The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (2022) ****
Though I devoured sci-fi as a pre-teen (both books and films) I rarely dip into the genre today.......but how could I resist this one?
Kaiju, folks, freakin' Kaiju! (Japanese for 'strange beast' and the quick 'n easy word to use when referring to Godzilla movies that feature all variety of giant creatures stepping on cities and/or kicking each other's giant asses into oblivion.
Author Scalzi takes the concept of Kaiju and fashions a wild and fun adventure that reads like a screenplay for a future summertime blockbuster. (If that actually comes about, you'll find us first in line.....)
In Covid-wracked NYC, Jamie Gray's reduced to a food delivery driver.......ironic, since he previously served as an executive for a rival GrubHub-type app, until forced out by a slimy new boss.
Things pick up for him when he signs up to work for what's described to him as...uh......caring and supervising rare animals......
Imagine his surprise when the job entails being zapped in a lush jungle on an alternate Earth where massive, mammoth creatures (or 'Kaiju') wander about. The creatures, so titanic, they're covered with dangerous man-sized, crab-like parasites, also have built in nuclear reactors in their guts.
So you don't want to be anywhere near a Kaiju if they become so distressed that they literally detonate, nuking themselves and everything else in their vicinity. You know the feeling.....we all get it when we turn on the evening news.......
Jamie's so-called 'heavy lifting' job takes him and a team of scientists on harrowing helicopter missions that circle around the creatures, keeping tabs on the monsters as they mate and spawn and otherwise stomp around. And the book renders all of this with a huge amounts of thrills and humor.
The suspense and potential danger ramp up even more with the arrival of a visiting 'tourist' group of bigwigs and corporate execs.......including the douchebag who fired Jamie.
For everyone (including me) who's reaching exhaustion from the whole 'multiverse' thing, don't let that keep you away from this book. The pace is fast, the action non-stop and the wit makes it a roaring good read. 4 stars (****)
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