Okay if this book doesn't get the Godzilla/ Pacific Rim Summer Blockbuster Michael Bay explosion/ destruction fest in my life time then I'm going to explode.

This book is excellent, and the fact that to my knowledge no one's bought the rights to make a movie adaptation is is baffling, this would be so refreshing. if I see another Twilight/Hunger Games/Divergent/ Maze Runner Y.A P.O.S I might torch a Barnes and Nobles or two (I AM KIDDING ON THAT PLEASE DON'T CALL THE POLICE! )

This book is paced beautifully, the main character is hysterical at times and there were parts where he actually got me laughing. The character's are interesting and our monster the NEMESIS is a treat and I like how she's actually causing property damage for a large portion of the book instead of just coming at the end and then making me fork over cash for part two (I've already read part two and it's even better), I actually couldn't put this book down at times, and that's pretty rare for me honestly because even good books I will eventually put down and come back to in a week. Must buy especially if you love Godzilla or Pacific Rim.

I officially became a fan of Robinson’s writing after reading his excellent novel: Island 731. It was a book that encapsulated just about everything that I love about horror with enough intense thrills to keep the excitement at an all-time high, while wrapping it all up with some very compelling original fiction that created questions worth seeking answers for. Project Nemesis marks my second foray into Robinson’s work. It’s his attempt at replicating the intense destruction found in kaiju films via prose form, yet on the same massive scale as you’d expect on the big screen. The overall result is unfortunately a bit mixed in my opinion. Robinson is able to perfectly illustrate the colossal spectacle one would expect from iconic kaiju films such as Godzilla, Gamera, or Pacific Rim; however, the book unfortunately also has a lot of problems.

The pacing of this book is definitely a double-edged sword. On one hand, Project Nemesis conveys a sense of speed and urgency that demands your attention from start to finish. The threat of a massive monster who could seemingly appear just about anywhere at any given moment creates a nonstop feeling of dread and anticipation for Nemesis’s inevitable arrival. However, the downside to Robinson’s breakneck speed comes in the form of extremely poor characterization. The characters of Project Nemesis, specifically Jon Hudson and Ashley Collins, are introduced instantaneously and then immediately thrown into the fire. You’re barely given a basic understanding of who these characters are, or why you should care for them aside from their status as the book’s protagonists. Make no mistake, if you enjoy a fast-paced narrative with plenty of action, then there is something for you to like with Project Nemesis. However, as much as I enjoy a greater sense of urgency; when I’m investing my time into reading a book, as opposed to a film or television, I expect a greater degree of naunce in regards to characterization because the author is given the means to do so as opposed to the other aforementioned mediums. Perhaps this book channels the spirit of kaiju films a little too well. The general case in said films has the protagonist portrayed as a cookie-cutter two-dimensional Everyman for which the audience can use as a surrogate to project themselves into the film’s larger than life scenario. In other words, the emphasis isn’t on the protagonist, but rather on the spectacle of the event itself. Yet with a book, the author has the opportunity to add this missing layer of characterization, and in this regard I feel Robinson doesn't succeed here. At best, Jon Hudson is a surrogate for the reader to project themselves onto. At worst, he’s a generic, albeit passable protagonist with little to no defining characteristics to call his own.

It begs to question why the FS-P, (the branch of the DHS the protagonist works for) even exists in the first place. It’s quickly established that the FS-P, or “Fusion Center-Paranormal” is a small subsidiary of the DHS that is tasked with the primary goal of hunting down leads on paranormal events in the off-chance that they ever become a threat to national security. I have an issue with this premise; prior to the book’s events, there have been zero documented paranormal incidents within the story's universe, so why does this organization even exist? Usually government agencies are founded in response to a specific event, or a significant demand in society; so the idea that an entire organization exists, (not to mention is also funded by the U.S. government's tax dollars) for the sole purpose of tracking down some unknown malefactor that the US government has no logical reason to believe even exists is baffling to me. It would make far more sense if the FS-P was created in response to this book’s events rather than it existing beforehand.

