Godzilla (Marc Cerasini series)
Encyclopedia
Godzilla is a novel series written by author Marc Cerasini based on the film characters. Each novel has its own unique plot and storyline, with Toho
's kaiju
featured as the stars.
reappearing for the first time since 1954, rampaging and destroying the city of Tokyo
. The book is clearly set to follow Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
(the English version of the original Godzilla
film), as Steve Martin
(Raymond Burr
's character) is said to have been present during the original attack. The finale of the novel is similar to the 1984 film The Return of Godzilla
, as Godzilla is drawn away from the city using a lure identical to the one used in that film. However, the lure is used to draw Godzilla to the deepest part of the ocean, rather than a volcano.
), the United States government forms a new organization, G-Force, dedicated to stopping the attacks of giant monsters, especially Godzilla
. Meanwhile, a meteor shower threatens mankind with extinction. The initial wave delivers a parasitic alien organism to Earth, which bonds with a praying mantis to form a swarm of gigantic creatures dubbed Kamacuras
. Soon after, another monster, Varan
, surfaces in Mexico. A gigantic pteranodon
, actually a female Rodan
, emerges from the North Pole and builds a nest on Mount Rushmore
. And Godzilla himself surfaces off the coast of California, ultimately crossing the United States and arriving in New York City on January 1, 2000. There, it is finally revealed that he has been led there by Mothra
, the Protector of the Earth, to destroy the dreaded King Ghidorah
, the three-headed space dragon who emerged from one of the asteroids approaching Earth. The monsters battle and Godzilla defeats Ghidorah and drives him away, severing Ghidorah's middle head in the process.
's battle with King Ghidorah
. An ancient civilization, long dead and buried beneath Antarctica, springs to life with the arrival of a teenage girl from the surface world, who becomes corrupted by the power she finds there and seeks to destroy mankind, unleashing five new monsters: Gigan
, Megalon, Manda, Battra
and Hedorah
. Her ultimate weapons are the Babel Wave that cuts off all communications and the plant monster Biollante
. With the help of a group of teenage scientists, Mothra
, a young Rodan (the one that hatched from the egg on Mount Rushmore), and the newly awakened Anguirus
, Godzilla makes it to the city in the earth. During the trip Gigan, Hedorah, and Battra are supposedly killed while Manda and Megalon flee into the wild. Godzilla and Biollante have a final battle with Godzilla winning, saving the earth. However Godzilla becomes trapped in the Earth's center. As the book ends the Russian government shows interest in studying Anguirus while America and Japan work together on a new project. It is then revealed that Manda and Megalon are still at large along with Rodan.
emerges from a volcano in the year 2004. Meanwhile, America, Russia
and Mongolia
have each been hard at work on their own anti-monster projects: Mechagodzilla
, Moguera
and Mecha-King Ghidorah
, respectively. Mechagodzilla is pitted against Baragon
, who emerges from hibernation to feed, while Moguera defeats and captures Anguirus
. Ghidorah, on the other hand, is in the hands of a corrupt Kulgan Khan, the new ruler of Mongolia, who intends to use the rebuilt space dragon as a weapon of conquest. In the climax of the novel, Godzilla escapes from the bottom of the Earth and returns to Japan to do battle with his old foe, unwittingly teaming up with Mechagodzilla and Moguera in the process. However, the only survivor of the fight is Godzilla himself. In the end Godzilla returns to the sea, Anguirus is moved to a wildlife sanctuary for study, Rodan returns to Antarctica, and Baragon escapes, albeit trapped underground temporarily.
's license. The summary given in the previous book reveals that a new continent would rise from the Pacific, with several nations laying claim to it, but that it would also harbor great danger: Varan
, Manda and Battra
now call this continent home, as well as a new monster and a previously unknown civilization. The King of the Monsters
resurfaces to do battle with this threat. The unknown monster that was to be the villain of the book has never been revealed. It's identity is heavily debated about amongst fans.
