The Kaiju Preservation Society

Last updated
The Kaiju Preservation Society
The Kaiju Preservation Society.jpg
first edition
Author John Scalzi
Cover artistHanna Vedenpää
LanguageEnglish
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Tor Books
Publication date
2022
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover), ebook, audiobook
Pages272
ISBN 978-0-7653-8912-1

The Kaiju Preservation Society is a science fiction novel written by American author John Scalzi. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Tor Books, and audiobook by Audible Studios, on March 15, 2022; British hardcover and ebook editions were released by Tor UK on March 17, 2022. [1] A large print hardcover edition was issued by Thorndike Press on July 27, 2022, and a trade paperback edition by Tor Books on January 24, 2023. [1] The book has been translated into Italian, German, [1] and Japanese. [2]

Contents

Plot summary

Jamie Gray goes to a six-month performance review as an employee for food delivery startup füdmüd expecting to impress boss Rob Sanders with plans to grow the company, only to be terminated and offered a delivery contract instead. At first rejecting the offer, Jamie is eventually forced to take it after all to make rent, as jobs are scarce in COVID-19-afflicted New York City. One delivery client turns out to be Tom Stevens, an old acquaintance, and over the next few weeks of deliveries they renew their friendship. Tom has a lucrative position with KPS, a secretive animal rights NGO, and is slated to head out into the field right about the same time Jamie loses the delivery job (füdmüd having been bought out). Tom offers Jamie a job with his own employer, and Jamie, again out of options, goes in for the interview, is accepted, and is soon on a plane to Thule Air Base in Greenland.

Thule Air Base turns out to hide the gateway to a parallel Earth, in which evolution took a different turn after the early Mesozoic era, resulting in a planet dominated by impossibly immense creatures whose growth is fueled by internal bio-nuclear reactors. Mankind first became aware of this world in the wake of World War II, when the use of atomic bombs opened temporary portals between the worlds, to and through which the creatures were attracted by the radiation fallout, on which they feed. After Japanese filmmakers were inspired by rumors of the initial breakthrough to make "Kaiju" movies such as Godzilla and its successors, the creatures were dubbed Kaiju. Aside from such rumors, their real-life existence has been kept secret by governments around the world, who formed KPS (the Kaiju Preservation Society) to study the Kaiju Earth, prevent additional breakthroughs, and protect the denizens of each world from those of the other.

Kaiju Earth is a torrid world, high in oxygen and radioactive volatiles, dominated by Kaiju and teeming with lesser predators. Sent to Tanaka Base, an outpost in the Kaiju Earth version of Labrador, Jamie supports the scientific staff studying the biota there, particularly the Kaiju "Bella," a brooding mother laying her eggs at the irradiated site of the death of another Kaiju, whose internal atomic pile overheated and exploded—a not infrequent occurrence. Unfortunately, this event weakened the barrier between worlds, and Bella planting herself at the very location the event occurred is keeping the barrier from rehealing. A predatory corporation on the Human Earth side (coincidentally led by Jamie's old boss Rob Sanders), in on the Kaiju secret, takes the opportunity to breach the barrier and move the Kaiju mother and her eggs to the Human side. Jamie and the other KPS team members must somehow cross over themselves and recover Bella, both to preserve the Kaiju secret and protect both worlds from catastrophe.

Reception

Booklist characterized the novel as "a wonderfully inventive take on the kaiju theme, ... ow[ing] a substantial debt to the Japanese kaiju film genre, and to Pacific Rim and Jurassic Park ," and noted that Scalzi "gleefully acknowledges [that] debt with references scattered through the book." [3] Kirkus Reviews calls the book an "unusual pandemic novel," which "despite the absurdity of the premise (...) isn't entirely escapist fluff", specifying that although it has "the banter and snarky humor [that] readers expect from [Scalzi]", it is 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." [4]

