ARENA

A fast-paced and gripping near-future science fiction debut about the gritty world of competitive gaming set in 2054 Los Angeles. RAGE=elite competition where the best gamers in the world compete in a no-holds-barred fight to the digital death. Every bloody kill is broadcast to millions. Every player is a modern gladiator—leading a life of ultimate fame, responsible only for entertaining the masses.

Every week, Kali Ling fights to the death on national TV. She’s died hundreds of times. And it never gets easier. Because though the game is virtual, the pain is real...

Kali and her teammates are the star attractions of the Virtual Gaming League’s RAGE tournaments, wherein teams of five compete in gladiatorial combat in the virtual world. With no safeguards, they feel every injury, every wound—every death. But being an elite athlete in the VGL has its perks: ultimate fame, zero responsibility, and nonstop partying at L.A.’s hottest clubs. Kali’s riding high, until her teammate overdoses and Kali is named captain, the first female one in history.

Now, she must confront the truth about the tournament. Because it is much more than a game—and even in the real world, not everything is as it seems. The VGL hides dark secrets. And the only way to change the rules is to fight from the inside.

Holly Jennings is a life-long gamer who has spent innumerable hours playing World of Warcraft and Call of Duty. Arena is her first novel. She lives in Canada, where she is working on the sequel.