This was an absolute delight from start to finish. Utterly silly, very funny but with a good heart and a great set of characters. I loved the conversational tone of the narrative and thought the interactions between the various members of Gold Team were fabulous. Jamie Grey was a fun protagonist to follow and the wonder he showed at his situation was palpable. The plot was straightforward and fun and although I do think the ending conflict felt a bit rushed, overall, I really enjoyed my time here and would definitely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a fun, funny book. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t earth shattering. I’ve read a couple of other books by this author and I would certainly read more. If you want a good read for a weekend this will do just fine.

Oh this was a lot of fun! It captures a moment in time that means I'm not sure that the book will still be as relevant into the future but right now it is great.

There is so much geeky joy in these pages and I kept feeling the need to high five the characters for their comments and actions.

Thoroughly recommend if you want a silly sci-fi adventure with a whole lot of comedy and heart. I'm not sure I am kitted out for joining the KPS but I'm very glad that it exists!

This book was so fun - filled with unbelievable creatures, found friends, high stakes, science conservation, and humor. I loved every second of it, so much so that I have since purchased the book and my 12 year old son is now reading it.

The Kaiju Preservation Society is pure escapism and a very enjoyable book. It has great characterisation and a driven plot that is fun, and sometimes that is all you need!.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

Compared to some Scalzis, this is lightweight, but fun. In his afterword Mr S likens it to a pop song rather than a classical symphony, and that's about right. Jamie Gray loses his executive job and in the middle of a pandemic ends up working as a food delivery driver. A chance meeting with an old acquaintance leads him to taking a job with an animal rights organisation doing grunt work for a field team. What he doesn't know is that the job is on another world (an alternate earth, deadly on many levels) and the animals in question are enormous (more than enormous) Kaiju, equipped with biologically developed nuclear reactors, and covered in deadly parasites, any one of which can take down a full-sized human. Jamie and his group of friends - also new to the KPS - have barely settled into the world when disaster strikes, and they're the ones on the spot. A real page-turner. Highly recommended.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

My dinosaur obsession began at a young age with the [book:Jurassic Park|40604658] movie adaptations and my John Scalzi one a lot more recently, when I became enamoured with his The Interdependency series. The synopsis promised the high thrills, scientific focus, and awe-inspiring creations of Crichton's much-beloved series, combined with Scalzi's strong narrative style and personal flair. I was more than excited!

However, what begun in a highly promising vein soon lessened in heightened emotions and stakes, leading this to be a thoroughly enjoyable but slightly tamer creation than the one I had anticipated.

I appreciated how the pandemic featured in this and I thought it depicted the individual fears of existing in a struggling economy, as well as the greed of the corporations still thriving in it, very well. When the focus shifted from the real world to the one of Scalzi's own creation, it was treated with the same detailed focus and level of authenticity.

I found the creatures that roamed this fictional world a little harder to imagine than their surroundings, due to their immense size and abilities. I loved learning more about them though, endlessly fascinating as they were, as well as the corporation who were monitoring and controlling them. There were some near misses that had me glued to the page and some strange discoveries that had me invested in learning the facts and gaining the truth.

My three-star rating is indicative of my thorough enjoyment in just witnessing all that Sclazi had so lovingly crafted but there did seem to be missing a little late-blooming spark to heighten my emotions towards the novel's conclusion.

I’ve enjoyed pretty much all I’ve read from Scalzi, and this is no different. As he says himself in the author’s note – this isn’t trying to be some critically acclaimed piece of literature, it’s supposed to be fun. A good time, and then you move on. This is what it says on the tin – our main character gets recruited during the pandemic to work for preservation society, unaware that this organization is working to help keep actual kaiju (think Godzilla) protected from us, and us from them. But mostly the former, given we know what humans are like. There’s a fun cast of characters, and a good flow to the narration. Same as in Lock In, Scalzi’s once again created a main character that is not described as any gender, and the whole accompanying cast is diverse and queer.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi is set in a world like our own, that has had the covid-19 pandemic, Jamie Gray is fired from her well paid job, and becomes a food delivery driver.  One day, she delivers food to an old acquaintance, and he makes her an offer that changes her life!

