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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Daikaiju, meaning 'giant monsters,' is a predominantly Australian anthology with a few international authors. It comprises stories that fall within the specualtive fiction genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror, along with several works that fall into the category of humour. An essay titled "A Brief History of the Larger-than-Life" by Brian Thomas is also included.
Non-Australian contributors are: J. M. Shiloh, Cody Goodfellow, D. G. Valdron, Skip Peel, Eric Shapiro, Paul Finch, George Thomas, Stephen Mark Rainey, Doug Wood, Frank Wu, and Brian Thomas.
Notes
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Dedication: To Gojira (on his 50th birthday, 3 November 2004) and to Ishiro Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya, Noriaki Yuasa, Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Willis O'Brien, Eugene Lourie and Ray Harryhausen for unleashing their assorted giant monsters onto our imaginations.
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Contents indexed selectively.
Contents
- Running, single work short story science fiction horror (p. 9-22)
- Big Day, single work short story science fiction (p. 39-48)
- Footfall, single work short story science fiction (p. 49-51)
- Daihaiku, single work poetry (p. 52)
- Seven Dates That Were Ruined by Giant Monsters, single work short story humour (p. 53-59)
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Aspect Hunter,
single work
short story
adventure
Two time-travellers set out to rescue a re-imagined 1986 Sydney from a menacing glacier.
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Notes Concerning Events at the Ray Harryhausen Home for Retired Actors,
single work
short story
humour
Answers the question of what happens to giant monsters after they retire from the movies.
- Watching the Titans, single work short story horror (p. 97-101)
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Five Bells,
single work
short story
horror
Described by Tansy Raynor Roberts as dark, strange and twisted, the story has former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt (who drowned at sea) boiling up out of the ocean, giant-sized with a great white shark stuck in his foreskin (Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
- Once Giants Roamed the Earth, single work short story fantasy (p. 124-127)
- Crunch Time, single work short story (p. 128)
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The Greater Death of Saito Saku,
single work
short story
fantasy
'At once an epic action showpiece and an ode to the passing of time and to the maintaining of honour up until death, Harland’s hero is Saito Saku, a samurai warrior and appointed protector of his village, who sets out to fight a final, fateful battle against a colossal fire beast (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
- Like a Bug Underfoot, single work short story science fiction horror fantasy (p. 221-225)
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Read It In The Headlines!,
single work
short story
science fiction
'An entertaining gimmick story, in which the response to a daikaiju attack is told through screaming newspaper headlines' the story 'serves as a satire on media response to disasters as well as human response to disasters' (Tansy Raynor Roberts Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
- The Quiet Agrarian, single work short story (p. 231-254)
- In Final Battle, single work short story science fiction (p. 255)
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The Unlawful Priest of Todesfall,
single work
short story
fantasy
An otherworld religious quest fantasy.
- Footprint, single work short story science fiction (p. 284-291)
- Haikaiju, single work poetry (p. 292)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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SF Files
2005
single work
column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24-25 September 2005; (p. 6)
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SF Files
2005
single work
column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24-25 September 2005; (p. 6)