Thursday, September 29, 2011

We all need a good scare sometimes

Telling ghost stories with your group of friends or family on a cold night has become something of a cultural cliché. But who says that just because it's a cliché, it has to be boring, no? I think that it's a great way to bond and be scared shitless by one another's tales of the supernatural. And if there's one great story to share with your friends, it's Susan Hill's classic novella, The Woman in Black.

Arthur Kipps, the main character, has been sent to the estate of one recently deceased Mrs Alice Drablow of Eel House Marsh. Kipps has been sent to arrange whatever papers Mrs Drablow may have left and also to attend to her funeral. During the funeral, Kipps sees a woman in black, a figure whom he refuses to believe at first to be a ghost. But unknown to Kipps, once you see this woman, things start to go wrong your way. For one, her appearance, it is revealed later in the novel, causes the death of a child.

As a ghost story, The Woman in Black succeeds in a very subtle way. Hill doesn't give you the horror angle in one go. The haunting happens in small stages, as if Hill teases her readers and motivates them to further read into the story despite the knowledge that something bad will eventually happen. It's a creepy read beginning at page 1. The ghost that is the woman in black is also unveiled gradually. Kipps sees her at the funeral and eventually at Eel House Marsh only to realize that she is indeed a ghost, one that is hellbent on vengeance.

Stereotypes in gothic horror fiction are in full force here, but are used in a very controlled maner. The isolated and crumbling Eel House Marsh never comes off as campy. The thick mist that surrounds the marsh simply adds to the element of dread. The hauntings do not go into the physical, merely just an invasion of space inhabited by the living. The dog who expectedly detects the presence of the ghost becomes a good companion of Kipps, not just something employed by the writer to signal the arrival of the ghostly presence.

With all the horror novels that I've read, it takes more than the usual to get me scared. For all its moments of subtle horror and intermittent scenes of dread, The Woman in Black is one work of fiction that creeped me out.

Read this book if:
  1. Ghost stories are your thing.
  2. You love women in black.
  3. You're alone on a cold night.

For this month, the book club discussed The Woman in Black in our face-to-face meeting. I was fortunate enough to moderate the discussion. Judging from the reactions of those who attended, a lot of us liked Hill's short but satisfying ghost story. Here's to good friends, great book talks, and scary stories!

The members of Flips Flipping Pages who attended the discussion.
Notice that most of them are wearing black. I'm the one in pink.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Nothing like a sci-fi classic

One cannot help but wonder why a lot of people look down on science fiction. It's a genre frequently overlooked in literary prizes. Maybe these people just aren't reading good science fiction, no? Yes, there are sci-fi novels that are certainly "crap," but this is also true for a lot of genres. Fortunately, there's no scarcity to well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking science fiction, and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is one of them.

It's surprising that Ender's Game was first published in 1977, considering that the novel reads like a contemporary one. Ender Wiggins, the 6-year-old third son of an ordinary family, has been selected by the government to be trained as a commander for a space fleet. Ender's genius proves to be an asset in the government's rigorous training in their battle and command schools, which are located in space.

When you think about it, Ender's Game is a very good coming-of-age story, with its themes of bullying, realizing one's potential, forming meaningful relationships with one's peers, and learning the importance of one's role. For all his brilliance, Ender is just a child, whom the government molds into a person capable of killing hostile, insect-like alien species which are called buggers.

It's not hard to imagine why Ender's Game won both the Hugo and the Nebula. As an adventure story, it's very engaging, most of the chapters deal with the simulation games that Ender goes through in training. One cannot help but imagine oneself being in the simulation battle room, surrounded by enemy platoons and floating in zero gravity. As science fiction, the technology that Orson Scott Card conjures is never wonky. You might even say that the author had the foresight on the workings of the Internet and virtual reality.

I hope that the other novels that make up the Ender's quartet is just as good as this first novel. Nevertheless, Ender's Game is a satisfying stand-alone novel, one which truly deserves to be included in sci-fi's rich canon.

Read this book if:
  1. You love classic science fiction.
  2. You're a big fan of Starship Troopers. (Ender's Game reminded me of it.)
  3. You know how tough it is to be bullied.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

In gothic novels, women faint a lot

If there's one genre that I will never tire of reading, it would have to be gothic fiction. There's something about decaying houses, evil nuns and monks, ghostly apparitions, and gloomy weather that make for a very cozy and engaging read. So what better choice than to finish THE gothic novel that started it all -- Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto.