He works for an 'animal rights organisation', and he needs a grunt to move heavy things.  Jamie is thrilled, and so she joins the Kaiju Preservation Society!

I really have loved every book that I've read by John Scalzi, and this one lived up to my expectations and more!  It has some surprises, is very cinematic, and an easy read! Another great Scalzi book!

The Kaiju Preservation Society was published on 17th March 2022, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow John Scalzi on his website, Facebook and Twitter.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan.

Jamie Gray gets the sudden chance to escape a dead-end job as Covid-19 sweeps through New York. But there’s a catch – the animal rights organization offering the change actually preserves and studies Kaiju monsters on a parallel Earth. Scalzi, Kaiju, bad guys desperate to get their hands on a walking, angry nuclear reactor? You know this will be fun.

And it was. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book. The Kaiju Preservation Society was a necessary escape – a fun, fast-paced, one-sitting read that will help you forget the bleak times we live in, even for a moment. John Scalzi books carry a very specific kind of elegant humor that’s working overtime in this short and snappy book.

With thanks to John Scalzi and Pan Macmillan for an advanced readers copy of this book.

4.5*

What a fun romp!

I love my sci-fi with a touch of humour and this really hit the spot. Scalzi's wit. Godzilla-like monsters. What's not to love?

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.

What Tom doesn’t tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They’re the universe’s largest and most dangerous panda and they’re in trouble.

It’s not just the Kaiju Preservation Society that’s found its way to the alternate world. Others have, too–and their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.

A quick stop off at Wikipedia reliably informs me the word kaiju literally translates as ‘strange beast’. In a host of genre fiction and blockbuster movies, you’ll often find your common or garden strange beast being viewed as a threat. They stomp around mindlessly destroying entire cities with a breath of nuclear fire or spending their time squaring off against their equally powerful rivals. In every instance, humanity is caught in the firing line. The kaiju are a world-ending menace that must be stopped at all costs. The premise of The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi turns that idea firmly on its head. What if these wonderous creatures existed, in a universe next door to our own. As humans have a want to do, we’ve stumbled across the doorway into their world. Fortunately, rather than exploiting the kaiju, a secret society devotes their vast resources to protecting them.

Jamie Gray is blissfully ignorant of all this when we first meet him. A chance encounter leads him through the giant lizard shaped looking glass and we get to follow him on his journey into the new reality that surrounds him. All of Jamie’s new colleagues are super smart, experts in their respective fields, but Jamie is just a regular guy. Hired as an extra pair of hands, there is a running joke that he is just there to lift things. Jamie happened to be in the right place at the right time. I always find myself fascinated when a story drops ordinary people into the midst of extraordinary events. I’m immediately wondering how I would fare in the same scenario. For the curious amongst you, the answer is likely not well at all. If things did take a turn for the worst, I’d be Donald Gennaro in Jurassic Park within a handful of minutes. No one wants to go out that way, trapped like a startled bunny on a toilet seat starring into the gaping jaws of death.

I’ll happily admit I rattled through the entire novel in a single sitting. It was so easy to get engrossed. I always find myself a little disappointed in this scenario. I had so much fun I didn’t realise I was hurtling towards the story’s end until I arrived. Once there I wanted more. What can I say? I have difficulty letting go. Thinking about it, I guess that’s probably the ultimate compliment to any author’s work.

I feel like The Kaiju Preservation Society gives off the same vibes as a really cool tv pilot you stumble across unexpectedly one evening. Initially you’re not sure, but within five minutes all manner of brilliant stuff has happened and you’re totally invested. Before you know it, you’re online looking for a t-shirt to proclaim your allegiance. Given enough time you’ve started your own podcast and are writing your own fan fiction. Being geeky is the best. The Kaiju Preservation Society certainly gave me the perfect opportunity to geek out about my fondness for giant monsters.

