John Scalzi: The Kaiju Preservation Society (2022, Pan Macmillan)
English language
Published March 14, 2022 by Pan Macmillan.
Just like in "Starter Villain", there are plenty of fun ideas in this book. It's light and a quick read. Had a French version of the book.
The story is fun and creative. It's too bad the characters are so poorly written. By the end of the book I had trouble focusing on anything else.
The characters are all the same. Whether it's a science fiction loving delivery guy, a brilliant scientist, a billionaire tech bro or an experienced military officer, they all have identical mannerisms and speech. If you take any dialogue out of context there's no way to guess who said it.. Everyone is calm and snarky in the face of death, and more interested in getting a quick jab against the scene's designated punching bag than in what's best for themselves in the long term.
KPS is not, and I say this with absolutely no slight intended, a brooding symphony of a novel. It’s a pop song. It’s meant to be light and catchy, with three minutes of hooks and choruses for you to sing along with, and then you’re done and you go on with your day, hopefully with a smile on your face.
Not much to add to that, really.
