The Kaiju Preservation Society
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- Create Date：2022-03-16 04:19:42
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：John Scalzi
- ISBN：B0927B1P8L
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Summary
The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy。
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。
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。
Reviews
Michelle
，
As a fan of Kaiju and general nerdiness， I was excited to read this book。 I was not disappointed。 The way that Scalzi explains the existence of kaiju in the real world was creative and seemed scientifically plausible。 The science of the book in general seemed sound， and while the nature of the book meant that there was a lot of science talk， it wasn’t off putting: things were explained just enough for a layman to understand， but not so much that you got bored with it。 The humor， as in other Scal As a fan of Kaiju and general nerdiness， I was excited to read this book。 I was not disappointed。 The way that Scalzi explains the existence of kaiju in the real world was creative and seemed scientifically plausible。 The science of the book in general seemed sound， and while the nature of the book meant that there was a lot of science talk， it wasn’t off putting: things were explained just enough for a layman to understand， but not so much that you got bored with it。 The humor， as in other Scalzi books， is on point， and I laughed aloud and guffawed at multiple points throughout the novel。 I would not recommend drinking a beverage while reading at the risk of a spit-take。 The adventure of the story itself is fun， and the characters are enjoyable and developed enough that you care for them， but again， not overdone。 There is also quite a lot of representation in this book in both gender and race。I would highly recommend this book to anyone who considers themselves a nerd and/or a fan of Kaiju！ Lots of fun to be had by all！ 。。。more
Jesse Carrasco
，
3。5 stars。 This was just a fun， “just sit back and enjoy the ride” story。 Sometimes we just need something a little mindless to relax and reset with， and this fit the bill。
Yev
，
This was a SF portal fantasy and a metafantasy。 By metafantasy I mean that this was meant to be an escapist fantasy for the author， characters， and the readers who wanted to escape the COVID-19 pandemic。 It's utterly filled with three elements: cultural affiliation signifiers; pop culture references; and Scalzi's brand of humor。 If you don't like all of those， you're already in for an uphill trek to enjoyment。 The protagonist's catchphrase was， "I lift things"， which he repeats often in various This was a SF portal fantasy and a metafantasy。 By metafantasy I mean that this was meant to be an escapist fantasy for the author， characters， and the readers who wanted to escape the COVID-19 pandemic。 It's utterly filled with three elements: cultural affiliation signifiers; pop culture references; and Scalzi's brand of humor。 If you don't like all of those， you're already in for an uphill trek to enjoyment。 The protagonist's catchphrase was， "I lift things"， which he repeats often in various ways。 I'm mostly indifferent， so that certainly didn't help at all。 For me those weren't the problem though。 What was， was that I just didn't find it interesting， engaging， fun， or enjoyable。 Somehow a story about literal kaiju in an alternate Earth was made to be prosaic， banal， and insipid。 I felt nothing at all for any of the characters， or really anything in the book。 If it weren't for that it's relatively short I wouldn't have finished。 The title is very accurate though and that was part of the problem。 Maybe others would like it more， the current GR ratings would suggest that， but I don't know in terms of /sffg/。 I think it would've worked better in a visual medium， whether that would be a movie， TV series， graphic novel， or whatever else。 I'm not angry， just disappointed。 。。。more
Mindy'sBookJourney
，
I received a copy for review from the publisher through Netgalley。At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic Jamie Gray is having trouble making ends meet when she is offered a great job with an animal rescue。 The only catch is that the animals are not on our Earth。 The Kaiju Preservation Society is a fast paced， fun， and humorous read。 This book had me laughing out loud throughout。 Going to a new world with huge Kaiju creatures as well as a vast array of unknown animals to encounter was endlessly en I received a copy for review from the publisher through Netgalley。At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic Jamie Gray is having trouble making ends meet when she is offered a great job with an animal rescue。 The only catch is that the animals are not on our Earth。 The Kaiju Preservation Society is a fast paced， fun， and humorous read。 This book had me laughing out loud throughout。 Going to a new world with huge Kaiju creatures as well as a vast array of unknown animals to encounter was endlessly entertaining。 It had a great mix of science， laughs， and adventure。I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel good， exciting， and fun read that will keep you smiling throughout。 Great for fans of science fiction and adventure novels。 。。。more