In Walpole's short but pithy novel, the castle is decrepit and is home to Manfred, the current lord. Manfred is a character straight out of the traditional school of villainy. He's manipulative, abusive, and crazy. You know that something is just not right with Manfred's mind when he decides to marry the intended bride for his son, who has just died in the castle. Never mind that he already has a wife, for he thinks that he can always divorce her and force her to spend her remaining days in an abbey.

The bride Isabella escapes with the help of a mysterious character named Theodore, who turns out to be the rightful heir of Otranto. This isn't enough to make the reader's head spin though, for Walpole subtlety is nonexistent. In The Castle of Otranto, it is revealed that Theodore is the son of a friar (gasp!), that Otranto murders his own daughter thinking that it was Isabella, that two men can decide to marry each other's daughters as if it's an innocuous thing, and that Theodore marries Isabella in the end not because he loves her but because Isabella can relate to his sorrow.

The Castle of Otranto is over the top, I'm telling you. It's like written by someone who's both high on drugs and has a severe hangover. But, dear reader, the novel works! We know that this circumstances will appear to be just hysterical in today's prosaic world. But in the 18th century, these events are what make a novel truly gripping.

A best seller when it was published in 1764, The Castle of Otranto has proven to be a very seminal work in gothic fiction, inspiring writers such as Stoker, Radcliffe, Poe, and even Du Maurier in the gothic tradition. If you're truly a fan of gothic fiction, then reading The Castle of Otranto is a given. The novel, which just a little over 100 pages, is one that novel that never fails to entertain, to shock, and, with its convoluted and highly improbable plot, to amaze.

Read this book if:
  1. You're a big fan of gothic fiction.
  2. You love novels set in crumbling castles.
  3. You're in the mood for something totally over the top.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Good, historical fun

I had no idea why I bought Caroline Lawrence's The Thieves of Ostia, which is the first book of a series called The Roman Mysteries. It could have been the cover, as there's something about diversity among people that's very much appealing. I'm glad I bought it though, for it gave me a couple of hours of pleasant enjoyment, without the cheese.

In The Thieves of Ostia, someone is mysteriously killing the dogs in first century Ostia. It becomes up to four young people -- Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus -- to look for this murderer.

While this storyline seems innocuous enough, the circumstances of each of these four main characters is anything but. Flavia is free born and daughter of one of the notable sea captains at that time. Jonathan is Christian and son of a very competent doctor. Nubia is a slave bought by Flavia on her birthday. Lupus, aside from being a child of the streets, is mute.

Lawrence clearly shows her knowledge of classical Rome in this first novel. I have no doubts that the other novels would also present wonderful facets of Roman life during the first century. The Thieves of Ostia is also funny and has its warm, fuzzy moments. Its perfect to give to someone whom you want to instill the value of history, family, and responsibility even at a young age.

Reat this book if:
  1. You'll read anything that has something to do with classical Rome.
  2. You know that there's beauty in diversity.
  3. You have the stamina to read the rest of the series. (So far, 17 novels compose the series.)

Sunday, September 18, 2011

She has my number

If you're friends with someone who knows the exact date that you would die, would you ask him to tell it to you? Tough question. On one hand, knowing the exact date of your death would somehow let you live your life to the fullest. On the other hand, I'm sure that you would go crazy if you'd know. Exact dates of death are one of the things that make Rachel Ward's debut novel for young adults, Numbers, very interesting.

In Numbers, Ward is no big fan of glamorized characters. The main character, Jem, is an introvert 16-year-old who seems to be always in the center of trouble. She lives with a social worker as she's an orphan (her mother OD'd on heroin). Spider, the black boy who eventually becomes her boyfriend, is a runner for drug dealers. Even though Spider knows Jem's unnatural ability, he doesn't know that he only has days to live. These are the characters that we seldom see in YA fiction today, giving the novel somewhat of a fresh, raw feeling to it.

Jem has an unusual gift -- she can see the exact dates when people are going to die when she sees them in the eye. When you think about it, it's not exactly a gift but a curse. One day, while she and Spider were out in London, she sees the same dates on people who are about to ride the London Eye. She forces Spider to flee the place just minutes away before the London Eye is bombed. And because of their juvenile records, the entire nation launches a manhunt for the pair. The press reports that they are simply witnesses, but the two know that there's a huge chance that they would be blamed for the attack. Records for suspension? Check. Drugs? Check. Possession of a dangerous weapon while in school? Check. Parents non-existing? Check.

