Customer Reviews

The Enclave (Thorndike Christian Mystery)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Welcome to a world of an underground enclave full of people who don't realize that the world they know isn't one built on truth. The Enclave by Karen Hancock delves into scientists who build themselves as gods and one man stands in their way. Full of twists and turns, The Enclave, provides a suspense packed read that is fast moving and keeps your attention from the first page.




Lacey McHenry accepts a dream job at a world known Kendall-Jakes Longevity Institute, escaping her past or so she believes. Cover-ups, a strange intruder and late night encounters Lacey realizes that all is not as bright and legitimate as she once thought. A co-worker who also works at K-J as one of the top researchers and also is trying to escape his past becomes entangled with a plot larger than he. Struggling to find who they can trust, not knowing if they can trust each other, they must rely on God.




This is the first time I've read Karen Hancock and am glad that I had the opportunity to do so through Bethany House's blogger review program. She has written a wonderful book that focuses on God's will for His people even while showing the side that Satan wants us to believe - cloning and murder are okay. Full of plot twists even the reader will find themselves trying to figure out who Lacey should trust, her boss or fellow Believer, Cameron. This is a read that will keep you up at night and you will be pleased that you did. There is no explicit romance scenes - two kisses are exchanged - so this makes for an enjoyable read and one that can be safely called Christian.

This is such a hard book to review. I love fantasy / speculative fiction and I love a good mystery, suspense as well. Put the two together and I am usually in 7th heaven! This time I ended the book just a little confused. It will be hard to explain without giving anything away, but I'll try.

In the first two chapters we are introduced to Lacey and Cameron. Cameron is a genius scientist with an emphasis in genetics and Lacey is the new intern at this amazing science facility Kendall-Jakes where the owner, Parker Swain, is trying to change the world. Everything is present day and starts getting edgy when a very odd stranger breaks into the facility and attempts to assault Lacey. Cameron helps her but then mysteriously the next day, Lacey is being told that what she thinks happened is just her delusions and she stands back as everything that happened is covered up.

In the next two chapters we are thrust forward as we enter "New Eden" and find a community of people that are living in a post-apocalyptic world underground. Here they are not allowed to go above ground because of the toxins and the Enforcers are given a third eye (literally). Zowan, Terra and Parthos are trying to make sense of life below the surface.

We switch back and forth between the two scenes every couple chapters and the whole time I'm trying to figure out what they are both doing in the same book. Cameron starts having flashbacks to his military days involving ancient things. He is hearing voices and Parker Swain is looking suspicious.

Karen ties it all together beautifully and really weaves an amazing story. It just went a little over the top for me with the ancient stuff (which I can't name), without that the story would've been great. That of course is just my opinion, but that is why I review for you :-)

I have to say that I was thrilled with this book. I've never read a Christian Sci-Fi before and it had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I was shocked by all of the Science in the book, but even more at how relevant the main character's stand for his faith is like ours today.
This is a book that explores a fictional future through the eyes of one who believes in a non-fictional God.

I was so enamored with this novel that I had to e-mail the author before I even finished it and tell her how excellent it was. Among other things, I told her how I'd be surprised if this didn't turn out to be her best selling novel yet. I'm thankful that I found Arena all those years ago and turned into a Hancock fan.

Lacey McHenry, new research assistant at the Kendall-Jakes Longevity Institute, runs into trouble shortly after she's hired. Not only have all the frogs in the tank escaped, but a strange man attacks her in the lab. When she tries to investigate, the powers that be cover up any evidence of the break-in and accident. What are they hiding?

Though geneticist Cameron Reinhardt is clumsy, aloof, and forgetful, Lacey feels he's the only one she can trust to help her sort things out. They sort of team up and work together to find the truth and expose those who are up to some pretty nefarious deeds.

I rooted for the good guys, hated the bad guys, felt empathy and hate and frustration, and my heart beat faster quite frequently. Readers will experience a variety of emotions, keeping them safely encompassed in Hancock's fictional world.

Speaking of the world, Hancock didn't create a fantastical world for this book--it's our own. However, the characters experiment, play God, encounter the occult, and discover some very disturbing and fantastical things/beings along the way. One important point I took away from the book is that science and faith can coexist.

I only wish I could say more about the plot and themes, but I would be giving too much away for those who haven't succumbed to the curiosity they must be feeling about this novel. '

Well I will admit I was a little confused by this book to start off with. There were two very separate stories going and I did not see any connection at all in them (there was a small reference that did connect them though... and you can see it come together as you get further along)

Anyhow, a little slow to start but as I got drawn in I found it to become more and more interesting. I couldn't put it down by the end and had a lot of "AHA" moments while reading it. Hancock was good at drawing the stories together and twisting them into an intrinsic work of art!

