Reviews

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

lindsayaries's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Really enjoyed this for what it was. John Scalzi has a guaranteed pattern for each of his books. You can be assured that it will be witty, quippy, self-aware, quick, and fun. This book is no exception.

KPS takes place during the COVID pandemic which was a bit of a red flag for me, but it really worked for the plot. The main character, Jamie, kind of plays out like many of Scalzi's main characters. He's sardonic, compassionate, humble, and someone easy to root for.

What KPS offers that something like Red Shirts specifically denied was really fun scientific lore. The science in KPS was really exciting and interesting while not being so deep that you felt overwhelmed or bogged down by it. In fact, there was absolutely nothing overwhelming or burdensome in this book at all. It was very easily digestible, very low commitment at 263 pages long. It's because of this formula that I really like Scalzi. Conversely, it's why I don't *love* Scalzi.

It turns out I *like* being overwhelmed by a new world or a new system of magic or a new science. I wanted more. I could have taken a whole Andy Weir journey around this concept. The Kaijus, the physics, the biology, it was all great. I wanted more and perhaps that's exactly why the book is so successful.

So I highly recommend this book for a fun, chill, kaiju adventure story. You want a quick read with guaranteed dopamine, here you go. You want to get sucked in to an epic adventure? This ain't it. 

fromdusktil's review against another edition

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3.0

I wish I loved this book more than I did. I wanted to be immersed in the world of kaiju, to picture these giants roaming the jungle.... and I could not. Reading this book made me reflect back on my days of reading stories written by teenagers on FictionPress. Good idea, maybe not the best execution.

This was largely due to the fact that more or less all of the characters had the same personality: smart asses. Even in the face of danger they're cracking jokes at each other's expense. You have all sorts of people from different backgrounds, but they all have the same exact personality.

Another big problem I had was that despite this being a book about kaiju, the descriptions of the kaiju were basically non-existent. I couldn't picture them at all. Was I supposed to picture a bunch of Godzillas? He makes a point of talking about the fact that there were different species of kaiju, but made no effort to tell what made them unique.

That said, this was a fun read, and it's clear that Scalzi had fun writing it. The plot wrapped up nicely, and I didn't have to get too emotionally attached to anything that was going on. I would consider this a "palate cleanser" book - something to read after a book that wrecks you emotionally and you just need some mindless fun.

brodego's review

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

andreacpowers's review against another edition

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4.0

Very light and fluffy which is not where my head is now. I've been reading and enjoying deeper books. But I knew what I was getting into. Scalzi is great on twitter though.

jrswieder's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

aido_potato's review against another edition

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3.0

This book is about a lot of the stuff I like, but very much feels like it was written by an older generation. A lot of the humor felt like I was talking to a friends dad or something. Not great, but totally fine. I bet this would absolutely kill with nerds who are 35+

tinybookland's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

ljesica's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

 
I’m in a place right now where I can’t read serious books.  So it’s romcoms and comedy scifi for me!  And this one fits for sure.
Jamie Gray gets fired from his job right as Covid hits.  He and his roommates are barely scraping by in their NYC apartment.  Jamie starts delivering for Fuudmuud and runs in to an old college friend.  Who offers him a job.  Mostly because he’s in a pinch, but also because of Jamie’s love of scifi.  They’ll be saving large animals and the pay is fantastic.  Jamie can’t sign up soon enough.
He deploys on his first mission.  And is incredibly surprised  to find himself on a different earth in a different dimension.  The walls between our universes have been thinned in certain places and they are able to cross over to try to save the Kaiju.  Somewhere between mountains and dragons, the kaiju are huge and fierce.  Oh, and also, nuclear.
This one has a ton of classic Scalzi one liners that made me laugh out loud.  As usual, his books are not in any way life changing, but they certainly are fun. 

jenietiny's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

aussiesff's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0