From its beginning Godzilla was always a force of nature; sometimes humanities friend sometimes not. When humanity, in its race to harness the power of the atom, inadvertently creates their own worse nightmare in the form of MUTO, it is time for Godzilla to return, but can humanity survive this clash of titans...

Godzilla (2014. 295 pages), written by Greg Cox is the Novelization of the most recent sojourn of the less than cuddly gigantic lizard. Cox seems to have made a living out of writing genre novels, with a plethora of Star Trek books under his belt as well as writing for numerous other franchises.

The film has done well with its relatively simple tale, good visuals – if you don’t object to a chubby Godzilla – and a good cast. It’s odd that in an age of endless options to own or stream a movie that the Novelization would still be able to find an audience, especially in this age where it seems almost impossible to find a film not designed to be family friendly.

Previously, if you were under a certain age, the only way into the movie was via the novel. It’s not as if the film was based on the novel, so Cox, although he got in early, has little choice other than to flesh out what we have already seen.

The book does contain some extras not found in the film, although it impossible to know if these snippets found their way to the cutting room floor or if they are additions added by Cox. Undoubtedly the book is well written and the additions are welcome, but in the end it is what it is.

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Charles Packer