47 pages • 1 hour read
The Kaiju Preservation Society
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Conservation and Environmental Stewardship
Kaiju Preservation Society’s central goals are to conserve and protect Kaiju Earth’s creatures and ecosystems. Scalzi exemplifies the KPS’s mission via the organization’s efforts to breed Bella and protect her nest: the KPS needs to boost the species’ numbers before they become extinct, upsetting the ecosystem of that region of Kaiju Earth. The goal of Bella’s species’ conservation faces a second major challenged when Sanders’s team kidnaps her and her eggs. The kidnapping presents two major problems for the KPS, putting Bella’s species and Kaiju Earth’s ecosystem at risk, as well as risking environmental disaster in the main Earth. This twofold problem represents The Importance of Conservation and Environmental Stewardship by illustrating both the species at risk and the potential dangers humans create when they disturb or interfere with nature and natural processes.
Throughout the novel, Jamie and the other new members of the KPS learn to respect and appreciate the kaiju. While Jamie starts out frightened of the kaiju and wanting to keep their distance, by the novel’s climax, they find themself staring directly at Bella with deep empathy and finding her confused and tired. Jamie sees not a weapon or monster, but a creature that wants to survive and to return to its habitat. When Sanders expresses annoyance at Jamie’s sympathy, they chastise him: “You brought this thing over here. You brought it to a place where the only thing it can do is die. You want it to die” (245). Jamie argues for the inherent value in kaiju’s lives, disgusted with Sanders’s lack of empathy. By extension, this is also an argument for the inherent value of the natural world and its right to exist without exploitation for profit.
Bella’s kidnapping poses a direct threat to the people on the main Earth, depicting another reason to protect and conserve nature and likening this theme to that of Humans’ Impact on Ecosystems. Sanders’s greed directly puts the lives of average people at risk, echoing modern worries about climate catastrophe and collapse in the face of an unrestrained pursuit of profit. The explosion of Kevin’s rival early in the book serves to illustrate the potential danger of a venting kaiju. When Aparna and Niamh explain that Bella is venting, the author has already set up the implications of this threat, instantly increasing tension and illustrating stakes.
Humans’ Impact on Ecosystems
The Kaiju Preservation Society explores Humans’ Impact on Ecosystems on both original Earth and Kaiju Earth. Scalzi suggests that the KPS is a responsible environmental steward, taking care to avoid these effects. For example, the new members receive vaccines before leaving for Kaiju Earth, partly to protect the ecosystem from harmful new viruses. When Kahurangi asks why the KPS doesn’t bring livestock like chickens to Kaiju Earth for food, Aparna explains the risks new species can pose to an environment: “[T]he creatures here don’t have any defenses against anything a chicken might carry. A bird flu could wipe them all out” (71). The KPS does affect the environment on Kaiju Earth, however. For example, its efforts to mate Bella and Edward, thereby growing their species, has a clear positive impact on the ecosystem on Kaiju Earth. With this, Scalzi suggests that not all human impacts are negative, if they are properly considered and executed.
The author also depicts negative treatment of the environment. In particular, nuclear energy poses a distinct human threat to the ecosystems of original Earth and Kaiju Earth’s ecosystems in the novel. For example, Tom explains to the new recruits that humans discovered kaiju when “we started setting off nuclear bombs on our planet, and the kaiju on this planet sensed the detonations from here and started homing in on them” (41). The bombs cause unanticipated problems in the natural world, thinning the barriers between the two Earths and potentially endangering the lives of people and creatures on Earth and the kaiju.
The character of Sanders represents Scalzi’s idea of bad environmental stewardship. The author uses Bella’s kidnapping to critique people and entities that mistreat and misuse natural resources, linking Sanders and Tensorial to fossil fuels and climate change. For example, Sanders removes Bella from her habitat and exploits her for energy and personal gain. When the KPS team warns him that his plan will kill Bella and thousands of nearby human beings, he expresses disinterest in the danger, confident that the government will protect him and his profits. Here, Scalzi draws parallels to fossil fuel companies and governments, implying that they choose economic gain now over preventing certain disaster later.
Teamwork and Community in the Face of Global Catastrophe
The Kaiju Preservation Society emphasizes the importance of Teamwork and Community in the Face of Global Catastrophe by showing the new members’ growing dedication to protecting their community and ecosystems. Early sections of the novel focus attention on Jamie and the other team members building skills and bonding over their shared sense of duty. Each team member uses their own distinct skills and expertise to help each other and work together. The team also members depend on each other for protection and defense. For example, the team relies on Satie to pick them up in the helicopter in time to escape the kaiju, and they rely on Kahurangi to provide pheromones to mask their scent.
The team’s trust and cohesion come in handy when Sanders steals Bella and her eggs. Jamie, Aparna, Kahurangi, and Niamh are forced to act quickly to prevent Bella’s explosion and thousands of deaths. By this point, the team has a well-honed ability to work together, which Scalzi develops throughout the novel. When Dave Berg confronts the team, for example, Niamh thinks quickly and uses an electric baton to knock him unconscious. The final sequence of the climax, in particular, illustrates the bond among the team, passing the stolen USB key from member to member and deftly leading Bella to safety. Their teamwork makes it possible for them to save Bella and the humans nearby. In contrast, Sanders’s selfishness and greed are directly responsible for the dangerous situation; he confesses that he does not care who his plan hurts because he will make money and the government will protect him. In this way, Scalzi suggests that greed and lack of community care put everyone at risk.
Though the team members display a variety of personalities and backgrounds, they find cohesion through their shared sense of duty and devotion to their cause. For example, when the team goes to rescue Bella, Niamh goes along with Kahurangi’s plan to use uranium pellets, even though they doubt it will work, indicating trust in and respect for their teammate’s expertise. Further, after Bella’s kidnapping, Jamie tells the team that they “are the Kaiju Preservation Society” (211), reminding them of their duty and inspiring them to rescue her. When Kahurangi adds that saving Bella would also save 10,000 nearby people, the team’s empathy and concern for their fellow human beings drives them to risk their own lives to help.
Unlock all 47 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