I’m embarrassed to say this, but I’ve never read any of John Scalzi’s other work (and you have the gall to call yourself a book nerd, Cheesecake! – Ed.) Based on how much I enjoyed this standalone novel, I will not let this gross oversight stand for long.

The Kaiju Preservation Society is published by Tor and is available from 17th March.

My musical recommendation to accompany such a monstrous tale* had to be something equally gargantuan. I decided on the soundtrack to Godzilla vs Kong by Junkie XL. If you’re looking for alternate titan based musical mayhem, then you also can’t go far wrong with the Pacific Rim soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi. That may be a bit too giant robot heavy for some listeners’ tastes. The choice is yours. Heck, you could even read in silence if you wanted. It would be weird, but you could do it.

*or should that be tail?.. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t help it. I have a problem.

This was certainly a short, fun read. Which I think was its main intention.

I just got a little fixated on certain aspects that really spoilt the book for me. We are introduced to the 4 main friends early on: Jamie, Aparna, Niamh and Kahurangi. Let’s face it, these are all pretty non-gender specific names, which is obviously fine. But then we are kinda thrown for a curveball when Niamh is referenced as ‘they’ and ‘them’. Again, this is perfectly acceptable but there is never any indication as to how everybody suddenly knew that these pronouns were preferred by Niamh. Presumably there was a conversation, or name tags were worn, but the reader is left oblivious. Additionally, although it is clear that these pronouns are used in respect to Niamh, they seem to brandish ‘mate’ around when referencing others, without any consideration of whether that is offensive to the recipient. On top of that I am still not certain about any of the other characters identity. I mean, I know Jamie prefers to be addresses as he/him, but when character Development and individual identities are important in a book, its difficult to grasp anything from these portrayals.

Anyway, I know my ramblings may seem offensive, but it just caused confusion for me. It was simply glossed over but in reality, non-binary preferences cannot simply be guessed. There has to be some sort of clarification. Considering this, why include it if it is not addressed properly.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

IT was short, fun and had concepts and monsters which I haven't read about before.

John Scalzi is definitely and author that I now want to read more from!

I am a huge fan of Scalzi’s work so knew what to expect going into this one. I love his sense of humour, his snappy writing style and his out of the box thinking while also having intelligent and creative characters and just fun adventure plotlines that make for the perfect fun filled read.

I think Scalzi describes this book best himself in the books acknowledgements:

"As a Writer I am grateful to this novel, because writing it was restorative. KPS is not, and I say this with absolutely no slight intended, a brooding symphony of a novel . It’s a pop song." … "We all need a pop song from time to time, particularly after a stretch of darkness

This is the perfect description for this book. It is just filled with light hearted fun that really just made me smile. The writing is light and humorous but still filled with wit and cutting social commentary. My personal politics matches Scalzi’s so I enjoy his social observations and the observations of the events of 2020 added some much needed light humour and catharsis now that we can look back on it. There are a number of references to classic sci-fi dotted throughout the book which are fun to spot.

I really liked Jamie as a character. Again, like Lock in, the gender of the main character is never eluded to, Jamie being a more common female name in the US and a more common male name in the UK. The same is true of Jamie’s ethnicity and general appearance. Scalzi is really skilled at allowing you to connect to a character without any visual clues to that character, I find I end up with my own image of the character which makes me really invested in that character. Scalzi is also really good at slipping in subtle rep of all kinds into his work in an effortless and subtle way giving you a full cast of side characters with different sexualities, social backgrounds, ethnicities, races and religions making the worlds and environments he creates feel real. Especially as the employees of the KPS are drafted from all across North America you would expect to see a range of diversity that mirrors that of North America.

