14theditch - Philippine Speculative Fiction IV

14theditch - Philippine Speculative Fiction IV

14theditch

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Philippine Speculative Fiction IV	[Jul. 2nd, 2009\|07:49 am]
I don't know how many US readers and writers are aware of it, but there is a vital and growing SF/F community in the Philippines these days. Good evidence exists for it in this latest volume of the anthology, Philippine Speculative Fiction IV. This volume is edited by Dean Francis Alfar and Nikki Alfar, two of this scene's best writers. I've been lucky enough to have acquired the previous three volumes in this series and have been impressed with the quality of the fiction and the scope of it -- quiet, personal stories of the fantastic, real science fiction, tales based on traditional Philippine folklore and mythology, structurally experimental pieces, and humorous commentaries on life in the 21st century. One of the benefits of this literary culture for world wide readers of English has been the online presence of Charles Tan, whose Bibliophile Stalker site http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/ is among the best at presenting current news, interviews and reviews of English language speculative fiction. One need not delve too deeply into this Philippine literary phenomenon to quickly realize that there is a treasure trove of talent there. Volume 4 of the series is, in my humble opinion, the best yet in the series. It contains 24 stories by both new and more established writers. I'll just mention some of my favorites, although there were few pieces in the anthology that did not excite me, move me, or make me think. The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon -- Drilon is not only a fiction writer but a well known comics creator. I've read his fiction before and was struck by the inherent energy and willingness to take chances. This particular story, though, surprised me in that it was a more traditionally written and structured piece with a much more personal story about comics and brothers and where we find ourselves after the years have passed. Beautifuuly written with real emotional impact. Revenge of the Tiktaks by Noel Tio -- From what I read in the notes to the story, I discovered that this is Tio's first published story. He's off to a great start. It starts with boys in seminary sleeping quarters hearing a strange sound in the middle of the night and escalates into a full blown poltergeist visitation. There is something about the authenticity of the setting and characters here that make the haunting effective. Breathing Space by Maryanne Moll -- This one's a real gem. I loved the precision in the writing here and the minimalist approach. No excess baggage and yet the story comes across as very powerful. A story about a woman betrayed by her man and a decision to be made. A Retrospective on Diseases For Sale by Charles Tan -- A darkly humorous accounting of the history of an internet company Diseases For Sale, which supplied its customers with ilnesses they could exploit in their day to day lives. Kids send for common colds to get out of going to school, workaholics buy some insomnia in order to gain more time in their overwhelming schedules. I love the fact that the comapny's first rule is Safety First. The diseases get more serious as the company evolves and the story makes a neat transition from one of dark humor to one of wicked social commentary. Sky Blue by Celestine Trinidad -- A near future story about surrogate mothers for hire. Although there are subtle and effective sfnal elements in this story, what made it for me was the plight of the main character, Sara, the real world problems she faced , the decisions, the search for self. Her thoughts and reactions to the grim situation she finds herself in seemed authentic and offered a feminist perspective born from reality rather than philosophy. The Dance of the Storm by Isabel Yap -- This is a beautifully written tale in the style of (I would guess) traditional Philippine folk lore. It's about a woman who appears in a fishing village around the time of a predicted typhoon and the fisherman she appears to. First of the Gang to Die by Paolo Jose Cruz -- This story is marked by engaging character descriptions, a neat metafictional twist, and some good surprises. A group of boys discover a floating symbol that contains a different reality called the Storyscape. The interactions of the boys, their dialogue, is very believable and helps make the fantastic in this story seem almost possible. The Maiden's Song by Kate Aton-Osias -- A fantasy of unrequited love written in a wonderfully poetic style. Pedro uses a magical song to try to capture the attention of a woman he is desperately in love with, but she has a mind of her own. Again, like The Dance of the Storm, this story has the feel of a traditional folk tale. From Abecediarya by Adam David -- A wildly inventive piece that tells a story through pieces of story in a kind of sprung-rhythm but also, at times, with the constraint of beginning each word with the same letter, as in the first section, the letter A. This is one you'll just have to see for yourself. I found it very thought provoking and appreciated the boldness of it. I've only touched on a representative handful of stories here. There were other pieces in the anthology that I liked as well as these. The book is well worth your time. Here's the full table of contents: * A League of Champions by Ronald Cruz * A Retrospective on Diseases for Sale by Charles Tan * All We Need is Five Meals a Day by Jose Elvin Bueno * Beats by Kenneth Yu * Breaking the Spell by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz * Breathing Space by Maryanne Moll * Dino's Awesome Adventure by Carljoe Javier * Dreams of the Iron Giant by Joseph Nacino * First of the Gang to Die by Paolo Jose Cruz * From Abecediarya by Adam David * Haya Makes A HUG by Erica Gonzales * Hopscotch by Anne Lagamayo * Mang Marcing and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vincent Simbulan * Parallel by Eliza Victoria * Press Release by Leo Magno * Revenge of the Tiktaks by Noel Tio * Sky Blue by Celestine Trinidad * The Dance of the Storm by Isabel Yap * The Day That Frances, The Copywriter, Became God by Monique Francisco * The Maiden's Song by Kathleen Aton-Osias * The Paranoid Style by Sharmaine Galve * The Rooftops of Manila by Crystal Gail Shangkuan Koo * The Secret Origin of Spin-Man by Andrew Drilon * The Sewing Project by Apol Lejano-Massebieau
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Comments:

From: (Anonymous)
2009-07-03 02:08 am (UTC)

Thanks

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Thanks for your encouraging words, Jeff! I'll be sure to share this with the authors :)

Dean Alfar

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-03 03:58 am (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Dean: Really enjoyed it and was struck by the quality of writing and the variety of styles and themes.

