The Kaiju Preservation Society

I write for a living - big, hefty historical tomes - so when I read to relax I'm usually looking for something more light than heavyweight. I love Scalzi's stuff and this hits the spot: it's not great literature (he admits it himself) but it's fun, intriguing enough to keep me going intellectually without too much of that heavy lifting, and it's just a great read.

This book comes with all the fun and banter that you expect from Scalzi. Jamie, the main character, is from our Earth but gets a job on a parallel Earth where nuclear-powered Kaiju are the order of the day.

The fantastical and far-fetched plot is a lot of fun, but there is a much deeper point to this book, calling out late-stage capitalism and tech-bro culture. This book is a wild adventure and a condemnation of the morally corrupt individuals who have so much power in our own world.

Scalzi has this remarkable way of developing banter between characters that feels like watching a perfectly paced office dramedy.

You've got this alternate world populated by massive kaiju and a workplace that's fundamentally dangerous because of them, but the real draw of this book is the interplay between the characters working to protect them and how they deal with obstacles like bureaucratic overreach and, eventually, outside intruders trying to use these kaiju for dangerous means.

It's very Jurassic Park in its setup and payoffs. Plus, it was a perfect read for me at the time since I was writing a… show more.

Godzilla (who ravaged Japan in the 1960s) was a real, living, breathing animal. It’s true, I swear! Crazier still, there are more like him, though not easy to find.

Contact the Kaiju Preservation Society; they know how to get there. You see, kaiju means “strange beast” in Japanese, and you’ll meet quite a few in this thoroughly entertaining story.

Don’t worry, it’s not a horror story. Author John Scalzi’s knack for clever humor made me laugh from beginning to end. Don’t miss the fun!

I loved this science fiction novel for its humor, much of which comes from great dialogue. Through his characters’ banter, Scalzi makes the impossible seem possible. Creatures with internal nuclear reactors? Of course, it all makes perfect sense!

In a way, this book mirrors my life as a literary-focused individual embedded with brilliant scientists, the most obvious difference being that I haven’t gone to an alternate Earth to assist with the study of giant monsters. At least, as of this writing, nobody has invited me.

I had read other Scalzi novels, including the Interdependency series, so I knew this book… show more.

I did not expect to like The Kaiju Preservation Society and, frankly, the first couple of chapters gave me pandemic PTSD. The book is set firmly in the very beginning of the Covid lockdown and who wants to revisit that? But, the story does not linger in lockdown (thank the gods!) Nope, very quickly the story delves into the KPS, its mission, and its… well, location. And it is so damn funny. I laughed out loud through most of the book, sometimes with tears running down my face. The tone is flippant and fun, the situations absurd. The monsters are… show more.