The Challenge Factory discussion

News Alert: Godzilla is rampaging again! The city of Toyko must be saved!

How it works:
For this challenge, you and a partner will each choose a Japanese monster (kaiju) from the list. You cannot pick the same kaiju that your partner is reading for.

Each kaiju will have four tasks. You must read one of those tasks. Each task will score points. The higher the points, the harder the task. The 4 point task will always be the same: Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU. You can use or ignore the articles 'a', 'an', 'the'.

When both partners have finished reading their books, post a message on the Battle thread that you are ready for your fight with Godzilla. The moderator will use random.org to pick a number between 7-10 for Godzilla. If the total of your points ties
or is higher than Godzilla's number, you win.

Each partner will then pick another kaiju from the list (remember, it cannot be the same monster that your partner chooses) for another battle with Godzilla. This will continue until you have read for all the kaiju on the list.

If the partnership has won five or more of the battles with Godzilla by the time you have read for all the kaiju on the list, then Godzilla returns defeated into the ocean. I shudder to think what will happen to Tokyo if you don't :)

✱ Books must be 140 pages.
✱ Re-reads and audio books are okay.
✱ Page count for audio books will be determined by the first paper version shown on Goodreads. From the book's page, select “all editions”, then find the first paper edition as your guide.

Sample Completion Post:
Kaiju:
Book:
Date:
Number and Task:
How it fits the task:

Kaiju list and Battle scores:

D.L.
Anguirus
Biollante
Destoroyah
Ebirah
Gigan
King Ghidorah
Mothra
Orga
Rodan
Titanosaurus


Eunice
Anguirus
Biollante
Destoroyah
Ebirah
Gigan
King Ghidorah
Mothra
Orga
Rodan
Titanosaurus


Battles
1. Rodan and Anguirus win
2. Orga and Ebirah win
3. Titanosaurus and Biollante win
4. Destoroyah and Titanosaurus win
5. Biollante and Gigan win
6. Anguirus and King Ghidorah win
7. Gigan and Rodan win
8. Mothra and Orga win
9. King Ghidorah and Destoroyah win
10. Ebirah and Mothra win

Hi, Eunice. Happy to play this game with you. It sounds fun! I will start with Rodan.

Hi DL! Happy to partner with you too! Here's to a good partnership :>

I'll go with Anguirus

Alright! :) I'll post in the official thread & let Lanelle know :)

Thanks! Though, I peeked at other threads and Lanelle said that we just need to post here and wait until she snoops in our thread

Eunice wrote: "Thanks! Though, I peeked at other threads and Lanelle said that we just need to post here and wait until she snoops in our thread"

Oh, okay lol

Eunice wrote: "Thanks! Though, I peeked at other threads and Lanelle said that we just need to post here and wait until she snoops in our thread"

Yep, that's what I do :D

For D.L.

Rodan



Rodan is very popular, one of the all-time legendary monsters. But consider this: Rodan’s design, while classic, is just a bit on the boring side. On top of that, he and Godzilla don’t actually fight all that often. They’re good pals in most of their appearances together. Rodan certainly isn’t a poor monster, but when it comes to the big ones, he’s a little on the overrated side.

3 point task - Read a book with 10,000+ ratings
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book that is tagged 'Classic'
6 point task - Read a book with less than 100 ratings

For Eunice

Anguirus



Godzilla’s first foe, the legendary Anguirus. Another quadruped, Anguirus has a much more prehistoric look to him, taking many features from the Ankylosaur. He has a long snout like a crocodile and a turtle-shell back covered in spikes. Though he and Godzilla start off fighting each other in Godzilla Raids Again, they spend most of the series as good pals. Aside from Godzilla, Anguirus has one of the series’ greatest roars. A great monster, and a great friend. But also a great foe. Those Raids Again fights are no joke.

3 point task - Read the first book in a series
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book that has been tagged 'Humor' or 'Humour'
6 point task - Read a book with the word 'Great' in the title

I found a book for my task. I am starting it tonight. I hope to finish it in the next day or so :)

I found a book for mine but won't be able to get to it for a few days

Take your time :)

Completion Post

Kaiju: Rodan
Book: Most Likely to Deceive by Jennifer Baker
Date: 6/4/23
Number and Task: 6 point task - Read a book with less than 100 ratings
How it fits the task: It has only 5 ratings.

