Book: VistaKill
Author: Neil Riebe
Publisher: Bowker
Release Date: 02/13/2021
The Precambrian demoness Vistakill seeks to exterminate all life on Earth—plants, animals, and yes, us, Mankind. To protect his territory, the kaiju Brown Scale is ready to oppose her, but tooth and claw may not be enough. There is a spiritual solution to this crisis. The question is, will it be utilized in time?”
(Plot Per Amazon and The Back of the Book)
Vistakill is the second book in the world created by Neil Riebe, following the story of two characters, the kaiju Brown Scale and a young man named Riku. You are introduced to the story from Brown Scales’ perspective, and as a result, the beginning chapters feel very foreign. Brown Scale is reptilian in his thoughts as he is a version of a Pterodactyl, and to the reader, it can be a bit jarring, though the author does a fantastic job of relaying the very cut and dry nature of the thoughts of an animal. Brown Scales’ story was difficult for me at first because of the overall tone of Other-ness.
Riku’s story, in my opinion, is far more intriguing, as he is a young man who is struggling with the idea that he is the only one that can protect the world from Vistakill. As a result, he was easier to connect to, giving me more of an emotional investment in the story. Throughout the book, you feel his struggle to give up his future so that the world could have a future and not be eradicated by Vistakill. This storytelling aspect was well done and kept you wondering what he would choose.
In the kaiju fandom, there is a debate about the kaiju stories. The argument is, “Which is more important, the story’s human element or the kaiju element of the story?” In my case, I tend to favor the human element. I love Kaiju because they look like big babies to me, even if they can take out entire cities, but I lean more towards the human side of things when it comes to the story. In this book, Mr.Riebe does an excellent job of balancing both of those elements. However, I could have used more about Riku or even from the perspective of Tomoko, his aunt, who is also heavily involved in the story. We do not ever get her side of things. The government side of things was necessary and something you see in many kaiju stories; however, it’s not was not my favorite element. There were a lot of technical details that were honestly a bit overwhelming. That is just a personal preference, though.
There was also a very sweet friendship between two of the Kaiju, Oogi and Gilgamo. This aspect redeemed the kaiju side of things for me. Oogi’s perspective was the hardest for me to read overall because he lacked the intelligence of Brown Scale or the other Kaiju.
The Physical Book
The physical book was well printed though it lacked a table of contents which readers of some of my previous book reviews will know is a pet peeve of mine. However, there was a drawn guide to the Kaiju that I found to be very helpful to reference when the leading players were interacting, and it was a great touch. The cover art was not the most intriguing, but it did garner a lot of “What are you reading” from people who were around when I was reading, so if that was the intent with the cover art decision, it was successful.
Rating
Overall while I would not recommend this book to everyone, this is a story that is very entertaining for the kaiju enthusiast. Here at Geek Devotions, we give VistaKill by Neil Riebe four out of five Glix’s
If you’re a Kaiju Fan and VistaKill sounds like a book you’d really enjoy, you can pick up your copy from on Amazon today!