In a starred review, Publishers Weekly calls the novel a "wonderfully witty and refreshingly earnest adventure yarn" in which "[a] more ethical Jurassic Park meets the camaraderie of Parks and Recreation," a "hyper-current story ... 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)." It concludes "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." [5] Kristi Chadwick in Library Journal writes "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," noting that his "first stand-alone novel in several years is a wild ride filled with takes on pop culture, startups, governmental influence, and science." [6] Adam Morgan in Scientific American writes "John Scalzi's stand-alone adventure novel is a fun throwback to Michael Crichton's 1990s sci-fi thrillers. ... Scalzi describes the book as a 'pop song,' and he's right—there are no cerebral messages about animal rights or nuclear proliferation. Written with the brisk pace of a screenplay, it's as quippy as a Marvel movie and as awe-inspiring as Jurassic Park." [7]

Lisa Tuttle in The Guardian calls the book "Hugely enjoyable, intelligent and good-humoured fun." [8] Tom Shippey in The Wall Street Journal rates the novel as "[a] great romp all the way through." [9] Brandon Crilly at blackgate.com describes the novel as "a remarkably fun book" and "exactly the book I needed for late December 2022." Noting how Scalzi "works a narrative through pointed dialogue and non-stop pacing," he writes that "[a]nyone with an understanding of bureaucracy, activism, kaiju, and dealing with horrible rich people will probably adore this story." [10] The novel was also reviewed in Shoreline of Infinity for June 2022. [1]

Awards

The novel was nominated for the 2022 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel [11] and the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Novel. [12] It won a 2023 Alex Award, the American Library Association's annual award recognizing the ten best adult books that appeal to teen readers. [13] [14] It was a top ten finalist for the 2023 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel by April, [15] and went on to win the award. [16] It also won Best Translated Long Story at the 2024 Seiun Awards. [17] [2]

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2022 Dragon Award Science Fiction Novel Finalist [11]
Goodreads Choice Awards Science FictionNominated—8th [18]
2023 Alex Award —Won [13]
Hugo Award Novel Shortlisted [12]
Locus Award Science Fiction Novel Won [16]
Ohioana Book AwardReaders' ChoiceWon [19]
FictionFinalist [20]
2024 Seiun Award Translated NovelWon [17] [2]
Xingyun Award Translated FictionShortlisted

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Scalzi</span> American science fiction writer

John Michael Scalzi II is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Old Man's War series, three novels of which have been nominated for the Hugo Award, and for his blog Whatever, where he has written on a number of topics since 1998. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2008 based predominantly on that blog, which he has also used for several charity drives. His novel Redshirts won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel. He has written non-fiction books and columns on diverse topics such as finance, video games, films, astronomy, writing and politics, and served as a creative consultant for the TV series Stargate Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Wells</span> American speculative fiction writer (born 1964)

Martha Wells is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has published a number of fantasy novels, young adult novels, media tie-ins, short stories, and nonfiction essays on fantasy and science fiction subjects. Her novels have been translated into twelve languages. Wells has won four Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards and three Locus Awards for her science fiction series The Murderbot Diaries. She is also known for her fantasy series Ile-Rien and The Books of the Raksura. Wells is praised for the complex, realistically detailed societies she creates; this is often credited to her academic background in anthropology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor LaValle</span> American writer

Victor LaValle is an American author. He is the author of a short-story collection, Slapboxing with Jesus, and five novels, The Ecstatic,Big Machine,The Devil in Silver,The Changeling, and Lone Women. His fantasy-horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella. LaValle writes fiction primarily, though he has also written essays and book reviews for GQ, Essence Magazine, The Fader, and The Washington Post, among other publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Graham Jones</span> Native American fiction author

Stephen Graham Jones is a Blackfeet Native American author of experimental fiction, horror fiction, crime fiction, and science fiction. His works include the horror novels The Only Good Indians, My Heart Is a Chainsaw, and Night of the Mannequins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Barzak</span> American author

