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Original Essays | April 29, 2013

Edward Lee: IMG How to Clarify Butter: A Writer's Tale

2 comments By Edward Lee

Chefs don't have time to write. While I was working on Smoke and Pickles, I was running a restaurant — a daily regimen of testing recipes,... Continue »
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1 Beaverton Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z

Shambling Towards Hiroshima

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Shambling Towards Hiroshima Cover

ISBN13: 9781892391841
ISBN10: 1892391848
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In the tradition of Godzilla as both a playful romp and a parable of the dawn of the nuclear era, this original satire blends the destruction of World War II with the halcyon pleasure of monster movies. In the summer of 1945 war is reigning in the Pacific Rim, while in the U.S., Syms Thorley continues his life as a B-movie actor. But the U.S. Navy would like to use Thorley in their top-secret Knickerbocker Project, putting the finishing touches on the ultimate biological weapon: a breed of gigantic, fire-breathing, mutant iguanas. Thorley is to don a rubber suit that will transform him into the merciless Gorgantis and star in a film that simulates the destruction of a miniature Japan—if the demonstration succeeds, the Japanese will surrender, sparing thousands of lives; if it fails, the mutant lizards will be unleashed. Godzilla devotees and history buffs alike will be fascinated by this conspiratorial secret history of a war, a weapon, and an unlikely hero who will have to give the most convincing performance of his life.

Review:

"In this witty and touching paean to the glory days of horror movies, elderly former B-movie actor Syms Thorley looks back from 1984 to recall his involvement in the infamous Knickerbocker Project. Near the end of WWII, facing a shortage of plutonium, the U.S. government scrapped the atomic bomb and instead built giant monsters to ravage Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Alongside a group of genuine Hollywood bigwigs — including Willis O'Brien, James Whale and Brenda Weisberg — Thorley helps craft a realistic movie of the havoc-wreaking Gorgantis, hoping to terrify Japanese leaders into surrendering. The sheer insanity of the premise only makes the eventual payoff even more powerful, and though Morrow (The Last Witchfinder) occasionally indulges in slapstick, he never loses sight of the need to make his characters fascinating and real." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
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About the Author

James Morrow is a Nebula Award–winner and the author of Blameless in Abaddon, The Cats Pajamas, City of Truth, The Eternal Footman, The Last Witchfinder, Only Begotten Daughter, and Towing Jehovah. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania.

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Found Highways, March 28, 2009 (view all comments by Found Highways)
What if it hadn't been the Atomic Age, but the Lizard Age instead?

What if, during World War II, scientists and grade B movie makers had put their talents together to threaten the Japanese with destruction from the sea, from kaiju eiga monsters like Godzilla?

Would biological monsters have been as terrifying as nuclear obliteration? Having inspired terror, would the creators of these monsters have felt the same guilt as the atomic scientists when remembering their victims?

James Morrow's Shambling Towards Hiroshima is unique. Whether you're more interested in Robert Oppenheimer or James Whale, you won't be able to stop reading until the end, when you learn the monster's fate.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781892391841
Author:
Morrow, James
Publisher:
Tachyon Publications
Subject:
Alternative History
Subject:
Science Fiction - General
Subject:
World war, 1939-1945
Subject:
Motion picture actors and actresses
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
2009
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Publication Date:
20090231
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
192
Dimensions:
8.00 x 5.00 in 0.39 lb
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Related Subjects

Children's » Activities » General
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
Travel » General

Shambling Towards Hiroshima Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$8.50 In Stock
Product details 192 pages Tachyon Publications - English 9781892391841 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "In this witty and touching paean to the glory days of horror movies, elderly former B-movie actor Syms Thorley looks back from 1984 to recall his involvement in the infamous Knickerbocker Project. Near the end of WWII, facing a shortage of plutonium, the U.S. government scrapped the atomic bomb and instead built giant monsters to ravage Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Alongside a group of genuine Hollywood bigwigs — including Willis O'Brien, James Whale and Brenda Weisberg — Thorley helps craft a realistic movie of the havoc-wreaking Gorgantis, hoping to terrify Japanese leaders into surrendering. The sheer insanity of the premise only makes the eventual payoff even more powerful, and though Morrow (The Last Witchfinder) occasionally indulges in slapstick, he never loses sight of the need to make his characters fascinating and real." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
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