A perfect pick-me-up for the Pandemic era, this is John Scalzi's take on (homage to?) the pulp sub-genre of lost world stories: Burroughs, Verne, Doyle, Crichton,King Kong, and Godzilla updated for the nuclear age. By Scalzi's own description, it's a literary pop song; if so, it has a great beat, you can absolutely dance to it, and it's a huge amount of fun to read.

The kaiju world is extremely interesting, the characters are likeable, the dialogue is snappy and often laugh-out-loud funny, the action sequences are gripping, the monsters become sympathetic, the plot hits all of the lost world tropes without slowing down, and we even get a narcissistic billionaire tech bro as a villain.

Definitely worth reading if you enjoy adventure science fiction.
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Wonderful science fiction, great adventure mixed with humor. Filled with new concepts. The most imaginative
Science fiction I’ve read in years.

This book was just what I needed right now. It's the perfect escapist novel. I was highly entertained and had so much fun. The science is not something I can vouch for but it's very interesting and easy to understand. What I loved most is how funny it was without trying too hard, it's full of witty banter and laugh out load moments without turning into a comedy. I would recommend this book to everyone who enjoys sci-fi/fantasy and needs an escape from reality for a little while.
Thank you Netgalley and Tor/Forge for the ARC!

This book is a delight to read. It’s like of Avatar had Godzillas instead of blue people. I laughed out loud in multiple sections of book and would 100% reread on a day I needed a funny pick me up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan/Tor-Forge, and John Scalzi for this incredible eARC.

The Kaiju Preservation Society is the perfect balm to the exhaustion and weariness that set in as we enter the 25th month of the pandemic. Excellent pacing; complex 4-dimensional characters that actually evolve from their 3-D counterparts over time as they learn and grow; perfectly timed jokes & pop culture references; and a near-perfect allegory for our modern ills. The world building is stellar and the book short enough to read in a single sitting... the butt cramp will be well worth it!

Another thoughtful, sweet and gentle entry in the Monk and Robot series. A few moments that I found profound, and then the general clutter of life as a monk traveling with a robot.

My first Scalzi book, and a great fast read. Yes, super fun and funny, as other reviewers have stated, but not fluffy - some pretty serious issues discussed, even if in a funny way.

As the pandemic gears up, our protagonist loses his tech job and is reduced to delivering food for the app he once actually worked for. Then he gets a much weirder job. Kaijus, asshole billionaires, and gleeful fun ensue. It is as slight and rollicking as it sounds, and I enjoyed it though probably not as much as Scalzi enjoyed writing it because that’s probably impossible.

The Kaiju Preservation Society is everything and more that I've come to expect from John Scalzi. The book opens with Jamie losing their job at the beginning of the pandemic. I know this is relatable to most people, but I felt very connected to the main character's plight because Jamie was working on a dissertation for a Ph.D. in literature, and never finishes that degree and I know what that is like! This book has great pacing---slow, but in the kind of way that feels like a long inhale until you meet the kaiju. At this point in the story, you really get the feel of Jurrasic Park---science talk without needing a degree to feel like you can follow along. The story didn't suffer from an overabundance of "science" jargon as can sometimes happen, in fact, I think this is mainly because the characterization was done so well. Each character is so real, even the ones you don't see much of, that falling into the reality of this book is easy. The world-building was on point as well, as we start in the weirdness of the pandemic (which all of us are all too familiar with) the fantastical elements of the book become easy to swallow. I never found myself questioning the world, even the alternate reality world. These two elements, characterization and world-building really fill out the story for me. Without either one or both, the story likely would have been lacking as Jamie is primarily learning how to live in the world they find themselves in and this can be burdensome without good side characters and world-building.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes Scalzi books, is looking to fill a Michael Chriton shaped hole, or just loves monster media. It is a quick read and you will love every second of it!

In the acknowledgements, Scalzi was just like, I wanted to write something fun. Y'all, he was successful. He even managed to weave COVID in there in a believable way. COVID aside, this is a delightful romp with kaijus and I'd recommend it to anyone in the mood for something a little fun and silly. I don't have much to say about it aside from: book = fun. So, yeah!. 4 stars.

