*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an early copy of this book*
Why I Read It: Lately, I've been interested in expanding my horror reading, especially into the origins of iconic figures such as Godzilla, and while I'm not a Godzilla fan this short set of novellas provided the perfect opportunity. Plus I've wanted to watch the original movie and this was the push to finally watch it.

What It's About: A giant sea monster, whose habitat has been disturbed due to nuclear testing, rises from the ocean and lays waste to Japan.

Final Thoughts: This was entertaining but not much else because it was mostly action. I was hoping for that undercurrent of depth like in Frankenstein, a book I hated reading but can see some merit it in, but the parts around danger of unchecked scientific progress and nuclear testing weren't really present until the very end (yes, the nuclear stuff was mentioned through out the novel, but in a way that it was hard for me to view it as more than a plot device). The sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, felt unnecessary because it was an exact repeat of the first minus the cautionary tale ending. To be fair these novellas were written after the first movie was released by the original script writer, but I personally found that they contributed nothing new. Contrast this with another book I read earlier in the year, Metropolis by Thea von Harbou. The book and movie were made at about the same time and the author of the book also wrote the screenplay for the movie; however, while I prefer the movie the book does contain enough elements that aren't really in the movie (antagonists backstory and religious themes), to justify it being something reader should give a chance. As for Godzilla, I would say just watch the movie because it's a more immersive experience of the exact same story.

Recommendations: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, I am Legend by Richard Matheson, and Dracula by Bram Stoker because like Godzilla they all are the origins of iconic movie monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, and the modern interpretation of zombies). Both Frankenstein and I am Legend have some nuance within their narratives if readers want more of challenge, but if they just want an action adventure romp with a bit of suspense I would say give Dracula a try. If readers want something strictly Japanese like Godzilla, then I would say give Ring by Koji Suzuki a try; however, I haven't read that one yet so I can't say how similar the narratives are (both in tone and style) but I'm sure it really amps up the horror factor and there is also multiple movies of it or inspired by it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again was a great read and the perfect monster story. I’d only ever seen the new Godzilla movies, so I wasn’t sure how to feel about about the book, but it exceeded my expectations.

I have always been a Godzilla fan ever since I was a child and once I’ve seen this on NetGalley I just had to read it. Thank you for the awesome opportunity! Enjoyed it.

As a Godzilla fan, this was really cool to read. I really enjoyed being able to have another aspect of the Godzilla lore and universe that I hadn’t had before. Entertaining and a great read.

If you love kaiju stories, this is absolutely a worthwhile collection. I really enjoyed both novellas, and the translation from Japanese is mostly good. What’s not to love here?

Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again is a wonderful read for fans of Godzilla and audiences looking for a fun monster story. Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again translates two novellas written by Shigeru Kayama which were the basis for Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again and additionally features an insightful afterword by the translator Jeffrey Angles.

For fans of Godzilla, these two novellas offer a unique perspective on the first two films. Angles's afterword does a fantastic job illustrating the historical context for these stories as well as offering insight into Kayama's career and his opinions on the novellas. Angles has a conversational style of writing that helps to illustrate the goals and challenges the novellas faced in an easy-to-understand way while still offering a wealth of insight into this less-talked-about element of the Godzilla universe.

Additionally, both novellas would be great reads for younger audiences. As Angles explains in the afterword, Kayama primarily wrote for younger readers and both Godzilla novellas were likewise geared towards kids. Kayama's writing style is clear and concise, with a number of onomatopoeias that would surely make these stories fun to read aloud. While the writing may feel lacking in description or characterization, the novellas are fun reads nonetheless and would be enjoyed by a younger audience looking for an entertaining and still-poignant monster story.

As a longtime fan of Godzilla myself, it was a treat to be able to read these novellas translated for the first time. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for more historical insight into the first two Godzilla films as well as anyone looking for an easy-to-read monster story.

