Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences

Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky
Candlewick Press, 2010
227 pages
YA; Fantasy
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Read for Best Overlooked YA Book Battle.

 It takes ten seconds for the aliens to invade Earth, killing most of the population but allowing a few with higher mind powers to live and serve as slaves.  One of those is Jesse, narrator and high school student.  At the reassignment camp, he meets four others who survived and they plan a desperate escape from the aliens.

This was a pretty fast read, alternating between Jesse's descriptions and entries from the head of the alien invaders Lord Vertenomous, who has his own concerns such as for his wife and family and trying to live up to his father's expectations.  The aliens view the humans as lower lifeforms but something about them enables a resistance to sprout, a resistance in which Jesse wants to participate.  Fleeing through the American Southwest and discovering new abilities forms the bulk of the narrative.

For me, this book was fine but nothing extraordinary that made me fall in love. I liked the treatment of the aliens and the general sci-fi tone.  There were quite a few humorous moments and even a sprinkling of romance.

Cover: Very plain, not to my taste.