This is a fun ride. Written very well as are all of Scalzi’s books. I look forward to listening because his reader is usually Wil Wheaton.

I received an advance copy of this book free in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

“We all need a pop song from time to time, particularly after a stretch of darkness.” This was John Scalzi's description of the book and I don't think anyone could do better justice to this story in describing it. We're certainly looking at something closer to Red Shirts here than we are to Lock In. It's light, fluffy, silly, and fun, with great pop culture references, and Wil Wheaton narrating in the audiobook, which is an absolute treat. If you're looking for something deep and meaningful maybe save this one for another time.

That said, Scalzi's trademark sense of humor shines through on every page, but he still manages to hit you in the gut from time to time just like he did in Old Man's War. The main character is relatable and enjoyable. The little team of misfits that he put together were just the right amount of cynical. Seeing COVID acknowledged while simultaneously being somewhat removed from that world for the bulk of the story was. . .it's difficult to find exactly the right word here. . .soothing? helpful? validating? The twists in this book were easy to see coming a mile out, all potential surprises telegraphed to an almost painful degree. Yet, in a way that too fit Scalzi's mission - a pop song, where you can easily guess what the chorus will be, and sing along. It was predictable without ever being boring.

There was some awesome queer representation here, and non-binary, transgender, and gay characters were peppered throughout without sexuality or gender ever being made an issue. One of the main characters was referred to with gender neutral pronouns throughout without any awful explainers or scenes with people being assholes about it. This is exactly the kind of queer representation I'm always dying to see more of, normalized queer people out in the world doing awesome things.

In short, this book is a lot of fun, and I'd recommend it.

Another fun, adventurous romp from Scalzi. Imagine Godzilla meets the Peace Corps, add a splash of corporate villainy and a really good helicopter pilot, and you have this funny, smart work of science fiction. I enjoyed this ride from start to finish and can't wait to pick up a finished copy.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was all kinds of wonderful and just plain fun. And I mean Fun in the way that a Gojira named Bella is fun while a bunch of lilliputians tries to get Edward, another Gojira, to mate with the previously mentioned Bella.

Yes. It's THAT kind of novel.
Plus it's full of snark, great quips, sweet SF references, and fun, better-than-Jurassic Park adventures. With parasites. And nuclear slime. And dollar-bro douchebags.

This was a snappy, delightful book that ought to get a Hugo for this year but probably won't even get a nomination because -- whatever. Either way, it's awesome.


And as a final note, I really want to give out a quick shout-out to all you guys who lift things for a living.

You rock. I hope you get a job like this.

In the acknowledgments, Scalzi compares this book to a pop song and he couldn't be more right in the best possible way. Filled with classic Scalzi components of humour, sarcasm, and deeply likable main characters, this also has giant monsters, shadowy organizations and friends who become family. A delight to read!

The author’s note said he had fun writing this one and I can definitely feel it! It reads a bit like YA with immature dialog and a poop joke and so many band name jokes. But I think that was intentional. In the note he likened this book to a pop song, I think as a sort of escape from the darkness of the world he was experiencing in early 2021 and it shines so brightly here.

The book is adventurous and entertaining. I could DEFINITELY see this being made into a movie. Some of the sciencey things got a little bit difficulty to grasp for me near the end but I loved this fictional world. The pandemic stuff in the first and last 10% made me cringe a little but it was worth it for this wild ride.

In Scalzi’s notes and acknowledgements at the end, he says that KPS is a pop song, and that pop songs are needed sometimes. With 2020 until now being full of the craziest of things happening, I wondered how this would affect authors in particularly. Scalzi, did not disappoint and this was a fun read

John Scalzi's newest novel is a page-turning adventure filled with humor and action. The Kaiju Preservation Society is a popcorn movie summer blockbuster waiting to happen. Scalzi creates an exciting and innovative premise filled with engaging characters. The novel is easy to recommend for any science fiction or giant monster fan. Furthermore, Kaiju Preservation Society is approachable and identifiable for anyone who struggled financially or emotionally through the COVID filled year of 2020.

Scalzi weaves a satisfying narrative full of humor and humanity. The Kaiju Preservation Society's relevance is strong in a world recovering from COVID. However, the themes transcend the current news cycle. Scalzi creates an excellent, enjoyable adventure filled with characters and a world that will remain with readers until he visits kaiju earth again.

Thank you to #NetGalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for the review of #TheKaijuPreservationSociety

I will start off by saying the only thing I have read of Scalzi's is /The Dispatcher/ which was just okay, so I am not really familiar with him or his name. But I was excited about a /Jurassic Park/ -style type novel that was more modernized and COVID-updated (because why not traumatize ourselves more after a global trauma). And while there isn't a lot of COVID-ness in the story (thank you), there is a lot going on. I don't think I need to read this again? But I would recommend others do to get away from everything. Escapism is needed and the little links to reality are just enough to keep you grounded.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Tor/Forge for gifting me a digital copy of the latest sci-fi novel by John Scalzi - 4.5 stars rounded up for such an entertaining escape novel!

When Covid hits NYC at the same time that Jamie Gray is fired from her job, he is forced to take a job delivering food. But a delivery to an old friend will change his life. Because when Tom opens the door to Jamie, he offers him a job as a "grunt" on an adventure with the animal rights organization he works for. With no other prospects in sight, Jamie signs on. Little does he realize that he will be traveling to an alternate Earth, one where huge kaiju (think Godzilla with wings) rein supreme and are being studied by a group of scientists. Unfortunately, this otherwise human-free world is about to get even more dangerous.

This is the perfect book to curl up with and escape to an alternate universe - who couldn't use a bit of that in their life right now? This is sci-fi light - filled with humor, pseudo-science, and great characters that will have you laughing at the same time you are fearing for their lives. These characters are so spot on too - you really feel their distinct personalities and the camaraderie they share. You grow to love them as they try to save the day - and the kaiju. Don't miss this book - and I hope someone makes this into a movie!

I’ve found that one thing I am always here for in books is snark — like if you’re reading a book with oodles of sarcasm, please let me know, because I’ll likely love it. And this book had a lot — I frequently found myself laughing out loud, which is semi-surprising from a book set during the first wave of the pandemic? Or maybe not, because I think that’s this author’s thing — this is my first book by him but I need to find more! It was wry and fun and just such a refreshing romp. Our protagonist is offered a very secretive job and since employment is hard to come by in 2020, he says yes. Come to find out he’ll be traveling to another Earth where giant pterodactyl-type creature roam. The crews study them and endeavor to protect them, but there are some people on our Earth who want to bring them to light, and that’s when things start getting messy. I loved the whole cast of characters and the adventure of it all, and absolutely flew through this one!

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!

The shorthand explanation for this is “Old Man’s War” plus “Jurassic Park.”

“The Kaiju Preservation Society” is a light, fluffy, funny read that is just what I needed after a couple years of COVID (and, apparently, what Scalzi needed to write, according to his intro).

Jamie was fired just as COVID lockdowns changed, and things are tight. So when he gets offered a job “protecting animals” he goes for it, even though he’ll be away from society for months, gets dozens of shots and can’t tell anybody what he’s doing.

What he’s doing is studying, taking care of and, yes, protecting massive mini-mountain creatures-slash-bio systems they call kaiju who live one dimension over and eat radiation. Well, his new coworkers with degrees do all that. Jamie is there to lift things, and he does. Until things start to go wrong.

KPS reminds me of “Old Man’s War” because Jamie quickly bonds with his new group and Scalzi has a ball with the personalities and dialogue.

The story has high stakes and some deaths, but it’s a quick and fun read and we’ll worth your time.

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.

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.

What a beautiful love letter to sci-fi.

I chose this book hoping for a fun time with giant creatures and social exploration. And yeah, I’ve got that all right. But, Jesus, I didn’t expect to end up crying overwhelmed by his love for the genre. It may sound stupid. Well, it is stupid. But I needed this amazing crew, the references, people being nice to each other while talking nerdy things. The we are not jackasses over here. But we sure love people trying to be smart, and funny, and to talk about this enormous great thing that science fiction is.

Because this is not only about Godzilla or Jurassic Park. This is about finding the people who are right for you, a home inside the fandom. And well, after the pandemic, the gatekeepers of fiction, the horrible situation we are all living in, this was just what I need it. What a lot of us need.

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.

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!

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.

When 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.