What do you think?
Rate this book
Max August #4
The Arena Man
Legendary comics writer Steve Englehart returns to the adventures of Max August in The Arena Man , the fourth novel in his fantasy thriller series. Max August was once a regular guy, before he learned the ways of magick and immortality and became a staunch crusader against the supernatural forces of evil. Though immune to the effects of time, Max is not indestructible, and now he must face the vast, worldwide conspiracy known as the Necklace. Max has only a few allies in this fight among Pam, an apprentice in the alchemical arts, and Vee, a chanteuse with an uncanny knack for all things magick. But the Necklace is plotting a massive catastrophe fueled by the magical power of a demonic entity; using Black Ops helicopters to massacre tens of thousands of spectators in a domed stadium, re-awakening terrorist fears and destabilizing the U.S. government. Max will need all his magick, and all the help he can get, for him to have any chance to thwart the attack and survive to fight another day.
- GenresFantasy
363 pages, Hardcover
First published February 19, 2013
About the author
Steve Englehart
1,375 books101 followersSee also John Harkness.
Steve Englehart went to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After a stint in the Army, he moved to New York and began to write for Marvel Comics. That led to long runs on Captain America, The Hulk, The Avengers, Dr. Strange, and a dozen other titles. Midway through that period he moved to California (where he remains), and met and married his wife Terry.
He was finally hired away from Marvel by DC Comics, to be their lead writer and revamp their core characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern). He did, but he also wrote a solo Batman series (immediately dubbed the "definitive" version) that later became Warner Brothers' first Batman film (the good one).
After that he left comics for a time, traveled in Europe for a year, wrote a novel (The Point Man™), and came back to design video games for Atari (E.T., Garfield). But he still liked comics, so he created Coyote™, which within its first year was rated one of America's ten best series. Other projects he owned (Scorpio Rose™, The Djinn™) were mixed with company series (Green Lantern [with Joe Staton], Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four). Meanwhile, he continued his game design for Activision, Electronic Arts, Sega, and Brøderbund.
And once he and Terry had their two sons, Alex and Eric, he naturally told them stories. Rustle's Christmas Adventure was first devised for them. He went on to add a run of mid-grade books to his bibliography, including the DNAgers™ adventure series, and Countdown to Flight, a biography of the Wright brothers selected by NASA as the basis for their school curriculum on the invention of the airplane.
In 1992 Steve was asked to co-create a comics pantheon called the Ultraverse. One of his contributions, The Night Man, became not only a successful comics series, but also a television show. That led to more Hollywood work, including animated series such as Street Fighter, GI Joe, and Team Atlantis for Disney.
Steve Englehart went to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After a stint in the Army, he moved to New York and began to write for Marvel Comics. That led to long runs on Captain America, The Hulk, The Avengers, Dr. Strange, and a dozen other titles. Midway through that period he moved to California (where he remains), and met and married his wife Terry.
He was finally hired away from Marvel by DC Comics, to be their lead writer and revamp their core characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern). He did, but he also wrote a solo Batman series (immediately dubbed the "definitive" version) that later became Warner Brothers' first Batman film (the good one).
After that he left comics for a time, traveled in Europe for a year, wrote a novel (The Point Man™), and came back to design video games for Atari (E.T., Garfield). But he still liked comics, so he created Coyote™, which within its first year was rated one of America's ten best series. Other projects he owned (Scorpio Rose™, The Djinn™) were mixed with company series (Green Lantern [with Joe Staton], Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four). Meanwhile, he continued his game design for Activision, Electronic Arts, Sega, and Brøderbund.
And once he and Terry had their two sons, Alex and Eric, he naturally told them stories. Rustle's Christmas Adventure was first devised for them. He went on to add a run of mid-grade books to his bibliography, including the DNAgers™ adventure series, and Countdown to Flight, a biography of the Wright brothers selected by NASA as the basis for their school curriculum on the invention of the airplane.
In 1992 Steve was asked to co-create a comics pantheon called the Ultraverse. One of his contributions, The Night Man, became not only a successful comics series, but also a television show. That led to more Hollywood work, including animated series such as Street Fighter, GI Joe, and Team Atlantis for Disney.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 9, 2013
In this alternative history world, Steve Englehart continues his storyline about Max August, a timeless wizard and warrior trained by the great Cornelius Agrippa to fight evil wizards and evildoers. Althought the world is interesting, this novel is flat. The author seemed mostly to be treading water and keeping the series going by focusing on the development of other characters and the evil doers.