I am a huge Godzilla fan and I was ecstatic to read Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama (1904-1975). This is the first English translation of the original novellas about the iconic kaijū Godzilla.

Because Kayama was the main architect who laid the foundations of the Godzilla story, these two novellas translated reveal a great deal about his personal intentions and vision for the story that the Tohô Studios films produced.

I thought the dialogue to be a bit cheeky and amusing simply because of the translation from Japanese to English. I had a great time reading them! I highly recommend to any Kaiju fans out there.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC!

Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again are two novellas which began the series, carried forth in films and other media about the Kaiju monster that terrorizes 1950’s Japan.
These pieces were a delight to read, and one gains the author’s insight in the process. Written when nuclear bombs became known, the first story helps us to see what other horrors might arise from the new world situation. The second story, the reader senses the writer’s developing affection for his character.
Perhaps because of these tales written as novellas, I found that reading them was like a Young Adult story, more on action and less on character development, but that did not take away from my enjoying the book.
The bonus is the Afterward, which provides further history on the title character, why the writer declined to write any more of the creature’s stories, and what filmmakers and others did with it.
If you like Godzilla, you will enjoy this collection!

A must read for any Kaiju fan. The story is so much fun and you can't help but want to watch the film once you finish reading!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

Being able to read the original Godzilla stories was a real treat. I don’t think anyone would rate them as great literature, but they are obviously a look at the post-war, atomic-age years. To think that h-bomb testing could release unknown horrors on any country seems far-fetched, but I think that the climate-change issues we now face would be comparable. These two Godzilla stories are just gems and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I may have to buy the book for my Godzilla-loving son-in-law.

Fascinating look into the history of Godzilla through the English translation of two novellas written by the creator of the original story that inspired the movies. Godzilla has certainly taken on a life of his own over the years and seeing the difference between the intent of the author and what viewers and readers see in and bring to Godzilla underlines the power that we give and take from stories. Who do we see in the face of Godzilla today? Our enemies? Ourselves?

I have been a fan of Godzilla basically my entire life. I’ve always enjoyed the movies; whether it be original Japanese versions with subtitles, those with dubbed English; or the ones that came from the US, I have tried to see them all. I’ve never read any book about it though so I was excited to receive this from NetGalley.

This story is a typical one that you would expect of Godzilla, attacking Japan and eventually the humans prevailing. Some of it was a bit silly, perhaps because of reading it you get a difference experience.

The best part of the book I thought was the explanation by the translator at the end. He goes into detail about the original author wanting to write this story in response to the atomic bombs of the Second World War. The detail was extensive and great! Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!

Thank you Netgalley and University of Minnesota Press for this ARC. As a lifelong fan of Godzilla I was extremely excited to dive into this translation.

In my experience with translations, dialogue can be awkward and difficult to understand but I'm happy to say that this was not the case with this translation. The exposition felt it had natural progression and the dialogue was also consistent.

I am so excited for folks to have access to this translation!

As a fan of Godzilla, I was intrigued by the notion of 1) there were novellas in existence, and 2) Kayama's work was translated into English. Given an ebook version, the footnotes appearing in the middle of the reading were a bit disorienting, but the two novellas were not only a return to the original image of Godzilla, but reading Godzilla in the written form provided a deeper insight into the creatures reappearance in Tokoyo. Portrayed as both a victim and a reaction to his own habitat being destroyed, and the effects of the escalating tensions of the time, the two novellas were welcome reading by a fan into providing both a nostalgic and a fresh look at Godzilla, especially how Godzilla has been portrayed in modern times.
For those who are familiar with the Godzilla of the 50's, the two stories are a reminder of how Godzilla was not so much a central figure, as much as a reactionary figure to the world. As noted by the translater, there is extensive use of onomatopoeia in the novellas, and in many cases, the omittance of directly naming a place or location which is slightly disconcerting, but at the same time captures the difficulty sometimes of translating a book from one language to another.
Having read other Japanese to English books, the translation of the Godzilla novellas into English was well done, and helped the inclusion of the notes and glossary in the back of the help is helpful to readers familiar with Godzilla, or maybe due to his return in modern times, were curious to read the original novellas.

