Review: The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi, 2022

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi, 2022

The Kaiju Preservation Society is like bubblegum-cotton candy-flavored caffeinated soda pop full of nerdiness, absurdities, and humor delivered at a near-constant pace.

Jamie and the other new KPS employees experience their journey to the other Earth where Godzilla and Mothra-like creatures exist and in a Jurassic Park-esque set-up. The KPS team is responsible for preserving and protecting these animals.

The afterword by the author, I found, was just as fascinating, if not illuminating, as the story itself. It summed up some of my opinions of the book.

It's definitely not one of the author's more substantial works, but if you don't have anything else on your plate and are a John Scalzi fan, I suggest you read it. The KPS is a quick and easy read, and it's fun and lighthearted.    

I rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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Review: The Promise, by Damon Galgut, 2021

The Promise by Damon Galgut
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The Promise, by Damon Galgut, 2021

2021 Booker Prize winner, The Promise is a depiction of the Swarts, a white family in post-apartheid South Africa. The death of the Swart matriarch borns a promise to gift the house to a servant that goes unfulfilled until the lives of the three siblings, Astrid, Anton, and Amor, wrestle through life events that shape their feelings of guilt or lack thereof. They are brought together over funerals over three decades, told in four chapters.  

I found most of the characters unlikable, which is not to say is a bad thing, but unlikable without the depth of character to give reason is one of the reasons I did not care much for this book. The other reason is the writing style did not keep me engaged. I found the author's omniscient intrusions and "tell-not-show" made the read almost unbearable for me. I was very close to shelving this book under #DNF (did not finish).

I rate this book 1.5 out of 5 stars.

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