I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi Published by Tor Books on March 15 2022
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A wacky science lesson with swearing, The Kaiju Preservation Society is full of humor, heart and just enough tension to keep the pages turning.
“We did our job,” Kahurangi said. “We preserved a kaiju.”
I don’t know about you, but every once in a while I need a book that’s fun, fast, and funny, and The Kaiju Preservation Society is exactly that. John Scalzi wrote the book last year in the middle of the pandemic, and I suspect he did it at least in part to combat the fear and anxiety pervading our lives for the past two years. Scalzi’s story takes place in 2020, and his main character has the opportunity of a lifetime: to visit an alternate Earth where the virus doesn’t exist. Sure, there are ginormous kaiju running around, but hey, no Covid-19!
Jamie Gray was just fired from his marketing job at füdmüd, an Uber Eats-like food delivery company, but CEO Rob Sanders asures Jamie he can still work as a Deliverator—delivering food to millions of quarantined citizens. Jamie reluctantly agrees, since he doesn’t have any other job opportunities, and on one such delivery, he runs into an old college friend named Tom Stevens. Tom tells Jamie that the company he works for—an animal rights organization that works with large animals—needs someone to join the team, and Tom thinks Jamie would be perfect. After a brief interview, Jamie is hired, and finds himself headed to Greenland to meet up with the rest of the team.
But Jamie isn’t prepared for the reality of his new job. KPS, or the Kaiju Preservation Society, is stationed on an alternate Earth where giant kaiju roam the land. Jamie and his new friends Aparna, Kahurangi, and Niamh are part of the Gold Team, one of the three rotating groups of scientists who not only study the kaiju, but prevent them from slipping over into our Earth. It’s a dangerous but rewarding job, and it isn’t long before Jamie is fully immersed in his new life. Between learning how to survive on the forest floor, which is filled with biting insects and dog sized “parasites,” and becoming familiar with the different kaiju and their unusual biological properties, Jamie thinks he’s finally found his place, even if he was only hired to do grunt work.
But it turns out that the barrier between worlds is fragile, and there are people back home who know about the kaiju and want to use them for profit. Can Jamie and his ragtag group of scientist friends save the day?
Let’s talk about the kaiju first, because I’m sure that’s what most readers are interested in. Scalzi has really taken the time to think through his world-building, and I found his ideas fascinating. First of all, you should know that we don’t get a lot of actual descriptions of the kaiju themselves, which was a little disappointing at first. Scalzi talks about their size—comparing them to skyscrapers or mountains—but I can’t say it was easy to picture what they looked like in detail. What I did love, though, was all the science behind the kaiju. Scalzi bases his creatures on the Japanese Godzilla we’re all familiar with, and even suggests that Gozilla was real, and while the events in the movie were sensationalized, the movie itself is based in truth. Nuclear fusion and fission play a big part in the kaiju’s makeup, and in fact the creatures are walking nuclear bombs, which adds a level of danger to working with them. I also loved the idea of the parasites that live on the kaiju and provide it with nutrients and other vital necessities to keep it alive. Scalzi doesn’t anthropomorphize his kaiju, other than to give them funny names like Bella and Edward, but rather keeps his character’s observations scientific—they are mostly scientists, after all.
Scalzi’s writing and dialog are as on point as ever, and I laughed a lot while I was reading this book. Jamie is hired to haul around heavy items, and he never misses a chance to remind his coworkers why he’s there: “I lift things.” I also loved the banter between Jamie and his coworkers, and Scalzi does banter really well. Does the dialog sound a lot like John Scalzi’s blog essays? Why yes it does. But I was OK with that, because I follow his blog and I always enjoy his commentary on world affairs, social media and the like. And speaking of the group dynamic, this is such a big-hearted, found family story, full of people who support and help each other. Our characters face two big threats: the natural world of Kaiju Earth, where kaiju and parasites will eat you in a heartbeat, and the human threat from our Earth which pops up late in the story. But even during the more tense moments, the characters maintain a light-hearted attitude by cracking jokes while fighting for their lives, so the story never felt bogged down by doom and gloom, even when the fate of both Earths is threatened.
