Godzilla emerged from the sea to devastate Tokyo in the now-classic 1954 film, produced by Toho Studios and directed by Ishiro Honda, creating a global sensation and 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 and, in 1955, published these novellas. Kayama's two Godzilla novellas, both classics of Japanese young-adult science fiction, have never been available in English. This book finally provides English-speaking fans and critics the original texts with these first-ever English-language translations of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again.
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Damn. This I gotta own.
Precisely why I posted: to bring it to your attention. :)
The publisher is the University of Minnesota Press and should be available through your LCS if you can't find it anywhere else.
Previews #420, SEP 23, Item Code 2045.
This is the week these novels are slated to ship. I was going to wait until Wednesday to report whether or not they actually had, but today I read a book review in the Dallas Morning News reprinted from The Washinton Post, which tells me they should be at traditional bookstores as well as comics shops this week. The one thing that concerns me about this is, oftentimes, products ship to "legitimate" bookstores weeks before they arrive in comic book shops.
I read that review, too. Makes me want those books! Amazon has them as a unit for about $18. Paperback (and Kindle) only.
Quoted from the review: "Today’s readers should not go into the book versions of 'Godzilla' and 'Godzilla Raids Again' expecting lost Japanese literary masterpieces on par with those by Yukio Mishima or Kobo Abe. It helps to remember that they were written by a pulp author and firmly aimed at young readers."
Got it. Let's have 'em... bring 'em on.
"Today’s readers should not go into the book versions of 'Godzilla' and 'Godzilla Raids Again' expecting lost Japanese literary masterpieces on par with those by Yukio Mishima or Kobo Abe. "
I didn't think they would be, but Godzilla books by either Mishima or Abe would've been insane/amazing!
I finally got a copy of this. I haven't had much time to read it yet, so I'm only 139 pages in.
I finished this yesterday. It's definitely worth a look if you're a Godzilla fan. The afterword by the translator had some interesting info on Kayama's role in the making of the first two films.
It's still on my "pile of shame."
Next up...
Unleash the immense power of Godzilla with this pop-up masterpiece by world-renowned paper engineer Matthew Reinhart featuring vintage artwork reinvented for a modern audience. Behold the stunningly stylized renderings of Godzilla and the many monsters from Monster Island in this one-of-a kind collectible. Delve into the lore of the monster with fascinating information and insightful analysis written by an expert in Godzilla's history, while coming face-to-face with the creature in stunning 3-D. Featuring expanding flaps, pull-tab attacks, and one of the tallest pop-ups to ever rise from the depths of a book, this title is a true celebration of the King of Monsters.