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mrswythe89's review
3.0
Bumped up to 3 stars for the brilliant cover. I really intensely wanted to like this. The stories I remember most are the two Preeta Samarasan ones ("Si Tanggang" and "Mahsuri"; I liked "Mahsuri" better -- notwithstanding any issues I had with both stories, Samarasan is a writer fully in control of her craft) and the Zed Adam Idris story, "Batu Belah", which reminded me a bit of Geoff Ryman. Creepy robot monkeys and sticky human-ish relationships. Also totally random endings!
I hope there are more local anthologies with similar themes.
I hope there are more local anthologies with similar themes.
jelundberg's review
4.0
A slightly uneven anthology, with some pieces that probably should have been left on the cutting room floor, but others gleam in contrast. The two stories by Preeta Samarasan in particular are incredible pieces of writing, and I'm now keen to seek out her other work. And the editor's own contribution is also wonderfully concise and beautifully written.
It was also a bit difficult for me (a non-Malaysian) to get a sense of the source texts that these stories were riffing on, because I'm just not familiar with them, and it would have been nice if the afterwords to each piece had more directly addressed these differences; some of them did, but others rambled on about other things. I also would have liked a list of compilations of Malaysian legends and folktales so that I could read these sources for myself. But it appears that the editor and publisher were largely aiming this book at Malaysian readers, and unconcerned with a wider international audience.
That said, I was excited to see this collection of retold tales as a mirror into Malaysian folk literature. I hope that other volumes exploring this genre are taken on by this editor.
It was also a bit difficult for me (a non-Malaysian) to get a sense of the source texts that these stories were riffing on, because I'm just not familiar with them, and it would have been nice if the afterwords to each piece had more directly addressed these differences; some of them did, but others rambled on about other things. I also would have liked a list of compilations of Malaysian legends and folktales so that I could read these sources for myself. But it appears that the editor and publisher were largely aiming this book at Malaysian readers, and unconcerned with a wider international audience.
That said, I was excited to see this collection of retold tales as a mirror into Malaysian folk literature. I hope that other volumes exploring this genre are taken on by this editor.
neen_mai's review
3.0
Quite an interesting read. Some of the tales are popular, but most of them I haven't read (or heard)before.
There are some editorial errors. For example in 'The Boy who Saved Singapura' by Kee Thuan Chye, there are two paragraphs with the same words. Somebody forgot to delete one. But overall I like the book.
There are some editorial errors. For example in 'The Boy who Saved Singapura' by Kee Thuan Chye, there are two paragraphs with the same words. Somebody forgot to delete one. But overall I like the book.
syaarszly's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
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