Max is training his disciple Pam Blackwell in how to also become timeless and a wizard. Meanwhile, Max's old girlfriend, a wizard, was almost killed in a prior novel, but her spirit went into the body of another woman. Max has been searching for her for years, but the girl, who after nearly going insane from having two minds in one body, has finally forged a new personality, Vee, who is a singer.
Vee has in her hands a magical book written by Cornelius Agrippa, from which she is learning magic.
Max and Pam find out that the Gemstone, a vast evil conspiracy led by a bunch of fanatics who dream of taking over the world, have been attacking people in America in black helicopters that are travelling through magical portals. It seems that Peter Quince, an evil mage that Max previously defeated, is helping the Gemstone, but Max does not know what there ultimate target is.
The leadership of the Gemstone is fractured. The leader is being protected by a diabolah, basically a star like being that can control humans. Peter Quince, the wizard who works for the Gemstone is possessed by a demon.
Max infiltrates the Gemstone forces on the ground while Pam ends up in sub alternate universe hunting for a powerful talisman before the demon can get it. THe novel spends a lot of time with Pam on her quest, with the various machinations of the Gemstone, and the plots of their leaders and with Vee, who has her own confrontation with an artificial person, a psychic vampire who seeks to imprison Vee and ingest her vitality and wizard powers. Vee must choose a means of destroying the evil vampire.
Naturally the diabolah and the demon square off in a mostly nonsense battle and Pam ends up fighting Quince, while Max is barely involved.
Fourth book was not the charm in this series.
Max is training his disciple Pam Blackwell in how to also become timeless and a wizard. Meanwhile, Max's old girlfriend, a wizard, was almost killed in a prior novel, but her spirit went into the body of another woman. Max has been searching for her for years, but the girl, who after nearly going insane from having two minds in one body, has finally forged a new personality, Vee, who is a singer.
Vee has in her hands a magical book written by Cornelius Agrippa, from which she is learning magic.
Max and Pam find out that the Gemstone, a vast evil conspiracy led by a bunch of fanatics who dream of taking over the world, have been attacking people in America in black helicopters that are travelling through magical portals. It seems that Peter Quince, an evil mage that Max previously defeated, is helping the Gemstone, but Max does not know what there ultimate target is.
The leadership of the Gemstone is fractured. The leader is being protected by a diabolah, basically a star like being that can control humans. Peter Quince, the wizard who works for the Gemstone is possessed by a demon.
Max infiltrates the Gemstone forces on the ground while Pam ends up in sub alternate universe hunting for a powerful talisman before the demon can get it. THe novel spends a lot of time with Pam on her quest, with the various machinations of the Gemstone, and the plots of their leaders and with Vee, who has her own confrontation with an artificial person, a psychic vampire who seeks to imprison Vee and ingest her vitality and wizard powers. Vee must choose a means of destroying the evil vampire.
Naturally the diabolah and the demon square off in a mostly nonsense battle and Pam ends up fighting Quince, while Max is barely involved.
Fourth book was not the charm in this series.
May 12, 2025
A good story that takes some unexpected, but not un-logical (or at least as logical as magick and fantasy stories can be) twists and turns. Unfortunately, like any good comic book writer, the story is left hanging for, I assume, a grand finale fifth book to wrap up all the ongoing plotlines.
Sadly, since it has been 12 years since the publication of this fourth Max August novel and since Englehart is nearing 80, I don't think we're going to see that finale.
Sadly, since it has been 12 years since the publication of this fourth Max August novel and since Englehart is nearing 80, I don't think we're going to see that finale.
July 21, 2016
Steve Englehart began his writing career as a comic book writer back in the '70s. Working primarily for Marvel Comics, Englehart wrote some classic runs on such titles as "The Avengers" ("The Celestial Madonna" arc), "The Defenders" and "Captain America and the Falcon" (the infamous "Secret Empire" arc). Late in the '70s, Englehart moved over to DC Comics and wrote for that company for a time. A tenure that included a very popular and famous run on "Batman's Detective Comics" which many consider a gold-standard for the Batman character. In the '80s, he began to work on some alternative comics company, particularly Eclipse Comics, where he created such characters as Coyote and Scorpio Rose.
