Earth-Sim

Earth-Sim by Jade Kerrion

(Summary taken from an email the author sent me) "Have you ever wondered who’s really in charge of the world? If there’s a God, He seems accident-prone. How else can you explain the mass extinctions, global floods, and worldwide plagues? Are there days when you want to shout out to the uncaring sky, “Is there an intelligent, well-executed plan behind this mess? Wonder no more. From Jade Kerrion, author of the award-winning Double Helix series, comes an occasionally whimsical, frequently irreverent romp through the history of Earth, as seen through the eyes of the two students and the android assigned to shape the future of the planet in EARTH-SIM. Seamlessly blending popular culture with history, science, and religion, this crash course in planetary management will charm and entertain as you attempt to decipher just how much is fact and what else is fiction. Either way, you finally have someone to blame for the shape our world is in."

I enjoyed this book. At times I found it humorous, sad, shocking, clever, and interesting. It is very unique, and I like that. I never would have thought to take our world and put it in the hands of college students, but a lot of historical events were cleverly explained. I'm Christian, so I wasn't sure if I would like it or think it blasphemous, but I enjoyed it. It isn't anti-Christian in any way, so that made it much more fun to read and get in to. I liked the characters, and thought the character development was good. Jem and Kir are very different, but I saw both character-types at the university I attended. There is the goody-two-shoes who wants to be perfect and and has a plan (hahaha.......should I insert my name here?), and then there is the spur-of-the-moment, whatever happens, happens kind of student (the kind that drove me crazy.....). I definitely related more to Jem, but I actually ended up really liking Kir. Kav is pretty cool too. I liked the storyline. There were times I wasn't sure where it was going, but it ended up getting there and I enjoyed it. I liked the secondary storyline because it made the characters more "human" to me. I think Ms. Kerrion could have spent a little more time with the secondary story, I thought it almost seemed rushed, but there was enough to make it understandable and little enough to make it mysterious and intriguing.

There is a minimal amount of language in the book, but besides mass extinctions and plagues, there is no violence.  Jem does live with her boyfriend, but there is no "physical intimacy." All in all, I liked this book and do recommend it. I thought it was fun and entertaining, and I really liked the uniqueness of it.

Rating: PG-13 (Minimal language)

Recommendation: 13 or 14 and up. I think a 13-year-old would be able to understand and enjoy it. I don't think the 12 or under crowd would enjoy or understand it as much. As always, I do recommend that parents read it first to make sure it is ok for their child, as each child is different.

Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.