The Enclave [Paperback]

Karen Hancock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009

When Lacey McHenry accepts a prestigious research fellowship at the world-renowned Kendell-Jakes Longevity Institute, she sees it as a new start on life. But a disturbing late-night encounter with an intruder leads to an unexpected cover-up by Institute authorities, and she soon realizes there's more going on than she ever imagined.

She finds a supporter in genetics researcher Cameron Reinhardt. However, Reinhardt is a favorite of the Institute's director, and she can't help wondering if he, too, is in on the cover-up. The brilliant but absentminded researcher turns out to have his own secrets, some of them dark and deadly. The Enclave is characterized by adventure, intrigue, spiritual analogy, and romance, all set in an unusual but fully realized world--one that may have its foundations on earth but which, the more one learns of it, doesn't seem much like the earth we know at all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hancock has cleaned up at the Christy Awards for excellence in Christian fiction with four previous visionary novels (most recently, Shadow over Kiriath), but this one falls short. Researcher Lacey McHenry has a lowly position at the cutting edge Kendall-Jakes Longevity Institute, where a peculiar intruder sets off a complex chain of events that draws together McHenry and researcher Cameron Reinhardt— a man with a powder keg of a past—as the two try to solve the riddles that keep cropping up in their workplace. Hancock has a plot so complicated that a lot of elements are unsatisfactorily resolved or are simple red herrings: Lacey's abusive ex-husband, a host of intriguing but underdeveloped secondary characters, military action in Afghanistan that is part of Reinhardt's past. Narrative energy instead goes to didacticism: Reinhardt, an evangelical Christian, argues with his fellow scientists about evolution in an episode that's more polemic than dramatic. Visionary fiction is a narrow niche, and the Christian biblical literalism driving key action in the plot won't do much to enlarge the audience. (July)
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From the Back Cover

When science tries to play God, can one man summon the courage to stand in its way?

When Lacey McHenry accepts a prestigious research fellowship at the world-renowned Kendall-Jakes Longevity Institute, she sees it as a new start on life. But when a disturbing late-night encounter with a bizarre intruder leads to a cover-up by Institute authorities, she soon realizes all isn't as it seems.

Caught in an elaborate game of deception and seduction, her only ally seems to be the brilliant but absent-minded geneticist, Cameron Reinhardt. A favorite of the Institute's charismatic director, Cameron, too, came to K-J hoping to escape his past. But the more he learns about Lacey's attacker, the more he fears that the past still pursues him.

Not certain they can trust each other, Cameron and Lacey reluctantly work together to uncover the shocking secrets that lurk behind the Institute's respectable facade--secrets that turn out to be bigger, stranger, and far more dangerous than either of them could have imagined.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; 1 Original edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764203282
• ISBN-13: 978-0764203282
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,220,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars true Christian suspense! October 5, 2009

By Sarah J. Bailey

Format:Paperback

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting August 30, 2009

By Janna R. Ryan

Format:Paperback

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 :-)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Christian Sci-Fi? August 19, 2009

By A. Belcher

Format:Paperback

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.