This was a pop song book indeed. So fun and so cool and such a fun way to tell a story about the pandemic and greed and being above self. I truly loved every aspect of this book and the connection to Godzilla and Pacific Rim was so cool. Scalzi is so cool. And his writing is Amazon and I can’t wait to see this book adapted into a film (as it should be). The characters were top notch and even the attention to gender and pronouns was done in a respectful way. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to SF readers and fans of Scalzi, but also fans of humanity.

In the Acknowledgments, John Scalzi calls this book a pop song. It's meant to be enjoyable and fun, something that makes your heart lighter. Mission accomplished! I devoured this book in a single day and enjoyed the heck out of every second of it. Scalzi has always had a way of perfectly infusing humor into this books, and KPS is no exception. I also greatly appreciated the diversity of his characters, presented in a seamless way and not clubbing you over the head with it. He even manages to incorporate Covid without weighing down the tone. Well done, Mr. Scalzi, and I look forward to the next one.

When Covid hits New York City, Jamie Grey finds himself stuck working for the same food delivery app that fired him. He hates it, but there aren’t a whole lot of other options with the city stuck in lockdown and businesses letting people go in floods. One night on delivery, he runs into an old acquaintance in the form of Tom, who makes him an on-the-stop deal: work for an animal rights organization and make great money. Tom’s organization needs a last-minute hire. Jamie is available. The catch? He’ll be out in the field for months, the job has a really vague description, and everything is super hush-hush. Out of options and intrigued, Jamie takes it…and discovers there’s an even bigger catch to everything.

“I lift things.”

I really, really enjoyed this one.

Notwithstanding my liking of it, I’m recommending a bit of a drinking game for those of you entering this book for the first (or second, or third) time. Every time Jamie says, “I lift things,” take a drink!

You’ll be drunker than a skunk in no time.

Anywho, to the review!

“So, just to be clear, the choices here are ‘homicidal maniac’ or ‘shit tornado.'”

After agreeing to the deal, Jamie finds himself working for an animal rights organization in the loosest of terms. He discovers that the multiverse is real, and the closest Alternate Earth has these giant monster creatures (and a bunch of smaller ones that will kill you in a heartbeat) affectionately called kaiju…and that there is some truth to the Godzilla myth. And that these creatures are powered by biological, semi-functioning nuclear reactors and are drawn to nuclear explosions, which thin the planes between worlds.

Jamie’s job is to lift things, sure, but his job takes him all around the compound and he learns how everything fits together, and how absolutely vital the mission is to both prevent the kaiju from slipping into his Earth and from assholes trying to get over and wreck havoc.

With all this plot going along, it’s just a whole lot of fun, made zippy with the witty dialogue and quirky characters.

Yes, the main character is basically John Perry from Old Man’s War but in a younger body, and yes the plotline is basically info dumping through dialogue, but where this would be annoying as fuck in the hands of someone trying too damn hard to be relevant and witty [insert dig on space algae and interrobang misuse], Scalzi knows how to lean into his dad rock sci-fi, and he really knows how to make his everyman protagonist not be an obnoxiously stale crouton of a human being.

As Scalzi says in the author notes, it’s a pop song, it’s not original but it’s fun and boppy and just a pleasure to read.

And dammit, it was just so fun to read. I’ve been reading some Serious Science Fiction (and fantasy) recently, and after a lot of deliberation I requested this book from NetGalley and Tor, and I didn’t regret one minute. It has Dora the Explorer, a Pitch Perfect references that’ll make you realize that movie came out ten years ago, lots of fantastic poop jokes, a random zeppelin that makes sense, tons of lifting of the things, much slam dunking on venture capitalist bros, and giant horny monsters getting it on with help from Science.

Also, there is a beautiful full circle moment at the end that is just *chef’s kiss*, not to mention positive queer and POC representation.

And did I mention the poop jokes?

“Avoid excessively fatty foods, since one of these is going to tell your body to purge fats in a way that absolutely challenges normal sphincter control.”

“That’s…not great.”

“It’s a mess. Seriously, don’t even think about trying to fart for the next eighteen hours. It’s not a fart. You will regret it.”

