Arena Mode

Book excerpt: THE ARENA MODE SAGA - KICKSTARTER'S #1 MOST-FUNDED SCIENCE-FICTION SERIES OF ALL TIME* BSFA Nominee - Best Science-Fiction Book of 2013* Part of the Florida State High School Curriculum* Shipped to 25 countries and translated into ItalianREVIEWS FOR THE AUTHOR "Blake Northcott's Arena Mode series grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. She's telling a story about unique characters in a unique world, and she's doing it with a unique voice. More, please." - Mark Waid (Kingdom Come) "Blake Northcott is the most exciting new voice to come to superheroes in over a decade. She's got a brand new angle on this material. I genuinely think she's going to be a game-changer." - Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service) "Sometimes you get a chance to jump on board a writers career at the start, before everybody else discovers how good they are. Blake Northcott is that opportunity. So jump on her already...wait, just read her books." - Dave Johnson (Superman: Red Son, Deadpool) "Blake Northcott is pretty much is making nerd dreams come true. Action, Suspense and Comics all at once? Can I make that a double, with a large side of blow your mind? ! Try not to fall in love. I dare you!" - Regina Carpinelli, CEO and Founder of Stan Lee's Comikaze SUMMARYIn his twenty-nine years, Matthew Moxon had done virtually nothing with his record-breaking IQ and unparalleled problem solving abilities. He'd been content with his lower-class existence: counting cards at the local casino, and using the winnings to finance his ever-expanding comic book collection. His life was blissfully uneventful until one morning, a dangerous fall lands him in the emergency room, and he discovers a tumor is pressing against his brain.Unable to afford experimental but potentially life-saving surgery, Moxon takes drastic action. He volunteers for 'Arena Mode', the year 2041's most vicious sporting event, where superhumans fight in an urban combat zone for a multi-billion dollar prize. Moxon is forced to battle opponents possessing ungodly speed, strength, and abilities once thought to exist only across the pages of superhero comics - and he's armed with nothing more than his rapidly-diminishing brain cells. With the odds stacked impossibly against him, he fights to not only survive the wrath of the other competitors, but to unlock the mysteries buried within the Arena itself.