Bookgirlr
，
Extremely entertaining and I could not put it down。 I particularly loved the fact that there is a non-binary semi main character and the fact they are non-binary is never explicitly pointed out。 Everyone just uses they/them pronouns for them， like it’s perfectly normal （as it should be）。 **I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。
Aaron Akbar
，
Hilarious and witty， but also heartwarming and action packed。 I was surprised with the level of science speculation that he covered regarding Kaiju functioning。 This is destined to reimagine the Kaiju cannon and add depth to the niche of a genere。 In many respects it reminded me of Andy Weir， with scientists finding uncommon solutions to problems with nuance and whimsy。 And the ending set it up for what I hope becomes a great series too！
Philip
，
I was in middle school the first time I saw the word “kaiju” in print。 I was on a Godzilla kick， because I was in middle school， and Godzilla books had been readily available for a few years at that point， thanks mostly （I guess） to Roland Emmerich’s 1998 film。 I had been to my parents’ bookstore and found a couple of mass market paperbacks of other Godzilla titles， and started to learn my way around the other residents of Monster Island。 A love of the giant creatures was born that has persisted I was in middle school the first time I saw the word “kaiju” in print。 I was on a Godzilla kick， because I was in middle school， and Godzilla books had been readily available for a few years at that point， thanks mostly （I guess） to Roland Emmerich’s 1998 film。 I had been to my parents’ bookstore and found a couple of mass market paperbacks of other Godzilla titles， and started to learn my way around the other residents of Monster Island。 A love of the giant creatures was born that has persisted to this day， across films like Pacific Rim and the films and comics within the Godzilla franchise。 Now imagine my joy when one of my favorite sci-fi writers announced an upcoming novel titled The Kaiju Preservation Society。John Scalzi is a remarkably fun writer to read， and since it’s been a while since the last time I read one of his books， I’d forgotten that。 TKPS is a ridiculously fun ride。 When Jamie Gray loses his job in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic， he turns to delivering food around New York in an attempt to keep up with his bills。 This brings him into contact with Tom， an old college friend who tells Jamie that he has a job opportunity for him with a group that does preservation work for large animals。 What Jamie was not expecting was for that job to be on the other side of a dimensional barrier separating our Earth from an alternate one populated by nuclear-powered creatures the size of apartment buildings。Jamie emerges on the other side of the barrier to find a small scientific research base， where he will serve as a gofer for the numerous scientists studying the kaiju that inhabit this parallel world。 He quickly makes friends and becomes acclimated to the bizarre biology of the local populace， learning what a threat virtually everything on that side of the barrier is （in short， everything will either kill you or try really hard to do so）。 Rapidly changing circumstances lead Jamie to understand， however， that not everyone associated with The Kaiju Preservation Society is as well-intentioned as he is， as an impending disaster threatens everyone and everything on both sides of the rift。This was a fast-paced， very fun novel， that reads like a mashup of Pacific Rim and Jurassic Park。 My only complaint is that we don’t get to spend a lot of time in the world， and I would love to see Scalzi release a sequel at some point down the line。 The Kaiju Preservation Society is out in stores tomorrow， March 15th。 Go get yourself a copy asap。 My utmost thanks to Macmillan/Tor and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients。com/2022/。。。 。。。more
Michelle Smith
，
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 advan 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。 eARC kindly provided by Tor Books， Macmillan-Tor-Forge and NetGalley。 Opinions shared are my own。 。。。more
Jacey
，
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 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。 。。。more
Tar Buendía
，
4'5/5No estoy llorando， tú estás llorando。 Bueno， vale， otros lectores probablemente no han llorado。 Esta es una novela de humor。 Yo soy una llorona。 Pero es que es muy emocionante， me ha emocionado un montón。 Sus puntos fuertes son el humor， las referencias a todo tipo de ciencia ficción y fantasía， la exploración social y la sensación de que hay alguien al otro lado de las páginas que ama lo que hace。Gracias a Netgalley/Tor por darme The Kaiju Preservation Society。 Ha sido un placer leerlo y o 4'5/5No estoy llorando， tú estás llorando。 Bueno， vale， otros lectores probablemente no han llorado。 Esta es una novela de humor。 Yo soy una llorona。 Pero es que es muy emocionante， me ha emocionado un montón。 Sus puntos fuertes son el humor， las referencias a todo tipo de ciencia ficción y fantasía， la exploración social y la sensación de que hay alguien al otro lado de las páginas que ama lo que hace。Gracias a Netgalley/Tor por darme The Kaiju Preservation Society。 Ha sido un placer leerlo y os lo recomiendo encarecidamente。Si queréis leer mi reseña completa está aquí: https://gorgonas。com/2022/03/14/resen。。。 。。。more
