If you find yourself unemployed at the start of a global pandemic, any job will do right? Jamie Gray is working as a food ‘deliverator’ after losing his job with a start-up. It’s not much but it helps pay the bills. Then a chance encounter with an old acquaintance leads to a mysterious offer. After signing up for a job looking after ‘large animals’ Jamie finds himself in a very different world, with animals somewhat larger than he actually imagined.
‘The Kaiju Preservation Society’ (KPS) is the first library book I’ve borrowed in years. Due to a combination of being out of work (at the time) and running out of space on my bookshelf (still an issue), I’d started visiting my local library again. KPS was on display and was just too tempting not to borrow. I’ve read John Scalzi’s ‘Redshirts’ and enjoyed it, so was willing to take a chance on another of his books. KPS is a much more straightforward story, but it shows the same love of taking well worn tropes and dialing them up to eleven.
KPS is a short book, but it’s still a fun read. It’s a novella that doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, launching the reader on a fantastical journey that leverages familiar sci-fi tropes. We have a team of rookie scientists thrown together by outrageous circumstances, an alternate reality that conveniently explains the existence of kaiju, and a threat to both worlds that our reluctant heroes must combat with their unique and quirky combination of skills. Oh, and of course, a villain.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants a quick and fun read. Sci-fi fans and lovers of the kaiju genre (in any media type) should enjoy the book. My main criticism is that the journey was perhaps over too soon. This is a book I’d happily have paid for at the second-hand store, or bought a cheap audiobook version to listen to. So all of you who want to preserve kaiju, get on down to your book store or library and grab yourself a copy.
