Age of the Gods: A History of the Japanese Fantasy Film

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Age of the Gods: A History of
the Japanese Fantasy Film
Age of the Gods: A History of the Japanese Fantasy Film
Author(s) Guy Mariner Tucker
Publisher Daikaiju Publishing
Publish date 1996
Genre History, critical analysis

Age of the Gods: A History of the Japanese Fantasy Film is a 1996 nonfiction book written and self-published by Guy Mariner Tucker. During his time in Japan, Tucker befriended many key players in Toho's kaiju films, including Ishiro Honda, Akira Ifukube, Jun Fukuda, Fumio Tanaka, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Akira Kubo, Haruo Nakajima, and Kenpachiro Satsuma, and their insights fill the pages. The book focuses on the Japanese fantasy films of the 1950s and early 1960s, although it concludes with Shusuke Kaneko's first two Gamera films and the then-upcoming TriStar Godzilla film.

Contents

  • Foreword by August Ragone
  • Author's Note
  • A Note on Names and Titles, or, Better Not Skip This Part
  • Part One: Dropping a Bomb: May 1954-December 1954
    • (p. 2) Chapter One: Giants
    • (p. 15) Chapter Two: A Force from Above
    • (p. 27) Chapter Three: Sound and Fury
    • (p. 37) Chapter Four: The Roar Heard 'Round the World
  • Part Two: Fallout: December 1954-December 1959
    • (p. 48) Chapter Five: Happy New Year
    • (p. 53) Chapter Six: Born Again
    • (p. 59) Chapter Seven: Man is a Weak Animal
    • (p. 70) Chapter Eight: Masters of the Earth and Air
    • (p. 83) Chapter Nine: Broad Horizons
    • (p. 93) Chapter Ten: The Magic Begins
    • (p. 99) Chapter Eleven: The Price of Retreat
    • (p. 105) Chapter Twelve: From the Sky to the Moon
  • Part Three: The Golden Era: December 1959-August 1963
    • (p. 115) Chapter Thirteen: The Earth and the Stars
    • (p. 127) Chapter Fourteen: Big Pictures
    • (p. 144) Chapter Fifteen: A Job to Do
    • (p. 157) Chapter Sixteen: A Voice in the Night
  • Part Four: Second Wind: August 1963-December 1965
    • (p. 164) Chapter Seventeen: Whirlwind
    • (p. 166) Chapter Eighteen: Immolation
    • (p. 176) Chapter Nineteen: The Summit
  • Part Five: The Challenge: December 1965-August 1967
    • (p. 183) Chapter Twenty: The Contenders
    • (p. 190) Chapter Twenty-One: Advancing South
  • Part Six: Company Men: January 1968-December 1970
    • (p. 199) Chapter Twenty-Two: Downhill
  • Part Seven: Slouching Into Limbo: January 1971-July 1984
    • (p. 209) Chapter Twenty-Three: Blood Money
    • (p. 219) Chapter Twenty-Four: Worlds Gone Wild
    • (p. 225) Chapter Twenty-Five: Last Chances
    • (p. 228) Chapter Twenty-Six: Nowhere Fast
  • Part Eight: Days of Resurrection: July 1984-Spring 1993
    • (p. 236) Chapter Twenty-Seven: Long Live the King
  • Epilogue: After This Battle, It Will All Be Over (p. 248)
  • Index to Titles (p. 250)

Trivia

  • Along with The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Godzilla by Ed Godziszewski, Age of the Gods is considered one of the rarest nonfiction books about kaiju published in English.
  • A book titled Age of the Gods appears in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #1.

External links

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