The Kaiju preservation society by John Scalzi.

I was excited when I got the new John Scalzi book from NetGalley and Tor in exchange for an honest review - I’m a big fan of his work. But his last few novels have been weaker than some of his earlier work, and I think it was due to his habit of rushing through writing them to make his deadlines (as he has eloquently described on his blog). I also had some concerns about this new book, since on his blog he described it as also being written very quickly after a different novel idea fell apart.

The first two chapters are a REAL turnoff. Scalzi’s protagonist is a glib millennial in New York City in March 2020 at the very beginning of the pandemic, and as someone who lives in New York and works in Manhattan, I can tell you that Scalzi has failed utterly to capture the mood and attitude of the people living through that specific time and place. Instead his characters feel flat and unreal in a way that totally destroys any ability or desire to want to read any further.

It feels like a failure of worldbuilding, except the world he fails to build realistically is OUR real earth, before it even gets to the parallel earth filled with giant monsters. He envisions a global conspiracy that thousands of people know about but no one talks about that is supported by every government on the planet. Throw into it a secret effective one-dose covid vaccine early in the pandemic that gets kept solely for the benefit of this global conspiracy, and it’s not just a world that’s unbelievable, but one I wouldn’t want to exist.

Once the plot gets going, the writing doesn’t get better. The characters are all ciphers. At 1/3 of the way in, none of the characters have any individual personality. They all exhibit that trademark Scalzi-character wit, but in an undifferentiated way. This is especially frustrating in dialogue exchanges without tags, because it is very easy to lose track of who is talking. I know from his blog that Scalzi has done this to make it sound better in audiobook format, but it really shortchanges the clarity of the words on the page. By the end of the book, i still could not differentiate the characters, breaking them down only into Narrator, Villain, and Everyone Else (and they all sound just like Narrator).

The writing also feels noticeably weaker than in prior books. For example, here is a paragraph from chapter ten: “We all screamed and Satie did a thing and our helicopter did another thing and somehow we got past Edward, but not before I saw an image I would take to my grave.” This really feels like phoning it in to me. There are SO many instances in this book of the narrator telling the audience that they can’t describe something, or they can’t explain something, or it makes no sense, but it just happens. If the author cannot explain something, maybe that’s a sign that there is a problem?

I will keep rereading my older Scalzi novels and I will look forward to whatever new novels he comes up with and I will keep enjoying his blog like I have for years. But I can’t give this one a pass.

Jamie is not having a good pandemic. His <insert rude words here> of a boss has fired him for having a good idea, and the only job he can get is food delivery. Luckily he bumps into an old friend who offers him a better role – a mysterious, very intriguing new role. Huge pay, excellent benefits – almost too good to be true. But, doing what? Large animal handling, he says. But, uh… how are are you with sci-fi?

And so Jamie finds himself working for the Kaiju Preservation Society which is all you might imagine, and so much more!

As soon as I saw that title I wanted to read this – it’s perfect! I wasn’t sure how spoof-y the story was going to end up, but it’s the perfect blend of humour and not taking itself too seriously, while at the same time letting the reader suspend disbelief and get into this story.

It’s a fairly short tale, a lot of it world building – well, there’s a lot to set up. There’s plenty of action throughout, though, and the strong characterisation and snappy dialogue keeps it fresh and interesting. The characters feel so real, maybe because I spent too much time in academia myself, but then Jamie is a great counterpoint and very down-to-earth main character helping us get into the wild’n’wonderful along with him.

I don’t want to say too much about the story, as it was a fun one to go into ‘blind’. But it wraps up satisfyingly, while at the same time feeling like there could be more stories set in this weird world – bring ’em on!

This book was really, really fun. We've got a lot of pop culture, political snark, witty banter and of course, giant monsters. This book is short, whip smart and doesn't take itself too seriously. There's a little bit of science, which was enough to appease my inner nerd that the author put some thought into the physics behind this, but someone smarter than me can probably tell it's bogus. But who cares? This book is a great time. The pop culture references and millenial humor had me laughing out loud. 5 stars.

