Official Review: Kaijuology by Layne Wyman

[Erin Painter Baker]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Kaijuology" by Layne Wyman.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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How to review Lane Wyman’s Kaijuology: The Book of Giant Monsters? This is not a novel, novella, or even a short story. And while it tells a story, it does not do so in anything like a standard format. It does not have enough pictures (though the illustrations by Dylan Bajda are great) to be a coffee table book. It is closest to a fantasy reference book, but even that is not quite the right fit because there is a little too much story for that.

So what is Kaijuology? It is written as a reference book, but a reference book for a world where giant monsters have been appearing and battling each other since 1984. The book contains an entry for each monster that has made their presence known in that world. Each entry contains a Category rating, the size of the monster, a description, a list of powers and abilities, and the history of each monster. It is in the history section that the “story” comes together.

In addition, the book contains an introduction, information about Kaiju biology, the Category scale that is used to rate each monster, and information about the Kaiju Research Society, the fictional group that has put this reference book together. My favorite bit is on how to survive a Kaiju attack, followed closely by the information about Monster Island, the secure location that most of the Kaiju are being housed, kind of like a zoo, except that the public is kept away.

This book is great for anyone who loves Kaiju. The history of each of the monsters creates a great timeline and fun story for imagining what something like this might look like. And I really appreciate that the world keeps Kaiju rare. There have only been 15 Kaiju spotted in about 35 years. Enough information has been given the book to fill out the outline of a story, but plenty is left to the reader’s imagination, including the details of the actual battles between the Kaiju.

There is only one problem with the book, but it is a big problem. I am not sure it has ever passed anywhere near an editor. The first mistakes (misused punctuation) were on the title page. I found more than 10 editorial mistakes before I was even done with the second page of the text.

In addition, there is no discernible order to the way the Kaiju are presented in the book. They are not in alphabetical order, category order, or even order of appearance. One of the key factors in creating a reference book (fantastical or not) is placing the entries in an order that makes it possible for the reader to find the entry they want quickly and easily. This is a major failing on the part of the book, and in the end, what I liked least, as I could not easily go back to find and share the entries that amused me most.

I find myself giving Kaijuology: The Book of Giant Monsters by Lane Wyman two out of four stars. Due to the lack of editing, this book came very close to receiving one star, especially since it did not present the Kaiju in a logical order, which is basically a complete failure for the type of book it wants to be. However, the sheer fun of the book brings it back up to two stars. The hand-drawn illustrations are wonderful and bring each Kaiju to life. Those who love giant monsters will love this book regardless of any failings.

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Kaijuology
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[Sanju Lali]

Thanks for sharing your insights about this book and hope that author will come back with a polished version after fixing the errors as mentioned by you.

[adamgreenrock]

So it's like a fictional lore book about Kaijus? Sounds a bit boring to me. I thought it was going to have an actual story. Thanks for your honest review though.

[Rayasaurus]

I hope that the author does contact an editor, because this seems like a really fun book to read. Thank you for the review!

[Erin Painter Baker]

@sanjus & @Rayasaurus - I really do hope the author gets in touch with an editor. There's a lot of fun in this book, and I certainly know people I would gift it to if it were more polished.

@adamgreenrock - I get what you're saying, but as someone whose been given a lot of coffee table reference books over the years (on dogs, dragons, medieval castles, and Middle Earth), I see this fitting right in with that kind of genre. I even know kids who this would be perfect for. The lack of a complete story would allow them to take the framework presented here and create their own versions of it. I love that.
But, I must say, if I had been expecting a novel, I would have been disappointed. Luckily, I knew what I was getting.

[Ellylion]

Thank you very much for the insightful review. Hopefully the author fixes all the mentioned above errors. It still sounds like a promising book for monster fans

[Prisallen]

I hate to admit that I had never even heard of a Kaiju before this review. It sounds quite interesting, although the errors and lack of order in the book would discourage me from picking it up. Thanks for a great review!

[Erin Painter Baker]

@Ellylion - Thanks for stopping by and commenting

@Prisallen - Kaiju are the Godzilla monsters. It's a shortening of a Japanese term. If you don't know the term, it's not a big deal. But that also means that even were it perfect, this book wouldn't be for you.

[xoxoAnushka]

Great review! It seems that you like godzilla and pacific rim series? Well, my brother might find this book amazing.

[Wyland]

I am torn on how to think of this in terms of the significance of the monsters. Nice review though.

[TopaAzul062]

Even with the glaring missteps in editing and direction, this book seems like a nice read with a cup of coffee. Hope to encounter some kaiju favorites in the mix. Thanks for the review and looking forward to reading the book soon.

[MsTri]

I love these kinds of books (read one about zombies some time ago), so I'll probably go ahead and give it a try, even though I know all the grammatical errors and lack of real order will drive me nuts!

[Connie Otwani]

Mmh, Kaiju - since 1984? Are they real or fictitious? Quite a mysterious book. A pity about the editing and order issues. Great review!

[SunVixen]

Look like the author had a great idea, but he was not able to implement it as it should. Perhaps, a good editor could help him.

However, the book's name itself sounds very funny. Mix between Japanese and Greek!

[Julius_]

I was thinking of picking this book, but errors are turn off to me. Your review was well written. Thanks for the review.