My best friend is one of the biggest Godzilla experts in the US and I was thrilled to be able to read this eGalley with him as he also got a copy from NetGalley. As books they were interesting but unremarkable but as historic artifacts they are fascinating novelizations and offer a really interesting gaze into Godzilla not only closer to the monster's roots but also how it would look in prose. I definitely recommend this book to everyone who has ever been fascinated by the giant kaiju.

The 1955 release of the film "Godzilla" from TOHO Studios was a groundbreaking event, one of the very first movies released in Japan that explored the consequences of the atomic bomb and World War II. And in such a big and lively way with a 150-foot tall, fire-breathing kaiju who angrily tries to destroy all of Tokyo!

Shigeru Kayama was responsible for the original story and then created novelizations of both the first film and its rapidly produced sequel "Godzilla Raids Again", and its those that have been translated into English for this new volume by Jeffery Angles. Both stories are fascinating to read and much blunter about the ethical lapses of a science that would create the atomic bomb, and more overt (though not 100% transparent) about naming the United States of America as the bad guy. Godzilla represents both the evil menace of the bomb and an enormous victim the explosion and radioactive fallout.

Angles also includes an excellent afterword that explores the relationship between the film versions of "Godzilla", the role of celebrated director Ishirō Honda, and Kayama's vision, along with common interpretations and changes to Godzilla over time.

This is an excellent read, with both Godzilla novellas for young adults and anyone interested in the ethics and life of 1950s post-war Japan, and the additional extensive afterword for people with a more scholarly bent towards one of the great monster franchises in cinematic history. Highly recommended.

Tip: Read the novella, then watch the original movie, then read the second novella before you watch "Raids".

A classic and genuinely so good. The movies don’t do it justice. I love the interactions between characters even more than the action I think.

Another reviewer said these read like manga without the pictures, and I agree. These stories are packed with sound effects, a lot of exclamation marks, and more focus on action than anything else.

This translation clearly stayed true to the original text -- so much so that you can feel the shadow of nuclear war that was cast over 1955 Japan. It's earnest, raw without detracting from the kaiju you'd expect to see stomping on everything and everybody. I think a little more flexibility in the translation could've helped this appeal to more readers, not just Godzilla fans. But if you want to relive the first time you watched the original Godzilla movies, this is it. Hands down.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, the translator, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank The University of Minnesota Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy of ‘Godzilla and Godzilla raids again’.

As a long-time fan of Godzilla and Japanese literature, when I saw that the original Godzilla Japanese novellas were being adapted, it immediately jumped to the top of my reading list. After reading through both novellas, I can gladly say that they lived up to my expectations and provided everything I wanted from a Godzilla story. After watching many Hollywood adaptions, it was a very interesting experience to read the novellas that have inspired so many movies. I found the novellas to be an engrossing read, full of action and suspense and the pages seemed to fly by. The fast pacing and widespread destruction made the novel feel reminiscent of a disaster film (when dealing with Godzilla is exactly what you want). Whilst I sometimes found the prose to be a little simple, and wished that there was deeper characterisation, the book was still an enjoyable read.

I especially found the information provided regarding the inspiration of Godzilla to be fascinating, and a must read for any Godzilla fan who wants a behind the scenes peak. I also appreciated the inclusion of the footnotes, which provided both engaging and helpful context. The author’s examination of nuclear weapons was very intriguing, and provided a very interesting look at post World War Two Japan.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the read and will be making sure to recommend it when it releases. I am very appreciative of the early reading copy, and would like to once again thank The University of Minnesota Press and Netgalley.

This collected volume shows where the Godzilla mythology all began — complete with the social message, story crafting, and introduction of a long-standing creature character. Entertaining and fascinating reading.