were some pretty good stories in this book, and then there were some wonderful and breathtaking fullyrealized stories in this book, and then there were some that were just alright I split the difference for my rating.
But even those had the merit of strong concepts, You must give this collection a try if short SF/fantasy fiction interests you and you are tired of seeing the same influences trotted out again and again.
As others have noted, it is very difficult to rate anthologies due to the range and quality of the stories included, However, I enjoyed the majority of these stories as quick reads, A couple missed their mark with me and have largely faded from memory already, On the other hand, two of three hit home and have etched their stories in my brain,
Particularly enjoyed:
Target: Heart by Recle Etino Vibal a wonderful retelling of the cupid myth in a capitalist society.
Kitsune by KZ Morano a dark, compelling, character introduction,
Bright student by Terence Toh I think this was one of my favourite stories in the collection, What lengths a student will go to in order to pass an exam in an ever pressurised world, Good use of ancient mythos transposed onto a modern world,
In memoriam by Fadzlishah Johanabas a heartbreaking read, one of the longer pieces in the collection but divided into diary entry style sections so does feel too long.
The Healer by Aashika Nair this mystical story started in the middle, explored just enough to whet the appetite and still managed to have a satisfying ending that left the eating eating too know more about the world.
Caves of noble truth and dangerous knowledge by Celeste A, Peters a tail of Chinese knowledge being protected from British colonial greed inspired by a true cave of knowledge uncovered in China which proved a great many advancement previously thought to have been developed in the West were, in fact, Chinese in origin.
Where the fireflies go by NJ Magas protective spirit guardians facing down enemies even as the modern world disrespects and disregards them
Annoyed by ending:
When the rice was gone a fairly good story and one I mostly enjoyed particularly the polyamorous MMF triad until the end but the final sentence "Seoul was destroyed by a vengeful, genocidal mermaid" just jarred me right out of the story and made me giggle.
Previous to that line the mermaid had been described and alluded to well, it was obvious what she was, there was no need to state the obvious.
Just annoying:
Operation Tobawas one that missed the mark for me, particularly as I've recently had a child of my own, the mothers actions just do not make any sense.
When I read the author's bio at the end and realised that Kris used Male pronouns it, sadly, made a lot more sense.
The character of the mother is one dimensional, her dilemma if she experiences one is barely discussed and she makes her choice with seeming ease.
It rings false on several levels,
Others:
The donor by Brett Adams
Moon rabbit by Jo Wu
Dreams by Tabitha Sin
Bumbye! Said the Candelarios by Ailia Hopkins
The volunteer by TR Napper
No name Islands by Kawika Guillermo
The dead of night by Barry Rosenberg
Yamanda's armada by Eeleen Lee
Love and statues by Jax Goss
Gone fishing by Jo Thomas
Shadows of an ancient battle by Daniel A.
Kelin, II
Lola's lessons by Shenoa CarrollBradd
The Seventh month by Agnes Ong
And then it rained by Rebecca Freeman
The king of Flotsamland by Tom Barlow Some of the stories could use a skosh more craftrelated polish, but that in no way stood in the way of my enjoyment which I don't often say usually I'm pretty hungup on craft.
The diversity of place and culture present in these stories is really remarkable, I want more stories like these in the world, I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of the upcoming anthology, Amok: An Anthology of AsiaPacific Speculative Fiction, and I must say that I
am impressed.
Amok presented with a great lineup of strange stories, all of which push the limits of the imagination as all good speculative fiction should.
Also, many of the tales incorporated native folkloric and mythological elements into thema detail I particularly enjoyed,
Amok consists ofshort stories, all set in Asia and the Pacific Islands, and all are in the speculative fiction genre.
The editor, Dominica Malcolm, says in the introduction that she sought to have a diverse cast of characters in the anthology, and she has delivered.
Each of the stories is unique and distinct from one another,
I noticed that many of the stories feature an impending natural disaster, Perhaps this is because of the nature of island life or coastal areas where tsunamis are a real threat, I imagine that thetsunami that devastated Indonesia is not forgotten and continues to lurk in the back of the mind of authors in the region.
The last four stories of the anthology are, in my opinion, the best of the collection,
Agnes Ongs “The Seventh Month” takes the reader into the gritty world of a Malaysian gangster, The story takes place during the “Ghost Festival” that falls during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, a time when spirits are believed to wander the streets at night.
In Rebecca Freemans “And Then It Rained” a young woman must survive as well as care for her little brother in a postapocalyptic Australia reminiscent of Mad Max.
It is most certainly not a knock off, though, as Freemans world feels much more realistic, and the characters have a much greater depth than those in the movies.
I would love to see this one turned into a full length novel,
NJ Magas “Where the Fireflies Go” is a superb tale of ancient Japanese mythological beings battling to survive in the modern world.
The ceramic creatures that appear only as outdated statues akin to garden gnomes are in actuality guardian spirits dedicated to protect the home of whoever owns them.
After the old man who cared for them dies, his estate is scheduled to be bulldozed, but worse than that, a “bone demon” is making its way from the cemetery to eat the body of their dead master.
This is easily one of the best stories in the anthology,
Tom Barlows “The King of Flotsamland” takes place on a garbage island in the Pacific Ocean, A lone man has been stationed on it to protect the trash from a corporation that plans to harvest the entire island for profit.
A faceoff ensues and the protagonist slowly realizes that this trash heap is the only place he has ever really called home.
A few of the other stories are definitely deserving of individual mention as well, These are some of my other favorites:
Jax Goss “Love and Statues” is a great, albeit very short, story that captures some of the romanticism of poet Robert Burns, whose statue plays an important role in the tale.
A young man sits in a garden at night to see for himself if the statues come to life at night, like the exchange student he had a crush on told him.
Terence Tohs “Bright Student” is another of my favorites from the collection, A student makes a deal with a mystical shopowner in order to get an elixir that will make her excel at school, and all he wants in return is her shadow.
In KZ Moranos “Kitsune”, a small town boy makes the mistake of moving to the big city with his werefox/vampiric girlfriend.
Unfortunately, she doesnt take to the change of scenery well,
Fadzlishah Johanabas “In Memoriam” is the saddest story in the book, In the near future a mother wants to forget the car accident that took her son away, But in order to do so she will have to forget more than just the accident, much more,
All in all, Amok was an interesting read that I would recommend, .
Catch Amok Conveyed By Dominica Malcolm Depicted In E-Text
Dominica Malcolm