Publisher's Synopsis
Brown Scale is an infant kaiju pterosaur born with armor. The matriarchs of his flock see his thick hide as a deformity. They want to kill him before he is old enough to mate and pass his "deformity" onto the next generation. The matriarchs do not understand how adaptive evolution works, and are unable to see the advantage of future offspring inheriting hardened skin.
But Shindo of the Japanese secret service does. He, too, wants Brown Scale killed before he reaches breeding age. The Flock pterosaurs are the only kaiju mankind can destroy. If Brown Scale passes his traits onto the next generation, the Flock could become as indestructible as the other kaiju. Worse yet, Brown Scale has an opposable thumb, unlike the others of his species. According to Shindo's scientific advisor, Professor Yuzo Abe, this could mean the kaiju pterosaur possesses a higher degree of intelligence. Brown Scale's only hope is to reach adulthood. It takes five months for a Flock hatchling to mature. Five months. It's a race against time to see who can kill him first. If he can stay alive for five months he will win the race. As in all of Neil's kaiju thrillers, a gallery of the monsters featured in the story is included in the back of the book.