One of the funniest, light-hearted enjoyable reads I've had in a while. This book was funny like laugh out loud then read funny lines out loud to your coworkers so they understand why you just snorted at work funny. I was really impressed by this book. The writing was sharp, fast and was filled with lines that will make you smile. I think I was about 10% when I realized that I was really glad I pre-oredered this book. This book reminded me of Project Hail Mary and Jurassic Park in the best way!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

John Scalzi is one of my favorite sci-fi authors and this latest stand alone novel continues to cement that opinion.
While he used the pandemic as the reason the main character, Jamie, lost his job and wound up working for the KPS, the dreary day to day is not dwelled upon. Jamie leaves this world behind for a whole new adventure.
This was a delightful, easy read I thoroughly enjoyed.

I can only hope that he decides to write more novels in this world, perhaps featuring other characters, or other some of the other camps that were referenced!

John Scalzi had a problem and that problem was myriad: Covid, politics and a whole lot of writer’s block. So he decided to pull the plug on his current project despite contractual obligations. Then he had his own <i>The Big Idea</i> (<i>The Big Idea</i> is Scalzi's vehicle on his blog that gives a platform to other writers to talk about what inspired their latest work.) And the <i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> was born (hatched? produced?). Don't skip the <i>Afterword</i> on this one, it contains a lot of interesting tidbits and insight into the process.

The <i>The Kaiju Preservation Society</i> is set in a near-present-day period and features an aspiring academic who ends up in a go-nowhere gig-economy job during Covid. Until one day a "client" offers him an interesting proposition. What follows is fun, fast-paced and above all the signature Scalzi brand of clever. Throughout the book Scalzi plays with words, tropes and cultural references while weaving a delightful tale that is easy on the brain, yet satisfying and ultimately a darn good read.

In this book, Scalzi depends less on fancy technology or science-fictiony elements and leans heavily on his (admittedly slightly absurd) premise to force his characters to move the story along. It becomes one long string of what-ifs that, in aggregate reads more like a 70s adventure/spy novel than anything else. Given Scalzi was going for a "fun" read, I think that was an excellent choice. I certainly enjoyed the ride.

If this is your first venture into Scalzi's oeuvre then you won't be disappointed (unless perhaps you don't like light-hearted romps) and if you are a long-time reader then, well, it's 100% pure Scalzi.

When I first saw the book The Kaiju Preservation Society, I sat there and thought ‘What they heck is a Kaiju?’ A quick perusal of the blurb I came away with it’s a massive dinosaur-like creature. Huh. The blurb did sound interesting but still was struggling with the Kaiju part. Are we talking like dinosaur dinosaur? Like a T-rex dinosaur? Then, I Googled it. OMG…not dinosaurs. Godzilla! Picture after picture of Godzilla and other monsters. For real?! I have loved all things Godzilla as long as I can remember. I have to have this book! So, with gleeful joy, I started reading.

And could not put it down!!!! Best. Book. Ever. I loved everything about it. Everything. It hit all my happy buttons. Great characters. Original plot. Laugh out loud moments. And OMG…KAIJUS!

The book starts out simple enough. It’s COVID times, Jamie (who I originally thought was a woman) is stuck in a dead-end job delivering food. What else can you do during a pandemic but do whatever job you can. That is until a fateful delivery brings him face to face to someone he knew before. A quick chat lands him a job offer. Anything beats delivery, right? Sure, he’ll do grunt work. Or as it’s better described ‘I lift things.’ But it’s better than struggling while delivering food. Of course, while Jamie understands that he’ll be working for an animal rights organization, there were a few details left out. Like it wasn’t on Earth, or what kind of animals they actually are. And so the fun begins!

