A Parallel Universe,

Book Review:

         When I first heard about Karen Hancock’s novel Arena, it was because of a reading contest in my sophomore year of high-school. Upon reading the description what appealed to me most was the fact that it was a fantasy and it had, what seemed to be a more original sci-fi-ish story-line. Wow, did I underestimate this book.

        The novel by Karen Hancock beautifully tells the story of how a young woman, Callie Hays becomes trapped in an alien world where she has limited resources and there are dangers everywhere. Of the traps is the alien world, the other humans trapped with her provide one of the most dangerous snares in Callie’s effort to survive.

         As the tale progresses, Callie discovers that she has been brought to the alien world along with the other humans to be witnesses to goodness and love of the Lord ruler alien, Elhanu. There is also a tempter in this story whose name is Prince Cephelus. This antagonist is a fallen prince who seeks to lure the human’s love and loyalty away from Elhanu and through his deception many humans find temporary pleasure and happiness, however, it is a trap and some humans who fully embrace these temptations are turned into trogs who are evil creatures that seek to harm individuals who maintain their humanity.

          Does this sound familiar yet? It took me two times reading this book to fully understand that this book reflects the Bible and brilliantly portrays the truth of Jesus and his love for all individuals.         

           The true identity of Elhanu is identified in chapter 25:

                   “Elhanu grinned---…’And you were wondering why in the world I play this little

           game, aren’t you?’

                     They glanced at one another uncertainly.

                     The Aggillon leader sobered. ‘It’s not a game. You need to trust me. This’ ---he

           Gestured at himself--- ‘seems to help.’

                     Again his words met silence. Then Whit shook his head. ‘But that isn’t really

            you, is it sir? I mean, you look like somebody’s father, when you’re anything but.’

                     ‘Here, I am your father,’ Elhanu said quietly. ‘In more ways than you know. And   

           there is nothing false in this image I present to you.’

                     ‘Except that it isn’t real.’

                      Elhanu smiled. ‘It may not be all that I am, but it is very real. And certainly it is

           the most comfortable for you right now.’

           ‘Will we ever see you as you really are, sir?’ Callie asked.

           ‘Eventually’” (302-303)

           This quote is so important to the purpose of the book, it is amazing. Elhanu is revealing to the humans, who have made it to a certain point in their pilgrimage, that he is their father. In a beautiful way Karen Hancock has paralleled Elhanu, the ruler to the alien race, Aggillon, to Jesus, who is my savior.

         With the help of some symbolism, this book also could be interpreted as an allegory for John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress. Callie, who portrays Christian, has a friend with her in the beginning, who decides, when troubles arise, that she would be better off going a different way. When Callie is teleported into the alien arena, she is instructed to stay on the white road and she will be able to make it out of the arena safely. Only when she diverges from the white road on to a ‘suckers path’ does she end up in trouble. “’Look back the way you’ve come.’ He gestured over his shoulder. ‘It isn’t white, it’s pink. You’re on a sucker path’” (39). It is only much later that Callie, like Christian, realizes her mistake and returns to the path. Another parallel with Pilgrims Progress is that when Callie finds herself in the arena, she has been given a few supplies and among them, is that is referred to as the Manual throughout the book. The Manual is a book that has pretty much all the information that Callie needs to make it through the arena. The Manual is quite obviously a parallel of the Bible, which aids a Christian through the trials of his faith.   

          Karen Hancock’s novel Arena, helps me understand some of the massages the Bible presents. The setting of the book is in modern times and use many phrases that I am familiar with, thus I was able to relate more closely to the story. The text put into perspective, for me, the journey experienced by Christians and brought the challenges and difficulties closer to home for me.

         Every time I read this novel I notice new messages or new subtleties that I did not notice in the previous times I read it. One part of this book that I find somewhat challenging is picturing in my mind some of the descriptions of the scenery, creatures and actions moments. Particularly, the action scenes were a bit difficult to follow, though I could follow the results easily enough, however, it was a bit trying to comprehend what was happening during, say, a very violent battle scene.

         Especially, when Callie is defending her new faith to her best friend, I find that, as a Christian, I can relate to the difficulty and pain sometimes created by defending what I believe in. Also, I understand the amazing feeling when I stick to my principles and beliefs, and not back down.   

         This text means a lot to me because of the understanding that it helps me gain and the hope that it gives me. You should definitely read this novel.

Citation:

Hancock, Karen. Arena. Bloomington: Bethany House Publishers, 2002