Sam
，
Love John Scalzi！ And this book was great。 Fun， light， humorous， believable， imaginative。 A little predictable。 But I loved it anyways。
Hallie Winschuh
，
This is the book we all need right now！ This was an automatic read for me because I LOVE John Scalzi！ He writes fast paced engaging stories with likable characters that are inclusive and diverse。 This stand alone book is the story of Jamie Gray and how， during the lockdown of 2020， lands a job with KPS and travels to a different version of Earth to protect Godzilla like monsters。 Obviously chaos ensues and the day must be saved！The characters are relatable and witty and face all the real world p This is the book we all need right now！ This was an automatic read for me because I LOVE John Scalzi！ He writes fast paced engaging stories with likable characters that are inclusive and diverse。 This stand alone book is the story of Jamie Gray and how， during the lockdown of 2020， lands a job with KPS and travels to a different version of Earth to protect Godzilla like monsters。 Obviously chaos ensues and the day must be saved！The characters are relatable and witty and face all the real world problems we all did in 2020。 The story is action packed。 In the author’s notes， Scalzi describes this book as a pop song， the light upbeat wholesome story you need in your library and he nails it。 The monsters are just icing on the cake！ 。。。more
Steve
，
If you've read the first five chapters of "The Kaiju Preservation Society" that Tor Books made available for free on its web site， or even read the publisher's blurb， you know the setup。 Jamie Gray， fired from his position in a food delivery firm， is hired by a mysterious agency called KPS to "lift things" in an environment containing "large animals"。 He soon discovers that KPS runs a base on an alternate Earth where mountain-sized Kaiju roam， fly and fight。 Jamie quickly bonds with a group of y If you've read the first five chapters of "The Kaiju Preservation Society" that Tor Books made available for free on its web site， or even read the publisher's blurb， you know the setup。 Jamie Gray， fired from his position in a food delivery firm， is hired by a mysterious agency called KPS to "lift things" in an environment containing "large animals"。 He soon discovers that KPS runs a base on an alternate Earth where mountain-sized Kaiju roam， fly and fight。 Jamie quickly bonds with a group of young scientists who are also newcomers to KPS， and finds his duties going far beyond lifting things。As Scalzi explains in an afterword， he wrote this book in 2020 after finding that he just couldn't complete a different book he had been contracted for。 In typical Scalzi fashion， it's full of interesting， smart people who banter wildly - the sort you wish you could know in real life。 The science is just plausible enough to not pull you out of the story in disbelief。 It was interesting to see the COVID pandemic highlighted in the story， as it was happening， though it's not a major plot element。 The first 75% or so of the book is a setup for the last 25%， which is where the action really starts。 The plotline is not complex， but I had as much fun reading it as Scalzi evidently did writing it。 The story never bogs down and I always wanted to see what happened next。 The ending， tricky for many writers， is entirely satisfactory， and I expected no less from Scalzi as I have read most everything he has written。 Is this my favorite Scalzi？ No - his "The Interdependency" series （"The Collapsing Empire"， etc。） probably wins that， with his first novel "Agent to the Stars" taking second place。 But "The Kaiju Preservation Society" is very good Scalzi - entertaining and delightful - and something I would recommend to anyone。 。。。more
Melina
，
Full review on melinas。blogWhen Jamie Gray loses his cushy job at a big firm in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic， he doesn't think too long and hard about an offer for a secretive gig in 'large animal care'。 It doesn't involve delivering food in New York and that's all he needs to know， so he gladly spends a whole day in mysteriously detailed medical tests and agrees to work for the next 6 months somewhere out of contact with society。My favourite thing about The Kaiju Preservation Society was Full review on melinas。blogWhen Jamie Gray loses his cushy job at a big firm in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic， he doesn't think too long and hard about an offer for a secretive gig in 'large animal care'。 It doesn't involve delivering food in New York and that's all he needs to know， so he gladly spends a whole day in mysteriously detailed medical tests and agrees to work for the next 6 months somewhere out of contact with society。