“Unseen Moon” by Eliza Victoria

My review of one of the best anthologies I’ve read this year, “Unseen Moon” by Eliza Victoria, is now live on GMA News Online: “Horror by the light of an unseen moon”

Teaser Tuesdays: “Unseen Moon”

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

✻ ✻ ✻

I’m reading 4 books right now, it’s crazy.

Here’s what my dance card looks like: “The Mango Bride”, which is for a review assignment for GMA News Online; “Dying of the Light” for our book club; “Icon of the Indecisive” for Mina V. Esguerra’s secret project; and this book, for which I also have a review request.

“It always felt like this here during Lent,” Ben said. Notes of pasyon drifted into the jeepney, the old woman’s voice rising and falling like a wave. Pagdaka’y ibubulalas parusang kasindak-sindak sa harap ng taong lahat. “Like the town’s hallucinating.”

✻ page 39 (review copy), excerpt from The Ghosts of Sinagtala from “Unseen Moon” by Eliza Victoria

*chills* This excerpt is so effective at setting the tone of the story, and even more so if you understand the Filipino language. I can’t help but fear for the characters, and nothing’s even happened yet!

Confession: I’m a scaredy-cat. I hope I survive this book.

“Unseen Moon” is a collection of five suspenseful stories by award-winning Filipino author Eliza Victoria. If you’re interested in purchasing the book, click HERE.

*goes back to reading*

“Naermyth” by Karen Francisco

Title: Naermyth
Author: Karen Francisco
Read Date: 27 September 2012
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Status Updates: click!
Review Preview: I suppose a mythpocalypse could be worse than a zombie apocalypse.
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never were they myth in the first place…

The world ended. It was not because of a comet, prophecy, natural disaster or whatever garbage foretold on the internet, but because every myth ever written turned out to be an account of historical fact. These monsters we’ve read about as children waged a war that lead to the human race’s downfall. And the unlucky who survived are hunted down or, worse, tortured.

In these dark times, people could only turn to the Shepherd for help. I am one such Shepherd and I thought my only task was to protect the few humans who still thrived on this desolate world. But when I rescued Dorian from Dwende captivity, I discovered that not only is he the most dangerous thing to have around, but he could be our one hope for redemption. I now find myself protecting a born killer, but in doing so, I’m turning my back on everything human.

OMG, it’s an aswang apocalypse! Well, okay, it’s actually an apocalypse brought about by mythical monsters who were never mythical (“naermyth” = never myth) in the first place. It’s a mythpocalypse! I love the idea.

Francisco paints a vivid post-apocalyptic Metro Manila, ruined and over-run by many different creatures, although this should be extra vivid for Filipinos, especially Metro Manila residents, because Francisco took care to mention familiar landmarks to ground her setting. She also incorporated other places that are often associated with Philippine mythology, like Capiz, Mt. Makiling, and Mt. Arayat.

The voice of the novel is Athena “Aegis” Dizon, a young woman who is part of a group informally called the Shepherd, whose mission is to find human survivors and bring them to sanctuaries. Aegis has the reputation of being one of the best warriors among the Shepherd, and she is hero-worshipped by almost everyone who’s ever heard of her.

I’m ambivalent towards Aegis, though. I suppose it’s easy enough to like her because she’s an ass-kicking warrior and she’s courageous. Likewise, it’s also easy to get annoyed by her because she’s painted as this supposedly distant, cold, and rough girl.

I say “supposedly” because I didn’t really feel that particular brashness or wildness, or at least, that quality is not really unexpected from someone who’s had to live her life as a survivor, protector, and warrior for the past 5 years. The coldness was apparent, at least, to some extent, but I didn’t feel that she’s all that distant either, because she’s made solid relationships with the other Shepherd boys she calls her “brothers,” with the girl Liwanag, with blacksmith River, her mentor Benevidez, and later, with the refugee Dorian. She does try to distance herself from romantic entanglements, but in the context of the story, I think this is more about denying her own feelings than any particular aversion to relationships.

