from the shadow of their father and his dangerous legacy.

Grave Torch, their father, is a notorious criminal held in a supermax prison after the Final Wars when he kidnapped his children and made a desperate claim: that RT was the unifier of the multiverse, a prophesized figure in the ancient tenets of dark biodynamic research. Since then, everyone has an opinion on RT-many of them hostile. Her only true ally is her brother, but his girlfriend's hidden agenda threatens to drive a wedge between them.

Every year, Taltrix students must prove themselves by running the gauntlet on the mercenary training planet Keplar Neptune. When RT steps into the gauntlet, the entire galaxy tunes in to watch. If she fails, she'll lose her powers-and her life. But if she survives, it will validate her father's prophecy, risking a resurgence of the wars that once tore the galaxy apart. RT must embrace her destiny while fighting to survive. But when her father rigs the gauntlet against her, will she prove her father right and ignite a new war, or will she find a way to forge her own path? The future of the galaxy hangs in the balance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798990267855
Publisher:	Cecilia Copeland
Publication date:	05/11/2024
Pages:	386
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.05(d)

Editorial Reviews

2025-03-21
In this distant-future SF/fantasy debut and series launch, a supernaturally gifted young woman endures hostility at an elite university.

Redder “RT” Torch suffers for her father’s sins. Years ago, Grave Torch kidnapped her and her older brother, Avi, apparently convinced that RT had powers that enabled her to unify the multiverse. This ultimately ignited the Final Wars, and Grave Torch rightly sits in prison. Now that RT’s psychic gift has developed, she’ll be leaving her Mars home to study and train aboardTaltrix, a spaceship university. On the plus side, she’ll reunite with Avi, who’s been there for a year. There’s friction as well, thanks to the Torch siblings’ infamous father. RT gets bullied more than Avi since she’s the alleged unifier and noticeably stronger than most fellow students, though that doesn’t hinder her plan to excel in the upcomingTaltrix-sanctioned gauntlet, held in a coliseum. But for the spectators, will this prove that RT is the unifier, the very same issue that started a war? Copeland’s dense worldbuilding allows for the cast and their backstories to shine.Taltrix students, for example, hail from one of the Three Regions (within the Milky Way); they enhance features with alien DNA, showcase telepathic/telekinetic abilities, and maybe dabble in “new religions,” like Unism (whose loyalists side with Grave). RT meets her share of amicable peers, mean kids, and someone to crush on, and the adults are just as varied. Parts of this first installment are deliberately vague, including specifics on the multiverse, the Final Wars, and colonization on other planets. Nevertheless, a primarily unknown menace—someone is launching mental assaults against RT and Avi —ramps up suspense, as do such unpredictable characters as Grave and several others harboring secret agendas.

An engaging interplanetary cross-genre story that’s only just getting started.

Kirkus Reviews