A tale beloved by generations.
An epic of cinema that’s thrilled audiences for nearly six decades.
A pioneering animated opus once voted the 37th greatest cartoon ever made. (Okay, the 38th, but still…)
The GNP is proud to unveil the official novelization of Bambi Meets Godzilla!
Read it here and let me know what you think! (Personally, I think this is what finally nets me that Pulitzer.)
Oh… and Happy April Fools Day. 😉
Salutations, readers! Happy Godzilla Day!
Well, we finally made it. Even as we speak, Godzilla is ringing in his 70th birthday in style, and fans around the world are joining the festivities with movie marathons, merch purchases, and nostalgic remembrances of their favorite moments from the Big G’s career. Every November 3rd is a special day for G-Fans, but it’s always extra special when a big, satisfying round number is involved. And make no mistake: 70 is a big number and a big deal! I hope you get the chance to celebrate this awesome day in whatever way makes you the happiest, and that you’re reminded of just how important this incredible character is to you and your life.
For the past seven weeks, the GNP has been celebrating with new chapter drops, which (as of today) now cover seven books, each of them an anniversary celebration in their own right! We continued the story of the classic 1954 original, kicked off the novelization of 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, gave 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla a long-overdue update, started 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, added to 1994’s Godzilla vs, Spacegodzilla, and launched the beginning of the “end” with 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars.
So, that leaves the big question: what’s left? What new Godzilla adaptation would be perfect to launch on Godzilla Day itself?
I think you’ll agree there was only one answer to that question…
(And yes, I know the title of the update gave it away, but what can I say? A little dramatic flourish never hurt anyone!)
That said, I’m thrilled to officially announce that – in celebration of Godzilla’s 70th anniversary – the GNP has launched its novelization of the 2023 masterpiece Godzilla Minus One!
Yep, if ever there was a Godzilla adaptation worth seven entire weeks of buildup, this is it!
You don’t need me to tell you that Minus One has been a phenomenon since its release exactly one year ago, during which time it has become everything from a money maker to an Oscar winner. The film has done so much for the franchise as a whole, giving it a level of prestige and reevaluation not seen since the mid-2000s, when the original 1954 film was finally reappraised in the west and hailed as the masterpiece that it always was. Minus One is that rare mixture of important, highly acclaimed, appealing to the masses, and genuinely, deeply good; a film that thrills, inspires, moves, and reminds you that being alive is a gift that should never be squandered.
It’s my sincere hope that the GNP’s new prose adaptation can honor the tone, the intent, and the power of Takashi Yamazaki’s remarkable film. Even having the chance to attempt such an adaptation is a privilege, and preserving the elements that make it so special will be both an incredible challenge and a thrilling journey as a writer.
I hope you stick around to enjoy the ride with me, because its going to be a wild one. And very, very fun!
Chapter 1 is now live here on the website, and you can read it right here.
Feel free to leave feedback on the book’s Table of Contents page, via social media, or through email to let me know what you thought, and – if you’re so inclined – share the link around with other Godzilla fans so they can check it out, too.
(Also, as a side note, the opening quote for the novelization was pulled from an absolutely remarkable source: the 1945 Project, an incredible and heartbreaking collection of testimonials from hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) who witnessed and lived through the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The stories of these remarkable men and women truly contextualize the nightmare of the bombings in a way few other sources have, and if you’re at all interested in exposing yourself to the this pivotal moment in history, I highly recommend seeing the project for yourself. You can visit the website here and see a story about the endeavor here.)
……………………………………………
And with that, the last seven weeks of new content have come to a close. I hope you all enjoyed the new stuff, and I hope you had fun on this crazy journey. It’s been a blast writing, sharing, and seeing the responses to each new chapter as they’ve gone live. Big projects like this don’t happen without readers to tune in and show their support, and the fact that so many of you did just that means the absolute world to me. You helped make this 70th-anniversary celebration so incredibly special, and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I’ll be back soon with more chapters, more updates, and more fun… just as soon as my typing hands recover from seven weeks straight of writing. (Yikes!)
Until then, happy Godzilla Day to you all, and to all, a good night!
-Daniel
Salutations and happy Sunday, readers!
Well, we’ve somehow arrived at the penultimate week (the sixth, for those playing at home!) in our seven-week, seven chapter celebration of Godzilla’s 70th birthday. It’s been a fun ride so far, and I hope you’ve enjoyed all the new reading material!
With only one week until Godzilla Day next Sunday, it’s time to reveal the sixth chapter in our marathon. And for this one, we’re going right back to the beginning with the film that started it all… because what kind of 70th-anniversary celebration would this be if we didn’t doff our caps to the original Godzilla from 1954?
The GNP’s adaptation of the first film was also the book that launched the project back in (wow) 2018, and it was high time to give it a new chapter. This installment covers the panic following the sinking of the Bingo-Maru, the rescue of the survivors, and the introduction of Odo Island.
Follow this link to start reading!
That just leaves one final chapter drop for next week. What might it be? Feel free to leave a guess in the comments or on the GNP’s social media pages, and stay tuned, because all will be revealed next week…
Until then, stay awesome, stay happy, and as always, thank you for being here. Happy reading!