Kaiju: Anguirus
Book: A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Date: 6/4/23
Number and Task: 6 point task - Read a book with the word 'Great' in the title
How it fits the task: Great in the title

Posted in the battle thread!

Eunice wrote: "Posted in the battle thread!"

YAY. :)

Battle 1



D.L.
Rodan - 6 points

Eunice
Anguirus - 6 points

Godzilla - random.org says 9 points

And the winners are Rodan and Anguirus! *mighty roars are heard*

Yay!

I will go with Orga this time.

Yay, first battle won.

I'll pick Ebirah next

D.L. wrote: "Yay!

I will go with Orga this time."

To think we replied at around the same time XD

For D.L.

Orga



A lot of Godzilla’s later enemies transform throughout the film, not emerging as their full selves until the final fight. Orga goes another route, simply beaming down to Earth when it’s time to fight Godzilla. His transportation evolves from a flying rock to an alien spacecraft, but he appears fully formed. This means we don’t get to know much about the monster. He looks cool, almost like a Pacific Rim monster, but doesn’t stand out among other monsters on this list. He does get points for trying to swallow Godzilla, though he learns the hard way why that’s a bad idea.

3 point task - Read a book set along the Pacific Rim https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific...
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book that is tagged "Science' or 'Science Fiction'
6 point task - Read a book from the Life Transformation Books list

For Eunice

Ebirah



Ebirah might just be a giant crab, but he has personality. For some reason, his entire existence is to guard one island and murder anyone who tries to enter or leave it. That’s it. He doesn’t seem to even move. But that dedication to his task is admirable. Furthermore, he seems like an especially grumpy monster, even though he barely has a face. Godzilla literally declaws him, which is maybe more gruesome than he deserves. But also, don’t mess with Godzilla.

3 point task - Read a book with 300+ pages
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book set on a small island
6 point task - Read a book with a dedication to someone at the beginning

The 6 point task for Orga is yikes

Eunice wrote: "The 6 point task for Orga is yikes"

Right lol Fortunately I have 1 - just 1 - book on the list. Guess it's time to read it & clear it off my shelf.

Kaiju: Ebirah
Book: Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
Date: 6/6/23
Number and Task: 6 point task - Read a book with a dedication to someone at the beginning
How it fits the task: Dedication - To my home team, who puts up with "get your own meals," frozen pizza, and glop so I can get the book done. Love you all: Michael, Collin, Amanda, and Jordan

You're good! I am still working on mine. I hope to have it done soon & then I'll check us in.

Kaiju: Orga
Book: Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
Date: 6-8-23
Number and Task: 6 point task - Read a book from the Life Transformation Books list
How it fits the task: #258 on the Life Transformation Books list

Battle 2



D.L.
Orga - 6 points

Eunice
Ebirah - 6 points

Godzilla - random.org says 8 points

And the winners are Orga and Ebirah! *mighty roars are heard*

Oh, we're doing good!! :)

Titanosaurus please :)

Biollante for me

For D.L.

Titanosaurus



Titanosaurus is the real star of 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla. But because he doesn’t get the title treatment, he feels a little disrespected and underrated. He’s a very tall monster, with thick, beefy legs. Atop his long neck sits a great dragon face with a cool fin coming out the back of his head. He’s also as lethal underwater as on land. It’s a shame he never got another big showcase.

3 point task - Read a standalone book
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book with the word 'lethal' in the text
6 point task - Read a book first published before 1975 (does not have to be the version you read)

For Eunice

Biollante



The main thing about Biollante is how visually striking she is, almost beautiful. Which makes sense as she was created by a scientist who combined Godzilla DNA with the DNA of his dead daughter and injected it into a rose. She’s not even all that villainous until the Godzilla genes take over and turn her into a crazy monster. Supposedly, Biollente can never die due to her ability to regenerate wounds and turn into a cloud of spores if things get too heavy. That means she’s still out there somewhere, just waiting to bloom.

3 point task - Read a book by a female author
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book with clouds on the cover
6 point task - Read a book where a significant character is a scientist of some kind

Kaiju: Biollante
Book: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
Date: 6/12
Number and Task: 6 point task - Read a book where a significant character is a scientist of some kind
How it fits the task: Doctor Moreau is a scientist

I am running a bit behind, sorry. I'll have my book done ASAP though. :)

No rush! :>

Completion Post

Kaiju: Titanosaurus
Book: I'll Be Seeing You by Lurlene McDaniel
Date: 6/13/23
Number and Task: 4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
How it fits the task: I'll Be Seeing You (title)

Battle 3



D.L.
Titanosaurus - 4 points

Eunice
Biollante - 6 points

Godzilla - random.org says 7 points

And the winners are Titanosaurus and Biollante! *mighty roars are heard*

I'll do titanosaurus

I'll try Destoroyah please.