Why was Cameron so scared of the past? Why was Lacey so stupid lol. (I mean that in the nicest way lol)

I love that this book brings the "future sci-fi" into face. It was very interesting, and makes you wonder a lot about that sort of thing. The second story really was wild, but I love how it connected in the end.

The Enclave, by Karen Hancock, is a riveting Christian suspense/science fiction novel that keeps you turning the pages. Lacey McHenry is a young scientist who accepts a fellowship at a world renowned research institute. Little does she know that there is more than meets the eye at the institute and she is quickly caught up in a web of deception. Her only ally seems to be a brilliant geneticist, Cameron Reinhardt, who doesn't seem to fit in with the institute's top echelon. But can she really trust him? Who can she trust? With twists and turns along the way, the author explores the realm of genetics and cloning and what could happen when science is explored without ethical boundaries about life and God.

Although I don't typically read science fiction, I found this book interesting. It was a little slow to start with, but picks up quickly. I liked the Christian aspect of the characters, however, I feel it could have been developed a little more fully. Overall, I feel it is a good read. I think it would make an excellent movie!

Bizarre.

That's the only word I can think of to describe it. I've never heard of a Christian Sci-Fi genre, but this book would definitely fit into it. I kept having flashblacks to last week when I watched "The Incredible Hulk".

The book was well-written, and the story line was well-developed, but it was definitely NOT what I was expecting from the summary on the back cover.

I probably won't read any other books by this author, simply because I'm not a fan of sci-fi. If you like sci-fi, however, you'd probably very much enjoy this book.

A new direction for Karen Hancock. Filled with suspense and intrigue, The Enclave is a captivating and satisfying ride. Uncompromsing, dark and thrilling. Rarely does a Christian author set aside manipulation and subtlety to deliver a clear message and masterful storytelling all at the same time. You will not be dissappointed!

Mary H.

As I expected, this book will not disappoint the reader. Talk about sensational. Talk about a page turner from page one. Talk about intense characters. Talk about the beginnings of plot line twists and turns. Talk about the Christian being scorned and ridiculed. Talk about subjective villains. Talk about the triumph of faith over fear. Talk about peace and contentment in a relationship with Him. Once again Karen Hancock has delivered a knockout.

This was my first exposure to Karen Hancock as an author. I'm intrigued enough now that I'll want to track down her previous series, The Legends of the Guardian-King.

My overall impressions with this book were mixed. The first 70-80 pages seemed to plod slowly on, taking too much time to develop the characters and the plot. Once past that, however, and the pace became a page-turning sleep-depriving experience... until the final few chapters. Then, I simply had to suspend any sense of belief in reality and just finish the story to the end. My frustration with this book was just this: whittle down the first portion to about 10-15 pages, change the ending, make this a 300-page book instead of nearly 500 and it might work better for me.

Cameron Reinhardt's character seems to have a great deal of Mrs. Hancock in him. She too was in the scientific field, came to faith in Christ and probably knows full well Cam's experiences of being mocked, ridiculed, and being put on "stage" to defend his beliefs in light of science. Hence, he seems like a believable character, although his brain-freezes at times really irked me. I guess that means I allowed the character's reality to become a part of me. Well done, Mrs. Hancock.

Lacey McHenry flightiness and ability to get "tossed to and fro by every wave and wind of doctrine" was quite maddening. Again, I'm wondering if this is the sign of an very good author's ability to make me really upset with one of her main character's.

The chief villain of The Enclave, Parker Swain, however was a problem for me. I don't care for "bad guys" who are just too easy to hate and despise and Swain was really easy from the outset. While in character he may have set a dashing figure, he just came off as a greasy, mealy-mouthed Jekyll and Hyde who could sway people with his words. Yet no one seemed to have the ability to see through, what was clearly evil deception... except me right from the start. It was very disappointing for he clearly had no redeeming values.

One last comment about the plot: I don't want to give away the ending, but if an author is going to write "speculative fiction" that will have one of its anchor points a "grey understanding" of a portion of Scripture, the author must be careful, in my opinion, to not make that one piece appear "so whacky" that it's not only unbelievable in the book, but then makes others have greater grounds to doubt the reliability of Scripture. I recently watched the movie "Knowing" and was left wondering, at the end, "How could they come this far with a plausible idea and then miss it so badly?" That was a bit of my experience reading The Enclave.

I realize this all sounds a bit negative, yet Mrs. Hancock's style was engaging and, as mentioned, the middle portion had me for quite some time. All this is enough to make me want to check out her other works and see what she does with some real sci-fi/fantasy themes.