Later, after a big reveal, Aegis attempts to justify her reluctance to succumb to her romantic feelings by attributing it to her nature. I thought that was a cop-out even though it seemed intended to give more weight to a “fight for your love” theme for Aegis. I personally feel that “falling in love despite your nature” would have resonated better than “my nature prevents me from loving but I am willing to fight.” But that’s just me. Anyway, I do get the authorial intention with regard to how Aegis is written, it’s just that I personally feel that she lived up only to some of the hype.

Dorian, the man Aegis rescues from a 5-year stint as a dwende prisoner, reminds me of Berem from the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy, at least in terms of his character arc of Refugee to Possible Game Changer. “Possible Game Changer,” of course, means that Dorian is more than what he seems. I will admit that I had an initial violent reaction toward the revelation of Dorian’s true nature because I’ve just recently finished reading an entire series about what he is. I got over this when the mythology was fleshed out later on, though, and because his arc played out differently than from what I expected.

Among the minor characters, I am particularly fond of “Tito Bing,” a quirky professor who was hiding out in UP Baguio before Aegis and Dorian found him. He reminds me of Walter Bishop from Fringe sometimes, although Tito Bing is more self-sufficient and…lucid.

There are parts of “Naermyth” that I think were born out of good ideas but just weren’t executed well enough, like the portrayal of the diwatas of Mt. Makiling. I thought the Armani-wearing guy and the rest of Macky’s court strayed a little too much into corny territory.

There’s also the idea of Fusion, or re-engineering humans and Naermyth. While the fusion (pun!) of concepts of alchemy, magic, and molecular biology was clever, its introduction into the plot came too late, so it had this “tacked-on plot point” feel to it despite being important to the arc of certain characters. It does give more depth to one character, in particular, though.

Then there’s the head-villain-in-name, Valarao, whose motivation is shallow despite trying to convince himself that it will benefit the country, that the final confrontation between him and Aegis felt anti-climactic. I don’t mind villains who are not outright terrifying, in fact, I’ve encountered villains who exude quiet menace or who terrorize people just by the mere mention of his name (Voldemort), but Valarao was just plain disappointing.

I wish the book was better edited. There’s too much going on in the novel and a few more editing passes could have tightened the narrative, and the many grammatical and spelling errors would have been spotted. Francisco also tends to repeat verbs like “sang” as an alternative to “said.” I can imagine the characters speaking in this manner and that’s okay, but if everyone sang all the time, it’s just annoying.

I didn’t care much for the romance aspect of the story, which is surprising, considering that’s one of the things I do gravitate to most of the time. I suspect it’s because of Aegis’ drawn-out denial of her feelings, her subsequent justification to not enter into a relationship, and then a 360-degree turn. The angst was good for drama, but it killed the romance for me despite the “okay, I will fight” sentiment in the end. The interactions didn’t thrill me at all, either; there was no kilig factor. While “Naermyth” is very readable, I feel like the text concentrated more on the world-building and the plot more than anything else despite the first-person POV, which is probably why I did not become emotionally invested in any of the characters (not even Aegis) or their relationships.

What I appreciate most about “Naermyth” is the concept and the attempt to retell local myths to suit modern readers. It’s something that Rick Riordan has done very successfully for Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. And while I wouldn’t go so far as to say that “Naermyth” is up to par with Riordan’s work, it’s a respectable step towards getting there.

♥ ♥ ♥
Special thanks to sis Lianne, who gave me this book for my birthday.

“Lower Myths” by Eliza Victoria

 

Author: Eliza Victoria
Read Date: 7 May 2012
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Review Preview: I just wish there are more stories in this book.
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“Lower Myths” features two compelling novellas of contemporary fantasy from Eliza Victoria, one of the most talented young writers in Asian speculative fiction today.

In “Trust Fund Babies,” children of two warring witch and fairy families face off in the final round to a centuries-old vendetta.

