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A review by tbr_the_unconquered
Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters by James Lovegrove, Peter Clines, Larry Correia
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 !