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
's kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
featured as the stars.
Godzilla Returns
Godzilla Returns is the first novel, with GodzillaGodzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
reappearing for the first time since 1954, rampaging and destroying the city of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The book is clearly set to follow Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a 1956 Japanese/American black-and-white science fiction kaiju film. It is an "Americanized" version of the original Godzilla film, which had previously been shown subtitled in the United States in Japanese community theaters only, and was not known in Europe...
(the English version of the original Godzilla
Godzilla (1954 film)
is a 1954 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura. The film tells the story of Godzilla, a giant monster mutated by nuclear radiation, who ravages Japan, bringing back the...
film), as Steve Martin
Steve Martin (Godzilla)
Steve Martin is a fictional American reporter played by actor Raymond Burr. The journalist first appears in the 1956 Godzilla film Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, the American version of the original Japanese Godzilla....
(Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
's character) is said to have been present during the original attack. The finale of the novel is similar to the 1984 film The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla The Return of Godzilla (released as in Japan and as Godzilla 1985 in North America, is a 1984 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The sixteenth film in Toho's Godzilla series, it was produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and directed by Koji Hashimoto with special...
, as Godzilla is drawn away from the city using a lure identical to the one used in that film. However, the lure is used to draw Godzilla to the deepest part of the ocean, rather than a volcano.
Godzilla 2000
In the second novel, Godzilla 2000 (not to be confused with the film of the same nameGodzilla 2000
is a 1999 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara and written by Hiroshi Kashiwabara and Wataru Mimura. It was the twenty-third film released in the Godzilla series. It is the only film to feature Orga. The film was released on December 11, 1999...
), the United States government forms a new organization, G-Force, dedicated to stopping the attacks of giant monsters, especially Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. Meanwhile, a meteor shower threatens mankind with extinction. The initial wave delivers a parasitic alien organism to Earth, which bonds with a praying mantis to form a swarm of gigantic creatures dubbed Kamacuras
Kamacuras
, is a fictional gigantic praying mantis that has appeared in the Toho produced Godzilla series. In its first appearance, the creature was called Gimantis in the U.S. version.-Showa:...
. Soon after, another monster, Varan
Varan
is a kaiju that first appeared in Varan the Unbelievable . Physically, Varan resembles a giant reptile with skin membranes between his arms and legs, allowing him to glide much like a flying dragon or flying squirrel; he also has a horned head....
, surfaces in Mexico. A gigantic pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
, actually a female Rodan
Rodan
is a fictional Japanese mutated pterosaur introduced in Rodan, a 1956 release from Toho Studios, the company responsible for the Godzilla series. Like Godzilla and Anguirus, he is designed after a type of prehistoric reptile...
, emerges from the North Pole and builds a nest on Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
. And Godzilla himself surfaces off the coast of California, ultimately crossing the United States and arriving in New York City on January 1, 2000. There, it is finally revealed that he has been led there by Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
, the Protector of the Earth, to destroy the dreaded King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
, the three-headed space dragon who emerged from one of the asteroids approaching Earth. The monsters battle and Godzilla defeats Ghidorah and drives him away, severing Ghidorah's middle head in the process.
Godzilla at World's End
In the third novel, Godzilla at World's End, a new threat emerges from within the Earth itself a year after GodzillaGodzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
's battle with King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
. An ancient civilization, long dead and buried beneath Antarctica, springs to life with the arrival of a teenage girl from the surface world, who becomes corrupted by the power she finds there and seeks to destroy mankind, unleashing five new monsters: Gigan
Gigan
is a kaiju from the Godzilla series, introduced in the 1972 film Godzilla vs. Gigan. Gigan is a cybernetic monster sporting a buzzsaw weapon in its frontal abdominal region and large metallic hooks for hands. Gigan is considered Godzilla's most brutal and violent opponent, alongside Destroyah,...
