The Kaiju Preservation Society

Jorge Sanz reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Divertido

5 stars

Hacía tiempo que no leía algo divertido de verdad. KPS es una novela muy entretenida, como ver una película, donde el humor es constante y las referencias a cultura pop abundantes. Se lee rápido y se agradece que sea una historia cerrada, aunque creo que no me importaría volver a este universo de científicos que se matan por cuidar con mimo de monstruos como edificios.

Voy a seguir leyendo alguna novela más de Scalzi antes de pasar a otra cosa.

enne📚 reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

3 stars

For me, this is a classic Scalzi oneshot book. Fun premise, snappy dialogue, snarky characters. There's a good quote in the Author's Note at the end about the process of writing this book, that I think describes the book really well:

As a writer I feel grateful to this novel, because writing it was restorative. KPS is not, and I say this with absolutely no slight intended, a brooding symphony of a novel. It’s a pop song. 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 think that's both its strength and its weaknesses. It's not mind-blowing or overly complex--it's a nice snack of a book that doesn't overstay its welcome. I'm not sure it's what I'd consider a "Hugo …

For me, this is a classic Scalzi oneshot book. Fun premise, snappy dialogue, snarky characters. There's a good quote in the Author's Note at the end about the process of writing this book, that I think describes the book really well:

As a writer I feel grateful to this novel, because writing it was restorative. KPS is not, and I say this with absolutely no slight intended, a brooding symphony of a novel. It’s a pop song. 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 think that's both its strength and its weaknesses. It's not mind-blowing or overly complex--it's a nice snack of a book that doesn't overstay its welcome. I'm not sure it's what I'd consider a "Hugo best novel" and I also wish it had about 300% more characterization by volume, but it was still a fun ride.

Stephen reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Mindless fun

5 stars

This is written and set in late 2020. Much like Netflix' Glass Onion, it uses COVID in the backdrop, and then gets onto its main bit. This is about as much COVID as I want in a book.

Equally you get the feeling that Scalzi has a lot to say about US politics and is resisting only dropping a few things before getting back to his main hobby of dropping his favourite nerds in as backing mentions (or ship names in Old Man's War).

This was exactly the right amount of silly for me, I didn't quite get into Redshirts. It gets a bit close when they discuss how kaiju are tropes but then follows with a Peter-Hamilton-level exposition dump about how the pretend science works.

Who cares, there are kaiju, and also a bunch of characters who respect others' chosen pronouns. It's like a much snarkier Becky Chambers book.

debby_joyblue reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Review of 'The Kaiju Preservation Society' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

3.5 stars Need a light sci-fi brain and soul break? Read my full review here.

CyborgHobbit reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Review of 'The Kaiju Preservation Society' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Good clean popcorn fun. Just what I needed.

Trae reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Review of 'The Kaiju Preservation Society' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is 100% pop fiction, but enjoyed every moment of it. Reminded me of how much I enjoyed Redshirts. Well written and fantastically fun.

AndySoc1al@bookwyrm.social reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Review of 'The Kaiju Preservation Society' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

If snarky, self-aware dialog and giant alien monsters in alternate dimensions are your thing, this is your book. It's got humor (of course), adventure, and bad guys you really want to punch in the face.

It's nice to have some moral clarity in a story, and also giant monsters who breath nuclear fire.

tehjer_ reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Review of 'The Kaiju Preservation Society' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Scalzi described this book as a pop song rather than a symphony, and that's an apt description. It's a catchy, fun pop song that is stuck in my head and I find myself wanting to revisit. I haven't had this much fun since Agent to the Stars!

KevSaund reviewed The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Review of 'The Kaiju Preservation Society' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

2020 was a rough year. This book takes place in 2020 but in a 2020 that’s just different enough from our own. In that there’s a secret organization that studies kaiju on a parallel earth. Most of the other problems of 2020 still exist (pandemic and political) but if you realms this book you’ll get to experience a more interesting version, one spent trying to (among other things) get two gigantic impossible monsters to mate. Scalzi is often good for a pleasant romp, and this is surely no exception. I laughed, I felt tense at all the right moments, and I even had to question if hanging a lampshade on the trope of hanging a lampshade was going too far. Something I kept being reminded of when reading this book was a variant of the MST3k mantra: “it’s just a book, I should really just relax.” And relax I did. …

2020 was a rough year. This book takes place in 2020 but in a 2020 that’s just different enough from our own. In that there’s a secret organization that studies kaiju on a parallel earth. Most of the other problems of 2020 still exist (pandemic and political) but if you realms this book you’ll get to experience a more interesting version, one spent trying to (among other things) get two gigantic impossible monsters to mate. Scalzi is often good for a pleasant romp, and this is surely no exception. I laughed, I felt tense at all the right moments, and I even had to question if hanging a lampshade on the trope of hanging a lampshade was going too far. Something I kept being reminded of when reading this book was a variant of the MST3k mantra: “it’s just a book, I should really just relax.” And relax I did. Disclosure: I was provided a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. This is that review.