Numbers then becomes a series of chapters with the cat-and-mouse theme. Jem and Spider flee to places, often stealing cars and then ditching them. Eventually, Jem and Spider get separated after a run with the police and Spider is taken into custody. Jem literally finds sanctuary in a cathedral and then negotiates with the police to see Spider in exchange for talking to them. Surprisingly, the police agree.

Because we know that Numbers is far grittier than any YA novel, Spider indeed dies on the day that he and Jem are reunited. However, his death is quite anti-climatic. I feel that this is one of the weaknesses of the novel, as the reader somehow feels cheated that Spider goes through a lot in the book just to die because of a careless slip. Nevertheless, the novel's conclusion more than makes up for it. The ending of Numbers is just too good to mention here. It begs for a sequel. (And, thankfully, there is!)

Ward's novel, for all its aspects about troubled youth and racial prejudice, is still basically a love story. The novel does become unpredictable in some parts, but all can be forgiven because of the juicy ending. There are parts in the novel that make it hard for the reader to relate to either Jem or Spider, too. But the overall impression I got when reading Numbers is one of hopefulness. Troubled youths Jem and Spider may be, but there's a deep motivation for the reader to continue in the hope that these two somehow find redemption. In a way, the pair get to it. Spider realizes that it is his love for Jem that can make him a better person. Jem, even without Spider, she takes on the care of Karen, her social worker, who becomes terminally ill after a few years. In her own terms, Jem becomes someone responsible.

Read this book if:
  1. You were once a troubled youth yourself.
  2. You like unconventional love stories.
  3. You're craving for YA fiction that isn't sugary sweet.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

I love these bachelor brothers

There's nothing like going to your neighborhood grocery store on a Sunday morning, checking out the few books they have in the bargain bin, and then walking away with an unexpected book purchase that turns out to be one very pleasurable read. So that's how I spent last Sunday -- reading Bill Richardson's delightful work, Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast.

The blurb on the front cover says, "This quiet charmer is a bibliophile's delight." And fortunately, it is! BBB&B is a fictional work concerning two bachelor brothers in their 50s who run a quaint bed and breakfast somewhere in an isolated village in North America. (I'm guessing Canada.) The bachelor brothers, named Hector and Virgil, tells various episodes about their lives by chapters, and they also keep a log for their guests to write something about themselves. This log eventually becomes somewhat of a journal, with their guests telling wonderful snippets of their everyday lives.

I'm not sure whether BBB&B can be considered a work of fiction, for it definitely wants of a plot. The work doesn't appear to be headed anywhere, except to expose the reader to the comedy that happens to Hector and Virgil, their guests, and other various personalities in their village. Richardson's work is very funny, I'm telling you.

I keep imagining myself checking in at the bed and breakfast, where the conversations are hushed, the food is rustic but filling, the company quite agreeable, and the love of reading is felt all around. The bed and breakfast, after all, is a haven for bibliophiles. Hector and Virgil are both voracious readers, and their charming abode is where you find guests always holding a book -- from the doorstop that is War and Peace, to Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, and the thrillers of Ruth Rendell.

Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast is really the kind of book to finish on a lazy afternoon. It's also the perfect title to recommend to your fellow book-loving friends. Nobody will be able to resist the charms of Hector and Virgil.

Read this book if:
  1. You love book-toting bachelors.
  2. You want to read about people reading the classics and enjoying themselves.
  3. You understand the need to be around fellow bibliophiles.

Monday, September 12, 2011

'tis the time of year when booklovers go gaga

Tra la laaa! It's book fair time once again in the metro!

My goodness! I just realized that I've been going to the book fair since 1996, when I was fresh out of college. I saw it grow from an event that only librarians pay attention to to one that's eagerly awaited by every bibliophile.

So if you're not doing anything from Wednesday to Sunday this week, why not head to the book fair and check out the amazing deals some exhibitors have on their books. I'll see you there!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

When life gives you dilemmas...

You make dilemonade! That's what I thought what Adrian Mole did in Sue Townsend's hilarious The Adrian Mole Diaries. Actually, this book is made up of two novels -- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole. Both have been published in the mid-1980s, but are still as hysterically funny when read today.

There are just so many things to love about Adrian Mole. He's a hypochondriac who insists on seeing a doctor because his voice is cracking. He's clueless about his father having an affair even though it's staring him at the face. He thinks of himself as an intellectual because he has received at least three rejection letters from the BBC. He fancies himself as a poet because he occasionally writes something like this:

Norway! Land of difficult spelling,

   Hiding your beauty behind strange vowels.
Land of long nights, short days and dots over "O"s.