I really liked that Jamie was an expert in science fiction, it allowed them to blend into the world of the science behind the Kaiju but also to allow the science to be explained to them. I loved the hypothetical science in this book. Like his other works there is just enough real well researched science to make the hypothetical science plausible. This makes me, a Scientist, really happy, the real science is just good enough that when they hypothetical science is introduced its fun to play with the same what if’s that Scalzi has and there are some awesome what if’s creating the most interesting world building in this book.

Overall this is just FUN. Its exciting escapism at its purest and I loved it.

Although I was very excited to read the new book by John Scalzi I was a little cautious because monster movies are not really my ‘thing’.
Having read the sneak peek I was reminded yet again of how much I enjoy Scalzi’s character development and snarky prose.
But could he make me love a monster story?

Turns out the answer is YES!!
My lord this story is so much fun!
A rip-roaring adventure, a dastardly villain, massive monsters and snappy dialog. The protagonists behave bravely, kindly and intelligently but in a way that is believable for their personality and all the while the narrative is snapping along at an exhilarating pace.
Oh and the world building is stunning too.
The only bad thing is that it had to end.

5 fantastic stars - highly recommended.

Hugest of thanks to Stephen and Jamie-Lee of Black Crow PR for inviting me on the tour and for my gifted copy of 'Kaiju...' from Tor UK which is out *now* from all good bookshops!

This book should come with a warning-once you pick it up you won't want to stop reading until the very end, and then you will kick yourself for ploughing through it so quickly.

Talk about a breath of fresh air, the story of Jamie Gray, who starts the pandemic sacked, dejected, robbed of his greatest idea and now delivering takeaway food for the company he used to work in.

Even more insulting, he was once planning to write a thesis on science fiction literature and the phrases he has to use when delivering food have been stolen by  the company from one of sci-fi's greatest, Neal Stephenson.

They are being plundered with no sense of proprietary or understanding whatsoever which pains Jamie's deeply nerdy soul.

Not just worried about how he will make it through a time when jobs are rarer than hens teeth, he has 2 flatmates whose livelihoods are placed on hold, one of whom is contemplating returning to a parental home that does not recognise who he fundamentally is as a person. He, Laertes, is fantastic, his solution to everything pretty much boils down to firebombing the enemy and honestly I can get behind that !

One of Jamie's regulars strikes up a conversation which covers quite a few deliveries and comes down to him, Tom, offering Jamie a job taking care of very large animals in their native habitat. With nothing left to lose, and seizing the potential to take the strain of flatmates Brent and Laertes' financial worries as well, Jamie has about 100 injections, and takes off to join the KPS.

Arriving in Greenland, he is then transported with 3 other new recruits to an alternate Greenland in an Earth adjacent to our own, but in the same universe. Once this shock has worn away a little, it rears again in the form of a moving mountain, a kaiju named Betsy.

These 'large animals' are kaiju, the first recorded one in our Earth being Godzilla, attracted by the nuclear bombs being tested back in the 1950's.

The KPS was subsequently set up after Godzilla's death to track and maintain the kaiju , to study them, learn about them, and keep them from tearing holes through into our Earth. At the same time, it exists to stop certain interested parties- Jamie's ex-boss Rob Shitmonkey Sanders comes to mind...-from exploiting the kaiju. Or weaponizing them. Or doing something equally hideous given that humans have successfully eradicated pretty much most of our predators, this is not exactly hard to imagine. Humans messing in things they really shouldn't has never been a lesson we have been good at learning -COVID 19 anyone?!-so this is a very real concern.

So what part will Jamie play in all this, after all he is just there to fill a gap in the team created by a COVID infected team member?

Jamie is our eyes and ears into this world, he is a font of witty and sarcastic asides that litter the pages and he is a timely reminder that at the very, very worst of times, opportunities can still present themselves to show that as a race, humankind is not altogether hopeless. His concern for his friends wellbeing in a climate where everyone was frightened about pretty much everything, was heart-warming to me.

His sense of adventure leads him to this situation where he is faced with an unthinkable reality, peril and adventure the likes of which you feel has been left back in the tales of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Fresh, moving and intensely enjoyable, this was honestly a drink of cool fresh water on a hot day, it is a book which not only recommends other readers, but also made me want to chase down John Scalzi's backlist. Who doesn't want to read about creatures having a fight as a steampunk aircraft travels inexorably into the path of the fighting mountains? Especially when one of them is called Kevin?

Brilliant, enjoyable and told with a deftness of touch, I enjoyed it immensely, thank you so much for the opportunity to get down with the kaiju!

‘They're big, they're bad and they're about to become extinct . . .’

My thanks to Pan Macmillan/Tor for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Kaiju Preservation Society’ by John Scalzi in exchange for an honest review.

As I began reading after its publication date, I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook edition narrated by Wil Wheaton.

New York City 2020 and Jamie Gray has an innovative idea about how the tech startup he works for can modify their business model during the lockdown. He is shocked when instead of any reward his idea is pinched by the CEO and he is laid off. To add insult to injury he is offered an alternative job in the business as a ‘deliverator’. Needing to cover rent he has no choice but to accept.

Then he makes a chance delivery to Tom, an old acquaintance from university. They chat and it turns out that Tom is working for a NGO and his team has an urgent vacancy with great pay and benefits. It seems a perfect solution and he is intrigued when Tom remarks that Jamie’s dissertation on science fiction novels will be an advantage on top of his lifting skills.

It soon becomes apparent that Tom’s ‘animal rights organisation’ is dealing with very unusual creatures. No more details to avoid spoilers though the title and cover gives a strong indication about the type of animals that they are protecting.

I have enjoyed a number of Scalzi’s novels over the years and was very glad that I read his latest which combines science fiction with humour that includes plenty of pop culture references. Even though I am a fan of monster movies, I wasn’t familiar with the Japanese word Kaiju until I had read this novel.

In his Author’s Note John Scalzi describes how he had struggled to write during 2020-2021 but then “the entire plot and concept of The Kaiju Preservation Society dropped into my head, all at once.” He describes it as a pop song type of novel and that “I had fun writing this, and I needed to have fun writing this.”

Well, I certainly had great fun reading it. ‘The Kaiju Preservation Society’ was gloriously over the top in terms of high action. The monsters and their attendant parasites were fascinating and definitely worth preserving. The baddies were suitably worthy of boos and hisses.

I adored Wil Wheaton’s narration. He embodies its characters as well as conveys its action and humour with great enthusiasm.

Highly recommended.

In the Afterword, Scalzi makes it plain that he had a difficult time during the Lockdown wrestling to write a far darker book that was scheduled for release. And he was hit hard by Covid, too. So when this idea popped into his head as a far lighter tale, he went with it. I’m very glad he did. I’ve been in Long Covid hell for the last year and I’m all over anything that provides escape from my daily grind where I’m battling to get well, again.

Jamie is a thoroughly likeable protagonist and as our first-person narrator, he gives a nicely sardonic commentary without coming across as ‘too up himself’ as they say around here. Indeed, it is refreshing to have a main character who is the least qualified person in the story, who doesn’t then go on to reveal that he has some kind of hidden power. Unless it’s the knack of getting along with his co-workers and fitting right in very quickly. But then, he’s had a rough old time of it during the Lockdown and isn’t about to take for granted the basics like warm clean accommodation, food and medical care if he needs it. Or… is our plucky protagonist a she? I really appreciate how Scalzi leaves it up to the reader to decide the gender of this s/hero – after all, that’s the coolest thing about books, isn’t it? That the pictures engendered by the story are sharply personal to each of us.

While the tone is breezy and Scalzi himself talks about this book being a pop song – that doesn’t mean he has skimped on the science. My nerdy side enjoyed reading the discussions about how the ginormous kaiju are possible and I appreciated that the eco-system invented around these huge creatures is detailed and feels plausible throughout. As for the adventure that kicks off when a mother kaiju comes under threat, along with her brood of eggs – parts of that felt cosily familiar in a good way.

Throughout, there are enjoyable shafts of wit and humour. Even our greedy, narcissistic villain refers to his own monologuing as he explains his motives and the full extent of his wrongdoing during the denouement. I was grinning throughout that scene. All in all, this is a delightful piece of escapism that had me wishing it would go on longer. Highly recommended for those who need a break from the ongoing awfulness in our daily News. The ebook arc copy of The Kaiju Preservation Society was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
9/10

Every now and then there is a debate on which is better movies or books. It’s a strange question as ultimately the mediums work completely different but its well worth exploring how they can take the same theme and work with them. Initially I was dubious you really can do giant monsters in a book but the way John Scalzi deals with it in the entertaining The Kaiju Preservation Society does promise a geeky ride into unchartered territory where indeed there will be monsters.

Jamie Gray is having a terrible 2020 even before the Pandemic hits New York. Their CEO has just made them redundant from the middle management marketing job and instead they find themselves now working for the same company but as a food delivery team member. A chance encounter though with a mutual acquaintance from college leads to a friendship and the offer of a mysterious job. Jamie signs up noticing the high salary, need to remove all social media and a huge number of vaccinations which ultimately reveal that the mysterious KPS organisation is actually the Kaiju Preservation Society. Where human scientists have been for decades noting that huge creatures have occasionally crossed into our world and that they come from a parallel Earth. Jamie has to learn the ropes, understand Kaiju biology and their nuclear power plus they soon realise one of the VIPs they are asked to babysit is their old boss.

This is a very breezy SF adventure book working very hard to give us the same experience as a big summer tentpole movie. It zips along; we get to meet Jamie and learn they’re a smart SF fan with a fine line in humour. Kudos to Scalzi for skilfully creating a lead character who at no time in the book do you realise their gender so works very well for anyone reading the book as they’re basically doing the job of being us seeing this world with fresh eyes. The KPS is very much geeky scientists who all trade exposition with loveable snark. Its all delivered fast and never bogs down the story almost like a very witty tv drama and all helps propel the story. There are geeky refences; daft traditions involving tropical shorts and karaoke.

This approach works really well because the one thing the book can’t do is deliver the visual awe of seeing a huge monster on screen. Instead, what I really appreciated was how Scalzi actually avoids ever giving us a 100% description of any of the Kaiju. We get a few impressions and similes but its left for the reader to imagine what these beasties all look like. And so we can never get disappointed with eh reveal – our brains will do the heavy lifting. What instead is a story making exposition scenes a lot more interesting as we get much more information about how Kaiju and the parallel world they live on works. We get the idea that kaiju are organic nuclear reactors (who explode when they die); they have huge ecosystems of large and parasites and the idea of pheromones being essential to communication. Movies struggle with this as it wanes attention time but here the approach and delivery work to move the story alone into various set pieces but the key fact to remember is everything in this world is dangerous and will try to eat you if you’re not careful.

I think the plot is possibly the most traditional aspect of the story and very much aligns with the tentpole movies this is related to. You can very quickly guess who the villain will be but the actual idea they have is fresh and unusual. As with these movies the one issue I have is the characters all really sound the same – smart, kind, geeky and snarky. While we have a lovely bunch to cheer on you may struggle to tell anyone apart and even when tragedy strikes, we really don’t feel any real emotional impact as soon the characters tell jokes once again. Despite that anyone who knows this sub-genre may feel that is fine and to be expected – we are here for the monsters after all. We get a mix of spectacle and adventure that is a fun ride but its hard to say has this got potential for more intriguing adventures in the future.

The Kaiju Preservation Society delivers exactly what it initially promised a fun breezy entertaining ride filled with pop culture references and a love of science that gives it energy that many Hollywood movies tend to lack in their oh so serious blockbuster takes. The kind of fast entertaining read that is a lovely sunny afternoon in the garden demands and should bring a smile to your face. Well worth a look.