My final critique is the romance that instantaneously sparks between Hudson and Collins. It’s so by-the-numbers and artificially forced that it made me stop and ask “why?” It honestly felt more like Robinson was checking off a list of tired fiction clichés rather than it being an integral part of the book. Just because the story happens to feature a man and a woman as the lead protagonists doesn’t mean that they must become a couple, or at least in such a rushed and unbelievable manner. Whether it be novels, television, or movies, I am so tired of writers feeling they need to force a romance into a story in order to meet some unspoken rule.

Despite my list of critiques, this book has done a lot to warrant a read. For starters, I love the extra mile Robinson went by having the artist Matt Frank, actually illustrate the monster’s various evolutionary forms in exquisite detail. One of my favorite elements of a kaiju film, (or monster films in general), is the monster’s physical appearance. For once, I didn’t want to leave it up to my own mental interpretation, and am very grateful to be shown Robinson’s exact vision on the kaiju being illustrated stage-by-stage in such a beautifully vivid manner. The artwork is fantastic and I constantly found myself returning to the pages with the pictures in order to refresh my memory.

There is also a large amount of humor instilled in Project Nemesis, a stark contrast when juxtaposed with Island 731's darker and gloomier tone. Too much humor is something I’m usually skeptical towards since it runs the gambit of undermining the tension established by the narrative. However, in this case, it also doesn’t hurt to poke fun once in a while at the utter absurdity of the situation presented to the characters. After all, you can’t watch a kaiju film without smirking at least a little at how outlandish the entire idea is to begin with. Fortunately, Robinson doesn’t go overboard and manages to balance the humor in the book just well enough so that it doesn’t erode the sense of immediacy and danger of the narrative.

As with Island 731, Robinson has a true knack for interweaving incredibly fascinating mythology into his books. I loved uncovering the dark and terrifying mystery of Island 731’s horrific past, and now I can say the same for Nemesis’s creation. It’s an interesting take on the kaiju genre and I’m now interested to see how he expands this compelling lore into the two sequels.

Project Nemesis is a solid book for what I feel is a very underrepresented genre; however, it is not without significant faults and is unfortunately a pretty substantial step down from Island 731. I really enjoyed Robinson’s take on the Kaiju genre, and I’m definitely interested in the sequels where the threat is going to only get bigger. However, the book does have quite a few cons that were very hard to look past, even when I was enjoying the brief, yet lighting fast narrative. The characters are generic stand-ins at best, most of which belong to an organization whose existence isn't justified no matter how far you stretch your suspension of disbelief. The romance in particular felt incredibly forced and unnecessary, at least at this early point in the trilogy; Robinson could have at least given the two characters more time to grow over the course of the books before establishing them as a couple. Yet where the book succeeds is with its exciting narrative that always emits a greater sense of urgency and danger, as well as the love and care that went into crafting the compelling, and original, kaiju Nemesis, via both prose and through visual artwork.

First off, I'm not a hater of Kaiju. I loved Pacific Rim. I grew up with Ultra Man and I remember Godzilla (the old one, with Raymond Burr) very fondly. As a matter of fact, I liked the re-design of the Sony Godzilla, but 'Zilla in that one was way too wimpy. He ran from humans, laid eggs and didn't become badass until the very end. Too little, too late.

I read this book again, just to make sure that my review was fair. It happens sometimes. I'll see a movie or read a book the second time around and totally change my opinion.

Not this time.

Let's be clear, folks, the main attraction of this book is the monster, how she came to be, and how she evolves. Once Nemesis rears her scaly head, things pick up considerably. From then on the action sequences are top-notch, and I could definitely see this up on the big screen.

This would have been a far more interesting book if Mr. Robinson had told the story mainly from Maigo's POV, before and after she became monstrous, and then switched to the kaiju chow --- I mean, supporting characters --- as they encountered the beast. I'm not bashing Jeremy Robinson; he obviously has enough talent to pull that off. Some of the twists and turns he came up with were amazing. The Nemesis/party ship sequence is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Nemesis is no good natured giant; she has a mean streak in her miles wide and definitely isn't some do-gooder. I really wanted to see more scenes like that.

I didn't care for the narration from the hero's POV, and the way the first and third person tense kept switching back and forth was very very distracting. I admit it, I very quickly paged through those sections to get to the good stuff.

I didn't pay full price for this book, and I'm really glad I didn't.

Am I going to read the sequel? I doubt it.