   Ruminating majestic reindeers
Tread wearily on ice floes

   Ever aware of what happened to the

   One day I will sojourn to your shores
I live in the middle of England
Norway! My soul resides in your watery fiords

   fyords fiiords
Inlets. [p. 167]
Nowadays, there's a word for what Adrian Mole is -- loser. But oh what a lovable loser he is. One can't help but pine for him even when he's spending several hours counting his pimples. Or when he runs away hoping against hope that his parents would alert the police for his disappearance. (Unfortunately, they don't.) And somehow, when he bungles up his paper route, he writes about in a nonchalant way that can only be described as clueless.
Thursday, February 26th
The papers got mixed up today. Elm Tree Avenue got the Sun and the Mirror and Corporation Row got the heavy papers.
I don't know why everybody went so mad. You'd think they would enjoy reading a different paper for a change. [p. 22]
Sue Townsend has managed to create one of the most funny and tenderhearted novels. It's no surprise that she was one of England's bestselling writers during the 1980s. Yes, there are many sad moments in The Adrian Mole Diaries (e.g., unemployment in the 1980s, Adrian's parents adultery, the family's constant need for cash), but it takes an exceptionally gifted writer to make such tactful fun out of them.

Read this book if:
  1. You're dying for a laugh.
  2. You love reading other people's diaries.
  3. You can somehow relate to a teenager who thinks the world revolves around him.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The day the earth went blind and got overran by three-legged plants

John Wyndham's wonderful post-apocalyptic novel, The Day of the Triffids, was first published in 1951, which was considered part of the golden age of science fiction. It is also perhaps the most well known of Wyndham's novel, followed by The Chrysalids, which I also enjoyed immensely.

Wyndham's hero is one Bill Masen, who has been working with a unique breed of plants called triffids. The appearance of these plants are so otherworldly that it begs the reader to really suspend his or her disbelief. For starters, when they get to about 7 feet tall, they develop the ability to walk using their leg-like roots. Also, they have the predatory ability to lash out a whip-like structure with poisonous stingers at the end. This they can do with spectacular accuracy, often aiming for the person's eyes.

So why would Bill be working with these creatures? Well, it turns out that triffids actually give out oil that is more pure and more useful than existing forms. But Bill Masen also has a triffid to thank for not going blind. One day, while out in the triffid fields, Bill gets stung by a triffid, which leads to him being confined to the hospital with bandages covering all of his head.

Then an astrological phenomenon happens one night while Masen is still in the hospital. A green-ish comet has passed by close to Earth, causing beautiful displays of green light in the night sky due to the comet's debris. Everyone has gone out to witness the event. By morning, everyone who has done so has gone completely blind.

Wyndham's illustrations of triffids

Masen stumbles out of the hospital after discovering this fact. In London, people are still trying to come to grips regarding their unfortunate situation. Pretty soon, the city becomes chaotic as people starve and the ones who can see organize gangs. There are groups who abduct people who can still see and then assign them several blind people to lead. It's a futile effort though, as many people who can still see escape and leave behind the blind to fend for themselves.

To cap it all, the triffids are now roaming the streets and then stinging the blind left and right. The triffids have developed a taste for human flesh. If you think about it, it is the triffids that are preventing humanity from rising above their lot.

Masen escapes the city to look for Josella Playton, a woman who also isn't blind. Masen and Playton got separated when they were abducted and assigned different groups of the blind. He finds her in a secluded farm way out of the country with three blind persons. Masen also has brought with him a girl whom he found while searching for Playton. This rag-tag band of survivors make a home for themselves in the farm, constructing barricades to keep those triffids out. Masen and Playton get married and have two children. They manage. They adapt. They survive.

But The Day of the Triffids does not end with this. Something has to f--k it up. Masen's group is eventually found by some people who want to make a fresh start. Masen and the rest have decided to go with them after the summer season. But another group stumbles upon Masen's extended family, and it's a group that isn't as friendly as the earlier one. This group, which has a military aspect to it, gives Masen an order -- take in more blind people in his farm. Masen knows that it's impossible with their limited resources. As night comes, Masen escapes with his family to join the people who have nobler, more realistic intentions.

Another artistic interpretation of a triffid

I'm not really into giving detailed summaries of the books that I've read, but I think that The Day of the Triffids deserves the extra paragraphs. As a science fiction novel, Wyndham clearly knows the phenomena that pertain to natural selection and astronomy (i.e., how meteor showers are created). As a post-apocalyptic novel, The Day of the Triffids and the themes that go with it are alarming.