My favourite thing about The Kaiju Preservation Society was the idea of there being an organization that looks after kaijus just like pandas are looked after in the real world， and the way the kaijus are portrayed in this book is quite sweet （unless when they're "venting"， of course）。 The level of gentleness and concern with which the people in KPS care for these gigantic， dangerous creatures is also pretty endearing， and I enjoyed all the nerdy excitement they displayed whenever finding out something new about the kaijus。As far as the writing is concerned， the dialogue was mostly fine， but some things were repeated too many times in an attempt at humour， which didn't work for me。 The villains were a tad underwhelming too， but I enjoyed how the story progressed thanks to the bad guys' part in it and I thought everything ended up being nicely wrapped up。This short and punchy book is a beach read for people who prefer science fiction to rom coms。 The Kaiju Preservation Society is not extremely technical nor intellectual， but it's fun throughout。 Think Jurassic Park but less scary and sciency。 John Scalzi himself refers to this book as a light and catchy pop song， and who am I to disagree with that。 It's not too serious nor dark so if you're feeling overwhelmed with difficult literature （or just life in general）， pick it up and let your brain relax for a few hours。The Kaiju Preservation Society comes out on March 15。 Huge thank you to NetGalley， John Scalzi and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advanced reader copy。 。。。more
AitziST
，
Thanks to Netgalley， the editors and the author himself for the opportunity of reading John Scalzi’s newest craziness， The Kaiju Preservation Society。 I mean， look at the title！ I knew I was in for a ride！And it was such a fun ride too！ I rarely read novels that leave me with the sensation of having read something light， fun， quirky even。 I am fond of the brooding， gothic， gloomy novels that drag you along for the nightmare， but I really liked John Scalzi’s Redshirts back in the day and thought Thanks to Netgalley， the editors and the author himself for the opportunity of reading John Scalzi’s newest craziness， The Kaiju Preservation Society。 I mean， look at the title！ I knew I was in for a ride！And it was such a fun ride too！ I rarely read novels that leave me with the sensation of having read something light， fun， quirky even。 I am fond of the brooding， gothic， gloomy novels that drag you along for the nightmare， but I really liked John Scalzi’s Redshirts back in the day and thought that maybe it was the perfect time to change the rhythm and avoid the great darkness for a little bit。 （I don’t know when you will be reading this， but I got the ARC in December 2021， when it was night at 6 p。m。 and I really， really needed a serotonin boost）。 A couple days。 This novel lasted me a couple of amazing， fun days， and nothing more because the way it is written， mostly through fast-pace conversations between the main characters， made it so it was impossible for me to stop。 I wanted to be there， being part of the conversation， laughing out loud to some of the comments （mostly by Jamie， I loved his personality and his wit）， making comparisons between the character and people I know in real life。 They were so well fleshed！ And the story was bonkers， just what I expected and I needed。 John Scalzi says， in his own words， that this was the story that he needed to write， which sounds peculiar when reading the premise， but that makes total sense once you are inside this new world， meeting Bella， and Ed， Sanders， and all of the other monsters， both human and Kaiju。 It seems that the author had an amazing time writing KPS， and it really shows throughout the pages， both in the light， non-stop conversations and in the more complex， action-packed sequences。 March cannot come fast enough！ 。。。more
Geoff
，
This is not a weighty book and I'm not sure it will age well， but it is a fun romp with lots of characters you can root for， a cartoonish villain， a few nice big ideas， and lots of Scalzi's brand of snark。 If you've read his Old Man's War， you might remember the fun scenes of the training camp where the protagonist forms a smart， snarky friend group。 Now imagine an entire book like that， and add some giant monsters。 Viola， the light adventure I for one needed coming out of this pandemic era （kno This is not a weighty book and I'm not sure it will age well， but it is a fun romp with lots of characters you can root for， a cartoonish villain， a few nice big ideas， and lots of Scalzi's brand of snark。 If you've read his Old Man's War， you might remember the fun scenes of the training camp where the protagonist forms a smart， snarky friend group。 Now imagine an entire book like that， and add some giant monsters。 Viola， the light adventure I for one needed coming out of this pandemic era （knock on wood）。 **Thanks to the author， the publisher， and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Stephen Simpson
，
