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cwebb's review
3.0
A good enough collection, but some short stories are awkward to read. Some are better, but overall it dragged on a little bit.
dantastic's review
4.0
Kaiju Rising is an anthology of stories about giant monsters.
Not only did the concept sound fun, it sounded so fun that I kicked in some money for the Kickstarter. Hopefully, along with Pacific Rim, Kaiju Rising will usher in a giant monster Renaissance.
The stories in Kaiju Rising run the full spectrum of rampaging giant monster tales. Since I've calculated that I'll run out of room if I review all of them, here are some standouts.
Big Ben and the End of the Pier Show – James Lovegrove: This story does a great job setting the tone for the rest of the collection and sucking the reader in. I love that it takes place in a world where Kaiju attacks are so common that giant robots are sold specifically to combat them. The story of the owner of a money-losing pier and the impending battle between a kaiju called Red Devil and a KRV called Big Ben is a delight to read. I also liked that the ending wasn't what I expected.
The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island – Kane Gilmour: A lighthouse keeper takes his son to an island not on any maps, an island where kaiju go to die, and tells him what really happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. I liked this one quite a bit, especially that not everyone can perceive kaiju as they are and instead see natural disasters. I also love the concept of a kaiju graveyard.
One Last Round – Nathan Black: Loved this one. A giant undead crocodile ravages New Orleans and the only people who can stop it are the team that operate KRASURE, a giant kaiju-fighting robot.
Monstruo – Mike MacLean: This one is another favorite. A kaiju is approaching a Mexican resort and a man is dispatched to put down the young boy a parasite is using as a host to fight the beast. There are a lot of interesting concepts and contributions to kaiju lore in this one.
The Behemoth – Jonathan Wood: The Behemoth is the story of a mech pilot whose life is slowly disintegrating after his wife becomes a proxy. Wood introduces the concept that mech's need extra people inside to act as a buffer to all the sensory input the mech receives. Unfortunately, proxies have their memories erased. Great stuff!
And that's just a sampling. There are 18 more tales inside chock full of giant monster goodness!
Kaiju Rising was a nostalgia-fest of giant monsters, sometimes fighting equally-giant robots, and wanton destruction. While I didn't think they were all home runs, it was the best themed-anthology I've read in years. Four out of five stars.
Wait! I forgot to mention how sweet the art is. Every story has a full page illustration of the monster within. How cool is that?
Bonus Feature: Here's an interview I did with J.M. Martin, the editor.
http://www.shelfinflicted.com/2014/02/giant-monster-renaissance-man-interview.html
Not only did the concept sound fun, it sounded so fun that I kicked in some money for the Kickstarter. Hopefully, along with Pacific Rim, Kaiju Rising will usher in a giant monster Renaissance.
The stories in Kaiju Rising run the full spectrum of rampaging giant monster tales. Since I've calculated that I'll run out of room if I review all of them, here are some standouts.
Big Ben and the End of the Pier Show – James Lovegrove: This story does a great job setting the tone for the rest of the collection and sucking the reader in. I love that it takes place in a world where Kaiju attacks are so common that giant robots are sold specifically to combat them. The story of the owner of a money-losing pier and the impending battle between a kaiju called Red Devil and a KRV called Big Ben is a delight to read. I also liked that the ending wasn't what I expected.
The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island – Kane Gilmour: A lighthouse keeper takes his son to an island not on any maps, an island where kaiju go to die, and tells him what really happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. I liked this one quite a bit, especially that not everyone can perceive kaiju as they are and instead see natural disasters. I also love the concept of a kaiju graveyard.
One Last Round – Nathan Black: Loved this one. A giant undead crocodile ravages New Orleans and the only people who can stop it are the team that operate KRASURE, a giant kaiju-fighting robot.
Monstruo – Mike MacLean: This one is another favorite. A kaiju is approaching a Mexican resort and a man is dispatched to put down the young boy a parasite is using as a host to fight the beast. There are a lot of interesting concepts and contributions to kaiju lore in this one.
The Behemoth – Jonathan Wood: The Behemoth is the story of a mech pilot whose life is slowly disintegrating after his wife becomes a proxy. Wood introduces the concept that mech's need extra people inside to act as a buffer to all the sensory input the mech receives. Unfortunately, proxies have their memories erased. Great stuff!
And that's just a sampling. There are 18 more tales inside chock full of giant monster goodness!
Kaiju Rising was a nostalgia-fest of giant monsters, sometimes fighting equally-giant robots, and wanton destruction. While I didn't think they were all home runs, it was the best themed-anthology I've read in years. Four out of five stars.