“I don’t like you.”

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

The Kaiju Preservation Society releases March 15 from Tor

First time reading this author and I really enjoyed it. It made me laugh out loud in bits. It felt very Godzilla /Jurassic park with lots of facts and science based explanations. Reminds me of the new Godzilla movie where that spider wanted to breed…. It was all very light hearted and I enjoyed learning about the Kaiju but the banter between the group did get a little much in the end.
Other than that I would definitely be keen to read more from this author!

A secret parallel world full of giant monsters and parasites where everything sees humans as part of the food chain sprinkled with some company espionage.. a fun, quick read reminiscent of the worlds of Jurassic Park and Land of the Lost

Where do I even start?! This was literally amazing and I can already see it being one of my favourites for the year. I was laughing within minutes of starting and continued the whole way through. The atmosphere was fantastic and the writing was phenomenal. There was a lot of science-y stuff which generally isn’t my thing but Scalzi wrote it in a way that felt accessible without making it seem like he was trying to explain to a 5 year old.

I found the premise fascinating and I loved every character. There was even some quiet non binary rep in this which I wasn’t expecting from an older male ssf author so that was a lovely surprise! The pop culture references were *chefs kiss* and I would 100% read a 10 book series set in this world (PLEASE!)

I originally wanted to read this purely because the title caught my interest but I now plan to read everything Scalzi has ever written, with no care for the title or subject matter.

Overall this was an extremely fun book that I would highly recommend to basically everyone!

Mr. Scalzi has accomplished exactly what he set out to do according to his author's note. Which is to write the novel the world and he needed at this moment in time. KPS is pure escapism and although it's not the greatest novel I've ever read, it's gives the reader enough fluff/fantasy to literally escape the toxic wastedump that has been the planet Earth for the last 2+ years. Escape COVID, visit Kaiju Earth! Violent insurrection got you down? Kaiju Earth. WW3 on the horizon? Kaiju Earth!

I hope that Scalzi is able to re-embark on the Sci-Fi stories that I have really come to enjoy, but KPS really showcases what a versatile novelist/lovable smart-ass Scalzi can be when called upon. Maybe not the novel we wanted to read or write, but the novel we all needed.

The Kaiju Preservation Society is a roaring success when it comes to keeping you entertained. A breath of fresh air in an otherwise crowded genre.

It does exactly what the author wanted, it's fun, witty, ephemeral, and quick. I read this book in a little over a day, and not just because it was an easy read, but it was also a gripping read. It does suffer from being a little dry in the middle, just because we're going through the motions of building towards the end. But Scalzi does it in a clever way that kept me wanting to read more.

This is my first book by John Scalzi, and I now see why he's got the reputation he does. His writing is light, sardonic, and serious all in the same sentence, What I mean is that he takes concepts that you otherwise wouldn't know, and explains them to you in a literary vehicle that doesn't make it seem like he's lecturing you. It genuinely feels like the information is being told to the characters, and not the reader.

This book is going to hit either very well with you, or not at all. The main reason for that is it does take place during the ongoing Pandemic, but while it takes place during, that isn't it's main focus. Instead, it feels like a breath of escape from society. You could easily take the story and remove it from modern day events and it would be just as strong elsewhere.

The Kaiju Preservation Society a fun book! Scalzi has delivered another Hit and incorporating Kaiju saving along with making their "plight" relatable you definitely want to read this book!

This was a BLAST. I needed this book. In Scalzi’s notes and acknowledgement at the end, he says that KPS is a pop song, and that pop songs are needed sometimes. I couldn’t agree more.

The Kaiju Preservation Society is fun, propulsive, hilarious, and oh so clever. It’s incredibly current and unique in its approach to how it is current. Since all the insanity of 2020 hit (and 2021, and please god let 2022 be different), I've been wondering how it would affect artists and the art they make, and this is it right here.
Scalzi is running on all cylinders, churning away through current modes of thinking and current events, and giving his characters escape routes, fantastic stories, and alternate ways of living through them. And giving the bad guys what they deserve for once, instead of what they always end up getting in the real world.

Thank you Scalzi, I appreciate this. Like I said, I needed this book, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you probably do too.