Arena

Rating:
Summary: Pager Turner Christian Sci-Fi Allegory
Review: Pros:
Good action, keeps you turning the pages.
Interesting Christian allegory. Really keeps you thinking about spiritual matters while you read an excellent story.
Great ending: I even got a little emotional at the end

Cons:
Some holes in the plot where it seems things were just put together to make it work.
I disagree with some of the truths the allegory is promoting, but still a worthy attempt. Mostly, Armstrong places such a huge emphasis on human choice/volition, and I am more of a believer in God's sovereinty causing our choices to be for Him.

All said, a great book. I appreciate Christians writing in this field and filling the story with allegory. There needs to be more of it. I look forward to reading her next book, soon to be available.

Rating:
Summary: Arena: award winner, author's 1st book = success
Review: Sadly, I finished reading Arena. Yes, I want to read more about Pierce, Callie, the maze, and the suspenseful journey this new author created. Clearly, Arena deserved the 2003 Christy Award.

I look forward to reading Karen Hancock's Light of Eidon, Legends of the Guardian-King (1 of 4). When I finish the 1st, I know I'll be eager to read the rest. Book 2, THE SHADOW WITHIN will be available in August 2004.

I found Karen Hancock on Amazon when a page read, "Customers who bought this book also bought: Arena and Light of Eidon."

Thanks Karen Hancock AND Amazon for providing great material for readers.

Rating:
Summary: More of a mirror than an "allegory"
Review: There are stories that are realistic in tone, but not at all true. And there are stories that are clearly fantasies, yet are filled with truth. _Arena_, like other literary classics such as _Lord of the Rings_ and the _Narnia_ books, falls in the latter category.

The book's cover has several quotes from other authors referring to _Arena_ as "allegory", but I don't think it really fits that description. Certainly it's not the sort of story in which a character named Faith wanders through the Desert of Despair in search of the Oasis of Hope. Hancock respects her readers' intelligence enough to write a story chock filled with deeper meaning without having to hit them over the head with a clue stick. Back in my day, they didn't call this sort of writing allegory. They called it good literature. If you must call it something else, call it an extended metaphor. Or perhaps a novel-length parable. But whatever you choose to call it, this isn't just another tired rip-off of _Pilgrim's Progress_.

You will find as many overt references to "God" or "Christ" in this CBA-published book as there are in the LOTR Trilogy or the Biblical book of Esther, and yet there are few (if any) scenes in this book in which a Christian worldview fails to shine through. Oh, God *is* in the Arena, all right. Just don't look for him to appear by that name, along with a host of characters all saying "Praise the Lord!" and "Hallelujah!" and doing all the right things at the right times until someone says the "sinner's prayer", because _Arena_ isn't a thinly disguised sermon like most CBA offerings. This is a story in which characters display realistic feelings and make hard choices--often even wrong choices--and where even the "good guys" don't always know God's will, or have all the right answers.

In fact, the word "choice" pretty much sums up what _Arena_ is all about--the free will which God has given us to make our own decisions, to seek His will or to only satisfy our own desires, the freedom to learn from our mistakes and grow from them, or to repeat our bad choices over and over again until they destroy us. It is a story that reveals unconditional love and grace, but also reveals that willfulness and wrong choices will lead to painful, yet just, consequences. Our choices, and whose guidance we choose to follow or disregard, determines our outcome. Simple as that. And just as difficult. In order to help people make the right choices, the Arena provides a written manual, and also a Benefactor. Sound familiar? And just as in real life, people in the Arena are not any better at trusting in authority or following directions than we are.

This is a bad thing, yes? Well, no, because this means that _Arena_ has believable characters whom we can all relate to. I saw myself in so many different guises while reading this book--both myself at my best and myself at my very worst. And often I'd see both of these sides of myself in the same character. You see the full spectrum of human nature in this book. You also see lives being transformed--some for the better, and some for the worse. You see characters dealing with inner struggles and battling with temptation. Sexuality is dealt with very realistically here. Although you won't find any sex scenes graphically described (if that's what you're looking for, leave this book alone and go find something under a "Harlequin Succumb" imprint or something similar instead), Hancock doesn't shy away from creating characters whose feelings of attraction for each other can cause problematic choices. But as we all know, and tend to forget, temptations are not always sexual. In fact, they're more frequently not. We struggle daily with the temptation to give in to our fears and insecurities, to control our own destinies, to give in to our pride, to bask in our self-righteousness, to reject God daily and go our own way. We long for relationship and intimacy with God and with others, yet frequently pull away from these things the moment we sense that things aren't going our way, according to our own self-limited notions of how things ought to be.

_Arena_ is a book that will stick with you even after you've read the last page. I finished the book on a Saturday night, yet the next day I was constantly reminded of it. I had read the book fairly quickly, reading more for story content than for the deeper meaning (although I suspect it's pretty nearly impossible to *not* see some of the deeper meaning in _Arena_ right from the start, at least if the reader shares the author's worldview), but the sermon and Sunday School lesson on Sunday morning brought out even more of _Arena's_ hidden treasures. There was hardly a Scripture reference or pastoral anecdote that didn't contain something that didn't make me smile and think "Yes! That's so right, so true...and didn't I just read an example of that last night, when so-and-so did such-and-such? Why do we *do* that to ourselves?" This was a book that I finished one night, and immediately began re-reading as soon as I could the next day, wanting more.