It was also in the early that Englehart wrote the first Max August novel, "The Point Man". It would take him some thirty years before he returned to that character with the novel, "The Long Man", which in turn was followed by "The Plain Man" and more recently (like three years ago), this, the current Max August novel, "The Arena Man".
The Max August series are essentially supernatural thrillers, in which the titular character, assisted currently by his lover, Pam Blackwell, fight against evil magical forces. In particular, their adversary is a shadowy organization known as the Necklace. In each of the last three books, Max and Pam fight to prevent the Necklace from world domination through the use of magic.
Despite how corny and cliched that might sound, the books are highly entertaining and well-written. Englehart moves the story along at a quick, smooth pace and includes some fairly interesting people.
The only major problem I have with this book and the previous ones is Englehart has yet to go beyond his earlier days as a comic book author. Max and Pam's mystical talents are stand-ins for the usual superheroic powers and the Necklace is not that far removed from the evil organization, Hydra, seen in various Marvel comic books. Being a comic book fan (still), I don't necessarily find this a huge drawback, but I do wish Steve Englehart's style and skills evolve beyond the superheroic comics he wrote.
But still, "The Arena Man" was a fun read. I liked it a lot and look forward to the next installment of the series. (And judging by the ending of "The Arena Man", I'm surprised there hasn't been a fifth of the Max August series.) It's also a change of pace from the previous two books in that August doesn't really do much in the battle against the Necklace. Instead, various supernatural and members of the Necklace are battling it out amongst themselves. It's not something you may notice right off, but it is a change of pace.
It was also in the early that Englehart wrote the first Max August novel, "The Point Man". It would take him some thirty years before he returned to that character with the novel, "The Long Man", which in turn was followed by "The Plain Man" and more recently (like three years ago), this, the current Max August novel, "The Arena Man".
The Max August series are essentially supernatural thrillers, in which the titular character, assisted currently by his lover, Pam Blackwell, fight against evil magical forces. In particular, their adversary is a shadowy organization known as the Necklace. In each of the last three books, Max and Pam fight to prevent the Necklace from world domination through the use of magic.
Despite how corny and cliched that might sound, the books are highly entertaining and well-written. Englehart moves the story along at a quick, smooth pace and includes some fairly interesting people.
The only major problem I have with this book and the previous ones is Englehart has yet to go beyond his earlier days as a comic book author. Max and Pam's mystical talents are stand-ins for the usual superheroic powers and the Necklace is not that far removed from the evil organization, Hydra, seen in various Marvel comic books. Being a comic book fan (still), I don't necessarily find this a huge drawback, but I do wish Steve Englehart's style and skills evolve beyond the superheroic comics he wrote.
But still, "The Arena Man" was a fun read. I liked it a lot and look forward to the next installment of the series. (And judging by the ending of "The Arena Man", I'm surprised there hasn't been a fifth of the Max August series.) It's also a change of pace from the previous two books in that August doesn't really do much in the battle against the Necklace. Instead, various supernatural and members of the Necklace are battling it out amongst themselves. It's not something you may notice right off, but it is a change of pace.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2013
In a world beset by secret conspiracy, one man and one woman stand alone... The book feels quite cinematic at spots, but keeps the deft characterization of a novel. It takes the modern world and applies a bit of secret history -- magic does exist, although only usable by a few people -- and mixes in conspiracies and secret societies in a nice blend of action and characters.
The two main heroes are partners and magic-users; but it's been made clear that they're not equally powerful in magic. But magic is kept in the background for a good chunk of the book, which focuses on the problems of gathering intelligence and letting people know what's going on, when lies flow easily to everybody's lips. Even in the conspiracy, limitations are explored, and characters have different motivations and backgrounds; there are some nice parallels among characters but each feels different. I'm trying to avoid spoilers, so I'll wrap up; but I think this is a very well executed book, and doesn't feel too encumbered by the rest of the series (which I have not read).
The two main heroes are partners and magic-users; but it's been made clear that they're not equally powerful in magic. But magic is kept in the background for a good chunk of the book, which focuses on the problems of gathering intelligence and letting people know what's going on, when lies flow easily to everybody's lips. Even in the conspiracy, limitations are explored, and characters have different motivations and backgrounds; there are some nice parallels among characters but each feels different. I'm trying to avoid spoilers, so I'll wrap up; but I think this is a very well executed book, and doesn't feel too encumbered by the rest of the series (which I have not read).
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews