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eileenfun331's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nancyadelman's review against another edition
5.0
Jamie Grey is an ordinary guy trying to get by. living in New York City when Covid 19 happens. He's working a dead-end job as a food delivery driver and has no prospects for anything better until an acquaintance tells him about a job opening at his company, KPS, the Kaiju Preservation Society. Jamie is full of doubts but takes the job and is transported to an alternate Earth where Kaiju roam freely. The Kaiju are enormous, dinosaur like animals that could devour a helicopter whole. Their size makes them more vulnerable and human carelessness could bring catatastrophe to both versions of Earth.
I bought this book thinking it was going to be a retelling of Jurassic Park in a new and inventive way. I could not have been more wrong. This book does mention Jurassic Park, one time, early on, and then it is off the radar forever. It's not really about dinosaurs inhabiting an area and getting out of control. Nope. This book is entirely different and its focus is on the people, not the creatures in the book. The author took his time sketching out the characters where he could so that the reader really feels the fear, annoyance, exasperation, and other emotions felt by them. There is a wicked sense of humor running through this book which made me giggle many times such as this turn of phrase: "homeopathic physics." The setting is mostly in an alternate version of Earth as this is a book with a multiverse, but the first part of the book is set in New York City. It is set just before Covid 19 happens. The climatic scene was the only thing that I have a complaint about: the "bad guy" meeting his comeuppance is quick and gone in a flash of just a couple of sentences. I really kind of wanted him to suffer more. There is some violence here and there throughout the book. There are some "guns," of a sort. There is some alcohol use in a couple of scenes but it seems to be confined to those scenes; there are no illicit or illegal drugs. There were no sex scenes implied or otherwise. I really liked this book and am giving it five stars. I think there's a pretty good likelihood you would like it too!
I bought this book thinking it was going to be a retelling of Jurassic Park in a new and inventive way. I could not have been more wrong. This book does mention Jurassic Park, one time, early on, and then it is off the radar forever. It's not really about dinosaurs inhabiting an area and getting out of control. Nope. This book is entirely different and its focus is on the people, not the creatures in the book. The author took his time sketching out the characters where he could so that the reader really feels the fear, annoyance, exasperation, and other emotions felt by them. There is a wicked sense of humor running through this book which made me giggle many times such as this turn of phrase: "homeopathic physics." The setting is mostly in an alternate version of Earth as this is a book with a multiverse, but the first part of the book is set in New York City. It is set just before Covid 19 happens. The climatic scene was the only thing that I have a complaint about: the "bad guy" meeting his comeuppance is quick and gone in a flash of just a couple of sentences. I really kind of wanted him to suffer more. There is some violence here and there throughout the book. There are some "guns," of a sort. There is some alcohol use in a couple of scenes but it seems to be confined to those scenes; there are no illicit or illegal drugs. There were no sex scenes implied or otherwise. I really liked this book and am giving it five stars. I think there's a pretty good likelihood you would like it too!
jordysbookclub's review against another edition
4.0
QUICK TAKE: definitely scratched that Michael Crichton Jurassic Park itch with the humor we've come to expect from a Scalzi sci-fi novel. I had heard he wrote this book in a month last year, and it does feel a bit rushed (especially the ending), but overall I really liked this book a lot.
wheeliedave's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.25
pat_h's review against another edition
3.0
At times, it felt like I was reading a therapeutic excercise/snarkathon, but I had some fun.
devind19's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. It’s quick and fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s like a popcorn movie with plenty of action and humor, it knows the premise is ridiculous and leans into that, and it has just the right amount of emotional depth to offset the goofiness.
This is a great reminder that not all sci-fi needs to be dark and tackle some monumental conflict in order to be good. Sometimes fiction is just fun.
This is a great reminder that not all sci-fi needs to be dark and tackle some monumental conflict in order to be good. Sometimes fiction is just fun.
nickstefaniak's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
This was a great read! It’s only the second book I’ve read in 2024 to get 5/5 stars. The author calls it a “pop song” of a book that isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, and I think that’s a very apt way to describe it. There were many parts of the story that had me laughing out loud, and I was able to easily read this in a weekend. I definitely recommend this to anyone, and I will look into the author’s other works too!
This was a great read! It’s only the second book I’ve read in 2024 to get 5/5 stars. The author calls it a “pop song” of a book that isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, and I think that’s a very apt way to describe it. There were many parts of the story that had me laughing out loud, and I was able to easily read this in a weekend. I definitely recommend this to anyone, and I will look into the author’s other works too!
ashkitty93's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
My second Scalzi book, and he has me steadily warming to sci-fi - again, not that I ever hated it, bc I adore things like Animorphs and Jurassic Park and so on - but I’ve discovered I’m picky about this genre in the way I’m generally not with others.
Definitely grab this one if you want something light, fast, laugh-out-loud funny, and nerdy as hell.
Definitely grab this one if you want something light, fast, laugh-out-loud funny, and nerdy as hell.
zugthemegasaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-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
3.75