Review: The Culling by J.C. Andrijeski

Title: The Culling
Author: J.C. Andrijeski
Series: Slave Girl Chronicles, Book 1
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Release Date: 31 August 2011

Jet is a 19-year-old skag, one of the humans still living free on Earth following an invasion of creatures called the Nirreth. Squatting in the ruins of Vancouver, Canada, Jet and her family eke out an existence underground, hiding from the culler ships. No one knows where the ships take the people they take, but they never return. When a culler finds Jet, she may discover the truth the hard way.

This was the longest short book I've read in a long, long time. It felt like one long set-up and everything took F...O...R...E...V...E...R.... to happen or explain.

I spent so much time in Jet's head, with her musings, that you'd think I had a good idea of who she is, as a person; you'd be wrong. I spent so much time in Jet's head, with her musings, about the world at large that you'd think I would have a clear idea of what's happening...wrong again.

Jet is a carbon copy of every other prickly heroine in the YA world. Thrust into circumstances beyond her control, she's trained with a sword - why I'm not entirely sure - and suddenly she's likely going to end up as the spark of the rebellion against their alien overlords. I honestly can't say much more about her than that, because even though I've just finished I don't remember anything else about her.

I'm still not sure what's happening in the world. At one point she mentions that it's warming the whole world over - that the Nirreth (the aliens that invaded several (how many? Not sure) years ago) ruined our world because they like it warmer so they're making it warmer. But then she talks about wearing a "winter coat," which threw me. Then there's the poisoned water, poisoned earth, poisoned air, meat, food. I have no idea how that happened.

Apparently the aliens are keeping the humans as pets, or something, and they've created domed (maybe) cities where they have fake skies, have bred T-Rex, and have decided they like watching humans fight. I don't even pretend to understand.

I skimmed a good portion from the 30% mark on, because it just didn't make sense, and it was rambling.

Additionally there were just too many inaccuracies that made me unable to suspend my disbelief for the rest of the story.
**140 square miles is not a large city by "old Earth" standards
**Doing what is expected of you, what you're told and what you're directed to do is passive.
**I still don't know how a bow (and arrows) can fit in a "tube," in a backpack.
**If aliens can catch your "bio-readings" without you actually being visible, and they have "heat sensors" to find you - isn't it probably likely that hiding is a bad idea?
**Your spine is in the middle of your back - no need to clarify that.

Needless to say, I hope, I won't be continuing this.

Grade: F

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