In the midst of 2020's pandemic shutdown, Jamie Gray is down on his luck. So when a chance encounter leads to a vague job offer working with 'large dangerous animals' he jumps at the chance. Soon he finds himself in an alternate version of earth where life evolved very differently. His employers are a secret non-governmental organisation that aims to preserve the apex predators of the alternate Earth - vast Godzilla-like monsters which can grow their own nuclear reactors. With nuclear events thinning the barriers between the worlds and making it possible to cross into 'our' world, a nuclear explosion shortly after Jamie's arrival means his first tour of duty soon becomes very interesting and dangerous indeed.

Scalzi is an experienced author, although this is the first of his books I have read. His prose is easy to read and he does dialogue particularly well. The concept seems original to me (not the biggest sci-fi reader) and I liked how he had re-envisaged evolution and the biological set up of the creatures on the alternate earth. Everything had at least an effort made to explain it in terms of real world science rather than being more akin to magic. Whether any of it would hold up to scrutiny by someone who was an expert in science I don't know, but it was good enough for me.

One of the great strengths of the book is the characters and the interactions between them. Jamie is a likeable protagonist and is surrounded by a strong ensemble of supporting characters. He quickly befriends his new housemates and fellow newcomers, a physicist, chemist and biologist, and this group forms the heart of the novel. It reminded me of Jodi Taylor's 'Chronicles of St Mary's' (although with less emotional high-tension), in the way a close knit group of characters face dangerous situations with an endless stream of banter and dark humour.

The plot is a bit predictable and linear, although perfectly adequate. But this book demonstrates how a simple plot can be elevated by being well executed and involving characters you care about. It's well paced and fast to read, and I was gripped particularly towards the end as our heroes are trying to save the day/world. I really cared about whether they'd succeed - and survive the attempt.

I'd recommend to those who enjoy science fiction, and also to readers who like the 'Chronicles of St Mary's' as it is similar in tone. I'd certainly consider reading more novels by Scalzi, particularly if they have an unusual concept.

Scalzi is fast on his way to becoming my personal SFF equivalent of a pick-me-up popsong: first Interdependency trilogy that reads like a string of anecdotes about corporate fraud, and now this.
If you enjoy the idea of a bunch of really nerdy scientists signed up for an offshore job to study and protect kaijus all the while geeking about their implausible science, then it's an ideal evening's entertainment for you. It feels good in a nostalgic manner (I'd love to reference some Булычев novels about space zoologists from my childhood, but I'm afraid the analogy will be largely lost for an English-speaking audience), but it's aligned to frustrations of a modern reader. The protagonist remains gleefully gender-unmarked throughout the whole text, there is a rather pragmatic way to acknowledge the pandemic in the text without making the whole novel be about it, and the big bad, I'm pleased to say, is once again corporate greed -- and boy is it so infinitely punchable in the face.
On a structural note, I like that it's a standalone novel -- it's a pity we are not getting many of those these days -- but I feel like it needed more editing. If you trim the repeated explanations about the Kaiju Earth science delivered during the "tourist" visit, and tighten up the logistics of getting to the base in the beginning (truly, there is no need to build tension around getting to meet the kaijus -- it's literally in the title!), I think it would have done amazingly well as a longer novella; after all, it has really one central conflict.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for providing a copy of #TheKaijuPreservationSociety for advance review. I really had fun with this book.

Sometimes it's good to go into a book not knowing much about it. That's how I went into this, beyond expecting some kind of Godzilla-type creatures.

This is great fun. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes Jurrasic Park, Godzilla or Pacific Rim.

Scalzi creates an interesting world with a good narrator.

Brilliant stuff. I hope this gets a film adaptation, because it would be cool as.

Thanks to John Scalzi, NetGalley, and Pan Macmillan for this copy.

In a word: fun. In two words: REALLY fun. This was lean, fast-paced and dialogue-driven, with its tongue jammed firmly in its cheek. Really enjoyed being submerged into this world of giant monsters and I will be recommending it to fans of Jurassic Park and super-speedy sci-fi.

This is not a typical book by John Scalzi. But don't let that put you off, as it's actually a funny & interesting read.
Serious science fiction it isn't but that shouldn't dismiss it's value in any way.
I love monsters, I love Godzilla & I love this author's books, so it was a please to receive this via #NetGalley to read and enjoy. And enjoy it I did.
The characters are strong and sound as per usual & the plot whilst (very) far fetched, draws you in from the onset.
The more you read, the more involved you are and it's simply fun to read.
Just read it, enjoy it & share the love.
(By the way, the COVID 19 references are odd, but I guess that's life now, so books should reflect that now).

The author States this not the book he originally planned to write but it b became the book he and the general public needed, not farcical but most definitely humorous (murder stoner syndrome)!!! Also the first book I have read that addresses the fears and restrictions of living in a pandemic, and it has KAIJU!

While I am not a huge sci-fi reader, I have read some John Scalzi before and I picked this up as the story line intrigued me.

This is just a pure fun escapist adventure which to me has the feel of Jurassic Park, Great Zoo of China and that old TV series Primeval. It has been quite a while since John Scalzi has done a standalone and this is much lighter than his normal books which can at times be more serious.

Set on alternate Earth where a group of scientists and others from our timeline are working in shifts to study the Kaiju: a wide range of Godzilla type creatures with very strange biology and a habit of crossing through dimensions to our Earth when there is a nuclear explosion. (The reasons for which are explained in clever and amusing detail in the book).

This is not just one for the many fans of John Scalzi but for those more general adventure readers that just want something distracting with clever characterisations, wit, intelligence and just a lot of fun.