It's a credit to Scalzi that the book of his I've enjoyed least so far is still no worse than "it's okay"。 As the author himself discusses at the end， this was intended as more of a "light read"， and it works well enough for that。 The dialogue is pretty typical for Scalzi's work - snappy and with plenty of snark。 The plot and characters were letdowns for me， though。 I never really formed a picture of any character other than the main character， and the rest （other than a pilot whose name I can't It's a credit to Scalzi that the book of his I've enjoyed least so far is still no worse than "it's okay"。 As the author himself discusses at the end， this was intended as more of a "light read"， and it works well enough for that。 The dialogue is pretty typical for Scalzi's work - snappy and with plenty of snark。 The plot and characters were letdowns for me， though。 I never really formed a picture of any character other than the main character， and the rest （other than a pilot whose name I can't remember。。。） were sort of interchangeable cardboard standees to me。 The plot likewise never really gripped me; I never felt like there were interesting stakes and I was never all that invested in whether/how things were going to work out。 To be clear， this isn't a bad book at all。 From a new author， this would be a great start。 But against a very very high bar for me for Scalzi's work， this one comes up a little short。 In the interests of full disclosure， I won this book in a giveaway， but the giveaway was not predicated on providing a review （let alone a positive one）。 。。。more
Hannah
，
Could not put it down。 It did exactly what the author intended to， it brought me to a bright spot after being down in the dumps。
Karin Aiello
，
This is my second Scalzi novel， and absolutely not my last。 I first read Lock In， which was heady and deep and dark and I loved it。 This？ This is not。 It is fun and funny and an absolute freaking delight。 In the Author's Note at the end， Scalzi says "KPS is not， and I say this with absolutely no slight intended， a brooding symphony of a novel。 It's a pop song。 It's meant to be light and catchy， with three minutes of hooks and choruses for you to sing along with， and then you're done and you go o This is my second Scalzi novel， and absolutely not my last。 I first read Lock In， which was heady and deep and dark and I loved it。 This？ This is not。 It is fun and funny and an absolute freaking delight。 In the Author's Note at the end， Scalzi says "KPS is not， and I say this with absolutely no slight intended， a brooding symphony of a novel。 It's a pop song。 It's meant to be light and catchy， with three minutes of hooks and choruses for you to sing along with， and then you're done and you go on with your day， hopefully with a smile on your face。" I am smiling。 Thank you to #NetGalley for the Digital copy to read in advance so that I could share this opinion with you。 。。。more
fleshy
，
I had no idea what the kaiju looked like， and many other things were only vaguely described。 So I ended up just imagining they all looked like Godzilla。 All of the characters sound the same and have the same sense of humor。 It didn't really matter who said what or how many people were in a conversation。 It was ok， a fairly shallow and fast read， which I think is what the author intended。 I had no idea what the kaiju looked like， and many other things were only vaguely described。 So I ended up just imagining they all looked like Godzilla。 All of the characters sound the same and have the same sense of humor。 It didn't really matter who said what or how many people were in a conversation。 It was ok， a fairly shallow and fast read， which I think is what the author intended。 。。。more
Erin Sky
，
Welcome to the Kaiju Preservation Society， where the kaiju roam free and the humans run for their lives。Your new job promises all the fun of a classic kaiju film festival held in Jurassic Park—the screams， the laughs， and the aura of modern science that sounds like it could almost hold water。（It certainly holds more water than Godzilla vs Kong。 Not that we watch kaiju films for the science， but still。 They could have tried。）Arriving March 15， John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society has alre Welcome to the Kaiju Preservation Society， where the kaiju roam free and the humans run for their lives。Your new job promises all the fun of a classic kaiju film festival held in Jurassic Park—the screams， the laughs， and the aura of modern science that sounds like it could almost hold water。（It certainly holds more water than Godzilla vs Kong。 Not that we watch kaiju films for the science， but still。 They could have tried。）Arriving March 15， John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society has already been optioned for television。 Yep， you read that right—optioned before publication。Living。 The。 Dream。So whip out that résumé and take our Kaiju Quiz to find out if you’re KPS material！ Ready， set， go！（We really did build a quiz。 You can take it here: https://mygeekology。com/kaiju-quiz-co。。。 ）How’d you do？ If you scored 0–4， you’re in luck！ You’re perfectly qualified for the KPS job of “person who carries stuff，” casting you as the hero of Scalzi’s latest adventure。When Jamie Gray gets fired during the pandemic， they'll take any job they can find to stave off that looming eviction notice。 