Wyndham throws several questions to the reader. What if people continue to tinker with different organism breeds? How will these new human-influenced organisms interact with the environment? It's as if that Wyndham has the ability of foresight -- how else could he have touched on the concept of genetically modified organisms in the 1950s?

So far, I've read two novels by Wyndham this year and I have never been disappointed. Wyndham's novels are not just a study of the science fiction genre but they also manage to focus on different aspects of society. In The Chrysalids, there are several references to our concept of race and religion. In The Day of the Triffids, Wyndham tackles the idea of a society without laws and the thought that humans shouldn't interfere with nature. As we can see in the novel, the results may be terrifying.

Read this book if:
  1. You like post-apocalyptic novels.
  2. You know that plants aren't as defenseless as they seem to be.
  3. You want to read everything from the golden age of science fiction.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Ooooh, nasty

Iain Banks's debut novel, The Wasp Factory, isn't for the weak of heart and stomach. There's animal torture, not one but three child murders, parental neglect and deception, gender confusion, to name a few. Needless to say, I loved it.

Frank Cauldhame, the 17-year-old "hero" of Bank's controversial novel, lives with his father in an isolated part of Scotland. Frank may appear to be your normal teenager who's curious all the time. But underneath that innocuous exterior is a monstrous individual, for Frank has some very twisted notions of fun.

First, Frank likes to torture animals. He beheads birds and small mammals. One of his favorite pastimes is getting mice from the petstore, putting them in his slingshot (or catapult as it's called in the novel), and then flinging them to their deaths. Also, he ties the heads of these animals in stick structures which he calls the Sacrifice Poles.

Second, Frank has murdered three children. The first was his cousin, who he managed to kill by placing a poisonous snake in his cousin's artificial leg. He also killed his younger brother by telling his brother to hit a German war bomb on the beach. And he murdered his cousin Esmeralda by letting her become entangled in a huge kite which Frank specifically built for the purpose of carrying his cousin away. Esmeralda's body is never found.

Then comes the initial conflict of the story -- his older brother, Eric, has escaped the mental institution where he's confined. Eric was once a promising medical student, but he was found to be setting fires to dogs in the neighborhood. Since his escape, Eric has been giving Frank phone calls much to his dismay and without the knowledge of their father.

Banks's debut novel, which was first published in 1984, truly deserves its widespread acclaim. It has even been chosen by a British poll as one of the top 100 novels of the 20th century. Banks's writing is visceral, often provoking a reaction of disgust from the reader. I, however, revelled in Banks's detailed narrative. And because of The Wasp Factory, I'd be willing to give Banks's science fiction novels a try.

In a way, The Wasp Factory is a coming-of-age novel, albeit in a very weird and gothic way. When Frank finally discovers who he really is from his father, it's enough to make your blood run cold.

Read this novel if:
  1. You're not afraid of violence in novels.
  2. You love debut fiction.
  3. You're into surprises at the end.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Confessions of a Filipino book blogger

Poke a stick right through me, roast me, and I'm done. I must admit that I'm way behind on my Philippine literature reading. If it weren't for the book club, I wouldn't have gotten to read works by Filipino writers.

Oh, the humanity! How dare do I call myself a Filipino blogger when the total Philippine works of fiction that I've reviewed on my blog can be counted by one hand! The shame of it all!

But maybe there's hope for me yet. After all, one of my favorite authors is a Filipino -- our national artist for literature, Nick Joaquin. Who wouldn't love a guy who's always seen holding a bottle of beer and being, ummmm, just a little bit wasted every waking moment. He's such a dearie. Maybe the secret to having that talent in writing is alcohol, and loads of it.

To say that Nick Joaquin's works are eclectic would be an understatement. He's written fiction for both young adults and adults, works of journalism, and even drama. For those who haven't even read or seen the play "Portrait of the Artist as Filipino," then you're missing out on a lot of good drama. My favorite works of young adult are still those written by NJ -- Pop Stories for Groovy Kids, which are retellings of well-known fairy tales.

So maybe it's high time I somehow become less of an anglophile and sample more works by Philippine writers. For a country known to be a nation of short story writers, perhaps the renewed interest in Philippine fiction would encourage Filipinos to write more novels. Now that's something to look forward to.

And hey, I'm attending the event below at this year's Manila International Book Fair. I hope to see you there!

This post has been made in line with the Filipino Fridays meme hosted by the organizers of the event. Check out other posts here.