In “The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol,” an aristocrat and his daughter consult a famous lawyer-sibling pair about a mysterious crime. But in the lawyers’ hilltop mansion by the sea, they uncover sinister hints that their reality may not be what it seems.

I’ve stopped wondering some time ago why Eliza Victoria keeps winning all these different awards for her fiction and poetry. And with Lower Myths, she has definitely earned a place in my list of favorite Filipino authors.

Trust Fund Babies is my favorite of the two stories in Lower Myths. I love the whole The Godfather feel, and the mythology that Victoria re-imagined for this particular world. The story is pretty straightforward, sometimes even predictable, but it was engaging and entertaining from beginning to end. I also admire Victoria’s ability to build a detailed world and solid characters even for such a short story.

The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol: Attorneys-at-Law is a little more complicated in terms of structure, but it’s no less engaging. If the first story had a The Godfather feel to it, this one has some Inception undertones. The transition between the different “realities” can be confusing in the beginning, but it’s easy enough to follow after the first few glimpses.

Lower Myths is a must for those who love Philippine speculative fiction. I just wish that there were more stories in this book.

…
Disclosure: This review is based on a review copy provided by Flipside Publishing.

Trailer and Excerpt Reveal: “Taste” by Kate Evangelista

I’m happy to join other bloggers in unveiling the book trailer and excerpt for Kate Evangelista’s Taste, which will be published next month by Crescent Moon Press! Go, Filipino authors!

At Barinkoff Academy, there’s only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Snapshots: Meeting Mina

A wee break from all the The Hunger Games re-read posts.

I’m still transcribing my interview with author Mina V. Esguerra, which will appear in the form of a profile on GMA News Online – Lifestyle sometime this week or early next week. In the interim , here’s a snapshot of what she wrote on my copy of Interim Goddess of Love:

I enjoyed finally meeting Mina, who I’ve only ever corresponded with via e-mail and Twitter. She’s very passionate about her writing, and was very forthcoming when I asked her to share her thoughts and experiences about self-publishing independent publishing. I hope I will be able to capture that enthusiasm in the profile that I’m writing.
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College sophomore Hannah Maquiling doesn’t know why everyone tells her their love problems. She’s never even had a boyfriend, but that doesn’t stop people from spilling their guts to her, and asking for advice. So maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise when the cutest guy in school tells her that she’s going to have to take on this responsibility — but for all humanity.

The Goddess of Love has gone AWOL. It’s a problem, because her job is to keep in check this world’s obsession with love (and lack of it). The God of the Sun, for now an impossibly handsome senior at an exclusive college just outside of Metro Manila, thinks Hannah has what it takes to (temporarily) do the job.

While she’s learning to do this goddess thing, she practices on the love troubles of shy Kathy, who’s got a secret admirer on campus. Hannah’s mission, should she choose to accept it, is to make sure that he’s not a creepy stalker and they find their happily ever after — or at least something that’ll last until next semester. (As if she could refuse! The Sun God asked so nicely. And he’s so, well, hot.)

Interim Goddess of Love is available via Amazon and Mina’s Multiply Store.

Cover Reveal: “The Raven Boys” and “Taste”

 
Maggie Stiefvater recently announced that her new project is a 4-book series called The Raven Cycle. The first book is The Raven Boys.

Filled with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, The Raven Boys introduces readers to Richard “Dick” Campbell Gansey, III and Blue Sargent. Gansey has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on the hunt to find Glendower, a vanished Welsh king. Legend has it that the first person to find him will be granted a wish—either by seeing him open his eyes, or by cutting out his heart.

Blue Sargent, the daughter of the town psychic in Henrietta, Virginia, has been told for as long as she can remember that if she ever kisses her true love, he will die. But she is too practical to believe in things like true love. Her policy is to stay away from the rich boys at the prestigious Aglionby Academy. The boys there—known as Raven Boys—can only mean trouble. When Gansey and his Raven Boy friends come into her life, Blue realizes how true this is. She never thought her fortune would be a problem. But she was wrong.

