47 pages • 1 hour read
John ScalziThe Kaiju Preservation Society
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 8-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary
During Gold Team’s orientation meeting, MacDonald distributes binders of scientific information about the kaiju to Aparna, Niamh, and Kahurangi. When Kahurangi notices his binder is smaller than the others’, MacDonald explains that there are fewer geological and paleontological findings because the research is dangerous. She reveals that their last geologist left after having two limbs ripped off and reattached. MacDonald gives Jamie the largest of the four binders, which includes everything about Tanaka Base’s systems and operations. Later, Jamie shares the information in the binder with Aparna, Niamh, and Kahurangi. When Kahurangi asks why they do not bring livestock for meat, Aparna explains that such animals could carry diseases that may infect the kaiju. Kahurangi says he hopes the KPS will start preserving kaiju soon.
Chapter 9 Summary
Jamie settles into a routine, filling requests and lifting and delivering things. In the dining hall one morning, Jamie asks why Tom drinks hot coffee when Kaiju Earth is so hot. He says he has gotten used to the climate and that Jamie will too. Tom assigns Jamie to deliver canisters from the chem lab to helicopter pilot Martin Satie. At the chem lab, Jamie meets with Kahurangi and his Blue Team partner who are creating mating pheromones. Jamie and Kahurangi take four canisters of pheromones to Satie.
At the helipad, Satie brings them to the scaffold and tests the pheromones, which smell horrible. Satie says he will need to fly the helicopter and Jamie and Kahurangi will need to spray the pheromones on his command. Soon after takeoff, Jamie asks why they are delivering pheromones. Satie replies that kaiju, especially the two they will encounter, are not too smart and forget to mate. Though the female is ready to mate, the male keeps fighting her when she approaches him. It is important that the two mate because they are the only two of their kind. Satie tells Jamie and Kahurangi that the kaiju’s names are Edward and Bella. Satie says this is the fifth attempt to get Edward and Bella to mate, and Jamie and Kahurangi start making jokes about Edward. Satie says that they will be able to get to Edward but will have trouble leaving.
Chapter 10 Summary
Edward is asleep, and Satie says that they must wake him to use the pheromones. Kahurangi suggests leaving and lying about using it, but Satie tells him Dr. Pham will know and make Kahurangi regret it. Edward has several large parasites whose size startles Jamie and Kahurangi. Satie nears Edward with the helicopter, waking him. He counts to five, and Jamie and Kahurangi spray Edward with the pheromones. Edward unfurls his wings and flies after the helicopter, which scares Jamie and Kahurangi. Satie explains that Edward does not want to kill them because of the mating pheromones; they must lead him to Bella so he can mate with her. Jamie and Kahurangi must keep dosing him till they reach her. Edward disappears and tries to leap on them but the helicopter flies away in time, but the sight of Edward’s cloaca upsets Jamie and Kahurangi. When they reach Bella’s valley, Jamia and Kahurangi dump the canisters on Edward and fly away as Edward and Bella collide and begin mating. As they return to the base, a call on the radio alerts them of a possible “venting issue,” and Satie flies them to investigate it.
Chapter 11 Summary
At the area of the suspected venting, Jamie sees a kaiju breathing fire. Satie keeps the helicopter away from it and asks Jamie to prepare their stopwatch so they can see if the kaiju is venting, or releasing heat. The kaiju cannot handle too much heat for long, so Jamie will need to record the time between each vent. Jamie recognizes the severely injured kaiju as the one who lost to Kevin earlier. Jamie reports the time between vents, and Satie says the kaiju is dying. When it dies, it will explode, releasing nuclear energy. They must leave before that happens. They leave the area and the kaiju explodes. Later, Jamie and Kahurangi tell Aparna and Niamh what happened. Aparna explains that the nuclear energy released by the dying kaiju and the explosion will attract other kaiju and creatures who will feed on it. It has also thinned the barrier between the main Earth and Kaiju Earth. Niamh tells Kahurangi that he will need to spray more pheromones in the future.
Chapter 12 Summary
Jamie explains that the kaiju’s explosion is like a nuclear bomb. Unlike the animals on the main Earth, the animals on Kaiju Earth not only tolerate nuclear energy, but feed on it. The greater level of oxygen on Kaiju Earth led to sturdier trees that experience little damage in nuclear blasts. Jamie is amazed that Tanaka Base is completely unscathed after the explosion. Niamh notes that Jamie is experiencing cognitive dissonance from their long-term understanding of nuclear energy. The explosion has given the scientists and pilots at Tanaka Base more work. Blue Team biologist Ion Ardeleanu informs the others that Bella is nesting at the explosion site. Another biologist, Angel Ford, worries Bella will go through the barrier to the main Earth, leading to an argument with Aparna. Aparna asserts that Bella is focused on nurturing her eggs and has no intention of moving until her young hatch and mature, by which time the barrier will have re-sealed. She explains that Bella’s parasites will hunt for her. Bella is absorbing the energy for her young and will not let any other creatures near the area. Ardeleanu agrees, and Jamie and Niamh praise Aparna for winning the debate. Kahurangi will not need to make any repellent pheromones for a while due to Bella’s presence. Jamie reveals that the explosion has attracted tourists.
Chapter 13 Summary
Tom informs Jamie that KPS brings tourists to Kaiju Earth, namely funders and supporters of KPS, including politicians, scientists, and billionaires. President Trump’s adult sons visited last year and wanted to hunt kaiju. KPS did not let them, but Jamie remarks that they should have. Tom brings up füdmüd’s CEO Rob Sanders, whom he remembers from Dartmouth. Sanders was known to be shifty and came from a family of defense contractors. Jamie’s experience would make them a good host for the tourists. The kaiju explosion has many US authorities asking questions.
Tom arranges ground training for Jamie on the jungle floor with Riddu Tagaq, who tells Jamie that they need to believe in their heart that the jungle floor is dangerous, rather than just in their head. Not understanding this, Jamie walks the jungle floor, soon finding a horde of hideous tree crabs. The crabs land on them, causing Jamie to panic as they try to defend themself. Tagaq pulls the crabs off Jamie, throwing and punching the creatures until they run away. Upset, Jamie says Tagaq could have warned them. Tagaq agrees but says Jamie needed to understand the danger in their heart. Jamie says they wet themself and need to change, and Tagaq admits that she “shit” herself the first time she ran from the kaiju. Tagaq says those who are not terrified the first time are a concern.
Chapter 14 Summary
After her shift, Aparna shows Jamie, Kahurangi, and Niamh a photograph of Bella with her eggs. Aparna explains the eggs’ biology and Bella’s nesting habits while Jamie, Kahurangi, and Niamh make jokes. Eventually, Aparna becomes irritated and tells them that this will be the first time KPS sees Bella’s species in early development. Niamh says the thinned barrier is still a concern, though Aparna disagrees. Kahurangi says he is making more pheromones.
Later, while Tagaq trains Jamie how to use weapons. She says that people most want to use handguns and rifles in survival and combat, but that these will not work against the creatures on Kaiju Earth. Tagaq explains that kaiju can potentially target anything but go after the most convenient targets. A person escaping a kaiju must make something else more convenient to chase. She shows Jamie several weapons and distracting devices, including a shotgun, which Tagaq stresses is meant as a last resort. Tagaq prepares Niamh and Aparna for their ground training.
Chapters 8-14 Analysis
In Chapters 8-14, the narrative plays with kaiju tropes and conventions, showing more of the kaiju’s unique nature along with their similarities to animals. Scalzi’s portrayal of kaiju, especially Bella, is increasingly sympathetic as the section progresses and the characters become accustomed to them. Bella’s maternal transition gains her the sympathy of the KPS members, especially Aparna, who researches Bella and her eggs’ biology. This reflects the kaiju’s sympathetic role, particularly in later kaiju stories. Kaiju are not merely bloodthirsty, destructive monsters, but also creatures with intelligence who nurture their young. The creatures on Kaiju Earth maintain their wildness and moral neutrality, however, as illustrated by Jamie’s experience with the tree crabs. As in many kaiju stories, however, the kaiju in The Kaiju Preservation Society are neither good nor evil, but creatures that, like any other, function to support their needs. The kaiju motif continues in this section, symbolizing both nature and nuclear energy, which are dangerous to humans and difficult to control.
In this section, Scalzi further develops the characters, whose relationships with each other deepen, emphasizing the theme of Teamwork and Community in the Face of Global Catastrophe. This growth sets up much of the later novel. For example, Tagaq teaches Jamie more about the dangers in the jungle and how to defend themself and others against creatures. Jamie will become proficient in these skills and use them later in the novel. The character development in this section show the protagonists developing into a strong, cohesive team that can ultimately defend itself and the kaiju. This section also foreshadows Bella’s kidnapping when Aparna assures everyone that she will not go over the barrier. This exchange suggests that she will somehow get past the barrier, though the event ultimately unfolds with a twist.
The Importance of Conservation and Environmental Stewardship plays an important role in this section as the KPS focuses first on getting Edward and Bella to mate, then on protecting and studying Bella and her eggs. KPS relies on Jamie, Kahurangi, Aparna, and Satie to achieve this, putting them at the heart of the conservation efforts. Through them, Scalzi illustrates the need for conservation, building sympathy for the kaiju as the KPS crew comes to understand them. For example, Bella and Edward are the only two of their species, and the KPS’s preservation efforts are critical to ensuring the species’ survival. Protecting the kaiju and their environment from pollutants and invasive species is a central duty in the KPS, and it informs much of the lifestyle on Kaiju Earth. In Chapter 8, Jamie says KPS recycles everything because “[W]e’re meant to have zero ecological impact” (70). KPS’s practices also contribute to the theme of Humans’ Impact on Ecosystems. The KPS understands that humans can harm the environment without intending to and is extremely careful not to disrupt or harm Kaiju Earth’s ecosystems. For example, Aparna explains to Kahurangi why KPS does not bring livestock such as chickens to Kaiju Earth: “It’s not just the chicken, it’s everything that comes with the chicken […] Microbes. Parasites. Viruses” (71). KPS members work around their usual lifestyle, such as eating chicken, to protect the kaiju and their ecosystem. Further, the kaiju’s relationship to nuclear energy serves as a metaphor for nuclear power in the real world. The kaiju feed on nuclear energy and release it in an explosion at death, as illustrated by the kaiju that lost to Kevin. This symbolizes the potential power and danger of nuclear energy and emphasizes the importance of caution and respect when dealing with such power.
