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LETTERS & ReVIEWS |
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Thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the victory and the majesty, Indeed, every thing that is in the heavens and the earth; Both riches and honor come from thee. . . and it lies in thy hand to make great. Now therefore, our God we thank Thee, for all things come from Thee. I Chronicles 29:11- 14 The Lord has made it very clear that whatever ability or talent I have to write anything another person would actually wish to read (much less gain some enjoyment or benefit from) has nothing to do with me. He gave it to me. I didn’t ask for it, work for it or deserve it. If I have persisted and worked hard to make my work the best I can make it, that, too, is only a function of His grace. He gave me the time, the opportunities, the finances, the energy, the health, the encouragement and even the desire that kept me going. And publication is no less a gift than any of the rest of it. (If you knew the whole story, you’d see just how much of a gift it is!) But it does put the book out there where more people can read it, people I don’t even know. The thought is still a little hard to grasp, that there are readers out there for whom my book was written, people I’ve never met, and may never meet this side of Heaven. But God knows who they are. And He has given me the privilege of providing a blessing for them, of possibly encouraging, enlightening, or just entertaining and amusing them. And that is just so incredibly cool it blows me away.
REVIEWS: “Good contemporary Christian allegory is rare, but this first-time novelist delivers an engrossing, well-paced contribution to the genre.”
~ Christianity
Today “A welcome addition to the science-fiction genre, Arena parallels the Christian life in many ways . . . Hancock has crafted a spellbinding story, gritty and tough, yet full of hope." ~CBA Marketplace “. . . Succeeds in every area. Arena is not only an excellent allegory, but if you were to take the allegorical aspects out of the book, it would still be an excellent read.” ~Nancy Marie for MyShelf.com “Karen Hancock is a powerful storyteller. She knows how to be subtle. She knows how to build suspense and write white-knuckle action scenes. Arena is one of the best-drawn fantasy novels I have ever read. I am in eager anticipation for Hancock’s next novel.” ~Phillip
Tomasso III, author of Johnny Blade & Third Ring, for Bookbrowser.com “Hancock . . . can take her place in the wave of fine science fiction coming from evangelical presses these days.” ~John Mort for Booklist “Hancock's intense debut is an excellent -- though edgy -- contribution to the genre. . . . admirably dashes most of the reader's preconceptions about the plot as the story progresses through a series of twists, turns and well-paced developments. If this book is any indication, the future should be bright for this promising novelist.” ~ Publisher’s Weekly “. . . an enticing journey filled with danger, passion and temptation. Vivid descriptions transport you inside the Arena where you will meet a cast of well-developed and believable characters . . . Karen Hancock has found her niche in the science fiction genre and I will eagerly await her next literary offering.” ~Sterling Pearce for
Gotta Write
Network Online “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 . . . whatever you choose to call it, this isn't just another tired rip-off of Pilgrim's Progress . . . read more ~Amazon.com Reviews LETTERS: “Arena is fabulous. I couldn’t have written
it, but I’m glad you did. . . Showing “The Way” as a struggle rings true to
readers, believers or not. I’m giving it away to friends.” -- Craighton
H., IL “My wife and I both read your book (from the
library) and liked it so much that we’re purchasing a copy from CBD so we can
read it again and have our kids read it as they get old enough..” -- Barry & Donna M., Internet “I think it may be the best book I have read
in ages. I was completely riveted. Your characters were wonderful. And best
of all, the spiritual truths were very, very helpful to me. I found myself thinking of the “lessons”
of the Arena and applying them to my own life.” -- Linda N., Internet “I just finished reading your book yesterday
and I absolutely loved it. I love allegories . . .but this was especially
good because I can relate it to my own life and my walk with God. Also, I LOVED the love story! . . . I have been and will be recommending
this to all my friends. -- Cassie G., TN “I just read Arena and immediately started
over and read it again! What a wonderful book, delightfully allegorical and a
wonderful adventure in its own right. It is a masterpiece. -- Betty Z, AL “I LOVED it!!! I almost don’t want to read
anything else now, because I’m afraid it won’t measure up. -- Pearl C., OH “Somehow you have managed to join, in my
humble opinion, a single handful of contemporary authors whose work makes my
heart race—and for a 50-ish conservative male on beta-blockers, that’s an
amazing feeling.” --Dave
V., IN “I just finished Arena. I couldn’t put it
down. It has been 24 hours and I am still going over sections and can apply
them to my life.” -- Liz P.., IL “I loved it. I don’t know when it’s been that
I have not only been completely enveloped in reading a book, but in the days
since I have caught myself back in it . . . thinking about my favorite parts,
reliving the story again and again in my mind. I found it refreshing to have
a novel that not only contained such an incredible romance, but that you kept
it on the moral high ground. -- Jill
Y., Internet “I just wanted to write and say thank you for such an awesome book, Arena. I “accidentally” picked it up at my local library because it looked fascinating. When I got home, I was disappointed to find it was Christian—only because most Christian sci-fi-fantasy, et. cet hasn’t been very good. But I was hooked! I read the 400 page book in a day and immediately began to re-read it. Wow, wow, wow. I’ve already recommended it to several people.”
-- Sherry J., Internet “I just finished reading Arena and was
absolutely blown away by it! What an incredible book—it kept my interest
until the very last page and was the perfect mix of everything. I wasn’t sure
at first that I would enjoy it, as I don’t usually read science fiction and
was pretty certain I would not like it. Like it? I loved it! . . . You can
bet this is one book I will be raving about to anybody and everybody.” -- Tracy
C., Internet “I absolutely loved it. The best compliment I can give you is that
as soon as I finished, I wanted to start reading it all over again. I don’t know when I’ve last had that
reaction to a book. I believe it will
become a classic. -- Nancy
F., AZ “I have enjoyed reading Arena tremendously,
and so have two of my sons.” --Marian
M., Netherlands “I loved it! The story absolutely gripped me
and I felt as if I was in the arena myself . . . an absolutely exciting
adventure! -- KayLyne N., WA “Thank you for writing Arena! You did an
awesome job. I have not seen such quality sci-fi writing in the Christian
world since C.S. Lewis! Awesome! Loved it.” -- Sandy
F., FL “Thanks so much for your writings. Such an
inspired reasoning of the Christian walk. Enjoyed it soooo much. Just finished, tears in eyes, and a
revelation of God’s perseverance, forgiveness and love while entrusting us to
do the right thing, follow. Thanks
again. -- Steve L., Australia If you've read Arena and have a comment you'd like to have included on this page, drop me a line. You can click here to email me. I’d love to hear from you! |
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