Title: Look ’N Up Invasion: An Exercise in Empathy
Author: Janice Carr Smith
Publisher: Janice Carr Smith
ISBN: 979-8987517901
Pages: 484
Genre: Genre Fiction
Reviewed by: Christina Avina

Read Book Review

It is often said that in order for someone to truly understand what another person is going through, one must be willing to walk a mile in their shoes, or in broader terms, they must be willing to live through life the way the other person has. Only by doing this can someone truly make a judgement call on the importance and value of another’s opinions. In a world such as ours, filled with disconnect and lines drawn in the sand throughout our society, being able to understand one another and leave judgement behind is someone not only to value, but that is needed for our society to move forward.

In author Janice Carr Smith’s Look ’N Up Invasion: An Exercise in Empathy, the author explores this concept through the meeting of two families. When a young twelve-year-old child on a far-off world nears his destiny to become the ruler of their known universe, his world is attacked in the latest 3-year cycle of attacks by deadly creatures who mean his people doom. Leading the boy and their family to a Holy Cave believed to house an ancient weapon, the current leader discovers instead the weapon is a means of transportation, and the family is left stranded on Earth in California. As the family is taken in by another family, Pomegranate farmers and ranch owners, the two families must learn from one another what life is like not only for the other, but tackle important themes before the predators make their way through the portal and attack an unsuspecting Earth.

The author does an amazing job of both world building and character development in this narrative. The mythos surrounding Baput and his people, as well as the dividing line between them and the people of Earth were brilliantly explored in this book, and the imagery in the author’s writing style really allowed this story to thrive and grow. The intensity and drama surrounding the families as their differences begin to grow, and the reality of both mindsets, good and bad, allowed the story to thrive and grow.

This is the perfect read for those who enjoy genre fiction, in particular those that enjoy a young adult, sci-fi and fantasy driven drama that also explores complex moral questions. The themes of this story really became the heart of the novel, as the story tested ideas such as religion vs. science, theocracy vs. democracy, women’s rights,