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From: (Anonymous)
2009-07-03 08:31 am (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Thanks so much, Jeff!

May we quote you in PSF 5? :D

Nikki

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-03 11:01 am (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Nikki: Absolutely.

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From:

monkeybrainbook
2009-07-07 08:41 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Dean, is there anywhere online that someone in the States can order a copy? I've been searching since reading Jeff's post last night, but can't turn up any for sale with the usual suspects.

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-07 08:51 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Chris: That's a great photo of you over at Klima's blog. I could hear the wheels of your imagination turning.

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From:

monkeybrainbook
2009-07-07 10:47 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Nah, I was probably just worrying whether someone was going to steal my beer while I was outside smoking...

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From:

charlesatan
2009-07-08 09:55 am (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Hi Chris!

Unfortunately, there's no distributor there in the US (although I did send a few copies to Sean Wallace for the Prime booth at ReaderCon).

It's best to contact Dean privately for copies (dean@kestrelddm.com).

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From:

monkeybrainbook
2009-07-08 02:36 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Thanks for the tip, Charles! Sadly I won't be at ReaderCon this year, so I'll shoot Dean an email.

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-08 03:11 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Chris: I'm gonna be there tomorrow. I'll get you one and sent it when I get back.

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From:

monkeybrainbook
2009-07-08 06:18 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Jeff, you're a mensch. Much obliged! Let me know how much I owe you and I'll send a check. (Unless you just want to be repaid in beer, which I'm sure can be arranged.)

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-08 07:25 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Beer it is.

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From:

monkeybrainbook
2009-07-08 08:09 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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Are you going to San Jose for WFC?

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From: (Anonymous)
2009-07-04 01:40 am (UTC)

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So glad you wrote this review. I've garbled on about it, and your review was the kick up the procrastination I needed to get my July feature up in the Virtuous Medlar Circle: "The Secret Origin of Spin-man" (http://www.annatambour.net/AndrewDrilon%20-%20TheSecretOriginofSpin-Man.htm) by Andrew Drilon.

See also "A Retrospective on Diseases for Sale" (http://www.annatambour.net/CharlesTan-DiseasesforSale.htm) by Charles Tan, May's feature, printed as a sneak peek into this excellent anthology.

I also loved "The Day that Frances, The Copywriter, Became God" by Monique Francisco. A delicious story by an author I hope to find in many other anthos, as is true with many of these authors.

Anna Tambour

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-04 05:59 pm (UTC)

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Hi, Anna. Do you mind if I post links to your blog for interested readers who check here to see those stories? Hope you're doing well. Are you working on something now?

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From: (Anonymous)
2009-07-05 04:32 am (UTC)

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Thanks for doing it. I'm sorry I botched the links. And yeah, I'm writing--short story today--but lately have also been more busy than I would have thought possible from the launch and now bestseller status of Crandolin, my second novel, on Asteroid * (must use the asterisk because their spelling doesn't convert to earthly fonts). As is often the way, Crandolin is a booklover's food and drink (and they do consume books there) far from that book's birthplace. They treat me well there, too, so I shouldn't be upset at the sounds they make when they consume it. Nor can I complain at the genre label they've given it. I guess "Earthlish" isn't too restrictive. As for the translation, I just have to trust them. There are certain cultural divides that, hmmm, take getting used to, on both sides.

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From:

blissery
2009-07-06 06:53 am (UTC)

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thanks for the kind words about the anthology :D howeee.

- eliza victoria

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-06 04:13 pm (UTC)

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eliza: My pleasure.

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From:

andrewdrilon
2009-07-06 12:19 pm (UTC)

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Hi Jeff! Awesome review! Thank you so much for the kind words! :)

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-06 04:14 pm (UTC)

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andrew: Really enjoyed the work in there and particularly liked Spin Man.

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From: (Anonymous)
2009-07-07 05:54 am (UTC)

Kate

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I'm a bit late, but I'd like to thank you for the kind words about the anthology! I'm a fan of your work and your words mean a lot. :)

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From:

14theditch
2009-07-07 08:50 pm (UTC)

Re: Kate

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Kate: Glad to hear it. Can't wait to see next year's.

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From:

luckychan
2009-07-10 11:42 am (UTC)

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This is a bit late, Mr. Ford, but thank you very much for this review of the anthology! And thank you too for the really nice things you had to say about "Sky Blue". I'm glad you liked it. :)

--Celestine Trinidad

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From:

14theditch
2009-08-12 03:18 pm (UTC)

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Celestine: Hi. I really enjoyed your story and for that matter the entire anthology. Thanks for dropping a line.

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From:

maryannemoll.blogspot.com
2009-08-09 02:59 pm (UTC)

Thanks

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Thank you for your review and for your kind words about my story.

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From:

14theditch
2009-08-12 03:20 pm (UTC)

Re: Thanks

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maryanne: Sorry, just saw this and Celestine's post. Thanks for stopping by to say hi. Thank you for a terrific story. As I've said, the entire anthology was a very worthy read.

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