Maggie has additional info about her main characters, and a song that inspired her while she was writing, here: click!

I’m excited to read this come September 18th, and hope that Maggie will continue to exceed the quality of her writing with each new novel.

I’m likewise excited to read the new YA supernatural romance by Filipino author Kate Evangelista, entitled Taste.

At Barinkoff Academy, there’s only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

The lovely cover is by artist Liliana Sanchez.

There’s no release date set for Taste just yet, however, there’s more info about the book here: click!

I’m curious to see how a Filipino author will spin a supernatural YA tale with non-native characters, settings, and mythology. I know that good writers can mask their ethnicity when they write fantasy, but when the author’s own culture bleeds through the stories a little, sometimes it makes for a more interesting read.

“Alternative Alamat” edited by Paolo Chikiamco

 

Title: Alternative Alamat
Author: Paolo Chikiamco (Editor)
Read Date: 21 December 2011
Goodreads Reading Progress Status Updates: Click here.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

This book is included in my Notable Books from 2011 article on GMA News Online.
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Philippine mythology is full of images that ignite the imagination: gods of calamity and baldness, of cosmic time and lost things; the many-layered Skyworld, and weapons that fight their own battles; a ship that is pulled to paradise by a chain, and a giant crab that controls the tides… yet too few of these tales are known and read today. “Alternative Alamat” gathers stories, by contemporary authors of Philippine fantasy, which make innovative use of elements of Philippine mythology. None of these stories are straight re-tellings of the old tales: they build on those stories, or question underlying assumptions; use ancient names as catalysts, or play within the spaces where the myths are silent. What you will find in common in these eleven stories is a love for the myths, epics, and legends which reflect us, contain us, call to us–and it is our hope that, in reading our stories, you may catch a glimpse, and develop a hunger, for those venerable tales.

 
I love alternative takes on mythology (Rick Riordan fan here), so I thought “Alternative Alamat” would be a good place for me to start with my resolution to read more works written by Filipino authors.

I also love the idea of this compilation because it brings Philippine mythology closer to modern readers like no scholarly book of myths possibly could. I am not belittling the efforts of the authors who wrote the scholarly books, of course, for without them, we would know very little about our mythology. But younger readers and readers who are more exposed to foreign works wouldn’t likely pick up an academic book on Philippine myths for their leisure reading.

There are 11 engaging re-tellings in this anthology written by many familiar names in Philippine speculative fiction. Despite sometimes dealing with similar themes or mythological figures, the treatments are delightfully diverse.

“Ana’s Little Pawnshop on Makiling St.” – The pawnshop reminded me a lot of the Faerie Market in Gaiman’s “Stardust,” where the wares that are on sale are all whimsical and magical. This poignant story has its own local flavor and charm, though, and I love how Eliza Victoria intertwined the mythology with modern issues.

I didn’t have first-hand experience, obviously, but I was pretty sure a dying galaxy would be anything but dull. I believed it would be fantastic, breathtaking, heartbreaking.

 
“Harinuo’s Love Song” – It took me a while to get used to the rhythm of this story because it reads a lot like an old folktale, and I didn’t expect that kind of treatment. But this turned out to be an enjoyable read. The prose is lyrical and lush, and the plot is well-crafted.

“Last Full Show” – I’ve never read any of the Trese comics, and yes, you can throw all manner of insults and objects at me, but maybe you can throw the four volumes of those comics my way instead? This was so much fun to read, and I love that you didn’t need prior knowledge of the original comics to appreciate it.

‘Yes, the Tikbalang owes me three favors.’
‘Did you wish for world peace?’
‘No.’

 
“The Alipin’s Tale” – I love alternate history stories too, so this is a real hit with me. It doesn’t introduce any of the more obscure myths or personalities, but the mix of history and mythology grounds it for readers, and makes the fantasy aspect more tangible.