For D.L.

Destoroyah



A fan favorite, and for good reason. Destoroyah was designed as the ultimate Godzilla foe, as he came from the same oxygen destroyer that took out the original Godzilla. In his final form, he means serious business, looking like a big, thick demon straight from Hell. But Destoroyah also starts small, as a collection of little demons that kill humans like monsters from a horror film (including mini-mouths that totally rip-off Alien). Toho needed a monster that would take Godzilla’s final Heisei movie out with a bang. And they got one.

3 point task - Read a book with "favorite" in the text
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book that is tagged 'Horror'
6 point task - Read an anthology (collection of short stories)

For Eunice

Titanosaurus



Titanosaurus is the real star of 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla. But because he doesn’t get the title treatment, he feels a little disrespected and underrated. He’s a very tall monster, with thick, beefy legs. Atop his long neck sits a great dragon face with a cool fin coming out the back of his head. He’s also as lethal underwater as on land. It’s a shame he never got another big showcase.

3 point task - Read a standalone book
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book with the word 'lethal' in the text
6 point task - Read a book first published before 1975 (does not have to be the version you read)

Completion Post

Kaiju: Destoroyah
Book: The Wrong Number by R.L. Stine
Date: 6/15/23
Number and Task: 5 point task - Read a book that is tagged 'Horror'
How it fits the task: Tagged MPG horror

Sorry, just to update, I'll need a few more days to finish mine

Eunice wrote: "Sorry, just to update, I'll need a few more days to finish mine"

That's fine. Take your time :)

Kaiju: Titanosaurus
Book: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Date: 6/23/23
Number and Task: 6 point task - Read a book first published before 1975 (does not have to be the version you read)
How it fits the task: First published January 1, 1934

Battle 4



D.L.
Destoroyah - 5 points

Eunice
Titanosaurus - 6 points

Godzilla - random.org says 8 points

And the winners are Destoroyah and Titanosaurus! *mighty roars are heard*

Alright!! :)

I'll go with Biollante this time.

I'll do Gigan next

For D.L.

Biollante



The main thing about Biollante is how visually striking she is, almost beautiful. Which makes sense as she was created by a scientist who combined Godzilla DNA with the DNA of his dead daughter and injected it into a rose. She’s not even all that villainous until the Godzilla genes take over and turn her into a crazy monster. Supposedly, Biollente can never die due to her ability to regenerate wounds and turn into a cloud of spores if things get too heavy. That means she’s still out there somewhere, just waiting to bloom.

3 point task - Read a book by a female author
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book with clouds on the cover
6 point task - Read a book where a significant character is a scientist of some kind

For Eunice

Gigan



Gigan is just amazing, a kaiju who seems built from the ground up by a malevolent child. He has knives going up the back of his head, which combined with his beak, makes him seem like he started as a chicken. That beak, however, is flanked by two more knives. Also, instead of arms? More knives. That would normally be enough, but no. Gigan also has a table saw coming out of his torso. The craziness doesn’t stop there. Gigan enjoys modifications in Final Wars that turn his knife arms into chainsaws. Because at that point, why not?

3 point task - Read a book with the word 'knife' or 'knives' in the text
4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
5 point task - Read a book with a young child as a significant character
6 point task - Read a book with just a human torso on the cover

I am so behind on this, I'm sorry. I will try to read a book for it this weekend :)

Kaiju: Gigan
Book: The Island by Adrian McKinty
Date: 7/1/23
Number and Task: 5 point task - Read a book with a young child as a significant character
How it fits the task: Two of the main characters are kids

Kaiju: Biollante
Book: Just Like Sisters by Jennifer Baker
Date: 7/12/23
Number and Task: 4 point task - Read a book with a title that begins with a letter in KAIJU
How it fits the task: Just Like Sisters

I am so sorry I took so long!

Battle 5



D.L.
Biollante - 4 points

Eunice
Gigan - 5 points

Godzilla - random.org says 9 points

And the winners are Biollante and Gigan! *mighty roars are heard*