The Kaiju Preservation Society
By: John Scalzi
My Rating: Four out of five stars.
Best for: 18 and up

Godzilla vs COVID

Seriously, Scalzi? Not sure how, but Scalzi always seems to be just what I need. I just wish he would be a little less comfortable with the f-bombs.

This story is just for the fun of it. The science is sketchy, the characters are decoration, and the plot is predictable. But guess what? It doesn’t matter! It’s about a covert, super secret organization who travels to alternate-dimension Earth to study Godzillas and protect them from the mean humans. During COVID. It’s hilariously funny, it’s exciting, it’s clever, and it doesn’t take any brain space to enjoy. So in my book (pun intended), The Kaiju Preservation Society is a WIN!

I should point out, this is Scalzi’s ode to COVID. He explains it all in the author’s forward. (Which you should always read, btw. That’s a good book nerd.) He was supposed to write a big, complex, Scalzi novel, but 2020 was too depressing. So he wrote this instead. Just for fun. So haters, quit hating.

Seriously, I haven’t laughed out loud at a book in a long time, and it felt great. Between the Neal Stephenson references, the Murderbot name drops, the endlessly relatable COVID references, and the non-stop witty dialogue, I was on my toes and ready for every pun, literary connection, and political jab this book delivered–and I ate it up.

I remain in awe of John Scalzi because he fooled me TWICE with a really clever trick. The first time was when I read Lock In. I finished the entire book and was reading an interview about the book before I realized Scalizi never assigned a gender to the main character. I couldn’t believe I’d just assumed the character was a male without being told–only to discover other’s had assumed female. It was so fascinating! Well guess what? I was quicker this time–I was only half-way through The Kaiju Preservation Society before I realized he’d done it again! The main character is not assigned a gender. You get to pick for yourself! It’s a fantastically clever trick that gets my book-nerd juices flowing.

If only John Scali wouldn’t swear so much! It’s the only thing that keeps me from being an all-in Scalzi supporter. This book has one f-word every 5 pages, so it’s a lot. I wouldn’t be able to listen to the audio. No sex or violence concerns.

If you can handle the language and want to just sit back, relax, and enjoy your reading experience without being asked much as a reader, you’re absolutely going to enjoy The Kaiju Preservation Society.

Best for 18 and up.

Get your copy here!

Happy Reading!