, Megalon, Manda, Battra
Battra
is a fictional kaiju appearing in the Heisei Godzilla film Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth. He is the main antagonist of the film. Like Mothra, Battra has both larval and adult forms.-Biography:...
and Hedorah
Hedorah
, also known as the Smog Monster, is a fictional character in the 1971 film Godzilla vs. Hedorah. The monster was named for , the Japanese word for sludge, vomit, slime or chemical ooze. He is the main antagonist of the film.-Description:...
. Her ultimate weapons are the Babel Wave that cuts off all communications and the plant monster Biollante
Biollante
is a daikaiju from the Godzilla film series. She made her first appearance in the 1989 feature Godzilla vs. Biollante. She was never put into any other Godzilla movies, although she is featured as a secret character in Godzilla: Unleashed on the Nintendo Wii.-Origin:After Godzilla's return in...
. With the help of a group of teenage scientists, Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
, a young Rodan (the one that hatched from the egg on Mount Rushmore), and the newly awakened Anguirus
Anguirus
is the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again...
, Godzilla makes it to the city in the earth. During the trip Gigan, Hedorah, and Battra are supposedly killed while Manda and Megalon flee into the wild. Godzilla and Biollante have a final battle with Godzilla winning, saving the earth. However Godzilla becomes trapped in the Earth's center. As the book ends the Russian government shows interest in studying Anguirus while America and Japan work together on a new project. It is then revealed that Manda and Megalon are still at large along with Rodan.
Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters
GodzillaGodzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
emerges from a volcano in the year 2004. Meanwhile, America, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
have each been hard at work on their own anti-monster projects: Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla
is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...
, Moguera
Moguera
is a Kaiju featured in two of Toho's science fiction films. The name is derived from the Japanese word for mole.-Showa:...
and Mecha-King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
, respectively. Mechagodzilla is pitted against Baragon
Baragon
is a fictional Kaiju that was first featured in the 1965 Toho-produced film, Frankenstein Conquers the World. Baragon is a four-legged dinosaur with a horn on his head and large ears. His main weapon is a heat ray that he can fire from his mouth...
, who emerges from hibernation to feed, while Moguera defeats and captures Anguirus
Anguirus
is the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again...
. Ghidorah, on the other hand, is in the hands of a corrupt Kulgan Khan, the new ruler of Mongolia, who intends to use the rebuilt space dragon as a weapon of conquest. In the climax of the novel, Godzilla escapes from the bottom of the Earth and returns to Japan to do battle with his old foe, unwittingly teaming up with Mechagodzilla and Moguera in the process. However, the only survivor of the fight is Godzilla himself. In the end Godzilla returns to the sea, Anguirus is moved to a wildlife sanctuary for study, Rodan returns to Antarctica, and Baragon escapes, albeit trapped underground temporarily.
Lost project
The final book, Godzilla and the Lost Continent, was set for a 1999 release, but was never published due to the loss of Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
's license. The summary given in the previous book reveals that a new continent would rise from the Pacific, with several nations laying claim to it, but that it would also harbor great danger: Varan
Varan
is a kaiju that first appeared in Varan the Unbelievable . Physically, Varan resembles a giant reptile with skin membranes between his arms and legs, allowing him to glide much like a flying dragon or flying squirrel; he also has a horned head....
, Manda and Battra
Battra
is a fictional kaiju appearing in the Heisei Godzilla film Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth. He is the main antagonist of the film. Like Mothra, Battra has both larval and adult forms.-Biography:...
now call this continent home, as well as a new monster and a previously unknown civilization. The King of the Monsters
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
resurfaces to do battle with this threat. The unknown monster that was to be the villain of the book has never been revealed. It's identity is heavily debated about amongst fans.
Series
- Godzilla Returns (1996)
- Godzilla 2000 (1997)
- Godzilla at World's End (1998)
- Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters (1999)
- Godzilla and the Lost Continent (Unpublished)