Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again

"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

"The contributions of Japan’s speculative fiction writer Shigeru Kayama to the Godzilla film franchise have long been overlooked in the West. Jeffrey Angles’s translation of Kayama’s Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again novellas, along with Angles’s own afterword with a biographical sketch of the writer, correct this longstanding oversight. An invaluable addition to the history of Japanese science fiction cinema and literature."—Steve Ryfle, coauthor of Ishirō Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa
 

"Angles’s contributions will be immeasurably useful to those interested in Shigeru Kayama and the beginnings of a pop culture icon. In an age where the vast majority of fandom clamors aggressively for overpriced plastic, Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again is a treasure not to be missed."—Our Culture Magazine

"Fun novellas, a deeper understanding of the creature and the themes the original movie was trying to explore, and a glimpse into Japan of the 1950s."—The Irresponsible Reader

"Angles' Afterword, 'Translating an Icon', is useful and welcome supplementary material, both in giving a history of the different Godzilla-adaptations, as well as also offering some interesting observations about translating the novellas."—The Complete Review

"Translated by Jeffrey Angles, Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again is a truly fascinating and historic release."—FilmJuice 

"There's undoubtedly a mythological heft to Godzilla, and to Angles' new translation of Shigeru Kayama's text. It's a wonderful new book with an extremely insightful afterword filled with information that's been largely unavailable in the West."—Movieweb

"Angles’s translation does full justice to the original. It preserves the pace and tone of a novella for young adults, including innumerable examples of onomatopoeia."—Asian Review of Books

"The return of Kayama’s original giant monster, and its message, could not be better timed."—The Washington Post

"With an informative afterword by Angles, Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again finally allows English readers to better understand the important context behind the monster."—The Japan Times

"Shigeru Kayama intended these stories to send a strong message - and now, thanks to Jeffrey Angles, that message once more sounds clearer than ever. The novellas constitute a stark warning and appeal."—The Times Literary Supplement

"The novellas reveal valuable insights into Kayama’s vision for the Godzilla story, feature plots that differ from the films, and clearly display the author’s strong antinuclear, proenvironmental convictions."—Forces of Geek

"Angles’s translation of Kayama’s Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again will appeal to monster fans and scholars of film studies, Japanese studies, and popular culture seeking another aspect of the irradiated dinosaur’s origins."—H-Net Reviews

"Godzilla is that which we can’t resolve, at once divine and ridiculous. That’s why, for 70 years, we’ve needed to keep retelling its story."—Public Books

"These are exciting stories from the roots of the Godzilla mythos, before all the later additions."—Skjam! Reviews

"Angles’ translation brings out both the cartoony quality of Godzilla’s actions that would be explored and adored in following decades but also the devastating threat of nuclear violence lurking within its narrative. In so doing, it reveals something essential about the adaptive quality at the heart of Godzilla, across film and literature, from original to sequel, between English and Japanese."—Reading in Translation