The Kaiju Preservation Society

Scalzi does not disappoint with this latest novel! Personally, I'm a big fan of everything that he writes, so maybe I'm a bit biased, but one thing I'm not overly excited about is Jurassic Park/Godzilla/monster-type narratives. But, that being said, Scalzi made me love this kind of story.

The world was imaginative and the events were exciting. I loved the characters, especially Martin Satie (give it up for my fellow Québécois! He was such a badass, I love him) and Jamie Gray (who supposedly just “lifts things” but is obviously much more useful and helpful than that). Jamie's friends at Tanaka Base were all colourful and interesting to read about (except Niamh–they were too whinny and annoying to my taste).

The Kaiju themselves were characters in their own right. The naming tradition was so banal that it made it hilarious (a several hundred-foot tall monster named Kevin? Let's go!!). The whole mating scene with Bella and Edward (yes, that Bella and Edward) was so funny and irreverent, I think I'll remember it forever.

Despite the seriousness of the situation behind some of the scenes in the book, the characters find a way of being snarky and funny throughout, which lightens the mood and makes giant Godzilla-like creatures seem like moody Pomeranians rather than monstrous killing machines. As I said at the beginning of this review, I don't particularly like monster movies like Godzilla, but the fact that Scalzi's story doesn't take itself seriously makes it much more fun and exciting than a typical Hollywood cash-grab.

All in all, this is a great book amidst pandemic anxiety (which is constantly referenced in the novel) with the signature humour and frequent pop culture references that readers of Scalzi will be accustomed to.