Author and poet Michael Mortenson takes readers on a journey through the science fiction genre in this stellar first collection of haiku and micro-essays. Pushing the boundaries of classical haiku, the collection takes on topics like the space race, superheroes, kaiju films, and space opera. The Sci-Fi Haiku: Epoch 1 won Mortenson the 2022 LDSPMA award for Best Emerging Poet.

THE END OF THE WORLD DIDN'T START WITH A BANG... It started with a bump, when 20 year old Will Carver and Aaron Smith hit a small unearthly creature with their car. Unbeknownst to them this was an alien refugee named Marugrah, who was separated from his Queen, Marudon, upon their arrival to earth. Marugrah desperately searches for her, with the help of Will and his friends, as a deadly threat approaches Earth. A TREAT THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO DESTROY ENTIRE PLANETS. Will they be able to reunite with the Queen in time to stop the imminent invasion of Earth? And if they do, can they stop the giant monsters that fall from the sky and attack the world's major cities? Is this the end of the world, or is this the... KAIJU EPOCH.

During the 2010s, science fiction's immortal adversaries King Kong and Godzilla, representing our conflicts per Carl Sagan's "dream dragons" analogy, made comebacks in American cinema. The blockbuster Kaiju resurged onto the screen, depicting these protectors of an Earth plagued by mankind's hubris and folly. With Earth's future hanging in the balance, their climactic 2021 staging settled a score between the two giant monsters, resolving Toho's classic 1963 film King Kong vs. Godzilla. As formidable creatures emerging from Time's Tomb on Mother Earth, metaphorical Kong and Godzilla are considered here in light of new millennial environmentalism's stark reality. This book, nostalgic in tone, explores the meaning of Kong and Godzilla as planetary saviors--titanic protectors of a theoretical "living Earth" Gaia--defending the globe from a prehistoric plague of adversaries.

AN EVOLUTIONARY TRIUMPH Following a fierce battle against his sister Velgrynd, Rimuru’s steadfast ally Veldora has fallen into the enemy’s clutches. An enraged Rimuru gives the order to massacre his foes, a request his Tempest top brass couldn’t be more thrilled to oblige. Once Rimuru’s demon underlings evolve en masse, the final battle between Tempest and the Eastern Empire will begin in earnest. But if Rimuru wants to save Veldora, he’ll need to undergo an evolution of his own. It’s time to unleash the power he’s been holding back!

The media industries in the United States and Japan are similar in much the same way animals on earth share a similar DNA, but while a horse and a kangaroo maybe 95% related on a biological level, they are also very different - this is the way it is with manga/anime in Japan and Hollywood animation/movies/TV. Although sharing some key common origins, they developed mostly separately but influenced each other significantly along the way. That confluence is now accelerating into new forms of hybridization that will drive much of future storytelling entertainment. Understanding these common and divergent "DNA" origins, the cross-influences and the independent traits is one of many reasons why this book is so important. Through original interviews with top creators in these fields and illuminating case studies including adaptations of Japanese mangas and animes for Hollywood remakes, Manga and Anime go to Hollywood analyzes the specific dynamics of this confluence between Japanese manga/anime and American film,animation and television. In addition, it shows how to use this knowledge creatively to shape the future of global narrative storytelling, including through the educational system. It is a fascinating to any reader with an interest in the inter-related history of Japanese manga/anime and Hollywood since the Meiji period through WW2, what is happening on the cutting edge right now - and into the future.

Dismissed as camp by critics but revered by fans, the kaiju or "strange creature" film has become an iconic element of both Japanese and American pop culture. From homage to parody to advertising, references to Godzilla--and to a lesser extent Gamera, Rodan, Ultraman and others--abound in entertainment media. Godzilla in particular is so ubiquitous, his name is synonymous with immensity and destruction. In this collection of new essays, contributors examine kaiju representations in a range of contexts and attempt to define this at times ambiguous genre.

From their discovery in the 19th century to the dawn of the Nuclear Age, dinosaurs were seen in popular culture as ambassadors of the geological past and as icons of the "life through time" narrative of evolution. They took on a more foreboding character during the Cold War, serving as a warning to mankind with the advent of the hydrogen bomb. As fears of human extinction escalated during the ecological movement of the 1970s, dinosaurs communicated their metaphorical message of extinction, urging us from our destructive path. Using an eclectic variety of examples, this book outlines the three-fold "evolution" of dinosaurs and other prehistoric monsters in pop culture, from their poorly understood beginnings to the 21st century.