The Kaiju Preservation Society
Ratings410
Average rating3.9
A Godzilla cheese fest.
Jamie Gray loses his job and is thrown into a role of delivering food to people's doors. Until one day, he serves an old friend who invites him on a journey, one that will change him forever.
The story is fairly short and I managed to finish this within an hour or two. KPS doesn't break down any new doors and it isn't very deep, however it was fun at times. I couldn't get used to the humour, it felt like a cheesy sit com and I wanted to roll my eyes one quite a few occasions. I really can't see anyone living with their sense of humour, it felt like you were waiting on the fake audience laughter.
This was maybe not my type of book, it had big potential and it could have been something special but fell flat.
2.5 stars out of 5
Good simple fun, cool concept, short and efficient. But not as rich and impressive as other Scalzi books.
A lot of fun, which was the intent behind the book. Wil Wheaton does a great job bringing the main character to life.
When Kaiju ruled the world!
That???s the premise in John Scalzi???s Kaiju Preservation Society. Jamie Gray has given up their college course to work for a startup company called M??df??d.
At an appraisal with their boss, Jaimie???s life is irrevocably changed when they are ???let go??? from their job. They are offered a job as a delivery person. However things are about to change when the pandemic strikes.
Whilst out delivering, he happens to deliver to an old friend who seems to have done
quite well for themselves. Over a period of time they reacquaint themselves and Jamie is offered a job.
What Jamie does not realise is that the job is on an alternative earth, studying massive Kaiju, who have developed on an alternative evolutionary trajectory.
This is the first book by John Scalzi that I have read and found that it was a good introduction to his writing as it is a light read that is just entertainingly fun. The prose is light and breezy, and by his own admission, this is a bit of a pop novel that is simply there to entertain, which it does with ease.
One of the strengths of the book is the relationship between the new comrades as they become orientated to this new earth. There is plenty of snarky dialogue between the new recruits as they become familiar with both their new roles in the job, and this other earth that is vastly different, where in all honesty it is not the massive Kaiju that is the main danger, but everything else.
As the story progresses we are treated to the scientific reasons why the Kaiju exist and how they differ from our perceived ideas of just being behemoths that terrorise the world they live in and are in fact massive ecosystems that are a part of the ecology of the world. You are never overwhelmed by the ???science??? of the world that Jamie now inhabits and it adds to the fun of the book.
There is a solid cast of characters that are well realised. The characters are all diverse, and John Scalzi doesn???t make any issue of this, for example, we have non binary characters, and this is treated as part of the culture. No judgement, no source of conflict etc, which makes it refreshingly inclusive.
The book is peppered with pop culture references, and there are references to things like Godzilla and other things that make you smile as the references become more apparent.
However, underneath the fluff and bubblegum, there is a satirical swipe at our current world and the corporate dictation that has emerged and shines a light on the fact that this culture regularly puts profit at the forefront of its ethos and the disastrous results this can have.
The book itself is lighthearted and playful, and will be a delight for those of us who have grown up on monster flicks, and wondered about the science behind the creature.
3.5 stars!
A light, fun read. Liked the writing.
I actually love the way the chapters are designed. Similar page counts and completely a scene start - end style!
So you can keep reading. It was never boring at any point. Ending felt a bit rushed, to me!
Wish there were actual descriptions of Kaijus, all we got was hundreds of meters tall, huge, large Kaiju, with multiple references to Godzilla. Other than that, all the characters sounded the same, spouting quips straight out of a bombed Ryan Reynolds movie.
The book had some moments, but was a slough to complete. Another one of my biggest gripes was the word behemoth wasn't used ONCE.
Es un libro super entretenido, me hizo reír en voz alta un par de veces (y no sólo por la referencia a Hamilton, aunque ganó 1 estrella sólo por eso xD) La premisa es sobre una sociedad secreta que se dedica a la preservación de kaijus (uno nunca lo adivinaría por el título!), y recuerdo haberlo agregado a mi lista de pendientes sólo por el nombre. Es un libro pochoclero, el autor lo describe como una canción pop que escribió apenas estaba terminando la pandemia porque había tenido un año de mierda, igual que el resto del planeta, y necesitaba algo con qué divertirse y la verdad que lo logró. Se nota que disfrutó mucho escribirlo y yo disfruté mucho leyéndolo. Es ciencia ficción con acción y humor, monstruos gigantes y referencias a godzilla. Todo lo que quieren las wachas (?
Another excellent book by Scalzi. Very fun and, dare I say, the only truly essential pandemic pop culture.
I truly enjoyed the book. To be honest I would say that the Author is right when he describes it as a hit pop song. It was quick, fun and catchy. A light read thay i enjoyed but did not have to take too serious.
Overall, I would happy encourage people to read this book for a quick fun time!
Un roman de science-fiction qui a du caractère! 💪 Avec des descriptions qui vont "droit au but" & des dialogues bien comiques. 🤪
I appreciate a book that gets me in and out doesn’t get too mucked down. So for that, I thank KPS and I can’t rag on it too much.
Will rag on it for a bit though. The characters feel overly engineered, like they are improv actors busting out quips at any given moment. These people are not of this planet. And then throw on the modern references that have no way of translating to probably even 5 years from now. You can’t make a DOOM ETERNAL reference.
The book works best when going into the “science”. Sure it is just exposition dumps but I’m a sucker for scientists going back and forth like this.
Just plain fun. The whole concept of going through a portal to another earth reminded me vaguely of The Long Earth, a great series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. But the kaiju were entirely original to Scalzi's work. This was light-hearted and fun, and like the author describes it at the end, a pop song. Highly recommended, especially if you need a break from anything dark and too depressing.
What a fun introduction to John Scalzi! The Kaiju Preservation Society isn't a book that will be on everyone's top reads, but for those who love Kaiju battles, and a world that you would love to explore more of this book is perfect for you. This was a fun read and I cannot wait to dig into more of John Scalzi's works!
Strong, interesting world building, with interesting characters. Quick and funny too.
I found this to be fun and quick-paced. It drew inspiration from monster movies and the conflict was one that is often used: “billionaires are evil.”
Scalzi used dialogue to tell the story 90% of the time. This was efficient and started out entertaining until I realized that every character had a similar personality and and sense of humor. The cast of characters was only superficially diverse since they otherwise spoke the same “language” of smart-ass-ery and there was no conflict among the group of colleagues.
At first, the humor seems fresh and then it quickly gets old. Since the premise isn't that original either, I don't have strong feelings about the book either way. Mediocre entertainment.
I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I was going to. To be real for a minute, I've been having a bit of a bad mental health month and needed something lighter, or as the author himself puts it “pop music.”
I had such a great time with it, the characters were great, the dialouge witty and sciencey, but not in a way that made my eyes glass over, and SPOILERS! there was no twist villain! If you hate greedy billionaires as much as I do you will love this book.
There are also gay, trans, and non binary characters that just get to be, no fanfare no big deal and I love reading books like that.
The only thing holding this book back from being a 4☆ Enjoyment read is that it is incredibly dialouge heavy, with very few descriptions of at all. The plot starts to pick up in the last third.
I loved this book so much and it's exactly what I needed.
It was a fun book. I don't think its his best book, which to me is Androids Dream, Old Mans War, or Agent to the stars. But its a fun book.
It defiantly has a bit of a Cory Doctorow feel, with the random modern technology thrown in. Plex. Discord. NFC. Local Wifi. Etc. Not a bad thing, just not what I really expected so much.
The whole thing about the first person narrator having no gender at all was really interesting. A couple places felt off, like the character had a gender in the first draft, but only like two places. Using Jaime instead of a pronoun in some locations felt awkward, but rarely and easy to overlook.
I would absolutely recommend to other people, especially since I essentially read it in one day.