“Keeper of My Sky” – This story succeeds in its intention to intertwine science and mythology, this time. It’s a lovely tale, but it’s so sad and melancholic. I was thankful it wasn’t raining when I read this or I would’ve sobbed in front of my computer.

“Conquering Makiling” – This particular Maria Makiling theme is quite familiar, but the story had modern sensibilities. The conservation message is well-placed.

“The Sorceress Queen” – This one reads like a great classic fairy tale and also like those local genesis stories at the same time. I had a lot of fun imagining what this would look like if it was adapted as an animated short.

“Beneath the Acacia” – In my mind, I call this the CSI: Arayat story. I like the portrayal of Maria Sinukuan here because she seems more human. This is probably because the more fantastical spotlight is trained on the protagonist, Juan, but it’s a pleasant change. There was a little hiccup in the story that jarred me a little, though–when Mang Andres describes the supernatural characters, it sounds like he was explaining it to a foreign reader rather than to the other in-universe characters who already know what a kapre is.

“Offerings to Aman Sinaya” – I liked the story, although the point of view was a little unconventional, and therefore took some getting used to. The ending felt a little too abrupt.

“Balat, Buwan, Ngalan (A Myth for the 21st Century)” – I love how this incorporates the old tales into a modern world. I had a lot of fun spotting the pop culture references and nods to the old myths. My only problem was the POV. Because the narrative had a ‘meta’ feel to it like ‘Interview With The Vampire,’ I think this would’ve been more powerful had it been written from a first person POV.

Once more, you nod to yourself, then walk away from the table, dreaming with your eyes open, of love, and of chaining one’s self to the ghost of it, till the heart shrivels, and blows away on the gust of a desolate sigh.

 
“The Door Opens” – I panicked when I saw that this story had a good number of footnotes because I have a love-hate relationship with fiction that incorporates footnotes. I feel that it’s very rarely done well enough that the author doesn’t interrupt the flow of the main story. Dean Alfar did well, though. The main narrative read like a complete story in itself, so I had no compulsion to immediately check the footnotes, which would’ve been difficult because I would’ve done a lot of scrolling back and forth. Nevertheless, I found the structure of this story really interesting, and when I finally did read the footnotes, they embellished the main narrative really well. Plus points for the great alternate history concept!

As an aside, I just realized how awkward it is to read stories set in the Philippines whose characters speak in English. It can’t be helped, of course, but I find it jarring sometimes. If a story is well written, I do get over it, as was the case for all the stories I read.

Despite the diversity in treatment, I felt that there was a lot of underlying melancholy in all of the stories; they all seem so somber. I was looking for a bit of levity in some of the ones where that kind of tone would’ve been appropriate. All the old tales were already somber enough, I thought someone would actually do a much lighter alternative take. But this personal preference doesn’t take away from the quality of the stories at all.

I also wish the stories each dealt with unique deities or themes, that only one story would’ve had Maria Makiling for a subject, for example. But maybe this also reflects how much work still needs to be done in educating everyone that there exist pantheons of deities and a deep well of other Philippine legends and myths. “Alternative Alamat” is already a great first step toward that, with the interviews and appendices included in the book providing a springboard for further study. It certainly made me more interested in Philippine mythology, and I will definitely make use of the references to learn more.

I hope more authors and publishers will be proactive and think of other creative ways to bring this aspect of our culture closer to the popular consciousness. I’m proud of efforts like “Alternative Alamat,” and hope that more Filipino readers support projects like this. I have high hopes that soon we will find our own local Rick Riordan!

Fantasy is very important for personal growth. Myths, legends, and folktales provide fantastic stimuli for the imagination, and allow people to create an alternative persona.

 
One last thing: I wish they’ll publish a print copy of this book so that it will reach more readers, and because the illustrations by Mervin Malonzo deserve to be seen in print.

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Disclosure: This review is based on a review copy provided by Rocket Kapre Books.