Gladiator (Gauntlet Prime Book 1)
by Barry Solway
Fifty-two people disappear overnight from a beach resort in the Bahamas. Mel wakes up imprisoned on an alien ship, deep in space. Thoughts of her senior year in high school, of gymnastic competitions, dance lessons and going to college, are over. Of the fifty-two people kidnapped, only eight are still alive...
While experimenting relentlessly on the remaining humans, an alien scientist expresses a specific and mystifying interest in Mel. He offers her a sliver of hope for survival and a chance to return home: compete in the death-sport of the Gauntlets. No stranger to competition, Mel’s urge to win and protect her friends propels her forward. The experiments continue and, as Mel is forced to make desperate choices, she begins to question who she is. As she grows closer to understanding what has been done to her and her friends, the noose around them grows tighter. Faced with a fate worse than death, her identity slowly stripped away, can she save her friends - and more importantly, save herself?
While experimenting relentlessly on the remaining humans, an alien scientist expresses a specific and mystifying interest in Mel. He offers her a sliver of hope for survival and a chance to return home: compete in the death-sport of the Gauntlets. No stranger to competition, Mel’s urge to win and protect her friends propels her forward. The experiments continue and, as Mel is forced to make desperate choices, she begins to question who she is. As she grows closer to understanding what has been done to her and her friends, the noose around them grows tighter. Faced with a fate worse than death, her identity slowly stripped away, can she save her friends - and more importantly, save herself?