Folks, I got to tell you now, this is the best book I have read this year. The characters are just so snarky, funny and loveable. The detail the author has put in building the world, the situations Jamie found himself in, and the animals were perfect for this little monster geek’s heart. Even the techo garble was fun to get lost in. I had my doubts when I first started reading wondering what was the point of the beginning. AHA! I get it now. Pretty sneaky and I’m glad I paid attention. But that comes way later. What sold me and I knew this book was going to be a constant tickle to my funny bone was Jamie’s encounter with Dr. Lee and his prepping for his away mission. Tray after tray gave me tears of laughter. It was a complete hoot and it just kept getting better from there. The hardest part for me to accept is that this book is a standalone. It finishes up perfectly and I am ready to read it all over again. But, good sir, Mr. Scalzi, I would love so dear to get another adventure with Jamie, the KSP gang, and Bella.

I know most people don’t read the Author’s Notes. I do. I like getting a peek into the author’s mind. In the case of this book it is very much worth a read. This one hit quite close to what most of us in the world have been feeling over the past few years. I know get this was a troubling time for the author and I’m a terrible enough person to say, I’m kind of glad you struggled Mr. Scalzi. Without it you may have never written The Kaiju Preservation Society and I am so very glad you did. Write it, that is.


Star: 5
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jamie Gray has been fired from his marketing job right as Covid hits New York. He starts driving food deliveries for his former employer, reunites with an old acquaintance, and is offered the opportunity of a lifetime working for the mysterious Kaiju Preservation Society, lifting things.

•-•-•-•

This book was a joyous, escapist delight from start to finish. Monsters, snarky dialogue, action, adventure, more snarky dialogue, heroics — this.story.has.everything.

Do not read this book expecting to be enlightened or educated or overwhelmed or forced to think deep thoughts. This is the book equivalent of a Sunday afternoon monster movie on the couch. This is sheer entertainment. You will laugh at Jamie’s escapades and will finish the book a happier person. John Scalzi is a goddamn sci-if superstar, and I love everything he writes. I’m preordering a copy of this to send to my dad, and buying one for myself, and recommending it to everyone.

Scalzi mentions in the author’s note for this in the back that this novel is a result of the pandemic happening to his brain, a computer eating pages nightmare, and almost missing a contractually obligated novel, which, mood. Instead, we got this fun banger of one shot novel (though, honestly, I wouldn’t object if we got more in this universe). This is one of the first recent novels that I’ve read that is explicitly based in the timeline of the pandemic, though that does get left behind real quick to get into the good stuff, which is motherfucking kaijus, science, escapades, Bella and Edward, and one of the dickiest CEO characters in recent existence. It’s a great romp, and definitely worth taking the time out of your schedule to push it to the front.

DELIGHTFUL. Fast-paced plot, interesting characters, adventurous (i.e. loose) science, and just so much fun. This book is everything you could want out of a predictable and action-packed summer blockbuster. It's not a book you read for clever nuance or deep thematic brilliance; it's updated Jurassic Park, and that is all it needs to be. Recommended for anyone needing some cheering up in these dark times.

Unfortunately I did not care for this at all! I liked the kaiju (which is the element that attracted me to this book in the first place), but I found the characters flat and the plot very thin. The engine of this book is the humor, which relies heavily on banter between members of the vast cast. This kind of humor just isn't at all my style -- I found it needless and exhausting.

I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fun and fast, light and predictable. Basically exactly what Scalzi has been saying about it since he started writing it. If you want the cleverest, deepest book of the year, go elsewhere. If you want the Scalzi version of Jurassic Park–more banter, less science, more engorged cloacae–here it is.

When I got approved for this ARC I could not believe my luck. I am so grateful to the publisher & Netgalley for the eARC I received.

This book tells the story of Jamie, a man laid off from his corporate job with a food delivery company at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is given the option to come back on board as a delivery driver, and in desperation he does. While doing deliveries he meets Tom Sanders, who offers him a mysterious job with a large animal protection organization. What Jamie doesn't know is that the large animals they're protecting are kaiju, and they work on an alternate earth.

