Book Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society

THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY | John Scalzi
03.15.2022 | Tor Books
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn’t tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They’re the universe’s largest and most dangerous panda and they’re in trouble.

I absolutely love a good science fiction book filled with comedic wit. Whenever I pick up a sci-fi story I’m instantly worried I won’t understand the science basis of the story, so having humor mixed in makes the story more relatable for me as a reader. I also think that stories like these, which Scalzi exemplifies in this book, give the characters a way to connect with the reader. 

From the very start of THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY I was intrigued by Jamie and getting to know them and their situation. We all have been living in COVID times, so it’s easy to fall into Jamie’s experience. But what about embracing the whole alternate dimension and massive Kaiju part of the story? Easy peasy! Scalzi has created a storyline that feels equally plausible, as it does ripped from a movie. There is action, heart, drama, and just a downright good time throughout this book! Think space opera meets Jurassic Park and you get THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY! I’ll definitely be looking into Scalzi’s backlist for more to check out!

A huge thank you to Tor Books for my gifted copy!