Little do they know they're going to end up in an alternate reality preserving living， breathing kaiju。Or at least carrying stuff for people who preserve living， breathing kaiju。Either way， it’s a pretty sweet job。 The pay is great。 The food is free。 （Weird， but free。） And the people are chock-full of their two favorite things: snarky repartee and profound loyalty。Oh wait， maybe those are my two favorite things。At any rate， Scalzi delivers， with rapid-fire dialog that’s guaranteed to make you laugh out loud or your money back。 （Your money back on this free blog post， you understand， not on the book。 If the book doesn’t make you laugh， that’s on you。 The book’s hilarious。）And a loyal crew that will make you wish they were your real-life friends—and that you could live with them for free in their apartment。One part action-adventure， one part stand-up comedy， and one part biting social commentary （which， let’s be honest， is also stand-up comedy， things being how they are these days）， The Kaiju Preservation Society is a wildly fun ride that will keep you flipping those pages all the way through。 。。。more
Rebecca Veight
，
Jaimie ends up being a delivery driver for the startup he used to be at， during Covid。 When he starts delivering food to an old acquaintance he gets offered a job for an animal rights organization， in the field。 He finds out that in the field means an alternate earth and the animals are kaijus， like Godzilla！ Kaijus are endangered and not protecting them can put our Earth in danger too。A straightforward easy to read narrative， it's obvious the author has a great witty humor （it's just so funny） Jaimie ends up being a delivery driver for the startup he used to be at， during Covid。 When he starts delivering food to an old acquaintance he gets offered a job for an animal rights organization， in the field。 He finds out that in the field means an alternate earth and the animals are kaijus， like Godzilla！ Kaijus are endangered and not protecting them can put our Earth in danger too。A straightforward easy to read narrative， it's obvious the author has a great witty humor （it's just so funny） and the plot and writing are so intriguing， it just makes a wonderful combination。 The vagueness used with some of the descriptions （for characters， creatures， surroundings etc） might be a bit agonizing for some， just kindling to the fire of imagination to others。 But the action and the events？ They are served deliciously in hearty helpings。Jaimie is a nerdy， instantly likeable individual that you root for right away。 Actually this story is full of likeable and relatable characters。It is as exciting and adventurous as you'd expect it to be。 The 'science' is fascinating if a bit overwhelming at times and one of the reveals might be too predictable （but still enjoyable）。 This book presents the opportunity for a drinking game with "I lift things"。Absolute fun， it's a book that makes you care and makes you happy。 。。。more
Francisco
，
The Kaiju Preservation Society[Blurb goes here]John Scalzi writing style is something that I've always enjoyed。 This adventure is no different， it's funny， it's interesting， and something I will read again in the future。 Scalzi delivers an original and fast paced story。 His unique world and character building shines here。 Wether you're a Scalzi fan or not， this is one book I truly recommend， and one you'll surely find hard to put down。Thank you for the free copy！ The Kaiju Preservation Society[Blurb goes here]John Scalzi writing style is something that I've always enjoyed。 This adventure is no different， it's funny， it's interesting， and something I will read again in the future。 Scalzi delivers an original and fast paced story。 His unique world and character building shines here。 Wether you're a Scalzi fan or not， this is one book I truly recommend， and one you'll surely find hard to put down。Thank you for the free copy！ 。。。more
Melissa F。
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Allow me to introduce you to the most batshit book I've had the pleasure of reading in a long while。 This book is a joy。。。as long as you don't think about it too hard。 It's not meant to be thought about too hard。 Thinking at all just ruins it。 This is a book filled with a senseless plot， terrible， terrible science， and a climax in which the villain almost literally monologues about his monologuing。 Infodumping dialogue abounds， and the pacing is jumpy as hell。。。largely， I suspect， by design。And Allow me to introduce you to the most batshit book I've had the pleasure of reading in a long while。 This book is a joy。。。as long as you don't think about it too hard。 It's not meant to be thought about too hard。 Thinking at all just ruins it。 This is a book filled with a senseless plot， terrible， terrible science， and a climax in which the villain almost literally monologues about his monologuing。 Infodumping dialogue abounds， and the pacing is jumpy as hell。。。largely， I suspect， by design。And yet。。。it is somehow utterly charming in its bonkers style of execution。This book was written - and set during - the early days of the pandemic， and that was actually a little tough to read at the beginning， like being dragged right back to that time of quarantine and isolation and shut downs and Presidents Who Shall Not Be Named。 It's almost a relief to step away from our world and into a new one filled with monsters at that point。Another thing I couldn't help but note in this book was the great diversity。 One of the MCs roommates is trans， and one of the main characters a bit later is non-binary。 The KPS was made up of people from all over the world。 I haven't read Scalzi in a long time so I don't know how common general diversity is in his work， but it was a breath of fresh air to see this in a sci-fi novel from a well-known author。 And overall， the characters were just really enjoyable。 。。。more