This is a book for anyone who enjoys fiction that holds up a clear mirror to life. This is not a book for the squeamish, though. If you think that books should contain no unpleasantness, avoid _Arena_. If you think violence is completely out of place in a Christian book, this is not the book for you. Sorry, but real life is frequently violent, and _Arena_ doesn't shy away from depicting reality in any of its horror, as well as in its beauty and splendor. Sometimes our choices, or the choices of others, lead to horrific consequences. _Arena_ shows this unflinchingly. It displays, in the limited world of the fictional Arena, the hellish depths to which we all have the potential to sink, and the heavenly heights to which we all aspire, even when we ourselves hamper--occasionally even knowingly--our own ability to get there.

Rating:
Summary: Worth a 100 stars!! My Favorite Book!
Review: This book is a must must read for all! I have read this book numerous times and each time I finish, I love it all the more! Karen Hancock has given us a masterpiece of literature. In a way it is a science fiction version of "Pilgrim's Progress". The characters are so real and loveable I sure you will love them as I do. Although it is a great science fiction book in and of itself, it has an underlying current and message that will renew Christians and their relationship with Jesus Christ. I thank Jesus that He has blessed Karen Hancock with the ability to write such wonderful books... I await future Hancock books with expectation.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!!
Review: This book is fantastic! The action is great and the characters are imperfect but perfect, the bad guys are awesome, and the setting shows amazing imagination. I didn't want it to end! If you're put off by the description of the book as Christian, don't worry because it is so subtle you can take the story at face value if you want. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: Please read it!!!!!!!!
Review: This book will change your life. Read it, I beg you.

I hated to put it down when I was done. Thankfully, Ms. Hancock wrote other books that I could pick up. She is a truth-teller and holds nothing back. Some things you really wish she would hold back, they are so convictingly correct about human nature. My favorite things she lays on the table, though, are the truths about the One who loves us despite all our flaws. I love fiction books because you are able to see the things you've always known in a different setting. It challenges you to decide if you really believe what the Bible is saying. Whether you believe God is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can. And, do you really believe you are who God says you are and that you can do what God says you can do?

Read Karen Hancock's books. Wow. They are the most enjoyable tools God has used in my life to this date.

Rating:
Summary: Non-Fantasy Reader Conversion
Review: Usually I avoid fantasy but wanted to give this book a chance. I have no regrets! This book went above and beyond any expectations I might have had. It doesn't matter if you have never read a fantasy before; this book is easy to follow. After finishing "Arena" I didn't want to start a new book because I knew it wouldn't measure up!

"Arena" is a futuristic allegory based on Christianity but can stand without any knowledge of the religion. Callie Hayes signs up for a psychology experiment and ends up in an alien world. She quickly learns to keep moving to avoid prickly plants, greedy bugs, and other "innovative bioforms." Callie meets another human, Pierce, who has been in this obstacle course for years. At first Callie does not trust Pierce enough to leave the path she is following. But after Pierce saves Callie from swarming Harries she realizes that she must join Pierce and his friends if she wants to stay alive. The only thing they don't know is how to get out.

Rating:
Summary: Profound allegory with compelling characters and good story
Review: Usually I don't reread a book as soon as I finish it, but with Arena that's exactly what I did. I wanted to be sure I enjoyed the full flavor of any bits of symbolism I might have missed the first time around. Arena offers a good story with compelling characters, but what makes it really special is the powerful allegory. It's not preachy, just profound. I am looking forward to future publications from Karen Hancock.

Rating:
Summary: if not more.
Review: while I should have been reading Jane Eyre for my summer reading, my friend managed to convince me that this was one of the best books she had read. I figured it was worth a try after she explained to me that is was SciFi; Issa isn't one of the usual SciFi freaks that I am. She also told me that it was an allagory (or however you spell that), and so I figured it would begin to bore me after the first few chapters. It was opposite everything I expected it to be. Arena is a fabulous read, with tantalizing twists and turns in the plots, keeping you glued to its pages. I can't wait to read the other books by Mrs. Hancock. The fact that it was a very original plot line excited me beyond all belief; as a writer of a novel myself, (which is soon to be published) I know how hard that can be to create something even relitively new. Please, at least give it a try!

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Journey (No Spoilers Here!)
Review: Wow! What a journey, what an ending, Arena is a must read. I think Evie Delacourt's review, "More of a Mirror than an Allegory", says it all, check it out. I also saw Arena as a mirror reflecting back the truth of our existence. It was a marvelous adventure with just the right amount of tension and then release. It was like an exciting aria that crescendos to a climax only to ebb away to bring you back once again. The progression of inner and physical struggle, perseverance and then rest beautifully parallels the walk to spiritual maturity. Each battle and segment of the journey heralded a new truth discovered. The truths in Arena are many but are subtlety woven into the fabric of the story and are not preachy and overbearing. To over analyze minor plot elements though (like the size of someone's bosoms), is to miss the forest for the trees. To over simplify Hancock's message is a mistake. This is a story that will stick with you and readers will ultimately decide what its message is to them. This has already been demonstrated in several of the reviews. Some have speculated that Elhanu was God others have concluded that he was merely an alien with great powers. I know what He was to me, but readers will have to decide that for themselves. But if you are the type of reader who just likes a good, exciting story, you will also enjoy Arena. It is jam packed with excitement and even a bit of romance. You'll fall in love with Arena, I did.