–Daniel
Salutations, readers!
Another week has arrived, and that means a new GNP chapter is nigh. And this one’s a real head-spinner! (Feel free to groan.) That’s right… we’re jumping back to 1974 to finally continue the novelization of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla!
This might be the novelization I’ve gotten the most requests to continue over the years, and I’m thrilled to finally be jumping back into this adaptation with an official “chapter 1,” following up on the prologue I wrote years ago. It’s been a long time coming, and I hope you enjoy this new installment. It was a lot of fun to write!
Follow this link to start reading!
At this point, it’s no secret that this seven-week celebration of new chapters is focusing on Godzilla’s anniversary films; we’ve started new novelizations for 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, and 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars, and added new chapters to 1994’s Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla and now 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. With two more chapters to go until Godzilla Day, the possibilities for the next two chapters are shrinking… any guesses as to what they will be?
The answers will be coming soon, so stay tuned for the last couple of new chapters as the countdown nears its end! Thank you all for your incredible support. I hope you’ve been having as much fun with this 70th-anniversary celebration as I have.
See you next week!
-Daniel
Listen, kids.
There are two things you don’t know about the Earth: one is that Don Frye’s mustache can slam revolving doors, and the other… is that Godzilla: Final Wars now has its very own GNP novelization!
Now you know both! 😉
That’s right: in celebration of Final Wars turning 20, I’m kicking off its adaptation with a new prologue. This is an adaptation I’ve been looking forward to tackling for years, and it’ll be every bit as fun as it is challenging. I can’t wait to translate this wild and wonderful film into book form, and I hope you’ll join the fun!
Follow this link to start the prologue.
And here’s a link to the book’s main page, so you can (heh heh) bookmark it for future chapter updates, if you’re so inclined. (Fun fact: this was the 100th page published to the website, which is pretty darn cool. Hurray for round numbers!)
Four chapters into this crazy seven-week celebration, and I think you’ll agree a pattern is emerging with these chapters. What could possibly be next? Stay tuned for the answer later this week!
See you then, and as always, thank you for being such wonderful readers. There’s more fun to come!
-Daniel
Howdy, cool people!
Well, another week has passed, and that means a new GNP chapter is now live on the site to celebrate 70 years of Godzilla… and 30 years of his space-born arch nemesis!
It’s been a few years since the project has returned to its ongoing adaptation of 1994’s Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla, but with such a big anniversary hitting this year, now seemed like a perfect time to dust it off and get back into the psychic swing of things. (My brain cannot wrap around the fact that the film is now three decades old. Seriously, where did the time go?)
Anywho, the new chapter of Spacegodzilla‘s novelization can be read right here!
I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, feel free to leave a comment on the chapter page or on the GNP’s social media letting me know what you thought!
I’ll be back in a few days with another new chapter (and if you’re playing along at home, you might be noticing a pattern with the books being updated/started…). Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay awesome. Thank you for being here!
-Daniel
Hi there, readers!
As promised, the second installment of the GNP’s seven-week birthday bash for Godzilla’s big 7-0 has arrived, and it comes with the beginning of another brand-new novelization!
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the project is proud to reveal the 1st chapter of The Return of Godzilla!
This one has been a long time coming. It’s a book I often get asked about starting, and this seemed like the perfect time to do it. Translating this 1984 classic into book form is going to be an incredible journey. Its dark tone, gothic trappings, and apocalyptic overtones will be an absolute joy to adapt, and I hope you enjoy this inaugural chapter.
Check it out by clicking this link (as as always, feel free to share the chapter around and leave feedback in the comments on the page, on social media, or by emailing me!).
Happy reading, and I’ll see you all next week for the next chapter reveal!
-Daniel
Howdy, me again!
I said I’d be back, and thus, I have reappeared… and I brought a new Godzilla book with me!
The GNP is proud to kick off seven weeks of 70th-anniversary celebrations by revealing the prologue to the novelization of 1964’s Ghidorah, The Three- Headed Monster!
This absolute classic of the genre was the film that effectively flipped the switch on Godzilla’s character, beginning the process that would gradually transform him from destructive force to lovable hero. It’s a wonderful film that I know is near and dear to many a fan’s heart, and having the opportunity to novelize it is a true honor.
The prologue linked below is a short one (and perhaps a bit unexpected in where it begins the story), but I hope it offers a unique setting of the stage for the story to come.
I hope you enjoy it! (Also, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments here on the website, on Facebook, or on The Artist Formerly Known as Twitter after you check it out.)
Tune in next week for another new chapter as our journey to November 3rd continues.
Stay happy, stay safe, and happy reading!
-Daniel
Greetings, readers!
Wow, so… update 100. Triple digits. The big one-zero-zero. I won’t lie, that’s a bit insane… but in the best way possible!
I’m not gonna spend too much time belaboring the point (trust me, we have bigger things to chat about today), but I absolutely wanted to take a moment to acknowledge this awesome milestone. This project has been going strong for nearly seven years now, and 100 updates later, the support and love I receive from all of you is only getting more motivating, impactful, and motivational. Thank you all so very much for helping me get this far.