Suzanne
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Wow this was such a fun book！ Set during the COVID pandemic （which could be a grim setting） - Jamie loses a supposedly good job and ends up as a food delivery person， which also ends when the company gets sold。 Luckily one of the food delivery customers was an old acquaintance， who recommends Jamie for a job with the KPS。 Discovery of what the KPS is， and what it does is half of the fun， so I won't way more。 This was a "popcorn book" - kind of like a summer blockbuster film - enjoyable in all th Wow this was such a fun book！ Set during the COVID pandemic （which could be a grim setting） - Jamie loses a supposedly good job and ends up as a food delivery person， which also ends when the company gets sold。 Luckily one of the food delivery customers was an old acquaintance， who recommends Jamie for a job with the KPS。 Discovery of what the KPS is， and what it does is half of the fun， so I won't way more。 This was a "popcorn book" - kind of like a summer blockbuster film - enjoyable in all the right ways。 When I wasn't reading it， I was wishing I could be reading。Thanks to netgalley for giving me an ARC to read， and a special thanks to John Scalzi for writing it。 I'll definitely be recommending this one frequently！ 。。。more
Daniel
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This review originaly published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 4。5 of 5John Scalzi is writing a sci-fi novel with dragons？！ Hell， yeah！WARNING - POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD！！Jamie Gray is a delivery driver for a food delivery app。 It's a dead-end job for a man with Jamie's skills， but what with the pandemic， any job is a good job。 But things aren't going well and Jamie wants to do something better。 This hits home even more-so when his roommates， whom he relies on to help pay the rent， tell him th This review originaly published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 4。5 of 5John Scalzi is writing a sci-fi novel with dragons？！ Hell， yeah！WARNING - POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD！！Jamie Gray is a delivery driver for a food delivery app。 It's a dead-end job for a man with Jamie's skills， but what with the pandemic， any job is a good job。 But things aren't going well and Jamie wants to do something better。 This hits home even more-so when his roommates， whom he relies on to help pay the rent， tell him they are moving out。 As luck would have it， Jamie runs into an old friend， Tom， who works with an animal rights organization and they need someone to do mostly grunt work。 Tom makes the arrangements for Jamie to get an immediate interview and then the job offer。 The job itself is kept mysteriously vague。 All Jamie needs to know is that he'll be paid well， he'll be out of communication with society for his contracted time away， and that his job will be to lift and move things。Jamie joins a few other 'newbies' on a plane - their whereabouts still a mystery。 Even as they land in Greenland， he learns that this isn't his final destination。 It turns out that Greenland is just the first step in accessing an alternate earth。 Yup， you read that correctly。 This alternate earth has many similarities to our earth， but many unique and dangerous to humans differences as well。 Including dragons。 Well， 'kaiju' to be more precise。 'Kaiju' is a Japanese term meaning 'strange beast of Godzilla size。' And if their size wasn't scary enough， the Kaiju on this planet are heated internally through a nuclear process and when a Kaiju dies， it sets off a nuclear explosion。There are a number of things going on， Jamie discovers， as scientists are here studying and hoping to preserve the Kaiju， but also， the volume of nuclear explosions from dying Kaiju is weakening the space between Earth and this alternate world。 Should there be a new opening， the Kaiju， and all its scary parasites could travel to Earth。But a bigger problem turns out to be the humans who are working against the Kaiju Preservation Society to create that opening and bring in those Kaiju because 。。。 well 。。。 greed， of course。 Who wouldn't want to tap into the potential for 'free' nuclear energy？Man。。。 Scalzi creates a remarkably complex， unique world， full of scientific technobabble and still manages to bring in the fantasy element of dragons？！ This is awesome。The book is a really fast read。 