The Kaiju Preservation Society
- Downloads：6928
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-30 00:16:34
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：John Scalzi
- ISBN：0765389126
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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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
Cait
，
Oh this book was so much fun。 Sometimes you just need something silly and campy to take your focus off of the world at large， and this book is just the ticket。 I really enjoyed the main character and sub characters， the banter， and of course the Kaiju。。。 I am crossing my fingers that an enterprising movie studio will pick this one up， because I think it would be a great film。
Loane
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Listened to the audible version， great writing， and great reading！
Janet
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This was absolutely delightful。 I did not spoil myself with the blurb before reading this， so I went in totally blind and enjoyed every moment of it。After getting fired and having to do food deliveries during the pandemic， Jamie needed a better paying job and found one in the KPS。 Hijinks occur， bonding happens， then some not so happy moments， and then finally he gets to go back home。 I was sucked into the story and did not even realize how many hours I had listened to and then it was over。 I wa This was absolutely delightful。 I did not spoil myself with the blurb before reading this， so I went in totally blind and enjoyed every moment of it。After getting fired and having to do food deliveries during the pandemic， Jamie needed a better paying job and found one in the KPS。 Hijinks occur， bonding happens， then some not so happy moments， and then finally he gets to go back home。 I was sucked into the story and did not even realize how many hours I had listened to and then it was over。 I was disappointed that no one actually sexed up the kaiju， to be honest though。Wil Wheaton's narration helped immerse you into the story。 。。。more
Craig S
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I didn't know what to expect going into listening to this book。 All I could think of is that this is going to be a group of people on Earth trying to convince other people that Godzilla is good and should be protected。It is so much better than what I thought it would be。The book is light hearted and fun with moments of seriousness and tragedy。Wil Wheaton does a great job bringing life to the book through his narration。 Probably not my book of the year but a great book worth reading or listening I didn't know what to expect going into listening to this book。 All I could think of is that this is going to be a group of people on Earth trying to convince other people that Godzilla is good and should be protected。It is so much better than what I thought it would be。The book is light hearted and fun with moments of seriousness and tragedy。Wil Wheaton does a great job bringing life to the book through his narration。 Probably not my book of the year but a great book worth reading or listening to。 。。。more
Gregory Butera
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This is the book that I needed to read。 I look quite forward to the television or movie version of this Jurrasic Park-like tale of an alternate Earth with endangered Godzilla-like dragon creatures and the people tasked with trying to keep them alive。 Scalzi wrote a quick paced adventure tale with a vibrant world， interesting characters， snappy dialogue （for which he is well known） and one that I would gladly revisit。 I connected with author's note at the end of the book， where he talks about how This is the book that I needed to read。 I look quite forward to the television or movie version of this Jurrasic Park-like tale of an alternate Earth with endangered Godzilla-like dragon creatures and the people tasked with trying to keep them alive。 Scalzi wrote a quick paced adventure tale with a vibrant world， interesting characters， snappy dialogue （for which he is well known） and one that I would gladly revisit。 I connected with author's note at the end of the book， where he talks about how this was not the novel he tried to write in the hellscape that 2020 and the beginning of 2021 turned out to be。 As a reader I've struggled with being able to focus on anything longer than my twitter feed， as doomscrolling has become habit， and sitting quietly being immersed in a fantasy or sci-fi novel has become difficult to sustain。 I've picked up and left unfinished tens and tens of books in the past 18 months， but this one I read in a little over a day。 Hoping this will help jumpstart my reading muscle。 Scalzi also， like a good portion of the science fiction author community， has been deliberate in inclusion of characters from different races， backgrounds， preferred gender pronouns， and sexuality in recent years， to more accurately depict the breadth of human experience， and yet these aspects of the characters lives are not what defines them。 [For some reason this bothers some people， but people come in all forms， just be nice to everyone]。 Though it is probably helpful to know that the Irish name Niamh is pronouced 'Neeve'， the fact they are （I think） a trans character is not really important other than recognizing a team of misfits at a science base might very well have people who felt like they didn't fit in。 The team at Tanaka Base comes from all walks of life but all are focused on the science of the expedition and survival in this violent， dangerous， wondrous world。 The story includes little sex or romance， and some violence but not gruesome descriptions， and it is mostly "off screen。" I definitely could see the movie version of this and think it would be quite fun to watch。 Will definitely read the sequels if there are any！ 。。。more
Mads Pedersen
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I needed this。 Light， funny and an easy read。People who do not like scalzi will find plenty to hate about this book。 People who like him， will love it。。It's a win win。 I needed this。 Light， funny and an easy read。People who do not like scalzi will find plenty to hate about this book。 People who like him， will love it。。It's a win win。 。。。more
Sarah Metts
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A light， fast read that I found as a good pallette cleanser between heavier titles。 Very dialogue heavy and I did skim the last half。 Checked it out from my library。
Dave
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Described by the author as a fun pop song and I'd go along with that。 Described by the author as a fun pop song and I'd go along with that。 。。。more
Krystal
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This was so much fun！The author's note at the end of the book likens this story to a pop song - a catchy， fun thing that wants you to sing along to the chorus - and I think that's such a fantastic way to describe this book。It's relatively basic in it's objective: Jamie is the newest recruit to the KPS - the Kaiju Preservation Society。 The sole goal of this organisation is to preserve the lives of Kaijus in a parallel world that few people know exists。 Naturally， Jamie and his team are going to e This was so much fun！The author's note at the end of the book likens this story to a pop song - a catchy， fun thing that wants you to sing along to the chorus - and I think that's such a fantastic way to describe this book。It's relatively basic in it's objective: Jamie is the newest recruit to the KPS - the Kaiju Preservation Society。 The sole goal of this organisation is to preserve the lives of Kaijus in a parallel world that few people know exists。 Naturally， Jamie and his team are going to encounter some difficulties。 Wouldn't make much of a story otherwise， would it？That being said， so much of the fun of this book is just exploring 'Kaiju Earth'。 There's all manner of science being explained and there is a depth to the creation of this world that allows you to easily believe it。 I loved hearing about the ecosystem， the biology， and how they function as keepers for these incredible creatures。It's fairly obvious where things are going to go awry， but the spirit of the book is so good-natured that you can't be mad at any predictable moments。 It's such a great， enthusiastic story and the banter of the main characters allows for a rather relaxed approach to everything。 Everyone is cracking jokes and generally having a grand time， and even when things go south there is never a sense that things are truly dire。Mostly， I loved the characters and how they interacted with each other and with this new world。 There is a lot of fun to be had， but there is camaraderie and loyalty that adds depth to these relationships and it just becomes a pleasure to see how they grow。A fun， fast read with plenty of Godzilla and other such references to keep us nerds happy。 An absolute pleasure to read， and a wonderful diversion if you've hit a bit of a reading slump and you're looking for some light action to bring you back。With thanks to Macmillan for a copy 。。。more
Harry Stevenson
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A fun read， humorous dialogue exchanges and a great concept。 Really enjoyed it
Kevin T。 Houle
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I'm a big Scalzi fan， but I had a hard time with this one。 It's a fun and fascinating concept， but there is so much witty， sarcastic， and flippant dialog that keeps the characters at bay and makes it hard to connect with them or get invested in the story。 I did appreciate his author's note at the end， which helped me understand the reasons why this book came about and the style it's written in， it still didn't help me like it more than I wanted to。 I'm a big Scalzi fan， but I had a hard time with this one。 It's a fun and fascinating concept， but there is so much witty， sarcastic， and flippant dialog that keeps the characters at bay and makes it hard to connect with them or get invested in the story。 I did appreciate his author's note at the end， which helped me understand the reasons why this book came about and the style it's written in， it still didn't help me like it more than I wanted to。 。。。more
Roy Adams
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An excellent， fun， light-hearted read。
Lisa Krusa mclaren
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Holy cow。 This was so funny， crazy and hysterically funny。 Yes I snort-laughed out loud and scared my cats frequently。 A super fast read， quick snarky but smart dialogue， and a totally self-aware silly reprieve from all things super serious。 The vacation my brain needed from the heavy stuff happening currently in the real world - but also still relevant and set in the quarantine zeitgeist。
Ethan Arendt
，
This is definitely a good fast sci-fi adventure with some Jurassic Park intertwined。 A good fast weekend read if you are certainly in the mood for it。 I can’t give it 5 stars because I didn’t feel as connected with the characters as I do in others。 I kept getting confused of some side/main characters roles and couldn’t differentiate them as people。
Btrimbo
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This is just a fun read。 It's meant to be lighter than the world today and I liked it for that。 It doesn't fit cleanly into the format of other Scalzi books I've read but that's okay。 If you want a fun quick read， this should hit the spot。 This is just a fun read。 It's meant to be lighter than the world today and I liked it for that。 It doesn't fit cleanly into the format of other Scalzi books I've read but that's okay。 If you want a fun quick read， this should hit the spot。 。。。more
Saurabh
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Thoroughly enjoyed it！
Ashley Krohn
，
Solid 2。5 stars。 One thing to note: Snow Crash has been on my TBR for a while， so I’ll admit that Scalzi got me to finally start that one with the references in the first few chapters。I was too hyped for this。 I wanted to read about lizards & Kaiju。 At least it was short。Conversation took precedent in place of character development and plot。 Some people won’t mind this and will enjoy Scalzi’s humor— I did laugh sometimes at the jokes— but there were too many for me。 Some conversations seemed lik Solid 2。5 stars。 One thing to note: Snow Crash has been on my TBR for a while， so I’ll admit that Scalzi got me to finally start that one with the references in the first few chapters。I was too hyped for this。 I wanted to read about lizards & Kaiju。 At least it was short。Conversation took precedent in place of character development and plot。 Some people won’t mind this and will enjoy Scalzi’s humor— I did laugh sometimes at the jokes— but there were too many for me。 Some conversations seemed like personal monologues he had brewing in his mind for a long time。The pop culture references were immersion repellant。 Except naming the mating Kaiju Edward & Bella— that is acceptable LMAO。 Other times it felt like the author venting their opinions each chapter you read。 Also， I normally don’t mind an author tossing in their political aggravations， but similar to the wordy dialogue & dad jokes— it was too intense and took away from potential Kaiju action/suspense/horror。 “Took away” meaning many pages of dialogue vs actual plot。 Side note to Dr。 Martin Satie: Of course the KPS is a “socialist paradise”— it’s a facility for a rotating staff of 150 funded by at least hundreds of millions of dollars （$000，000，000）。 Even if you round up to a staff of 1000， it’s still a paradise。 This is one example— I just found it annoying and present in nearly every chapter （28 chapters， 258 pages）。Re: author’s after note— is 2022 more safe than 2020 or 2021？ Will he include 2022 events in his author’s note for his next book？ Take a trip to Weenie Hut Junior， sir— most of us were & are still working to pay our bills， even with the current world threats。 “Finally， two weeks after the inauguration of a new president， and again with the old one safely into Florida to yell at clouds， I tried again。 I wrote thirty-four hundred words a day（…）” What’s the point of any of that when in the next paragraph he admits “my computer ate my work”？ I can sniff out an excuse when I see one。 Alright— at this point I’m just mirroring John Scalzi’s negative energy in The Kaiju Preservation Society。 Off to read Sanderson or S。A。 Corey— see ya never！ 。。。more
Taylor
，
3。5
Lauren
，
What a blast！！ This book was so fun， absolutely joyful to read。 I loved the world， I loved the characters， I put the book down with a smile on my face。 Was all of it perfectly believable？ Absolutely not。 Was I more than happy to go along for the ride anyway？ You bet！ This book was light， really easy to imagine as a movie production， full of pop culture references and jokes。 The characters were pretty predictable and two dimensional， but they all served their purposes and it was easy to love the What a blast！！ This book was so fun， absolutely joyful to read。 I loved the world， I loved the characters， I put the book down with a smile on my face。 Was all of it perfectly believable？ Absolutely not。 Was I more than happy to go along for the ride anyway？ You bet！ This book was light， really easy to imagine as a movie production， full of pop culture references and jokes。 The characters were pretty predictable and two dimensional， but they all served their purposes and it was easy to love the good guys， to hate the bad ones。 I’ll probably read this again， just because it was that fun。 。。。more
Vicente Serrano Lespier
，
A feel good book by Scalzi as our down on his luck protagonist joins an expedition that will change his life， mostly lighthearted and funny so read it， you'll not be sorry。 A feel good book by Scalzi as our down on his luck protagonist joins an expedition that will change his life， mostly lighthearted and funny so read it， you'll not be sorry。 。。。more
Loretta
，
Good goofy fun， yes。 First fiction I've read that incorporated 2020 Covid and it worked （yes， in large part because everyone LEAVES Covid behind for most of the novel and don't we all wish we could have done that？）。 If you like Scalzi this is prime Scalzi， and if you like Wil Wheaton narrating Scalzi books， yup， you'll be happy。 Recommended candy fun。 Good goofy fun， yes。 First fiction I've read that incorporated 2020 Covid and it worked （yes， in large part because everyone LEAVES Covid behind for most of the novel and don't we all wish we could have done that？）。 If you like Scalzi this is prime Scalzi， and if you like Wil Wheaton narrating Scalzi books， yup， you'll be happy。 Recommended candy fun。 。。。more
Mark Garn
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I loved this book！ Funny， lots of pop culture references， a great read。
Mary
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Be prepared for me to badger absolutely everyone about this book， because it's a must-read。 The Kaiju Preservation Society is a fun and witty read with so much heart。 Jamie Gray works as a food delivery driver， living with roommates struggling to make ends meet as COVID-19 begins to ravage New York。 As the world learns to cope with the pandemic， Jamie is recruited to join the KPS， where he learns about the existence of kaiju – nuclear-powered dinosaur-like creatures – in one of Earth's alternate Be prepared for me to badger absolutely everyone about this book， because it's a must-read。 The Kaiju Preservation Society is a fun and witty read with so much heart。 Jamie Gray works as a food delivery driver， living with roommates struggling to make ends meet as COVID-19 begins to ravage New York。 As the world learns to cope with the pandemic， Jamie is recruited to join the KPS， where he learns about the existence of kaiju – nuclear-powered dinosaur-like creatures – in one of Earth's alternate universes。 It's heartwarming， cozy sci-fi at its best that makes you fist pump and root for the mountain-sized， fire-breathing monsters。 It's pandemic escapist fiction for us and for our protagonists。 I loved it。 。。。more
Patrick
，
It is and isn't about the kaiju。 In the most Scalzi way possible， it's about the characters and it works 100% of the time。 The action scenes are dynamic。 The humor is chuckle-worthy。 All-in-all， this was simply a fun book to read and it came at a time when that's precisely what I needed。 It is and isn't about the kaiju。 In the most Scalzi way possible， it's about the characters and it works 100% of the time。 The action scenes are dynamic。 The humor is chuckle-worthy。 All-in-all， this was simply a fun book to read and it came at a time when that's precisely what I needed。 。。。more
Phyllis Skidmore
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This book was so much fun！
Narilka
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That was some silly fun。 I loved all the scifi references Scalzi included。 I'm sure there are some I didn't get。 I also kind of want my own Bella plushie :）I listened to the audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton。 Wheaton nails the snarky humor in Scalzi's books perfectly。 They are a great pairing。 That was some silly fun。 I loved all the scifi references Scalzi included。 I'm sure there are some I didn't get。 I also kind of want my own Bella plushie :）I listened to the audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton。 Wheaton nails the snarky humor in Scalzi's books perfectly。 They are a great pairing。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Listened to audiobook - I really hope he writes another book in this series！
Sarah
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There was something unique this book did really well， and that is featuring people of very different backgrounds， trans people， and non binary people， etc。 But the author did it in a seamless way where their differences were taken for granted and accepted， no questions asked。 I think that was lovely。 The story was very fun。 Not super complicated or deep， but lighthearted and very enjoyable。 I loved the characters， but more than that I loved the world they lived in。
Christian
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This is a fun， made-for-tv sci-fi novel。 The dialog was cheesy in parts but it was a fun read with a wild parallel earth to immerse yourself in。
Katie
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