About J. A. Merkel
Author | World-Builder | Creator
I grew up on a farm with eight brothers and sisters running around barefoot and playing on dangerous farm equipment (usually not at the same time). I’ve always felt attuned to nature and animals, and was lucky enough to grow up around both, which fueled my love for adventure even more.
And yet, I soon discovered that my true love was for reading and writing.
I love the world-building depth of Sanderson, Herbert, and Le Guin. Collins and Riordan bring the heat when it comes to immersive commercial fiction. I love Simmons’ complexity; his mind-bending stories leave me on the edge of my seat and change the way I look at the world.
If books like this could change my life, why couldn’t I do the same for other people?
That’s why I write. To give people hope and a second chance at something. Second chances about what, you may ask? Well, I can’t reveal all my secrets here. It’s certainly a big part of why I wrote The Fall Gauntlet series.
Oppressive regimes are not a reflection of my own beliefs and are written purely for entertainment purposes. Either way, you’ll have to decide for yourself who the “bad ones” are. Are you ready to embark on your own adventure? Click the button below.
I appreciate your interest in my work.
The Fourth Portal is Opening …
What The Tribe is Saying About
The Fourth Portal
Books by J. A. Merkel
The Fourth Portal
The Fourth Portal
Fenri is a Knowledger, a brilliant collector of information who dreams of discovering the ocean’s secrets. The tribe’s Masters grant her permission to explore the ocean, but only if she first traverses the perilous desert with four strangers to retrieve a precious base metal. Despite a condition that makes her slower and weaker than her counterparts, Fenri accepts the mission, eager to prove her worth.
She will succeed or die trying.
Explore Your Favorites Series By J. A. Merkel
The Fall Gauntlet
Benji Calyx is so close to saving his mother from her off-world prison when he steps onto the Fall Gauntlet arena for the finals. Victory means his wish—to save his mother—will be granted, but not all is as it seems. The Dei are angry, the Crown is scheming, and Benji’s final opponent, the bear, is Benji’s estranged younger brother, Soren.
Things just got a lot more complicated.
Much to his horror, Benji has created a living nightmare in which the Fall Gauntlet does not end. When a strange man and his “rat” followers offer to help the brothers leave the capital by sewer, the brother’s escape plan takes a dark turn.
If they can’t rise above their own past hurts, and the lies that continue to haunt their family, Soren and Benji may indeed die at each other’s hands.
The Fall Gauntlet continues …
In the mountains beyond the desert, a harrowing secret about the totem animals is revealed, one that exposes the very foundations of the gauntlet itself. If Benji doesn’t figure out how to stop a mysterious and ancient force before it strikes, he’ll forfeit any chance he has of saving his mother, once and for all.
The Fall Gauntlet continues . . .
In the desert oasis town of Oajin, both the Crown and a murderous condor totem appear, forcing Benji to face his enemies head-on. But as the lines between friend, foe, and lover blur, he risks being ensnared in a web of lies that will send him down a one-way track to an endless black hole of pain, one more excruciating than death itself.
The Fall Gauntlet continues …
Benji and Soren will do anything to save their family, but the Crown isn’t going to make it easy …
Get Books 1, 2, and 3 in this special edition omnibus collection, which includes BEAR, RAT, and CHRYSIX.
The Fall Gauntlet continues . . .
Explore Your Favorites Series By J. A. Merkel
The Fall Gauntlet
Benji Calyx is so close to saving his mother from her off-world prison when he steps onto the Fall Gauntlet arena for the finals. Victory means his wish—to save his mother—will be granted, but not all is as it seems. The Deus are angry, the Crown is scheming, and Benji’s final opponent, the bear, is Benji’s estranged younger brother, Soren.
Things just got a lot more complicated.
Much to his horror, Benji has created a living nightmare in which the Fall Gauntlet does not end. When a strange man and his “rat” followers offer to help the brothers leave the capital by sewer, the brother’s escape plan takes a dark turn.
If they can’t rise above their own past hurts, and the lies that continue to haunt their family, Soren and Benji may indeed die at each other’s hands.
The Fall Gauntlet continues …
In the mountains beyond the desert, a harrowing secret about the totem animals is revealed, one that exposes the very foundations of the gauntlet itself. If Benji doesn’t figure out how to stop a mysterious and ancient force before it strikes, he’ll forfeit any chance he has of saving his mother, once and for all.
The Fall Gauntlet continues . . .
In the desert oasis town of Oajin, both the Crown and a murderous condor totem appear, forcing Benji to face his enemies head-on. But as the lines between friend, foe, and lover blur, he risks being ensnared in a web of lies that will send him down a one-way track to an endless black hole of pain, one more excruciating than death itself.
The Fall Gauntlet continues …
Benji and Soren will do anything to save their family, but the Crown isn’t going to make it easy …
Get Books 1, 2, and 3 in this special edition omnibus collection, which includes BEAR, RAT, and CHRYSIX.
The Fall Gauntlet continues . . .
Your Next Adventure Is Waiting
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