Galax-Arena is a science-fiction novel, written by Gillian Rubenstein in 1995. It covers the story of three children who are kidnapped on the way to their aunt's place and taken underground, while under the false impression that they are in another planet, miles away from Earth.
The protagonists of the story are Peter, the elder brother, Liane, the adopted younger sister, and Joella, the narrator of the book. The book begins with the three kids trekking all the way to their aunt's distant residence, only to find that a man, Hythe, has been sent to pick them up. They follow him, only to find themselves drugged and kidnapped. They are taken aboard an epic rollercoaster through space, and arrive at a distant planet called Vexak. They are told that they are being expected to perform like animals for the inhabitants of this planet, the Vexa. They find that many other unwanted children have also been brought here. Joella, not having her siblings' gymnastic talents, is soon made into a pet for the Vexa. But it is her that discovers that escape is possible, and that all of them have just been tricked and that there are no aliens; they are still on earth.
Galax-Arena follows the kids' experiences and is a recount of Joella's life throughout her time at the planet Vexak. It is an epic novel that challenges the value of competition versus teamwork. Throughout the book, we can see an evil plot unfolding; The planet Vexak is really just an underground project run by an organisation show more called Project Genesis Five. The group kidnaps talented children and train them to perform death-defying stunts for the rich and ageing to raise their adrenalin levels; supposedly found to halt the ageing process and allow them to live longer, therefore never dying.
This novel explores topics of abuse, choices, ethics, friendship, values, freedom and child exploitation. The author has written this book based on our human society today, pointing out the vulnerability of neglected or isolated children who will grab at anything that can provide them with self-esteem and a sense of security. The tones in Galax-Arena are heavy with danger and threat.
I would recommend Galax-Arena to any competent readers, as the transitions between patwa and English are a little hard to follow. It is a great read for anybody in a high school year level. Readers who are easily scared or sensitive might not want to attempt this book, as some of the scenes are written so well we can feel them as if they were real. show less
The protagonists of the story are Peter, the elder brother, Liane, the adopted younger sister, and Joella, the narrator of the book. The book begins with the three kids trekking all the way to their aunt's distant residence, only to find that a man, Hythe, has been sent to pick them up. They follow him, only to find themselves drugged and kidnapped. They are taken aboard an epic rollercoaster through space, and arrive at a distant planet called Vexak. They are told that they are being expected to perform like animals for the inhabitants of this planet, the Vexa. They find that many other unwanted children have also been brought here. Joella, not having her siblings' gymnastic talents, is soon made into a pet for the Vexa. But it is her that discovers that escape is possible, and that all of them have just been tricked and that there are no aliens; they are still on earth.
Galax-Arena follows the kids' experiences and is a recount of Joella's life throughout her time at the planet Vexak. It is an epic novel that challenges the value of competition versus teamwork. Throughout the book, we can see an evil plot unfolding; The planet Vexak is really just an underground project run by an organisation show more called Project Genesis Five. The group kidnaps talented children and train them to perform death-defying stunts for the rich and ageing to raise their adrenalin levels; supposedly found to halt the ageing process and allow them to live longer, therefore never dying.
This novel explores topics of abuse, choices, ethics, friendship, values, freedom and child exploitation. The author has written this book based on our human society today, pointing out the vulnerability of neglected or isolated children who will grab at anything that can provide them with self-esteem and a sense of security. The tones in Galax-Arena are heavy with danger and threat.
I would recommend Galax-Arena to any competent readers, as the transitions between patwa and English are a little hard to follow. It is a great read for anybody in a high school year level. Readers who are easily scared or sensitive might not want to attempt this book, as some of the scenes are written so well we can feel them as if they were real. show less