The Kaiju Preservation Society - Book club
Friday, March 25, 2022
The Kaiju Preservation Society (by John Scalzi)The Kaiju Preservation Society is the most fun thing I have read in a long time. It is literally joy, in the form of a book. John Scalzi himself writes a little letter to the readers at the end, and he refers to it as the book equivalent of a pop song. That could not be truer.
The story starts with a character who gets fired from his job just as the pandemic starts, you know the one, the real one, the one we had. Then he starts delivering food and in very few pages indeed ends up getting a new job where is work for an organisation protecting ‘Large animals’ it quickly goes from this very grounded opening to jumping across to an alternate earth where Godzilla sized monsters live and the realisation of what the initials of the organisation he works for actually mean. KPS is glorious, silly while taking itself seriously and filled with entertaining moments.
I enjoyed it so much that I started an instant re-read. Not since I read the Magic 2.0 series did I have as much fun with a book.
Scalzi is a writer who I always enjoy. He had a way with dialogue that just hooks me and when he’s writing something with a less serious tone, he is even better.
I cannot recommend it enough
Things to know – It’s a short book. It’s not out in paper back either so if you read physical, expect to spend over a tenner on it. Obviously, its far cheaper in digital form and the audio book, sadly, is read by Will ‘110% all the time’ Wheaton who is not someone who’s performance I enjoy, which is why I own the audible version, and one chapter in ordered the hard back. Your Wheaton tolerance may vary. (To be clear, he seems like an okay dude, I just don’t enjoy his style of reading)