Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 2 - A Flights of Fantasy Book Review

Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 2, edited by Dean Francis Alfar, is an anthology of 19 short stories written by established and debuting Filipino authors. Theirs are stories of speculative fiction, which Alfar describes as "the literature of the fantastic" in his introduction to the compilation. He also describes these stories as being told from "the Filipino perspective, the Filipino point of view, the Filipino lens," making them different from speculative fiction written by foreigners.

I'm a fan of fantasy and science fiction stories, so I was eager to read such stories written by Filipinos. As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the anthology. Some stories I enjoyed more than others, but all of them were great reads, for various reasons. I loved the stories so much, that I bought the remaining eight volumes of Philippine Speculative Fiction. I found a paperback copy of Volume 6, but had to buy electronic copies of the rest. I can't wait to read them all!

In the meantime, here are my favorite stories from Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 2:

1. The Child Abandoned by Yvette Natalie U. Tan

Teresa was born during a terrible storm, and the first waters to touch her were those of the Pasig River. She grew up loving the river: she spoke with it, swam in it, even started drinking water from it, though she never got sick. As her obsession with the river continues to grow, she becomes more alienated from her family and friends.

I love reading coming of age stories, like those written by the amazing Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo. Tan's The Child Abandoned is one of the best growing up stories I've read in years. It also works as a modern-day Filipino legend. As the first short story in this anthology, its fantastic elements left me awestruck, and set the tone for my wanting to read everything else.

2. Snippets by Kate Aton-Osias

Snippets explores how a woman, who is also a wife and mother, deals with having terminal cancer in an overly consumerist society. The story is divided into snippets (hence, the title) alternating between the main narrative and advertising copy.

Despite being the least 'fantastic' of all the stories in this anthology (no dragons or deities here), it's actually my favorite. Domestic dramas, similar to those found in stories by Alice Hoffman, is another subject I enjoy reading in fiction. I hope to read more stories by Aton-Osias in other anthologies of Philippine Speculative Fiction.

3. Six from Downtown by Dean Francis Alfar

Here is another collection of short speculative fiction narratives. Form his story of mermaids being sold as delicacies in a wet market, to a mananangal wife distraught by her inability to bear children, Alfar's stories push the boundaries of 'fantastic' stories set within a Philippine context. His stories are original, surprising, perhaps, to others, even shocking and scandalous. Six from Downtown is one of the most gripping reads in this anthology.

4. Borealis by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz

Different from the many Filipino-set stories in this anthology, Borealis is set in outer space, on a planet of the same name. There is no specific Filipino element used in the story (at least that I'm aware of). I can easily imagine Mordecai as a character in a science fiction novel like Ender's Game or film like Blade Runner.

Some of you may be wondering why Borealis can be considered Philippine Speculative Fiction, when the only thing (seemingly) Filipino about it is its author. Well, editor Dean Francis Alfar addresses this concern in his introduction to the anthology:

I recognize the importance of our cultural identity, black marks and all, but also see the value of being freed from the shackles of guilt, of being able to tell stories of the fantastic in non-nationalistic terms. But ultimately, there is not question that we need to create wonderful stories that--someday--can be read by any reader in the world as distinctively crafted by the Filipino imagination.

5. Waiting for Agua de Mayo by Mia Tijam

Tijam tells the story of a little girl who befriends a bayawak, or monitor lizard, a reptile that is part of Bicol culture. It is perhaps the closest creature the Philippines has to the fabled dragon. In this story, the little girl narrates how she meets with a bayawak every Agua de Mayo (meaning 'the first rain signalling summer's end'), the only time the water level is high enough for the lizard to swim close to shore. Here is another coming of age story that I really enjoyed reading.

My Rating:

Flights of Fantasy is a reading challenge hosted by book bloggers Alexa Loves Books and Hello Chelly. Here are my goals for the Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2015.