That being said, the first three quarters of the story feel a bit info-dumpy, and there really isn’t a plot to speak of until that point. The beginning is a lot of set-up and world-building, explaining the science behind the kaiju and Kaiju Earth and each characters’ roles in the KPS. Of course, during this time we get to know the characters, and this is where the author really shines. I immediately felt a bond with each one. This is a nice group of people. They want to make the planet—in any dimension—a better place to live, and they care for the fates of every creature, both kaiju and humans alike.
When the action finally kicks in, the book is nearly impossible to put down. The stakes are high and our beloved characters are in danger, but the reader understands that everyone is coming out on the other side mostly intact—this is a feel-good story, after all. The action does get a little confusing at the end, as Scaliz seems to cram everything in at once, but boy does he stick the landing. The last chapter brings everything full circle, and if it doesn’t put a smile on your face, then you probably aren’t human.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
“A wacky science lesson with swearing”
I love this tag .
“The last chapter brings everything full circle, and if it doesn’t put a smile on your face, then you probably aren’t human.”
And I love this closing sentence.
If it were for your review alone, I would likely pick this up, but giant parasites…ugh.
Roberta R. recently posted…Offbeat Offline: February 2022
LOL the parasites weren’t that bad. More fascinating than anything else:-)
This is indeed Scalzi back in splendid form: I enjoyed this book from start to finish – even the info-dumpy sections! – because to me it signaled his return to the delightful mix of adventure and humor that is his trademark.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it (not that I had any doubts about it): great review! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…STARS AND BONES (A Continuance Novel), by Gareth Powell
Agreed! It has Scalzi written all over it:-)
Fab review, Tammy! I’m a little disappointed to hear there is info-dumping up front, but it does sound like a fun story overall.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Priscilla Reviews Three Banned Books
It’s interesting info dumping, so maybe I shouldn’t call it that, lol. It didn’t really bother me too much:-)
I would expect no less than sweary hunor from Scalzi! I’ll definitely be picking this up soon
Hope you enjoy it!
The info dumping and the vague descriptions of the kaiju are somewhat of a bummer, but the overall story sounds wonderful and so creative.
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – My Favorite Grumpy/Sunshine Romances
The info dumping was actually pretty interesting, lol. I guess that’s why it didn’t bother me too much.
“I laughed a lot while I was reading this book.” That, along with found family and kaiju? Yeah, I’d give this one a read. 🙂
It’s fun, Todd. When you need a quick read that makes you laugh:-)
Great review, Tammy! Sometimes we all need a book that’s more on the humorous side. I really love it when a book can make me laugh!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Book Blitz: Time Lies by Rowena Tisdale + $25 Amazon gift card Giveaway (INTL)
Me too. After a lot of heavy reads, this is just what I needed:-)
Oh yay, I’m so happy to see your 4.5 stars!! This is one of those books that I want to know as little as possible about before I read it, so I’m going to bookmark your review and come back to it. 🙂 My preorder copy arrives next week, and I can’t wait!
I hope you love it too!
I have this one on my TBR stack, waiting for me to get around to it! Thank you for a cracking review and whetting my appetite. It sounds like a glorious premise and I’m now thoroughly looking forward to tucking into this one:)).
I think you will love this! Enjoy:-)
“I don’t know about you, but every once in a while I need a book that’s fun, fast, and funny” I sure do! Glad to hear you liked this one. I was a little concerned it might be a mixed review kinda book but it sounds like just what I need.
Hannah @ Dragons and Whimsy recently posted…Review: Legends & Latte by Travis Baldree
So far most readers are loving it, so I think it’s a safe bet:-)
Lol! I love the bit for the nitty-gritty part. Sounds like it’s a fun read.
Ha ha yep tons of fun:-)
I think this might be like the second book based on the pandemic that wasnt a romance and it sounds brilliant i haven’t read Scalia before, so i am excited at the prospect of banter + a great premise.
It’s so much fun! I hope you get to read it:-)
I’m going to start this next, so excited!!!
this sounds great and a good deal of fun. I love the sound of the Kaiju.
Lynn 😀
Okay, this one is really high on my TBR now. I’ve wanted to read John Scalzi for a while. You say it’s fast, but also that the first 3/4 are kind of info dumpy? Hmm. Oh well, I want to try it based on this review for sure!
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