Greetings, readers! Hard to believe it’s already September, isn’t it?
Before I begin this long overdue update, I’d like to sincerely apologize for the lack of new content as of late. As I mention in the site’s introduction, long stretches of inactivity like this are sometimes unavoidable, and these last few months have thrown enough at me in my personal life that finding the time to write was difficult. I’d like to thank you all for your patience and continued support, and once again apologize for the long wait between updates.
That said, I’m happy to report that the drought is officially over, and the GNP is back in action with a brand new short story! And what a story it is…
As long-time GNP readers will know, I have a habit of crafting my shorter tales as “in-universe” artifacts. For example, The Steve Martin Report was posited as the actual report crafted by Raymond Burr’s legendary character shortly after the events of 1956’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Casefile: MATANGO is presented as the actual testimony delivered by that film’s sole survivor to the authorities. It’s become a tradition of sorts for me to write the GNP’s short stories and novellas in this fashion, and this newest story definitely falls into line with this pattern while tackling the presentation of the prose in a new (and hopefully entertaining) way.
For me, the origin of this newest tale goes all the way back to my childhood, and to my formative years as a Godzilla fan. Some of my fondest memories from this time include watching three particular films from the franchise practically on repeat: 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and last but not least, 1992’s Godzilla vs. Mothra, better known in the US as Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth. To this day these three films hold an incredibly special place in my heart, and the ’92 take on the immortal character of Mothra remains one of my favorites in her long history. In particular, the tantalizing bits of backstory for her and Battra sprinkled into the script captured my attention. An ancient civilization of Mothra worshippers? Arcane machines that siphoned the life force of the Earth? An ancient battle between Mothra and her dark twin Battra? To me, this felt like it’s own movie just waiting to be made, and my fascination with the storytelling potential of this unexplored period in Mothra’s history is still very much present in my mind today.
And so, in lieu of making an actual film depicting and fleshing out these events (hey, maybe if I were a millionaire!), I decided that such a tale had great potential as a new addition to the GNP’s growing catalogue of “in-universe” short stories. Not only did it allow me to finally put a story that I had been formulating since childhood down into words, but it FINALLY gave me a chance to produce some Heisei era content for the site, which has been long overdue!
And so, after some thinking and planning, I decided to approach the story from an angle not yet used in a GNP project. I reasoned that the tale should be written as an ancient text, in a style similar to a biblical book or ancient epic. For a story set 12,000 years in the past, such an approach seemed like a natural fit. In the end, I think it gives the final product a unique feel that once again proves just how eclectic this site can be in its storytelling styles!
Ultimately, this is a story I’m happy to have told, and while certain elements did have to be invented to flesh out the story, I believe the finished “ancient text” is both true to, and respectful of, the film upon which it’s based.
So, without further ado, the GODZILLA NOVELIZATION PROJECT is proud to present its newest short story: The Cosmos Apocrypha!
Follow this link to begin reading!
Once again, each and every one of you reading these words has my eternal gratitude for your patience, your patronage, and your support. I hope I can continue to be worthy of the trust you place in me, and that you continue to be entertained by the GNP’s efforts both past and future.
Happy reading, and stay tuned for more announcements soon!
The Godzilla Novelization Project 