Wait! I forgot to mention how sweet the art is. Every story has a full page illustration of the monster within. How cool is that?
Bonus Feature: Here's an interview I did with J.M. Martin, the editor.
http://www.shelfinflicted.com/2014/02/giant-monster-renaissance-man-interview.html
mxsallybend's review
3.0
Clocking in at over 500 pages, with 25 stories, Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters is a somewhat daunting read. Assembling that many authors to write about giant monsters is an awesome feat all on its own, but to do it as a Kickstarter project is just mind-boggling. Tim Marquitz & Nickolas Sharps are absolutely to be commended on pulling off something I honestly wasn't sure would work.
For me, some of the stories that worked the best were those that were already solid little tales on their own, and where the addition of giant monsters enhanced the story, rather than just being awkwardly shoehorned in - largely because of the contrast they created in themes and subjects. Big Ben and the End of the Pier Show by James Lovegrove was a perfect example, as was Monstruo by Mike MacLean, and Of the Earth, of the Sky, of the Sea by Patrick M. Tracy and Paul Genesse
Another batch of stories that really impressed me were the ones that managed to establish a complete mythology, to tell a multi-layered tale within the very narrow confines of a short story. That's hard enough for some authors to manage in a novel, much less a short story. The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island by Kane Gilmour illustrates this beautifully, as do The Conversion by David Annandale, Heartland by Shane Berryhill, The Banner of the Bent Cross by Peter Clines, and The Great Sea Beast by Larry Correia, albeit all in very different ways.
The final batch that I thoroughly enjoyed were the ones that embraced the concept, claimed it, owned it, blew it up, and then stomped around on its ashes. I'm talking about the over-the-top, let's just have fun with monster stories, the ones where you can feel the author's excitement. Devil’s Cap Brawl by Edward M. Erdelac was one of those, as was Dead Man’s Bones by Josh Reynolds, and the cheesy-but-awesome Big Dog by Timothy W. Long.
There were a few stories that just tried too hard, and a few that may have been entertaining enough on their own, but which suffered from being packed in such a dense collection of similar stories. With that in mind, Kaiju Rising is definitely a collection best enjoyed in small doses, a few stories at a time, lest the repetition begin to dull the overall effect. That said, those small doses are great fun, with some genuine surprises for fans new and old.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
For me, some of the stories that worked the best were those that were already solid little tales on their own, and where the addition of giant monsters enhanced the story, rather than just being awkwardly shoehorned in - largely because of the contrast they created in themes and subjects. Big Ben and the End of the Pier Show by James Lovegrove was a perfect example, as was Monstruo by Mike MacLean, and Of the Earth, of the Sky, of the Sea by Patrick M. Tracy and Paul Genesse
Another batch of stories that really impressed me were the ones that managed to establish a complete mythology, to tell a multi-layered tale within the very narrow confines of a short story. That's hard enough for some authors to manage in a novel, much less a short story. The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island by Kane Gilmour illustrates this beautifully, as do The Conversion by David Annandale, Heartland by Shane Berryhill, The Banner of the Bent Cross by Peter Clines, and The Great Sea Beast by Larry Correia, albeit all in very different ways.
The final batch that I thoroughly enjoyed were the ones that embraced the concept, claimed it, owned it, blew it up, and then stomped around on its ashes. I'm talking about the over-the-top, let's just have fun with monster stories, the ones where you can feel the author's excitement. Devil’s Cap Brawl by Edward M. Erdelac was one of those, as was Dead Man’s Bones by Josh Reynolds, and the cheesy-but-awesome Big Dog by Timothy W. Long.
There were a few stories that just tried too hard, and a few that may have been entertaining enough on their own, but which suffered from being packed in such a dense collection of similar stories. With that in mind, Kaiju Rising is definitely a collection best enjoyed in small doses, a few stories at a time, lest the repetition begin to dull the overall effect. That said, those small doses are great fun, with some genuine surprises for fans new and old.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
4.0
Monsters in film and literature, now there is an exciting plot device to look at ! No matter how ugly the movie is or poorly written the story, I do try to find a bit of excitement among them all. The concept of Kaiju as a monster threat was something I came to know only post Pacific Rim and the new Godzilla. So you can imagine my joy when coming across a 500 page book with short stories that only feature the giant monsters ! I wasn’t disappointed & this is one real badass collection of Kaiju stories.
