In my quest to read and review classic science fiction, this has got to be one of my favorite stories I’ve read. Certainly my favorite Fredric Brown story so far (besides “Answer”). This story felt like such a modern idea in a way. But I wasn’t prepared for what came next.
Fredric Brown published “Arena” in 1944, where it was eventually inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. The story follows Carson, who finds himself on a strange planet, far from the ship he was flying. For some time, Earth has been battling aliens called Outsiders. Carson and a fleet must battle the coming armada. When Carson glances at his surroundings, he sees an Outsider rolling around in the distance. A voice then appears in his head, saying he needs to fight the Outsider to the death. Whoever wins saves their species from destruction.
I loved everything about this story. The concept was exciting, the action thrilling. There weren’t any moments where I felt the story lagged, even when the main character sat there thinking. I saw it as a classic example of building suspense. All the suspense paid off when I reached the end as well. (It kind of made me want to read it again, to be honest).
But I think what struck me most about this piece was how it taps into humanity’s ultimate quest for survival. I felt the adrenaline the entire time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the idea that humanity is desperate to survive articulated so well. Especially the line, “If you die, your failure will be the end of your race.” That set up the stakes quickly, and the story kept building from there. It got my blood pumping as I imagined what that situation would be like in real life.
This story also provides a classic example of how you need to up the stakes for your character, making them more desperate. I clearly spotted the try/fail cycles throughout. As Carson struggled, the action built up, so no minute of reading felt wasted. Every writer needs to strive for this. I recommend using this story as a template for how to build suspense and action.
“Scouts twenty billion miles out had detected the approach of a mighty fleet of the Outsiders. Those scouts had never come back, but their radiotronic messages had. And now Earth’s armada, all ten thousand ships and half-million fighting spacemen, was out there, outside Pluto’s orbit, waiting to intercept and battle to the death.”
I also loved the imagery throughout this story. It helped that the prose engaged me the entire time. However, I also pictured the personality of the Outsider alien easily thanks to how Brown described its movements. I think the story would have suffered otherwise if the alien had felt vague or abstract in some way.
I highly recommend this story. After reading some of Fredric Brown’s micro-fiction, it was nice to see more of his techniques and talent show in longer work. Overall, the piece is highly essential to the science fiction genre.
You can get a FREE LIST of 100+ science fiction and fantasy literary journals to submit to when you subscribe!
…
I have a freelance editing service now! Contact me about book editing, beta reading, and brainstorming book titles. Use the contact form below to ask for a free 15-minute consultation.
…
New to the blog? Check out my most popular post here!
#arenafredricbrown #bookreview
You can check out my AUTHOR SITE here.