Sunday, April 8, 2012

FIXI #10: Invasi

I must say I didn't realise that my personal library is lacking in Science fiction books until I got my hands on a copy of Invasi, one of the two latest releases from FIXI. Yep, after going on a hiatus since December, FIXI's back with a new look. Check it out.

Click Here
Invasi is exactly what it sounds like. Originally called Hero, it tells the tale of Ahmad Bayani, a white-collar worker with a tragic past who leads a hedonistic lifestyle. But just when the going gets good, it gets really really bad overnight; The world as he knows it becomes a battlefield between man and extraterrestrials. Previously a man who's content with one night stands, Bayani has to pick up a whole new set of skills altogether as he fights for survival along with his closest friend, Anuar.

How did I like it? Well let's just say I finished it in three or four sittings, and I'm a pretty slow reader.

Invasi is an action-packed story of survival. Kind of like any movie about alien invasion with The Walking Dead flavour to it. You would think that it would be more apt to compare The Walking Dead with Zombijaya (or its upcoming film adaptation). Yes, they do explore similar themes. But what's notable about Invasi was it didn't end at our main characters trying to survive. It also involved them trying to reintegrate into society. At least what's left of it. How? That's for you to find out.

Author Raja Faisal at the book launch where he sang Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing...
The challenge in every story is selling the relationship between characters. In other words, making them believable to the reader and not making it feel like it was just two people put together because the author felt like it. This aspect had been pretty much consistent with any FIXI releases and you'd be happy to know Invasi didn't fall short of it either. I will not spoil anything for you, so I'll just let you know that really like the part when protagonist Bayani and his closest friend were in Watson's.

Nothing homoerotic happened, mind you. All I'm saying is their friendship felt real.

If looking at the cover made you wonder if the local setting is just a gimmick, I can tell you right now that I'm not the only one who thinks that the journey the characters went through was well-written and well thought out. Of course, I didn't get to enjoy it as much, thanks to my non-existent sense of direction. But all the same I felt the sense of scale even before I looked it up on Google Map. Yes, you may laugh.

Le author and le Fixi's proofreader... And some doofus smiling at God-knows-what
As always, I'm more interested in the theme(s) explored in everything I watch or read. Tell me... Is it just me, or it is true that people of my generation are a little too responsive to movies/TV shows/books that deal with themes of Nihilism? I know I am, and I bet deep down we are all a little tired of having our roles forced unto us, as opposed to figuring them out for ourselves. In the words of the great Tyler Durden;


With that being said, it's a lot of fun to do away with it all, ain't it? Just start from scratch... *ahem*. Well, back to the real world now. Speaking of which, I have something real that you'd have the chance to get your hands on. FIXI's giving away three copies of the novel Invasi, and I get to do a little contest right here on this blog. Interested? Kindly scroll down below and answer the two questions.

You could have 'em signed too...
1) What was the name of the planet invaded by apes in the 1968 Sci fi classic Planet of the Apes?
2) In your opinion, who would win in a fight between King Leonidas and the Predator? Why?

Yes, you can google for the answer. But where's the fun in that? Contest ends at 12 o'clock tonight!


Baby Fify :) said...

my answers:
1) the planet that the apes invaded is Eartth itself
2)Between King Leonidas and Predator, I say King Leonidas wins. Why? While Predater hunt with tech, King Leonidas fights with brawn and brains

Raja Muhammad Aliff said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sca Ndx said...

1) our homeland, earth
2) it's a tough call actually. with king leonidas spirit and "SPARTAN" only, maybe it will disappear with all the predator tech-on, while the alien, always scary-as hell as they were. i choose predator.

♛ LORD ZARA 札拉 ♛ said...


[1] The Earth! Should I sing as well? Ok, no.

[2] King Leonidas. Why? He's more handsome than Predator. Oh come on, we need to admit it, plus, who really love Predator anyway. Pause. Kidding. King Leonidas has the spirit, the truly warrior and everyone want happy ending anyway. Spartaa!! :D

Riochan said...

1) Planet Earth
2) I think predator would win hands down. 1st argument, predator is invisible. 2nd, King Leonidas would scream as hell "This is Spartaa" all the time that makes even deaf contract killer can easily spot him, a bad idea against aliens..3rd, Predator is bad a**.

Ps: In retrospective, a normal civilian (note:Bayani)has better chance against Predator compared to Leonidas. IMO.

Unknown said...

1) Planet Bumi aka Earth
2) If its King Leonidas alone, Predator would win, tactically & techically. However, Leonidas has an advantage in terms of bravery. Without the weapon technology I assume Leonidas will easily win.All hail Sparta!

Ninja Turtleneck said...

walaupun dah lepas deadline aku nk jawab jugak

1) Earth (tiru diorang ni)
2) Of course Leonidas wins. Dia orang Sparta kot. Bukan kah orang Sparta orang paling kuat di muka bumi. Predator tu lawan dengan Arnold Scharzenegger (btol laa..susah nak eja) pun kalah, ada hati nak lawan raja Sparta.

Mamü Vies said...

Nice try, Syed! Muahahaha~

makeshift miracles said...

Hey Mamu, since you read both zombie jaya and invasi which do you like more? I saw the books at borders and were tempted to get one first before the other. Thought I'd ask for your opinion ;)

Mamü Vies said...

Which one do I like more? Hrmm... That's difficult to answer because even though they share similar themes, they're really different stories.

Depends on what you're looking for, really. Zombijaya is more humourous while Invasi has a slightly more serious tone.

makeshiftmiraces said...

ah you've helped me then :) maybe I will start on a serious note with invasi and then move on to the zombies thanks!

Mamü Vies said...

Glad I could help! :D

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