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Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again

By Shigeru Kayama
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama, the tale begins with the awakening of the legendary Godzilla, causing chaos and destruction as it rises from the depths of the ocean. The story follows the intense efforts to understand and confront this indomitable force of nature. As humanity grapples with this colossal threat, the narrative delves into the immense challenges and ethical dilemmas faced when dealing with such a formidable creature.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by classic monster tales and intrigued by the origins of iconic kaiju in speculative fiction. This work may appeal to you if you appreciate stories that delve into humanity's confrontation with nature's most formidable and colossal creatures.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama brings to life the legendary tale of Godzilla, who emerged from the sea to devastate Tokyo in the iconic 1954 film. Produced by Toho Studios and directed by Ishirō Honda, this film became a global sensation, launching one of the world's most successful movie and media franchises.

Awakened and transformed by nuclear weapons testing, Godzilla serves as a terrifying metaphor for humanity's shortsighted destructiveness. This was the intent of Shigeru Kayama, the science fiction writer who drafted the 1954 original film and its first sequel. In 1955, he published the novellas that are now available for the first time in English.

While the Godzilla films have been analysed by cultural historians, film scholars, and generations of fans, Kayama's two Godzilla novellas—both classics of Japanese young-adult science fiction—had never been accessible to English-speaking audiences. This book provides these original texts with first-ever English-language translations of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again. The novellas offer valuable insights into Kayama's vision for the Godzilla story, featuring plots that differ from the films and displaying the author's strong antinuclear and proenvironmental convictions.

Kayama's fiction depicts Godzilla as engaging in guerrilla-style warfare against humanity, which has allowed the destruction of the natural world through irresponsible, immoral scientific exploitation. As human activity continues to cause mass extinctions and rapid climate change, Godzilla provides a fable for the Anthropocene, powerfully reminding us that nature will fight back against humanity's onslaught in unpredictable and devastating ways.

'At long last, the pathbreaking novellas by Shigeru Kayama that launched the Godzilla franchise are finally available in English. It was well worth the wait: Jeffrey Angles's lively translation captures all the action, emotion, and political edge of the original Japanese texts. This engaging volume will be a revelation for Godzilla fans, a rich resource for students of Japan, and a rewarding read for anyone who enjoys classic tales of science fiction and adventure.' - William M. Tsutsui, chancellor of Ottawa University and author of Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Shigeru Kayama's pioneering novellas, now available in English, have been met with praise for capturing the excitement and thematic depth of the original Japanese texts. Jeffrey Angles's translation is acclaimed for its lively and faithful adaptation, offering insightful context and historical depth. The collection is a must-read for Godzilla enthusiasts, providing a significant understanding of the socio-political messages and origins of this iconic monster legend.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781517915230

Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 October 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Minnesota Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Jeffrey Angles

Audience: General / adult, Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 10.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 312g

Pages: 256

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Sci-Fi & Fantasy Science Fiction Shigeru Kayama Young Adult

About the Author

Shigeru Kayama (19041975) was a science fiction writer and scenarist whose early stories about monsters and mutated sea creatures attracted the attention of Th Studios, which asked him to draft the first two Godzilla films. The film Half Human by Th Studios was also based on one of his stories, and he contributed to the screenplay for the Th film The Mysterians.

Jeffrey Angles is professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University. He is author of Writing the Love of Boys (Minnesota, 2011) and award-winning translator of Orikuchi Shinobu's The Book of the Dead (Minnesota, 2017) and Hiromi Ito's The Thorn Puller.

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