Godzilla Returns (Godzilla Ya Novels , No 1)

Rating:
Summary: A great start to a terrific series.
Review: Long after I've forgotten Devlin and Emmerich's effects laden lizard-fest, I'll still be thinking fondly of Marc Cerasini and his Godzilla novels. Reading these books is like taking a peek into a better world, where Godzilla movies are unencumbered by budget, unfettered by cautious studio executives, and where they can finally tell the stories we've been waiting to see.

There's a scene in this book, where a plan to contain Godzilla goes badly wrong, and a helicopter literally bounces down the creatures back. It's so vividly written and paced that I found myself forgetting to breath as the images came alive in my mind. Cerasini's love of the subject matter is obvious, and his skill in telling a tight and exciting tale is just as hard to deny. What's more, he manages to avoid some of the absurdities present in even the most recent Godzilla movies from Toho. The world in Cerasini's novels is one that will forever be marked by the emergence of the monsters, and the effects are progressive and remain evident from book to book.

Though the book is listed as being for "young adults", it has plenty to recommend it to "slightly older adults". Pick it up while you still can - then hassle Random House to bring out "Godzilla and the Lost Continent".

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good ,but not the best
Review: Marc Cerasini has written GODZILLA 2000, a story of the millennium, apocalypse and giant monsters. But this is not just a giant monster book. As Robert Price of Crypt of Cthulhu notes, Cerasini has taken these monsters and rid them of their taint of cartoonism.

This book continues the story of Godzilla who has appeared twice before (as seen in the movies Godzilla, King of the Monsters and Godzilla 1985). Some asteroids that pass through our system every 65 million years are coming around again. This time it looks like they will strike the Earth. But the asteroids are not the only threat. A Japanese research team has located Godzilla and he is awakening. Resources are now split between dealing with the asteroids and speeding up production of defenses against Godzilla.

Soon the first of the asteroids arrive and new monsters are seen to walk the Earth. A giant reptile crawls out of the Gulf of Mexico and terrorizes the Yucatan. An asteroid fragment causes insects in Kansas to mutate horribly. A researcher among the Alaskan Natives learns of a prophecy involving the Firebird. The Earth Spirit tries to contact various humans to warn that Godzilla is an ally and the Destroyer of Life is coming.

This almost reads like an DC Comics' Otherworlds tale. Imagine Rodan as the legendary Firebird or Mothra as the embodiment of the Earth Spirit. While old monsters are seen in a new light, Cerasini delivers a fast-paced tale full of action. If you enjoyed the old Japanese monster films you just might want to pick up this book and see the old monsters fresh as the day they were created.

Rating:
Summary: Godzilla and Company in a Whole New Light
Review: Marc Cerasini has written GODZILLA 2000, a story of the millennium, apocalypse and giant monsters. But this is not just a giant monster book. As Robert Price of Crypt of Cthulhu notes, Cerasini has taken these monsters and rid them of their taint of cartoonism.

This book continues the story of Godzilla who has appeared twice before (as seen in the movies Godzilla, King of the Monsters and Godzilla 1985). Some asteroids that pass through our system every 65 million years are coming around again. This time it looks like they will strike the Earth. But the asteroids are not the only threat. A Japanese research team has located Godzilla and he is awakening. Resources are now split between dealing with the asteroids and speeding up production of defenses against Godzilla.

Soon the first of the asteroids arrive and new monsters are seen to walk the Earth. A giant reptile crawls out of the Gulf of Mexico and terrorizes the Yucatan. An asteroid fragment causes insects in Kansas to mutate horribly. A researcher among the Alaskan Natives learns of a prophecy involving the Firebird. The Earth Spirit tries to contact various humans to warn that Godzilla is an ally and the Destroyer of Life is coming.

This almost reads like an DC Comics' Otherworlds tale. Imagine Rodan as the legendary Firebird or Mothra as the embodiment of the Earth Spirit. While old monsters are seen in a new light, Cerasini delivers a fast-paced tale full of action. If you enjoyed the old Japanese monster films you just might want to pick up this book and see the old monsters fresh as the day they were created.

Rating:
Summary: Godzilla 2000 Review
Review: Marc Cerasini wisely treats everyone's favorite Kaiju King's comeback as a realistic threat to both Japan and the world (i.e. the actual loss of economic livelihoods and homes is explored and developed characters do die). It is this seriousness that gives Godzilla Returns (as well as the other novels in the series) an exhilirating thrill that the American movie lacked. While there is humor to be found it is not of the camp variety. Book reading Godzilla fans of all ages will need no convincing to add this essential American take on the King of the Monsters to their libraries.

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining read!
Review: Once again, Marc Creasini has written an entertaining Godzilla novel. Though not as good as the "Godzilla Returns"(mainly because the author tries to put too many plot strands into a relatively small space), this book is still a Godzilla fan's dream come true. The monsters, Rodan, Varan, Mothra, Kamacuras, King Ghidorah, and Godzilla, are all treated with respect and are rendered quite realistically. The writing is of the highest quality. We can really relate to and root for the various characters. The battles with the monsters are positively exhilirating and, once again, lodge themselves into the reader's memory. Best scenes: the discovery of Varan's victims, the initial assault of the Kamacuras, and King Ghidorah's arrival on the planet Earth. This novel will hold you in its spell until the very end!!

Rating:
Summary: V. E. R. Y. . S. L. O. W.
Review: This book is this movie all the G-fans really wanted the team of Emmerich and Devlin to deliver. Chock full of monsters and mayhem, a properly somber tone (the monsters actually kill and eat people) and, most importantly, a serious repect and deep love for the subject matter, Godzilla 2000 is the perfect read for any Godzilla fan of any age. An essential G-book.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling book that all godzilla fans will enjoy
Review: This is the first book of Cerasini's series that I read and I still like it the best. I liked the wide variety of monsters, Rodan,Varan, King Ghidorah, and of course, Godzilla, to name a few. Although he described things well, Cerasini tried to fit too much into this book. The action scene were good and intense, as they were in his other book's. Overall this was a good, thrilling book with a smooth running plot. I hope his next book, "Godzilla vs. The Robot Monsters" is as well written as this one."Godzilla at Worlds End" is good but not as good as this one.