... a smart and timely and often hilarious work, a quick page-turner that fills the reader with a sense of speculative adventure even as its underlying ethos worms its way into your brain ... Scalzi takes his job very seriously, crafting his narrative world with a delicacy of detail; just because he’s obviously having a marvelous time telling this tale, that doesn’t mean that he lacks commitment to the quality of the work. And this book is of the utmost quality. Scalzi has a gift for coming up with intriguing central concepts and then spinning them out into sharp and compelling narratives. The Kaiju Preservation Society is another example of that gift in action, its central story an ideal framework on which to hang quick-witted dialogue and situational humor and assorted other stylistic Scalzi hallmarks ... smart and well-written, to be sure, but most importantly—it’s FUN.
... all [characters] trade in the wit and inside jokes that make Scalzi’s books so much fun. But the larger joy of reading the book is the feeling of being embedded in the team, and following along on both their 'normal' workdays—which are still pretty extraordinary because freaking Kaiju—and the far more dangerous plot that kicks into gear halfway through the book ... Which leads me to the thing I liked most about this book, which is that it’s beyond competence porn, it’s sort of support network porn? ... The Kaiju Preservation Society is 'Good Faith Argument: The Book' ... refreshing and fun to read, especially after the last few years. But more than being a fun conceit, this aspect of the book sets the central conflict up perfectly, because when there are problems they stem from people who act in bad faith.
... [a] thoroughly enjoyable new adventure ... As a science fiction author, Scalzi carries on the tradition often presented in novels that question who the true evildoers are. It’s a thoughtful debate. He bills The Kaiju Preservation Society as the literary equivalent of a pop song written as a way of staying sane during COVID. It is a wonderfully entertaining and outstanding read for the times in which we live.
... more like Deathworld than Jurassic Park, full of references and allusions to Mr. Stephenson’s Snow Crash and much more. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a sci-fi nerd to appreciate all of them. It’s a great romp all the way through, with undertones of self-mockery and satire. You can tell Mr. Scalzi had fun writing it.
... funny and endearing ... It’s impossible to read this book without sensing how much fun Scalzi was having while writing it. The Kaiju Preservation Society revels in its own nerdiness, joyfully calling out the absurdities that Jamie and the other new KPS employees experience in their journey to the other Earth. The dialogue practically skips along, with jokes and minor insults pinging off each character at a near-constant pace. And the richness of the alternate Earth, with all its odd flora and fauna, is clearly the result of a creative mind let loose ... What better way to escape the feeling of being trapped inside, from pandemic-related reasons or anything else, than to go somewhere vibrant and unique, where you can feel loved by your friends, valued by your job and morally unassailable as you fight to preserve vulnerable wildlife? It certainly works for Jamie, and it will work for anyone lucky enough to pick up a copy of The Kaiju Preservation Society.
Scalzi owes a substantial debt to the Japanese kaiju film genre, and to Pacific Rim and Jurassic Park, and he gleefully acknowledges the debt with references scattered through the book. Readers familiar with the early Scalzi novels Agent to the Stars (2005) and The Android’s Dream (2006) will recognize the same energetic writing style and lightning-fast pacing: this is Scalzi having a lot of fun.
Scalzi’s...prose is action- and humor-driven and includes just the right amount of the current climate to anchor the setting without wallowing in it ... Scalzi’s first stand-alone novel in several years is a wild ride filled with takes on pop culture, startups, governmental influence, and science.
A more ethical Jurassic Park meets the camaraderie of Parks and Recreation in this wonderfully witty and refreshingly earnest adventure yarn ... The hyper-current story spans March 2020 through March 2021, touching on the Covid-19 pandemic and offering exactly the kind of playfulness and hope that were needed during that period (and are still more than welcome now). The parallel world Scalzi builds is understandably dangerous even as he carries on the science fiction tradition of questioning who the real monsters are, but those realistically dark elements help highlight the more optimistic themes of collective action and preservation. The resulting escape is equally lighthearted and grounded—and sure to delight.
... despite the absurdity of the premise, the book isn’t entirely escapist fluff. Sure, it bubbles with the banter and snarky humor readers expect from this author. But it’s also a blunt and savage swipe at tech-bro/billionaire culture, the Trump administration, and the chaos and tragedy that result when powerful and rich people set themselves against science and scientists in order to profit from disaster. The evil plot would seem creaky and melodramatic if it weren’t such an accurate satiric mirror of the current sociopolitical milieu. In short, it’s a fictional delivery system for the outrage that Scalzi typically expresses in his tweets and on his blog about the mess we currently find ourselves in. Fun but with a purpose.