Talk us through it
The dynamic duo of Robert Hood and Robin Pen are back with their second collection of giant monster tales after the award winning first volume gained critical acclaim and commercial success. Note I didn't drop a batman joke in, though holy stomping Godzillas it was close. Once again the anthology is dominated by the short story form though flash fiction does raise itself from time to time. Missing this time round is anything remotely like a poem, a daikaiju cinema supplement, or a screen play, (though Andrew McRae's Herpetocalypse Now! comes pretty close). Joining the giant smash down are a preface by Hood and Pen explaining the need for a second instalment, and a piece by Robin Pen that while reading like an emotional plea really makes no sense in the overall scheme of things. Once again we have a lurid tabloid style cover by Todd Tennant, I'm loving the Daikaiju covers by the way, with the design and layout courtesy of Cat Sparks. Ready to check out the light on over at the Mothra place?
Review"Queen Jombodrah, the biggest mutant tarantula on Earth, swallowed." - Survivor: Monster Island 2025 I guess since there were a lot of submissions to the first anthology the idea would always have been to release a subsequent volume, assuming the remaining stories retained the high levels achieved by and largely by the content of the first book. Hood and Pen once again select well with each of the sixteen stories in Revenge of the Giant Monsters having merit in their own right, though the metaphysical does give way to more worldly concerns in the second anthology. Overall though I felt a slight let down with the second book, it just seemed slightly flat, though if taken to task I could not readily state why I came away with that opinion. Lets break it down and see what ailed me. The anthology starts strongly enough with David Bofinger's See Me Through Your Eyes reversing things with the story being told from the actual daikaiju's perspective, which was certainly a novel approach to take. The story rock and rolls through what you would expect from a giant monster movie, and because of the medium is able to go where a cinematic endeavour simply can't go. But as a narrative there's only so many things you can do with a giant squid as protagonist. And maybe this is where I was slightly daikaiju-ed out, how many things can you really do with a giant monster before it becomes repetitive? Which I guess brings us to my major issue with the second book, besides the odd foray into the monster side of the tracks, there's a sort of overall sameness about things. In the first volume the incidents of giant monsters smashing cities were interspersed with comedic tales and pieces that took the central idea and ran deep into left field with it, exploring other avenues and themes in the process. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy the stories presented in the book, on any given Sunday I would be ripping through a few, simply that it may have been too short a time between drinks at the daikaiju bar and grill for yours truly. I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't suggest reading the second book before the first book to be honest. An anthology of giant monster tales is certainly just what the doctor ordered, but the first anthology is much more varied than the second. It could also be argued, I believe, that the second volume besides lacking the breadth of the first instalment is also somewhat lacking in the share metaphysical. Whereas in the first innings Hood and Pen selected stories that on occasion asked us what we would cargo cult the daikaiju, elemental gods or Lovecraft's more sinister visions, in Revenge of the Giant Monsters the giants are simply a part of our environment with stories covering rampages from both sides of the skirmish line. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think it does devalue our experience as readers end of day, we kind of need more than "giant monster attacks". There are of course a number of stand out yarns in the second collection that will have readers screaming out for more. Lyn Battersby's Born of Woman had me both smiling and wondering just how gross the author was going to go as things rocketed toward the final delivery. It's an absurd premise but Battersby delivers via good line and length. With Beneath Southern Waters Shane Jiraiya Cummings goes all retro on us with a 1950s feel, didn't pick the ending of this story at all, and hey who's ever going to complain about a once in a blue moon kraken appearance in a story. And Chris McMahon had me enthralled with The Eyes of Erebus, now there's a blast from the past for those wanting to make Blob comparisons. The presentation of Daikaiju! 2: Revenge of the Giant Monsters is once again up to the exemplary level set by Agog!, and it is a pity that the Wollongong publisher hasn't announced any new releases. I'm wondering if artist Todd Tennant has a graphic novel or book available, he seems able to capture the whole daikaiju vibe without raising a sweat. Once again a standing ovation to Cat Sparks for layout and design, there's nothing to get upset about in that department. Daikaiju! 2: Revenge of the Giant Monsters is available via amazon.com. Last time I checked they had a few copies left but I wouldn't waste time on a decision, stocks are not going to last. As usual eBay is possibly your friend, though I'm not seeing people who have brought into the series selling the books. And before you ask, no body is getting their paws on my copy! I'm starting to run out of the old space here, and am in danger of boring the hell out of the readership so will try and wrap in an orderly fashion.
ScaryMinds Rates this read as ... Revenge of the Giant Monsters, love the title, is a slight let down after the grandiose styling
of the first book but is still worth your time seeking out. There's any number of solid stories in the volume that will make the purchase an excellent
choice.
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