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A review by lindsayaries
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
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.
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.