Christopher Barzak is an American author. He has published many short stories, beginning with "A Mad Tea Party" in Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet in 1999. In 2007 he published his debut novel, One for Sorrow, which won the 2008 Crawford Award, and was a nominee for the 2008 Great Lakes Book Award as well as Logo TV's NewNowNext Awards. His second novel, The Love We Share Without Knowing, was a 2008 James Tiptree Jr. Award finalist and a 2009 Nebula Awards finalist for Best Novel. His first full-length short story collection, Before and Afterlives, was the recipient of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Single-Author Collection in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Robinette Kowal</span> American author and puppeteer (born 1969)

Mary Robinette Kowal is an American author, translator, art director, and puppeteer. She has worked on puppetry for shows including Jim Henson Productions and the children's show LazyTown. As an author, she is a four-time Hugo Award winner, and served as the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America from 2019-2021.

The Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Science Fiction Novel was first presented in 1980, and is among the awards still presented. Previously, there had simply been an award for Best Novel. A similar award for Best Fantasy Novel was introduced in 1978. The Locus Awards have been described as a prestigious prize in science fiction, fantasy and horror literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Award</span> Annual awards for science fiction or fantasy

The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by the World Science Fiction Society. The Hugo is widely considered the premier award in the science fiction genre. It is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. Hugos were first given in 1953, at the 11th World Science Fiction Convention, and have been awarded every year since 1955.

Rae Dawn Carson is an American fantasy writer. Her debut novel, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, was published in 2011. Her books have also been translated into languages around the world. Beginning in 2017, she has written several tie-in stories for the Star Wars universe, including the official novelization of The Rise of Skywalker.

<i>The Collapsing Empire</i> 2017 science fiction novel by John Scalzi

The Collapsing Empire is a space opera novel by American writer John Scalzi. The book was published by Tor Books on March 21, 2017. It is the first of a series that was originally intended to be two books but is now a trilogy. The second book, The Consuming Fire, was released October 16, 2018 and the final book, The Last Emperox, was released on April 14, 2020.

The Dragon Awards are a set of literary and media awards voted on by fandom and presented annually since 2016 by Dragon Con for excellence in various categories of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in various media — novels, movies, television, and games.

Neon Yang, formerly JY Yang, is a Singaporean writer of English-language speculative fiction best known for the Tensorate series of novellas published by Tor.com, which have been finalists for the Hugo Award, Locus Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, Lambda Literary Award, British Fantasy Award, and Kitschie Award. The first novella in the series, The Black Tides of Heaven, was named one of the "100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time" by Time magazine. Their debut novel, The Genesis of Misery, the first book in The Nullvoid Chronicles, was published in 2022 by Tor Books, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, received a nomination for the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction, and was a Finalist for the 2023 Locus Award for Best First Novel and 2023 Compton Crook Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. F. Kuang</span> American fantasy writer (born 1996)

Rebecca F. Kuang is an American fantasy novelist. Her first novel, The Poppy War, was released in 2018, followed by the sequels The Dragon Republic in 2019, and The Burning God in 2020. Kuang released a stand-alone novel, Babel, or the Necessity of Violence in 2022. Her latest release is Yellowface, a satirical novel which was published in 2023. Kuang holds an undergraduate degree in international economics with a minor in Asian Studies from Georgetown University and graduate degrees in Sinology from Magdalene College, Cambridge, and University College, Oxford, and is currently pursuing a PhD at Yale University.

Alix E. Harrow is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. Her short fiction work "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" has been nominated for the Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Locus Award, and in 2019 won a Hugo Award. Her debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January (2019), was widely acclaimed by mainstream critics, lauded by general audiences during voting at Goodreads Choice Awards and Locus Awards, and nominated for multiple first novel literary awards and speculative fiction awards. She has also published under the name Alix Heintzman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamsyn Muir</span> New Zealand writer (born 1985)

Tamsyn Elizabeth Muir is a New Zealand fantasy, science fiction, and horror author best known for The Locked Tomb, a science fantasy series of novels. Muir won the 2020 Locus Award for her first novel, Gideon the Ninth, and has been nominated for several other awards as well.

