tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post412411005710581355..comments2023-04-26T17:27:01.571+08:00Comments on To the Tale, and Other Such Concerns: Review: Philippine Genre Stories, Issue OneSeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-66288735737481435962007-06-21T13:00:00.000+08:002007-06-21T13:00:00.000+08:00Andrew: I can never take zombies seriously ever ag...Andrew: I can never take zombies seriously ever again, and I officially blame you for that. :)Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-46059898897028952292007-06-20T01:06:00.000+08:002007-06-20T01:06:00.000+08:00Hi Sean! Thanks for the review of PGS, and for you...Hi Sean! Thanks for the review of PGS, and for your kind comments on "Thriller", hehe! I'm glad you liked it! :Dandrew dr!lonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236566607254816897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-86149799638874387592007-01-22T18:20:00.000+08:002007-01-22T18:20:00.000+08:00Banzai Cat: I like Lovecraftian fiction too, you k...Banzai Cat: I like Lovecraftian fiction too, you know. :)<br /><br />If the picture is that third egg of yours, then it turns out that Kenneth already told me all about it. I didn't believe him at first, though. :)Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-18578157001854189472007-01-22T13:25:00.000+08:002007-01-22T13:25:00.000+08:00(Heh good to know you know your horror! Still, at ...(Heh good to know you know your horror! Still, at least my last comment will inform those who frequent your blog about Lovecraftian horror.)<br /><br />I see your point though I think it's still debatable. However, personally, I've always had a problem on writing whether I should be subtle or state something outright so that could also be the problem. And given my newly-found task to introduce what is essential Filipino to the trio of genres, this may come out short to those already knowledgeable on the matter. Ah well, next time...<br /><br />As for the egg in the bio, well, the clue is in my picture. Google "sleep of reason" and you'll see what I mean. ;-)banzai cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11163422172627686782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-34848510646924857262007-01-21T15:15:00.000+08:002007-01-21T15:15:00.000+08:00Banzai Cat: Yes, Lovecraft dealt with endings that...Banzai Cat: Yes, Lovecraft dealt with endings that didn't exactly hold fixed resolutions; Moreover, I perfectly agree with the point that true horror should not necessarily be understood -- in fact, we've seen that certain stories are far more effective when the audience doesn't realize what's going on.<br /><br />What I felt about "Insomnia", however, was that it came up short with the degree of its revelations. Lovecraft took his fear to a level where we at least had a slight understanding of what was going on, and that was how he was able to scare us. "Insomnia", on the other hand, only gives us scattered details -- strange voices being heard, the image of a pit of snakes, an ancient language older than Latin. Although these details do succeed in creating an atmosphere of dread, we never receive any activity from them. As a result, I couldn't unconsciously tie these supernatural occurrences with whatever happened to the characters; The notion of otherworldly influences thus didn't end up scaring me.<br /><br />On the other hand, this could simply be because I've read too many horror-genre stories to be scared, well, just like that. The audience out there is probably just more receptive than I am. :)<br /><br />I haven't been able to figure out the easter egg that's supposedly in your bio, to be honest. Anyone know what it is?Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-51216359892740653372007-01-20T17:17:00.000+08:002007-01-20T17:17:00.000+08:00Hey Sean!
