Galax-Arena

"Galax-Arena", by Gillian Rubinstein, is a 1995 science fiction novel following 3 children who are kidnapped by aliens, though it is not particularly science fiction (in fact, in some ways it is anti-science fiction). It deals with issues of slavery, what we know vs. what we believe to be true, the difference between children and adults, street people (children), and spirituality, to an extent.

The book is written as though Joella is writing it from her memory. She begins with an account of what life is like now for her family, and then tells the events that led up to this.

The Galax-Arena itself is a stadium-type place where human children perform death-defying stunts of gymnastics for a crowd. There are no safety nets or anything, in fact death is sometimes encouraged by their trainer Hythe. The children are forced to grow up very quickly in order to survive, but most of them already have, as they were street kids before they were kidnapped.

Those who can't perform, like Joella, and later Mariam, are taken to be pets. It is here Joella discovers that the Peb, as the children call themselves, are not performing for aliens, but for humans in costumes. It is part of an elaborate set up to make the children believe there is no way out, and because they believe it, it becomes true. They are actually still on Earth, but refuse to believe it when faced with the evidence. Only seven of the 30+ Peb get out, because only those 7 believe it possible that there is any hope left.

There was later a sequel, Terra-Farma. This picked up the story a year after Joella and her siblings left Galax-Arena, and follows their further brushes with Project Genesis Five, the organization who created the Galax-Arena. There was going to be a third novel called Universercus that would conclude the trilogy, but it was never published.