Scalzi himself calls this book a pop song, and I agree with that description. It's light and fun, even in its darkest moments, the world and the science are well-developed, and the characters are interesting. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something well-written that doesn't take itself seriously at all. I wasn't sure how I'd feel reading a book set during the pandemic, but really only the start and end discuss it and it's only mentioned once in the middle.

Content notes for discussion of the pandemic including job loss, & gun violence.

Many thanks to NetGalley & publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review. All comments and observations are my own.

Finally! A novel that brings awareness to the plight of the kaiju species. I loved this book. I found it effortlessly witty, fast-paced, and smart. The plot itself wasn't terribly complex, the science jargon was although it was simultaneously understandable which is a feat unto itself. Set right as the 2020 Covid pandemic hit, protagonist Jamie Gray finds himself unexpectedly out of the job and trying to make ends meet. By a stroke of luck he is quickly hired on to work with some "big animals," which coincidentally are kaijus. Despite my initial proclamation that this book brought the plight of kaiju welfare to mainstream media, it is in fact an homage of sorts to sci-fi novels & movies of the past...there just happen to be "big animals" moving the plot along. Think of it as one of those parody movies that bring together the typical sci-fi tropes but dump in a ton of humor.

John Scalzi's characters are wonderful although not entirely deep. Do we need to know Jamie's complete backstory? No. Do we need him to have a character arc? Also no. This is not a narrative in which the characters' respective stories are wholly important entities to the plot (although they are...of a sorts...bear with me here..) rather it's a story where the characters are important only in relation to the Kaiju Preservation Society (KPS). In a way it's a story that subtly reflects the containment of a time in which the world had to isolate themselves...and Scalzi offers us an alternative way out.

In the Author's Note, Scalzi expressed that he had fun writing this book and as a reader I had a load of fun reading it.

Once again Mr. Scalzi has written a very entertaining book. Each chapter had me wanting to see what happens next and none disappointed.
I'm left with only one question: Is KPS hiring?

When I saw this, I was just intrigued by what on earth a unique Kaiju novel would look like, and once I started I lost swaths of time to Mr. Scalzi’s novel and enjoyed it far more than I thought I might.

I haven’t read such a purely fun book in a while. My father recently died and I’ve been trying to process that and now with Russia invading Ukraine I’ve been feeling numb yet super stressed, I wanted to try to lose myself in something utterly new to me, I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of this and found that once I started reading I really did manage to lose myself in this amazing universe.

Recommended.

This was really fun. I hadn't read anything by the author before, but this book inspired me to check out his recently completed trilogy. Honestly, we need more standalone sci-fi/fantasy for readers who are intimidated by starting new series. I think this could be a great intro for new readers to the genre.

RAISE YOUR HAND IF:
you’ve seen Godzilla
you’ve heard of Pacific Rim
you love a good sci-fi

if you raised your hand for all three, you’ll love this book! I am a HUGE Godzilla/Pacific Rim nerd, they’re both some of my comfort movies, and when I saw that this book existed, I jumped at the chance to read it.

this book had me cackling with laughter! the way it’s written plays out like a movie (ok more like a miniseries) in your head and I was fully immersed every time I picked it up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

thank you to @netgalley & @torbooks for the eARC! this hits shelves March 12!

This was the first Scalzi I've read, and it was so much fun. In the acknowledgements, Scalzi describes how he had no intentions for The Kaiju Preservation Society to be "a brooding symphony of a novel. It’s a pop song" intended to put a smile on the reader's face. It certainly accomplished this goal. The plot races along nicely, and though other books I've read recently may have investigated their subject matter more thoroughly, or featured more character development, that isn't really necessary here - the novel is a light-hearted good time. I'm looking forward to reading more Scalzi now - even though I know it will be quite different in tone. This perfectly cheered up the end of my week.

Loved this book; it was such a fun read but also had great discussion points on how people can mess up environments for their own personal gain. I really enjoyed the concept, the characters, it was great!