For the uninitiated, the word Kaiju is said to mean ‘Strange Creature’ in Japanese. There are monsters that rise from the sea and the ones that drop from the sky, there are the ones that are malevolent and some that are neutral but they are all on a scale of size which will make a full grown T-Rex run shrieking back home to his/her mommy. They run rampage through our cities, conventional weapons are useless against them and we only have two options : perish quietly or die trying. There are stories here that shadow Pacific Rim (a huge Robot battling the monster) and stories told from the monster’s POV but what stands out are the stories of inconsequential humans desperately trying to stay alive in their own homes. A detailed review of each of the stories in the book will make this an incredibly long review so here are some of my favorites :
Big Ben & The End Of The Piershow by James Lovegrove : Borrows heavily from Pacific Rim but the story of a small town businessman and how he manages to make his little business thrive following a robot v/s Kaiju battle is oddly funny and had me shaking my head with a smile by the time I finished the tale.
The Conversion by David Annandale : The last stages of the apocalypse are here. This is one of the grimmest tales in the whole collection. There is also a religious touch to the story but the climax is utterly despairing.
The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island by Kane Gilmour : A father and a son who travel to a deserted island as keepers of a Kaiju sized secret. The best part of this tale is the backdrop and the ambience that it creates. It is eerie and rather effective.
One Last Round by Nathan Black : You all know this guy, the veteran of a hundred fights and skirmishes who lives somewhere in your neighborhood. An utter and absolute thug but still a lovable one, if someone does trouble him you elbow your way up front and say ’He might be a thug but he is ours, so get outta here !’ Reimagine the thug as a Kaiju-battling Robot and watch him go head on with a big, mean bugger on the streets. This story is like watching Rocky, you know he is gonna win but he is beat to pulp by the time he does win.
The Behemoth by Jonathan Wood : What if the bigger monster was not the Kaiju but the men who drove the robots into battle ? In this story, the Kaiju takes a backseat and just appears as another character in the backdrop. It is the story of a robot pilot : ambitious, brash, arrogant and a substance abuser. A fine and dark character study. Four and half stars worth of material.
Of the Earth, of the Sky, of the Sea by Patrick M. Tracy and Paul Genesse : This can be called a novella for the sheer length. The presence of Kaiju as spirits of nature in feudal Japan is a totally different shade of color. This story is written in a very impassioned way such that it is difficult to not feel for the land and the Kaiju.
Big Dog by Timothy W. Long : Another fine story length robot v/s Kaiju battle. This is extremely visual storytelling. So much so that you can feel each punch landing and each gun getting fired. While the earlier stories were about watching the battle, this one is like taking part in one.
Not all of the stories are good but all considered this is one kickass collection ! Recommended if you are a monster lover !
For the uninitiated, the word Kaiju is said to mean ‘Strange Creature’ in Japanese. There are monsters that rise from the sea and the ones that drop from the sky, there are the ones that are malevolent and some that are neutral but they are all on a scale of size which will make a full grown T-Rex run shrieking back home to his/her mommy. They run rampage through our cities, conventional weapons are useless against them and we only have two options : perish quietly or die trying. There are stories here that shadow Pacific Rim (a huge Robot battling the monster) and stories told from the monster’s POV but what stands out are the stories of inconsequential humans desperately trying to stay alive in their own homes. A detailed review of each of the stories in the book will make this an incredibly long review so here are some of my favorites :
Big Ben & The End Of The Piershow by James Lovegrove : Borrows heavily from Pacific Rim but the story of a small town businessman and how he manages to make his little business thrive following a robot v/s Kaiju battle is oddly funny and had me shaking my head with a smile by the time I finished the tale.
The Conversion by David Annandale : The last stages of the apocalypse are here. This is one of the grimmest tales in the whole collection. There is also a religious touch to the story but the climax is utterly despairing.
The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island by Kane Gilmour : A father and a son who travel to a deserted island as keepers of a Kaiju sized secret. The best part of this tale is the backdrop and the ambience that it creates. It is eerie and rather effective.
One Last Round by Nathan Black : You all know this guy, the veteran of a hundred fights and skirmishes who lives somewhere in your neighborhood. An utter and absolute thug but still a lovable one, if someone does trouble him you elbow your way up front and say ’He might be a thug but he is ours, so get outta here !’ Reimagine the thug as a Kaiju-battling Robot and watch him go head on with a big, mean bugger on the streets. This story is like watching Rocky, you know he is gonna win but he is beat to pulp by the time he does win.
The Behemoth by Jonathan Wood : What if the bigger monster was not the Kaiju but the men who drove the robots into battle ? In this story, the Kaiju takes a backseat and just appears as another character in the backdrop. It is the story of a robot pilot : ambitious, brash, arrogant and a substance abuser. A fine and dark character study. Four and half stars worth of material.