Anywho, in my last update, I promised that this update would be a big one, with something special to reveal. And now, it’s time to spill the beans…
As 2024 spirals inevitably toward its final few months, the birthday of a certain atomic metaphor is rapidly approaching. It’s hard to believe the Big G is now seven decades removed from his debut in 1954, and even crazier to fathom how strong the character is still going (especially over the last year or so). Rumor has it you only turn 70 once, so I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. Something big, bold, and… kinda crazy.
*deep inhale*
In celebration of the Monster King’s big birthday, the Godzilla Novelization Project will be counting down the next seven weeks with a new novelization chapter every week! That’s seven chapters for seven different novels, all building to the 70th anniversary itself on November 3rd (Godzilla Day).
See? Crazy. 😉
I’ll be keeping the identities of the seven novels in question a secret for now, but you should be able to spot a pattern pretty quickly… What I will say is that a few of these books will be newbies to the GNP, adapting Godzilla films that the project hasn’t started yet. I know I’ve repeatedly said that no new adaptations would be launched until at least one of these darn things is completed, but hey, it’s the guy’s 70th birthday. I couldn’t resist!
(That said, if you’re a GNP Patreon supporter at the $5 or $10 tier, each new chapter will be made available to read 24 hours early. That’s nearly two months of early access! If that sounds like a cool perk and you’re interested in/able to support the project financially, check out Patreon to see how you can help!)
The seven-week countdown to Godzilla’s birthday begins right now, which – if you’ve been following along at home and doing the math – means that the first anniversary chapter drop is today! Patrons have had access to the new chapter since yesterday, and this afternoon, all readers will get a chance to give it a read and find out which film it’s adapting. (Here’s a hint: it’s one of the new ones!)
Watch the website for Update 101 and the full reveal later today!
Until then, I hope you have a fantastic Friday (if you’re reading this on the day it’s posted, of course). Crazy stuff like this only gets to happen because of support from readers like you, and I hope you enjoy the next few weeks of new GNP chapters! It should be a fun ride.
All the best,
-Daniel
Hi there, awesome people! Told ya the next update was coming soon!
This particular announcement isn’t strictly GNP-related, but I’d argue it is a direct result of the support you all continue to show the project and, by extension, me. So, I wanted to share this exciting news here and thank all of you for your role in making it happen.
As some of you know, my work on the GNP is just one of the many cool things I get to do in the kaiju community. I’m also a historian and writer on Japanese genre film, and the amazing support I’ve gotten from readers and Patrons like you has given me so many incredible opportunities over the years to indulge in my love of kaiju academics. Those opportunities have included guesting on podcasts, writing articles, co-hosting convention panels, and more.
Now, I get to add “kaiju audio commentator” to that list!
I’m thrilled to announce that the upcoming Blu-ray release of Shinpei Hayashiya’s War of the Ninja Monsters: Jaron vs. Goura from SRS Cinema will feature a full-length audio commentary co-created by yours truly in collaboration with my good friend and fellow kaiju historian Elijah Thomas!
Audio commentaries have always been one of my favorite mediums for digesting film history; I grew up listening to the likes of David Kalat, Steve Ryfle, David J. Skal, Tom Weaver, and many others as they guided me through the fascinating stories behind my favorite monster movies, and working on an official commentary track for a kaiju release has been a dream of mine for many years. I couldn’t be more grateful to Ron Bonk at SRS Cinema and the amazing Elijah Thomas for the chance to make that dream come true.
I also owe all of you a massive thanks; it’s your continuing support that’s allowed me to grow and contribute more to the world of Godzilla and Japanese monsters, and I appreciate that support beyond words. Thank you so much for helping to make opportunities like this possible.
So, if you wanna check out our commentary and hear me dive deep into some fun topics (including Japanese folklore, the history of Rakugo comedy, and the filmography of Shinpei Hayashiya), be sure to… *ahem*
GRAB YOUR COPY OF THE BLU-RAY RIGHT HERE!
You’ll also be supporting Hayashiya-san, SRS Cinema, and the world of indie kaiju filmmaking, and you get to add a fun new kaiju flick to your collection, so there’s really no downside!
For those curious, here’s the full list of extras on the Blu-ray, direct from the website:
(It’s also worth noting that only 1000 copies of this Blu-ray will be produced, so if you want one, I’d recommend getting your preorder in! It’ll be shipping in late September.)
Welp, that’s another update in the bag. Update number 99, to be more specific! That means the next post will finally dip us into the hallowed realm of triple digits with a big milestone-type number involving a one and two zeros. That’s… kind of a big deal, so I suppose the next update should probably also be a big deal… right?
All I’ll say is… stay tuned! The GNP’s got something cool in store for a certain 70-year-old birthday boy, and I hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming!
Until then, stay awesome, stay safe, stay happy, and enjoy the last bit of summer.
Yours in audio commentaries and cryptic teases,
–Daniel
The Godzilla Novelization Project 