My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher University of Minnesota Press for an advanced copy of this new collection featuring English translations of the original novellas that introduced the mighty kaijū Godzilla onto an unsuspecting people.

The creature came up from the depths, about 30 stories high, breathing fire from his head in the sky. I'm paraphrasing from one of my favorite television cartoon themes as a child that featured Godzilla, King of the Monsters, and Godzooky, the Scrappy Doo of the relationship, and the less said the better. I loved the cartoon, and one Saturday came across a movie that seemed so real, with Godzilla destroying a city, fighting other beasts and I was in love. Soon I found that Channel 11 in New York would have Monster Week, featuring all Godzilla all the time. This combined with Ape Week on Channel 7 really cut into my cartoon time. Eventually I picked up the Marvel comics, VHS tapes, and finally saw the original movie, without Raymond Burr and was surprised how different it was, how darker, and the meaning became clearer. Sadly that message is something lost on the American remakes, but those are not for me. As a fan I was surprised to find that the original novellas were never published in the United States. And reading them brought me back to those days of monster movies. Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again by Shigeru Kayama translated by Jeffery Angles tell of how nuclear testing has drawn a far older, far deadlier danger back from the past, a danger that will leave death, destruction and sadness in its wake.

A quiet day at sea soon ends with a ship lost, and much confusion in the shipping company that owns it. Another ship is sent to the scene, and it too disappears, with only a few survivors, rescued by a fishing boat. Which also disappears. Their is much confusion in the government, but on an island where the fishing boat was based one old man has an idea. Godzilla. Soon the fish around the islands are gone, and a savage storm destroys buildings and kills many people. However an investigation finds a footprint, and a creature, a crustacean that has long been thought extinct, loaded with radioactivity. American testing of nuclear bombs has caused something old, and long thought dead to rise from it's home under the sea and feast, and burn those that have awoken him. And this creature is not alone.

The two stories are very similar to the movie, with a little more post-atomic fear and atmosphere. At the time Japan really couldn't complain about the Americans and their bombs, destroying island, hurting their fisherman, and ruining the tuna catch. The fear that nuclear weapons weren't the worst that humans could create to kill each other was a very prevalent idea. A weapon like one destroying the very oxygen one needed to breath, as was the weapon used on Godzilla not only made sense, but seemed like something a scientist would think of. And a military would deploy. Much of this could not be shown in a film due to censorship, but the novellas make this idea quite clear. Also there is the idea that there is an early Godzilla Cult I wish could have been expanded on. The idea is mentioned in letters, but just falls away. The writing is science fiction writing of the time, a little distant, a little more interested in the how of the story rather than the why, and characters are either super noble, or just noble. However I had a lot of fun reading this, and it really gives a deeper insight to the movies and what they were getting it. And even after all these years still hold up.

The translator's notes at the end are really very good too. Angles talks more about the creation of the movie, the writing, the author and about the censorship they were trying to get around. I found this section very intriguing, as was the explanation for the noises that Godzilla makes. Recommended for fans, and for science fiction fans who like stories from the 1950s. The story really holds up quite well.

I can't believe that the novellas haven't been translated up until this point! My son is a huge fan and collector of Godzilla comics and merch, so I enjoyed giving him a hard time that I got to read this first. As stories, "Godzilla" and "Godzilla Raids Again" are very short and simple. The main premise of the stories are that Godzilla shows up and terrorizes everyone, the scientists and military must find a solution, all is saved...until next time. This work is special because we can read the inspiration to the iconic monster movies, and have all the background information that inspired the author to write this in the first place. I had a great time reading this novella and it is a must read for anyone who is a fan of Godzilla.

I received a digital copy from NetGalley in order to provide an honest review of this book.

Godzilla/Gojira was one of the twentieth century's three unforgettable horror movie monsters, a radioactive mutant "gorilla-whale" that would be remembered along with Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster. His gigantic size (created by trick photography) allowed him to throw buildings about like toy blocks, but his all but unstoppable weapon was his deadly nuclear-powered light. The two movies about him were based on novels. Since genre fiction is not considered as literature until it's survived through a couple of generations, only now have those novels been translated into English. Terse, tense, and readable, written with an eye on their cinematic possibilities, these novels will be required reading for courses in the art of filmmaking.

I give the books four stars as books, but any movie whose characters are still part of pop culture after fifty years can be said to deserve five stars as a movie.

Finally, to get to the source material of a monster that has lived on and on through the decades. My only connection to the monster was from the 1998 version with Matthew Broderick, and from then on, action figures from Chinatown, though Mothra was a kaiju I was particularly more fond of.

But I was surprised to find that the original Godzilla stories came from novellas written for teenage boys.

𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘻𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 was mostly this:

RAWRRRRRRR!
WHOOSH!!!
Glubglubglubglub...
whoosh!
Click!
RAWWRRRRRRR!

𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘻𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘈𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯:

Comes with a bit more poeticism in its prose to develop aid in appreciation to landscape, but the novella bogs itself down with its weird marriage subplot. Do kids really want to read about marriage??

What I found most compelling from this was the author's note at the end of the two novellas by Jeffrey Angles, where he goes into the actual lore behind the movie-making process and adaptation. How the director of the original 1954 film was inspired by 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 20,000 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘴, which was inspired by a Ray Bradbury short story. His knowledge of Japanese history, as well as literature and cinema directly after WWII is illuminating and lent a greater appreciation to the two novellas.

*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".