Of the Earth, of the Sky, of the Sea by Patrick M. Tracy and Paul Genesse : This can be called a novella for the sheer length. The presence of Kaiju as spirits of nature in feudal Japan is a totally different shade of color. This story is written in a very impassioned way such that it is difficult to not feel for the land and the Kaiju.
Big Dog by Timothy W. Long : Another fine story length robot v/s Kaiju battle. This is extremely visual storytelling. So much so that you can feel each punch landing and each gun getting fired. While the earlier stories were about watching the battle, this one is like taking part in one.
Not all of the stories are good but all considered this is one kickass collection ! Recommended if you are a monster lover !
cwebb's review against another edition
3.0
A good enough collection, but some short stories are awkward to read. Some are better, but overall it dragged on a little bit.
blakethebookeater's review
4.0
After all the Godzilla hype, I felt the need to read about some giant ass monsters. The only books out there that really give you that Godzilla feel are the amazing Nemesis books by Jeremy Robinson, and so I wanted to see if these short stories could capture that feeling.
Verdict: As with a lot of anthologies, this was a mixed bag, but with enough good stories to average out to a 4 star rating. I detailed my thoughts for every short below (written right after finishing that story). In retrospect, the standouts were “Heartland” “The Banner of the Bent Cross” “Operation Starfish” “The Behemoth” and “The Turn of the Card”
The 23 stories in Kaiju: Age of Monsters
“Big Ben and the End of the Pier Show”
A decent story, but not enough focus on the Kaiju. Also feels way too much like a Pacific Rim ripoff.
3/5
“The Conversion”
Damn this was a great Kaiju story. It really emphasized how small we are compared to something so awe-inspiring and it felt utterly apocalyptic. Pitch perfect Kaiju take. 5/5
“The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island”
This was an interesting take on Kaiju. Loved the protector Kaiju Kashikoi, and the fact that their battle was mistaken as the nuclear attacks on Japan. Would love to see more in this world!
4/5
“Occupied”
An interesting Kaiju story that uses angels. The Nephilim were different from the usual giant monster and I appreciated that, but it seemed too short.
3/5
“The Serpent’s Heart”
An exotic tale of sailors and serpents, but not enough focus on the serpent itself. The sorceress stuff was kinda cool but unnecessary.
3/5
“Monstruo”
A pretty good Kaiju story. I liked how it took a common trope of the genre (person turns into/controls Kaiju) and made it feel scary, and also pretty intense.
3/5
“The Behemoth”
A shameless rip-off of Pacific Rim. But, that gives the short freedom to really explore the implications of a world where people have to use their minds to power a mech. Also a great look at addiction and a sweet love story.
5/5
“The Greatest Hunger”
A muddled mess of a story. It felt like it was holding the reader at arm’s length so you couldn’t get close and really see what was going on.
2/5
“Heartland”
Probably my favorite story in the collection so far. It was intense, and personal, and wow do I love cults.
5/5
“Devil’s Cap Brawl”
A disappointingly racist story. The Kaiju stuff was cool, but goddamn why did this story have to be told from the POV of a racist. It didn’t add anything, just pissed me off. And the racist didn’t even get killed, just a subtle redemption? Fuck that. Skip this one.
2/5
“Shaktarra”
A very weird Kaiju story, but very welcome as well. It was a fun action romp that wasn’t afraid to go really bizarre! Definitely enjoyable.
4/5
“Of the Earth, of the Sky, of the Sea”
This story was very Avatar-sequel with the spirit world Kaiju, and I really enjoyed it. Had some cool steampunk moments and overall was a fun, atmospheric romp!
4/5
“The Flight of the Red Monsters”
An environmental Kaiju story with a strong message. Loved the Kaiju POV and it was very well written!
5/5
“Operation Starfish”
A Lovecraftian story of the unknown with the great POV of a grandmother finally telling her secrets through a letter. Loved it!
5/5
“With Bright Shining Faces”
Children + giant monsters = a fantastic story and probably the most gleefully FUN one so far! Loved it.
5/5
“The Banner of the Bent Cross”
Indiana Jones meets Greek mythology in one of the best stories in the anthology. Or I just have a super fondness for Greek monsters. Either way, a fantastic story!
5/5
“Fall of Babylon”
A Biblical Apocalypse that was entertaining even if the tone was a little all over the place.
3/5
“Dead Men’s Bones”
A very meh story.
2/5
“Stormrise”
A decent story that’s all set-up, but we never get to see the promised pay-off.
3/5
“Big Dog”
A boring story filled with unintelligible military jargon.
2/5
“The Great Sea Beast”
An entertaining Japanese yarn about obsession and hunting a Kaiju!