Summary of the Galax-Arena

Joella, Peter and Liane's story is one of anger and grief, even before their time in the Galax-Arena. Their mother left them and as a result, their father started going a little insane. A trip to Aunt Jill's is where their journey starts. A stranger named Hythe entices them by saying he was sent to pick them up. His flattery and charm (as well as a drug of sorts) soon has all of the children giggling and care-free. Soon, however, they realize that they have in fact been kidnapped as they enter an enclosed, remote base. They remain in a sort of stupor as they are strapped into a rocket and are launched with sickening speed into space.During their journey, between their lapses of unconsciousness, Hythe explains to them that they are headed to a planet called Vexak which is inhabited by an alien humanoid species, the Vexa. The children are to perform acrobatics and gymnastic skills for the Vexa in the Galax-Arena. When theyarrive at their destination, the three of them are all overwhelmed with grief and loss and agony. During their mourning, Hythe cares for them. Here and throughout the book, Joella emphasizes the similarities that her, Peter, Liane and all the rest of the children caught on Vexak, share with animals in captivity on Earth. Hythe is their care-taker so the children may hate him for keeping them there, but show something akin to love for him because he feeds and cares for them. At first the three children want to die but slowly they regain the urge to live. Hythe explains to them that the Galax-Arena is a sort of communal gathering area where the Vexa can watch and feel the children's adrenaline when they perform. The three of them are taken to meet the other children, who call themselves the "peb". Again, Joella explains that the children kept on planet Vexak are no longer children, which is why they wish to be called something other than "kids" or "child". The unique name also bands them all together as being a group. Peter has a major personality clash with Allyman, another 14 year old boy almost immediately. Throughout the story, this opposing chemistry is egged on by Hythe. Meanwhile, Joella is faced with the problem that she has no talent whatsoever at acrobatics and gymnastics which, Hythe knows and points out to her cruelly later on, will not help her if she wishes to prolong her stay with the rest of the peb. The only link with Earth they have is Liane's toy rabbit named "Bro Rabbit" which begins to be seen as a sort of mystical shaman/oracle to the peb and takes over Liane at certain times, making predictions and insults to the peb using its gravelly, rough growl of a voice. Hythe decides Joella does not have the required skill to make it as a gymnast so decides to get rid of her and turn her into a pet for one of the Vexa after the Galax-Arena performance. The Gymna (the room were the peb train) becomes made of something like crystal for the performance and Joella sees some Vexa through the glass wall. Joella learns that the Vexa are attached with devices at the Galax-Arena so they feel the danger and adrenalin the peb feel when doing dangerous stunts and tricks. The night before she’s going to become a pet Joella is told by Leeward that it’s up to her to convince the Vexa that pebs shouldn’t be forced to risk their lives for the Vexa’s entertainment. Hythe takes Joella to a tank were she is a pet for a Vexa who comes and strokes and pats her. Marian joins Joella as a pet for the Vexa when her twin sister dies because Peter convinces Hythe to make them work on Los Altos (the tallest bit of the Galax-arena) and her twin sister gets vertigo and falls to her death and Hythe decides she is Marian is a boring a gymnast. Back at the Galax-Arena Bro rabbit predicts Ashmaq’s death and he goes on to die in the performing in the Galax-Arena while Peter becomes more and more powerful in terms of authority. In the tank, Mariam is brought to join Joella as a pet for the Vexa but Marian is very mournful and refuses to eat leading Joella to think she may die soon. Joella becomes very suspicious of Hythe’s story about them being on Vexa when she sees a fly in their tank on what’s supposed to be an alien planet and she realises that it’s all set up and they are really on Earth. The next time the Vexa comes to pat them Joella takes off the Vexa’s glove and underneath is a wrinkled human hand, the supposed Vexa takes off her Vexa costume and reveals herself to be a very old woman called Emmeline. Emmeline tells the shocked Joella and Mariam that the Galax-arena is part of a massive experiment called ‘Genesis 5’ to give the extremely rich clientèle of Genesis 5 like Emmeline immortality by channeling the peb’s adrenalin into the old people’s bodies to trick the body into thinking it’s young and not close to death. Joella and Marian are extremely angry at Emmeline because many children had to die just to keep the clientèle like her alive. Joella realises that Emmeline is their only way of escape and tries to convince her to let them go, Emmeline is very unsure of whether to let them escape but Joella takes advantage of her tired, confused mind and she lets them free and gives them the card keys to access the elevators. Marian and Joella return to the Gymna to the peb who are amazed because know one has ever been kicked out of the Galax-Arena and returned. Joella and Marian tell the peb about them not being on Vexac but actually being on Earth but most of the peb don’t believe them. Leeward does believe them but Peter and Allyman who are now Hythe’s right hand men and have microchips hidden under silver bandages that allow them to create a mind numbing, painful, incessant buzzing to control the peb like Hythe, refuse to let them leave and Allyman summons Hythe. Hythe tells the peb that he needs to return Marian and Joella and take Leeward with them but in fact he plans to kill them. Bro-rabbit begins to insult Hythe and Hythe tells Leanne to stop the bro rabbit act which just makes bro rabbit insult him more. Hythe tells Peter to use his microchip to stop Leanne but Peter can’t bring himself to torture his sister so Hythe gets Allyman to do it which he does. The buzzing makes Bro Rabbit and Leanne scream in pain and Peter tackles Allyman to stop it while Leeward, Marian and Joella attempt to fight Hythe. Bro rabbit orders the peb to kill Hythe and Eduardo, one of the peb stabs Hythe then the other peb rip Hythe to pieces. Eduardo, Leanne, Joella, Peter and three other Peb leave the Galax-arena to discover all this time they’ve been in Australia. Peter leads them to a land rover and they make their escape but Joella is suspicious of Peter because he talks like Hythe and gave a thumbs up to a guard while passing the Galax-Arena security check. Peter feeds them drugged chocolate but Joella is suspicious so doesn’t eat any. Peter takes them to a tall mountain and tells them that they have to ump off the mountain. Leeward refuses and Peter starts his buzzing causing all of them to be forced closer to the cliff edge.

Leeward tells Peter to stop because he will do it on his own free will and jumps over. Unknown to Peter Leeward managed to land in a ledge of the cliff and was climbing back up. When no one else wanted to jump over the cliff Peter started the buzzing. Everybody surrounded Peter even though the buzzing was unbearable and Bro rabbit urged them on to attack Hythe the evil trainer Eduardo took out his knife and cut the microchip out of Hythe’s arm leaving Peter’s right arm bloody and limp. With the microchip no longer controlling him Peter runs to jump off the cliff and kill himself but before he can Leeward hauls himself over the cliff and grabs Peter stopping him jumping. Joella backs the land rover over the cliff where it explodes into flames.