Arena by Karen Hancock

Book Description:
Callie Hayes is living a life of fear and disillusionment when she volunteers for a psychology experiment that promises to turn her life around. As her orientation proceeds, Callie becomes frightened by the secrecy and evasion she encounters. When she demands to be released from the program, she is suddenly dropped into a terrifying alien world and into a perilous battle between good and evil. With limited resources and only a few cryptic words to guide her, Callie embarks on a life-changing journey. Will she decipher the plans the Benefactor has established for her escape, or will she succumb to the deception of the Arena?

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This was definitely and unusual novel, at least for me. And I don't mean that in a negative way. In fact, I really enjoyed this novel. Arena was a fast paced, fantasy read that continued to keep me in suspense. I say it is unusual, because I am not really sure how to describe it to you, especially without giving too much away. However, I will try ...

Once our heroine lands in the Arena things get interesting and very confusing for her. Much like life for us. We have choices to make, people we place trust in, circumstances not of our choosing and those we get ourselves into, but do we chose wisely or do we err. This story has a good bit of allegory in it, which I happen to like. Our heroine and others she encounters in the Arena are given instructions and even a manual to help guide them safely through... Much like we are given guidance in God's Word. The thing is do we use what we have been given, do we trust or do we let our pride, fear and desire to be in control win out?

I will say that in the Arena, there is danger, there is evil and the battle isn't always a physical one but a mental one as well. While there are some gruesome things that happen there, Hancock does not go into gory details. She gives you enough info to hold the suspense but not too much that you can't sleep at night. I hope that makes sense!

Hancock is very imaginative and wove a good tale. For those who like Sci-Fi or things like the Matrix but done in Christian allegory, this is right up your alley. Interesting & though provoking!