4/5
“Animikii vs. Misipeshu”
A solid Kaiju brawl with awesome creatures. This is what I want in a Kaiju story!
5/5
“The Turn of the Card”
Um, WOW. Kaiju Apocalypse went FULL GIANT MONSTER FIGHTS! This was such a great story, as the human perspective made the kaiju feel enormous and the fights were awesome. I think this is the only one where I wanted a whole ass novel to go deeper.
5/5
Verdict: As with a lot of anthologies, this was a mixed bag, but with enough good stories to average out to a 4 star rating. I detailed my thoughts for every short below (written right after finishing that story). In retrospect, the standouts were “Heartland” “The Banner of the Bent Cross” “Operation Starfish” “The Behemoth” and “The Turn of the Card”
The 23 stories in Kaiju: Age of Monsters
“Big Ben and the End of the Pier Show”
A decent story, but not enough focus on the Kaiju. Also feels way too much like a Pacific Rim ripoff.
3/5
“The Conversion”
Damn this was a great Kaiju story. It really emphasized how small we are compared to something so awe-inspiring and it felt utterly apocalyptic. Pitch perfect Kaiju take. 5/5
“The Lighthouse Keeper of Kurohaka Island”
This was an interesting take on Kaiju. Loved the protector Kaiju Kashikoi, and the fact that their battle was mistaken as the nuclear attacks on Japan. Would love to see more in this world!
4/5
“Occupied”
An interesting Kaiju story that uses angels. The Nephilim were different from the usual giant monster and I appreciated that, but it seemed too short.
3/5
“The Serpent’s Heart”
An exotic tale of sailors and serpents, but not enough focus on the serpent itself. The sorceress stuff was kinda cool but unnecessary.
3/5
“Monstruo”
A pretty good Kaiju story. I liked how it took a common trope of the genre (person turns into/controls Kaiju) and made it feel scary, and also pretty intense.
3/5
“The Behemoth”
A shameless rip-off of Pacific Rim. But, that gives the short freedom to really explore the implications of a world where people have to use their minds to power a mech. Also a great look at addiction and a sweet love story.
5/5
“The Greatest Hunger”
A muddled mess of a story. It felt like it was holding the reader at arm’s length so you couldn’t get close and really see what was going on.
2/5
“Heartland”
Probably my favorite story in the collection so far. It was intense, and personal, and wow do I love cults.
5/5
“Devil’s Cap Brawl”
A disappointingly racist story. The Kaiju stuff was cool, but goddamn why did this story have to be told from the POV of a racist. It didn’t add anything, just pissed me off. And the racist didn’t even get killed, just a subtle redemption? Fuck that. Skip this one.
2/5
“Shaktarra”
A very weird Kaiju story, but very welcome as well. It was a fun action romp that wasn’t afraid to go really bizarre! Definitely enjoyable.
4/5
“Of the Earth, of the Sky, of the Sea”
This story was very Avatar-sequel with the spirit world Kaiju, and I really enjoyed it. Had some cool steampunk moments and overall was a fun, atmospheric romp!
4/5
“The Flight of the Red Monsters”
An environmental Kaiju story with a strong message. Loved the Kaiju POV and it was very well written!
5/5
“Operation Starfish”
A Lovecraftian story of the unknown with the great POV of a grandmother finally telling her secrets through a letter. Loved it!
5/5
“With Bright Shining Faces”
Children + giant monsters = a fantastic story and probably the most gleefully FUN one so far! Loved it.
5/5
“The Banner of the Bent Cross”
Indiana Jones meets Greek mythology in one of the best stories in the anthology. Or I just have a super fondness for Greek monsters. Either way, a fantastic story!
5/5
“Fall of Babylon”
A Biblical Apocalypse that was entertaining even if the tone was a little all over the place.
3/5
“Dead Men’s Bones”
A very meh story.
2/5
“Stormrise”
A decent story that’s all set-up, but we never get to see the promised pay-off.
3/5
“Big Dog”
A boring story filled with unintelligible military jargon.
2/5
“The Great Sea Beast”
An entertaining Japanese yarn about obsession and hunting a Kaiju!
4/5
“Animikii vs. Misipeshu”
A solid Kaiju brawl with awesome creatures. This is what I want in a Kaiju story!
5/5
“The Turn of the Card”
Um, WOW. Kaiju Apocalypse went FULL GIANT MONSTER FIGHTS! This was such a great story, as the human perspective made the kaiju feel enormous and the fights were awesome. I think this is the only one where I wanted a whole ass novel to go deeper.
5/5
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