Thanks for the review, I really appreci...Hey Sean!<br /><br />Thanks for the review, I really appreciate it. After all, you know what they say in writing (kinda): any review is a good review. (And your praise for my writing skills still has my ears a-tingle.)<br /><br />However, I do think I have to issue a clarification to what you cited as the 'weakness' of the story. So I hope you won't mind or think that I'm whining. (I really don't like it when authors/writers go into these long-winded rants defending their works, i.e. if you don't understand it, then you don't 'get' it. But I digress.)<br /><br />I will split the said 'weakness' into two:(1) the ending, and (2) the horror. To explain (1), I have to start with (2). <br /><br />First of all, I wrote this piece as a homage to H.P. Lovecraft and this is very evident. Lovecraft, after all, created a different kind of horror story, i.e. the "unknowable horror." It is this idea that my story revolves around: the idea that there are some monsters that are unknowable, and that only a hint would terrorize and horrify us. Most of Lovecraft's stories are like these: the monsters are either gods of outer space or the inner depths of the seas. Both kinds warn that to attract their attention is detrimental to one's sanity. <br /><br />Moreover, a number of Lovecraft scholars criticize pastiches of his stories because they are not faithful to his idea of horror: that to elaborate or explicate these horrors reduces the said horror to something that is understandable. Which is not Lovecraft's point at all.<br /><br />Now, with regard to the said 'ending', I have to point out that most of Lovecraft's stories don't have a "resolvable" ending. Most of them end with the protagonist escaping barely with their lives and the knowledge of the horror under wraps because of the government or because the horror has gone. This I applied to my story because, after all, to apply a ending that has a resolution would mean that an understanding of what the horror is has been reached-- which I don't want.<br /><br />That's one explanation about the lack of resolution; the other is that there is no hard-and-fast rule that a story has to have a resolution. I like my readers to think: What happened? What was the horror? And this is one way to keep the reader at it. <br /><br />In the end, I would like to think that my story was scary not because people die but because you don't know why people die. And that (considering our own short mortal lives), is the scary thing about life.<br /><br />Anyway, thanks again Sean! See you one of these days! :-)<br /><br />P.S. Yes, there are eggs attributable to Lovecraft in the story. "Kadath" is one. But easier is the "L.Craft". Has anyone spotted the third? ;-)banzai cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11163422172627686782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-19990603239204382372007-01-19T19:36:00.000+08:002007-01-19T19:36:00.000+08:00Alex: ...Or you can write another story. :)Alex: ...Or you can write another story. :)Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-15346735386056409842007-01-19T17:46:00.000+08:002007-01-19T17:46:00.000+08:00heh, sorry. I'm kinda paranoid about that.
Anyway...heh, sorry. I'm kinda paranoid about that.<br /><br />Anyway, I look at my story with similar concerns, and wonder if it would have been different given more revisions and more words in the word count. Perhaps someday I can expand it further, but for now I'm experimenting a lot so it may be some time before I return to it.Alex Osiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14851139031311819958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-68011640189436004672007-01-19T15:35:00.000+08:002007-01-19T15:35:00.000+08:00Fuhrer: Well, you've sounded more experienced than...Fuhrer: Well, you've sounded more experienced than me so far... :)<br /><br />Jane: I'm not as good when reviewing artwork, to be honest. Writing is just far more familiar to me, that's all. Nevertheless, let me see...<br /><br />I take a conservative standpoint with regards to book covers. I prefer the minimalist style, if only because I think that it's more effective considering the presence of all the designs out there. PGS's cover is neither conservative nor minimalist, but it does illustrate a key point in "The Middle Prince" without giving much of anything away, so I suppose that it's fine. It did get me curious as to what the story was about, so it succeeded in that aspect. I think that it accomplished its job, and that's that.<br /><br />D'Fictive Life, on the other hand, was really subtle in its humor, and I found that pretty good. It was just really, really subtle. I also found it to be remarkably intelligent, although I feel that Mr. Medina needs to come out with more strips before we can get an accurate assessment of the comic as a whole.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-37189019281982526092007-01-19T15:22:00.000+08:002007-01-19T15:22:00.000+08:00Hi!
