Science Fiction
Arena
Back of the Book:
Transported surreptitiously to a terrifying alien world, with limited resources and only a few cryptic words to guide her, Callie Hays finds herself engulfed in a perilous battle for freedom—and for her very life. She must unravel the mysteries that shroud her only route of escape, or risk succumbing to the deadly deception of the Arena.
My Review:
I completely LOVED this book! This book ranks up there on my top-ten list of all-time favorites. Karen did a marvelous job of creating a world that shows the truths of Jesus and his love. All of the things that Elhanu does for the humans is what Jesus does for us. He loves us and allows us the freedom to choose. He doesn’t force us to obey him, but he does present us with innumerable opportunities to accept Him, just like Elhanu in this book. Our link to Jesus is always open. All we have to do is access it. The road to heaven really is as easy as just asking. If you have any questions about why God gave His people free will or want to know more about God’s love, you should definitely read this book!
Karen created a wonderful allegory that is able to stand alone. The only mention of the Bible is in the few Bible verses printed on the title pages of the three sections. Otherwise there is no mention of Jesus or heaven or the Bible. It wasn’t even obvious to me that the story was a true allegory until I’d read about a third of the book. Things like the "sucker path" (thinking you are still on the right road when it’s really not right), the manual (directions on how to get out), immune to dying (going to Hell) while on the right path, etc… are all things in Christianity. Karen really thought of everything in this book. Everything has a meaning for the story, and it is also a truth in our lives.
The only thing I didn’t like was that the descriptions of scenic views, and actions of the characters were sometimes hard to follow. I wasn’t able to picture the events as clearly as I am able to in other books, but that may be merely because the plants and animals Karen was describing are not ones we can look out of our window and see. Or, I may just be dense, and normal people wouldn’t have a hard time understanding her. ;-)
That aside, the insights you receive from reading this book far outweigh any uncertainties about the look of the land. My faith, love, and understanding of Jesus as my Lord grew immensely, and I would recommend this book to anyone! I’m not just saying that. When I first read the synopsis of this book I wasn’t impressed. Only after reading one of Karen’s other books did I want to read this one. I am so glad I did. Even if you aren’t a sci-fi fan, you should read this book. It isn’t overpoweringly sci-fi-ish. Go borrow/buy it!