<i>Project Hail Mary</i> 2021 science-fiction novel by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary is a 2021 science fiction novel by American writer Andy Weir. Set in the near future, it centers on school-teacher-turned-astronaut Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma afflicted with amnesia. He gradually remembers that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to find a means of reversing a solar dimming event that could cause the extinction of humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. A. Cosby</span> American novelist (born 1973)

Shawn Andre Cosby is an American author of "Southern noir" crime fiction. He resides in Gloucester, Virginia, on the York River. Cosby has published four crime novels: My Darkest Prayer, Blacktop Wasteland, Razorblade Tears, and All the Sinners Bleed.

<i>Light from Uncommon Stars</i> 2021 novel by Ryka Aoki

Light from Uncommon Stars is a science fiction and fantasy novel by American author and poet Ryka Aoki. The novel won the 2021 Otherwise Award, 2022 Alex Award, and 2022 Stonewall Book Award, and was nominated for multiple other awards.

<i>The Spare Man</i> 2022 novel by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Spare Man is a 2022 science fiction murder mystery novel by Mary Robinette Kowal. The novel was nominated for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2023 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

<i>Starter Villain</i> Science fiction novel by John Scalzi

Starter Villain is a science fiction novel written by American author John Scalzi. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Tor Books, and audiobook by Audible Studios, on September 19, 2023; British hardcover and ebook editions were released by Tor UK on September 21, 2023. A large print hardcover edition was issued by Thorndike Press on November 28, 2023, and a trade paperback edition was issued by Tor Books on October 1, 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Kaiju Preservation Society title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  2. 1 2 3 Scalzi, John. ""The Kaiju Preservation Society: A Seiun Award Winner!" Post on whatever.scalzi.com, Jun. 5, 2024.
  3. ↑ Pitt, David. Review in Booklist, v. 118 iss. 4, October 15, 2021, p. 34.
  4. ↑ Review in Kirkus Reviews, v. 90 iss. 1, January 1, 2022 (posted online December 15, 2021).
  5. ↑ Review in Publishers Weekly, v. 269 iss. 1, January 3, 2022, p. 25.
  6. ↑ Chadwick, Kristi. Review in Library Journal v. 147 iss. 1, January 2022, p. 51.
  7. ↑ Morgan, Adam. Review in Scientific American, v. 326, iss. 3, March 1, 2022, p. 81.
  8. ↑ Tuttle, Lisa. "The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – reviews roundup." Review in The Guardian, London, March 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ Shippey, Tom. "Science Fiction: John Scalzi's 'The Kaiju Preservation Society'." Review in The Wall Street Journal, New York, May 13, 2022.
  10. ↑ Crilly, Brandon. "In 500 Words or Less: End of 2022 Round-Up!" Review on blackgate.com, January 4, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "The Dragon Awards: 2022 Nominees".
  12. 1 2 "Hugo, Astounding, and Lodestar Awards Finalists". Locus Online. 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  13. 1 2 "YALSA announces 2023 Alex Awards". News and Press Center. ALA American Library Association. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Templeton, Molly (2023-01-30). "John Scalzi and R.F. Kuang Are 2023 Alex Awards Winners!". Reactor. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  15. ↑ "2023 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists". locusmag.com. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  16. 1 2 "2023 Locus Awards Winners". locusmag.com. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  17. 1 2 "2024年 第55回星雲賞". www.sf-fan.gr.jp. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  18. ↑ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Science Fiction!". Goodreads. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  19. ↑ "Announcing the 2023 Ohioana Book Award Winners - Ohioana Library". www.ohioana.org. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  20. ↑ "Announcing the 2023 Ohioana Book Award Finalists - Ohioana Library". www.ohioana.org. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.