I agree with your comments on the first issue ...Hi!<br />I agree with your comments on the first issue of PGS. Wondering what you think of the cover and Dfictive Life?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-83159838962368502052007-01-19T13:21:00.000+08:002007-01-19T13:21:00.000+08:00Alex: Will try to loo for the stuff you recommende...Alex: Will try to loo for the stuff you recommended. :D<br /><br />Sean: Nah, I'm a beginner with these things so, things can get doubtful and mucked-up. HehehDonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00658214781453971174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-26621801352033382522007-01-19T13:00:00.000+08:002007-01-19T13:00:00.000+08:00Fuhrer: I had problems putting all these reviews t...Fuhrer: I had problems putting all these reviews together, and at the eleventh hour I even ended up questioning whether or not it was right for me to send these reviews to the respective authors. The way I see it, you have more experience writing reviews like these, and therefore should be allowed to take your time. :)<br /><br />Alex: I'm pretty certain that most people -- much less me -- have no plans to use your story as a guide to the rite of exorcism. I meant to point out that the description was so detailed that the whole thing just made me wonder.<br /><br />All the same, though, I thank you for the disclaimer. Mr. Osias's work is one of fiction only, and should not be considered an actual, real-world guide or reference. (I've never seen any other work require such a disclaimer before, though.) :)Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-8650600105442925172007-01-18T17:26:00.000+08:002007-01-18T17:26:00.000+08:00Hi Sean,
I already responded to you in e-mail, bu...Hi Sean,<br /><br />I already responded to you in e-mail, but I wanted to touch on the issue of "lifting from a religious record".<br /><br />I wish to stress that the story should NOT be used as a "how-to" for exorcisms. There are many traps, pitfalls, variants, and dangers involved in exorcisms that I didn't cover in Inhuman because they would make it far more "far out" than it would seem to most people. This variance is part of the reason that exorcism was made a rite, not a sacrament in the Catholic Church - so that the exorcist would be free to alter and adapt to the needs of each exorcism.<br /><br />To make a long story short: it's a work of fiction - kids, don't try this at home!<br /><br />To Der Fuhrer - to those who don't like horror stories, all horror stories are the same. Me, I'm a fan of exorcism stories and have tried to read all I can on the subject... bit of a nerd on it really.<br /><br />I highly recommend Malachi Martin's book <i>Hostage to the Devil</i> which recreates, based on Church records and his own interviews with the exorcists and people involved, five successful exorcisms and one unsuccessful one. Frightening and uplifting at the same time. Kudos to him!<br /><br />I also recommend the once-banned novel "The Devil in Connecticut" for one of the scariest accounts of possession and exorcism anywhere.Alex Osiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14851139031311819958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-41330904108454417512007-01-18T16:04:00.000+08:002007-01-18T16:04:00.000+08:00So true. If he could publish some series of sorts,...So true. If he could publish some series of sorts, maybe The Forlorn Cycle could get better. That's why "The Wail of the Sun" is still in my honorable mentions list. It has something going on in there. I hope it doesn't disappoint (Gah, I really have to send Vin that promised response to Wail! Heheh)Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00658214781453971174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-11217584345570103842007-01-18T09:28:00.000+08:002007-01-18T09:28:00.000+08:00Bit of an addendum, though: I'd still be willing t...Bit of an addendum, though: I'd still be willing to read up on Mr. Simbulan's Forlorn cycle. That's really where "Wail of the Sun" succeeds, after all.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-4258855097110086472007-01-18T09:25:00.000+08:002007-01-18T09:25:00.000+08:00Fuhrer: I think that I went a little too heavy on ...Fuhrer: I think that I went a little too heavy on the characterization requirement for this one, and thus looked for it in each of the stories. It's not a necessarily correct practice, but more of a personal thing.<br /><br />"Insomnia" didn't get me to conceive of any supernatural possibilities, to be honest. All I did during the ending was wonder just what was really happening, and as a result it left me more confused than anything else. I can see where you're coming from on the "personal definitions of fear" angle, though.<br /><br />It's good to see that we're more or less agreed on "Wail of the Sun" though. It's, well, it's... an appetizer, as you said. It would be enjoyable under different circumstances, but I don't think that these were those circumstances.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03300224368246428017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8307761.post-76312810722707096342007-01-17T21:35:00.000+08:002007-01-17T21:35:00.000+08:00err..pretty long post. hehe. LJ-cut nga! Lol
But ...err..pretty long post. hehe. LJ-cut nga! Lol<br /><br />But anyway, I thought "Insomina" was the best of the stories and yes, Wail of the Sun the least. I thought Insomnia gave a good ending because it left the ending to the reader's imaginatio, whatever we may cook up, it'll be more frigtening than the writer coupld imagine because it's patterned to our of definitions of fear. But that's just me. I thought if there was an "ending" we might be left disappointed because it wasn't what we hoped for.<br /><br />"The Wail of the Sun" had some pretty good moments...on it's background. As you said, it isn't really a stand alone story. It's more like an appetizer to a much bigger story. <br /><br />"The Middle Prince" was well written but it was just that. It didn't leave any mark in me. Again, well written but forgettable. Eventhough it tried to subvert the usual conventions of a faery tale.<br /><br />Thriller. Cute. Yun lang. Heheh<br /><br /><br />"Inhuman". Second best. Like you said, well researched but I still liked "Insomnia" better. I'm not a a really big fan of exorcisms because, after The Exorcist, well, what's left to be dealt with? It's just that. The least we can hope for is a good background story and Inhuman gave none of that.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00658214781453971174noreply@blogger.com