Maybe a little too fast as it seems we're only just getting started with the story after getting all the background on the characters and the location and the story is nearly done as soon as it gets started。I'd also add that while I really enjoy the snarky attitude and comments from Scalzi's main characters in nearly all of his works， there were a couple of times when I actually felt it was out of place here 。。。 almost more like having the author interfere with the idea that 'this is really clever and witty， you need to say this' rather than what the character wanted to say in a given situation。 In other words， I saw Scalzi， not Jamie， at these moments。Still， I really had fun here。 It was exciting and thrilling， just enough conflict to make it a story， and lots and lots of action and danger。 It's a great beach read， or airport read， or 'stuck-inside-due-to-the-cold' read。 It is supposedly a stand-alone novel， but there's plenty of opportunity here to build an on-going story， and frankly I hope we'll get to revisit this again sometime。Looking for a good book？ The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi is an exciting， thrill-ride。 And like the thrill-rides at your local carnival， it is over much too soon - you'll want another go。 I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher， through Netgalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Raj
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I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。The book starts with our protagonist， Jamie Gray， losing his job during covid。 Whilst working a dead-end job， an old friend bumps into him。 Suddenly he's offered a fantastic offer， helping care for large animals。 The catch is he'll be away from everyone he knows for a long time。 It turns out the "large animals" are Kaiju。The book's first half is mainly the setup before the real story starts。 It's 100% light and I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。The book starts with our protagonist， Jamie Gray， losing his job during covid。 Whilst working a dead-end job， an old friend bumps into him。 Suddenly he's offered a fantastic offer， helping care for large animals。 The catch is he'll be away from everyone he knows for a long time。 It turns out the "large animals" are Kaiju。The book's first half is mainly the setup before the real story starts。 It's 100% light and fun。 If you want to enjoy yourself， I highly recommend buying this。 。。。more
Amber
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I read this book in a matter of hours and it was like eating the best birthday cake ever。 It was like that song from your past that triggers a barrel of excellent memories and makes you immediately happy。 It made me laugh out loud several times， and it gave me a lift of the spirit， which is exactly what I needed。If you read the acknowledgements， Scalzi calls this book a pop song， and his description nails it。 It achieves exactly what he wanted it to， and I'm already sharing it with everyone who I read this book in a matter of hours and it was like eating the best birthday cake ever。 It was like that song from your past that triggers a barrel of excellent memories and makes you immediately happy。 It made me laugh out loud several times， and it gave me a lift of the spirit， which is exactly what I needed。If you read the acknowledgements， Scalzi calls this book a pop song， and his description nails it。 It achieves exactly what he wanted it to， and I'm already sharing it with everyone who could use a lift and some laughs。 。。。more
Ryan
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Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。John Scalzi is an author I'll read basically anything from， so I was excited to dive into this one。 Right off the bat we get plenty of that humor that is present in a lot of his books， and the bonus was a very interesting premise as well。I went into this book as blind as possible， so while I had an idea of what was going on， it was still a surprise to me to see how we got there。I found the main Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。John Scalzi is an author I'll read basically anything from， so I was excited to dive into this one。 Right off the bat we get plenty of that humor that is present in a lot of his books， and the bonus was a very interesting premise as well。I went into this book as blind as possible， so while I had an idea of what was going on， it was still a surprise to me to see how we got there。I found the main character pretty relatable and someone I could root for。 The rest of the characters， though， felt like kind of a mashup of all the same people。 I had a hard time remembering which friend did which science thing。 I also found the constant bickering between characters to get a bit tiresome at times。I also found some little bits of the plot to be totally unrealistic。 Yes， I am totally fine with kaiju's being real things， but a phone that is unlocked when it's turned on， because it was unlocked when it powered off？ These little things took me out of the narrative unfortunately。Overall， I thought the plot was fun and light， and this was a quick read。 Definitely a must for all Scalzi fans！ 。。。more
Debbie
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