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All Your Ruins
The world is gone. The Kaiju are here. All else that remains is ruin.James survived the end of his world. Gifted by chance and science with a unique endurance for the world of the Ruin he wanders the apocalyptic landscape stalking the monstrous kaiju, ZARIUS. Allison and her sister Jenna travel toward Haven, a prayer as much as a place that might provide safety and shelter to the recently orphaned siblings. Ronald Hicks strives to make his mark on the world in a way he never could before the Kaiju came. The monsters which crawled out of myth and legend have blighted the land with their poisonous blood and its mutagenic properties. Now the last vestiges of humanity huddle together and desperately cling to what remains of their ruined world. Can a legacy in the making outrun death? Can two orphaned siblings survive? Can a man ever hope to kill a god?
227 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2019
6 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 7, 2019
I'm not going to beat around the bush, ALL YOUR RUINS is the darkest piece of kaiju media I'm aware is out there. Incredibly disturbing and unsettling, it manages to deliver Horror with a capital H in the form of a totally immersive new world, emotionally resonant characters, and a gripping narrative. It's one of my favorite written works this genre has offered to this point.
To get the obvious out of the way, AYR is a product of love for kaiju eiga. Genre-loving nods to everything from Shin Godzilla to Matango are present, and it's so thoroughly baked into the book's DNA that you'll accept it all as part of the boundary pushing story. Alex Gayhart really loves kaiju, and it shows in the fantastical, wide ranging bestiary of the apocalyptic hell he's conjured.
The setting is one you feel you're living as you read. Deep lore and tangible reality collide in the way the best world building does to pull you into an all-new universe. I loved spending time in this horrible alternate reality, and if you can stomach it, so will you.
The lurid, gruesome nature of the horror elements are not for everyone. This isn't a book for the squeamish. I loved how grotesque and intensely detailed it was willing to get. You may not. If you're ok with that sort of thing, you'll be in for a treat.
The story is one of desolation, hopeless survival, struggling to live under crushing oblivion. Giant monsters are the ultimate disruptor of this world's order, and those who try to create a new one amongst the Ruins will find it difficult. The setting in rural Kentucky bleeds into the post apocalypse, with Gayhart mixing reality and fantasy to drive home the themes of social and personal decay.
This is one of the best kaiju books I've encountered. It's not for everyone, but if you want to see how hard kaiju can lean into the grotesque darkness, this is the book for you. From the Ruins, a masterpiece has emerged.
To get the obvious out of the way, AYR is a product of love for kaiju eiga. Genre-loving nods to everything from Shin Godzilla to Matango are present, and it's so thoroughly baked into the book's DNA that you'll accept it all as part of the boundary pushing story. Alex Gayhart really loves kaiju, and it shows in the fantastical, wide ranging bestiary of the apocalyptic hell he's conjured.
The setting is one you feel you're living as you read. Deep lore and tangible reality collide in the way the best world building does to pull you into an all-new universe. I loved spending time in this horrible alternate reality, and if you can stomach it, so will you.
The lurid, gruesome nature of the horror elements are not for everyone. This isn't a book for the squeamish. I loved how grotesque and intensely detailed it was willing to get. You may not. If you're ok with that sort of thing, you'll be in for a treat.
The story is one of desolation, hopeless survival, struggling to live under crushing oblivion. Giant monsters are the ultimate disruptor of this world's order, and those who try to create a new one amongst the Ruins will find it difficult. The setting in rural Kentucky bleeds into the post apocalypse, with Gayhart mixing reality and fantasy to drive home the themes of social and personal decay.
This is one of the best kaiju books I've encountered. It's not for everyone, but if you want to see how hard kaiju can lean into the grotesque darkness, this is the book for you. From the Ruins, a masterpiece has emerged.
August 19, 2019
I am a fan of kaiju stories and this one did not let me down. As mentioned by others, this book was definitely the darkest I have ever read. (Think Cormac McCarthy's The Road but for kaiju)
The story centered around a few protagonist/antagonists and did a very decent job keeping the pace. We get introduced to a pair of sisters trying to make it through what is left of the US, a man whose sole mission is the destruction of a Kaiju, a town of citizens trying to scratch out a life and some semblance of normalcy while forces of nature are all around them, we even get a glimpse into the thoughts of one kaiju.
I never had a dull moment with the book, although there were times I wanted to keep reading this or that character and had to wait a few chapters. I would almost think of this book as a pulp fiction novel with the quick pace and how the chapters are laid out. If pulp fiction is your thing, I recommend still giving this kaiju story a chance. And if you like kaiju, what more could you ask for but a giant hive of insect kaiju?
Check it out but remember we warned you it was dark.
The story centered around a few protagonist/antagonists and did a very decent job keeping the pace. We get introduced to a pair of sisters trying to make it through what is left of the US, a man whose sole mission is the destruction of a Kaiju, a town of citizens trying to scratch out a life and some semblance of normalcy while forces of nature are all around them, we even get a glimpse into the thoughts of one kaiju.
I never had a dull moment with the book, although there were times I wanted to keep reading this or that character and had to wait a few chapters. I would almost think of this book as a pulp fiction novel with the quick pace and how the chapters are laid out. If pulp fiction is your thing, I recommend still giving this kaiju story a chance. And if you like kaiju, what more could you ask for but a giant hive of insect kaiju?
Check it out but remember we warned you it was dark.
September 7, 2019
Ruined it for me
I hate books that have creepy and unnecessary endings. Nothing good happened in this book. Just death and despair. Didn't have to dodge too many bad words but still, one is too many and distracting. I just realized what really happened and there was no resolution to anything. Some books are written just for the violence. I kept hoping there was so kind of rhyme or reason to this one, but could not find one. How sad. Will not be reading any more of this author's books.
I hate books that have creepy and unnecessary endings. Nothing good happened in this book. Just death and despair. Didn't have to dodge too many bad words but still, one is too many and distracting. I just realized what really happened and there was no resolution to anything. Some books are written just for the violence. I kept hoping there was so kind of rhyme or reason to this one, but could not find one. How sad. Will not be reading any more of this author's books.
December 30, 2020
na quarta vez que a ideia de que os monstros são um novo panteão deificado é citada (não como uma metaforização com significado extra-textual) como "eles são grandes e poderosos portanto deuses" eu duvidei de minhas próprias capacidades interpretativas, mas não valia a pena ter sobrevivido as outras três pra desistir agora. tem uma hora que rola também um "as ruínas lá de fora... são só um reflexo das pessoas arruinadas..." :/
August 2, 2019
Excellent concept, mediocre writing and tons of editing mistakes.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews