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misspalah's review
4.0
“You have to believe we are magic. In ancient lore, magic is depicted as a supernatural force or spiritual ability which affects the physical world, giving its owners privilege over the beholder. Magic is abundant in the Malay folk
tales Puteri Gunung Ledang and Mahsuri. In the Quran, the practice of black magic is acknowledged and forbidden. Away in the world of video games, magic can take the form of a skill or resource used in fighting battles and advancing the hero's journey. Considering its application across these narratives, it would not be far-fetched to suggest that magic is but code for disruptive technology and design, or even powerful art”.
- Intro by Dericee (KL Noir : Magic)
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Magic can be menacing for someone who believes that it is the source or evil. Magic can be wonderful for those who think that everything dont have to be linked to logic and reality. Magic is everywhere if you know how to look and enjoy it but it is nowhere if you blinded by wanting it to be rational and justified. KL noir magic return with a bang after the supposed conluded series of KL Noir : Red, White, Blue and Yellow. There’s a radio which you can talk to your dead father, The redemption of Sikh Man after years of being his father’s disappointment, The cult-like government that was supposed to take place post covid, The sweeter vangeance on a scammer/lover by a group of ladies that wanted a closure and The highly unlikely of Friendship between Taxi Driver and his passenger, Ms Devi against their common enemy. Honestly, this is a solid collection as to how diverse the stories and thew writers that featured in this and how uniquely Malaysian all of them are. This could have been 5 stars but i felt Vampire stories in KL setting seemed a bit overdone. Only if its other Malaysian Ghosts, then maybe i can add that 1 star back. Overall, I recommended this. You can finish this in one sitting.
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Individual Rating :
1. THE RADIO by Lily Jamaludin (My Rating : 4/5)
2. A NIGHT AT TULIPS by Collin Yeoh (My Rating : 5/5)
3. ART by Bissme. S. (My Rating : 4/5)
4. CITY-DWELLERS by Muchusamy Pon Ramiah (My Rating : 4/5)
5. TOOTH AND CONSEQUENCES by Terence Toh (My Rating : 4/5)
6. MASQUERADE by P. Maheswary (My Rating : 4/5)
7. JAGA DIRI, JAGA HATI by Hong Jinghann (My Rating : 5/5)
8. PONTIANAK. RISEN by Nadia Mikail (My Rating : 4/5)
9. JOB(STREET) by Nat Kang (My Rating : 3/5)
10. SHUCKED by Masami Mustaza (My Rating : 4/5)
11. ALEXA by Lee Chow Ping (My Rating : 4/5)
12. KISAH SURYA BUANA: THE MYSTERY OF SENI MAN by Nazreen Abraham Stein (My Rating : 3/5)
13. WE ARE YOUNG by Joshua Lim (My Rating : 3/5)
14. A QUIET NIGHT by Shaleen Surendra (My Rating : 4/5)
15. GROWING UP by Sharmilla Ganesan (My Rating : 4/5)
16. DRIVING MISS DEVI by Rizal Ramli (My Rating : 4/5)
17. HAUNTED by Lim Vin Tsen (My Rating : 4/5)
18. WAR DOGS by Derek Kho (My Rating : 4/5)
19. DANCE OF KALI : A STORMCALLER STORY by Fadzlishah Johanabas (My Rating : 3/5)
20. DASTAR by Sukhbir Cheema (My Rating : 5/5)
tales Puteri Gunung Ledang and Mahsuri. In the Quran, the practice of black magic is acknowledged and forbidden. Away in the world of video games, magic can take the form of a skill or resource used in fighting battles and advancing the hero's journey. Considering its application across these narratives, it would not be far-fetched to suggest that magic is but code for disruptive technology and design, or even powerful art”.
- Intro by Dericee (KL Noir : Magic)
.
.
Magic can be menacing for someone who believes that it is the source or evil. Magic can be wonderful for those who think that everything dont have to be linked to logic and reality. Magic is everywhere if you know how to look and enjoy it but it is nowhere if you blinded by wanting it to be rational and justified. KL noir magic return with a bang after the supposed conluded series of KL Noir : Red, White, Blue and Yellow. There’s a radio which you can talk to your dead father, The redemption of Sikh Man after years of being his father’s disappointment, The cult-like government that was supposed to take place post covid, The sweeter vangeance on a scammer/lover by a group of ladies that wanted a closure and The highly unlikely of Friendship between Taxi Driver and his passenger, Ms Devi against their common enemy. Honestly, this is a solid collection as to how diverse the stories and thew writers that featured in this and how uniquely Malaysian all of them are. This could have been 5 stars but i felt Vampire stories in KL setting seemed a bit overdone. Only if its other Malaysian Ghosts, then maybe i can add that 1 star back. Overall, I recommended this. You can finish this in one sitting.
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Individual Rating :
1. THE RADIO by Lily Jamaludin (My Rating : 4/5)
2. A NIGHT AT TULIPS by Collin Yeoh (My Rating : 5/5)
3. ART by Bissme. S. (My Rating : 4/5)
4. CITY-DWELLERS by Muchusamy Pon Ramiah (My Rating : 4/5)
5. TOOTH AND CONSEQUENCES by Terence Toh (My Rating : 4/5)
6. MASQUERADE by P. Maheswary (My Rating : 4/5)
7. JAGA DIRI, JAGA HATI by Hong Jinghann (My Rating : 5/5)
8. PONTIANAK. RISEN by Nadia Mikail (My Rating : 4/5)
9. JOB(STREET) by Nat Kang (My Rating : 3/5)
10. SHUCKED by Masami Mustaza (My Rating : 4/5)
11. ALEXA by Lee Chow Ping (My Rating : 4/5)
12. KISAH SURYA BUANA: THE MYSTERY OF SENI MAN by Nazreen Abraham Stein (My Rating : 3/5)
13. WE ARE YOUNG by Joshua Lim (My Rating : 3/5)
14. A QUIET NIGHT by Shaleen Surendra (My Rating : 4/5)
15. GROWING UP by Sharmilla Ganesan (My Rating : 4/5)
16. DRIVING MISS DEVI by Rizal Ramli (My Rating : 4/5)
17. HAUNTED by Lim Vin Tsen (My Rating : 4/5)
18. WAR DOGS by Derek Kho (My Rating : 4/5)
19. DANCE OF KALI : A STORMCALLER STORY by Fadzlishah Johanabas (My Rating : 3/5)
20. DASTAR by Sukhbir Cheema (My Rating : 5/5)
mobyskine's review
4.0
Another of KL Noir series-- Magic which consists of 20 stories on crimes and tribulations of life in Kuala Lumpur.
"KL, city of contrasts and diversity; a black hole for talent and potential. The city so distracted, so on brand. The city that's still deciding on how to tell its story."
The collection represents on how 'magic' could exist in various forms; language, setting, characters, flaws-- unexpected yet whimsically surprising.
Having few as my favourite:
The Radio (Lily Jamaludin)-- a story of a boy that could speak to his dead father through an old radio. A magical realism and mysteriously wicked. Love everything about this story, great idea indeed.
Art (Bissme S.)-- tells a story on a painting of a suicide victim. So gory and dark, well written and as much as I find the character is too spooky still I think it was well narrated. Love the ending!
Tooth and Consequences (Terence Toh)-- a story of an unlicensed dentist with illegal operating business. Love that it highlighted the views from both the fake dentist and the patient. Quite witty too.
Dastar (Sukhbir Cheema)-- a story of a Sikh man who once tried to cut his hair, on finding back his root and self healing. Deep and profound.
Pontianak, Risen (Nadia Mikael)-- a story of pontianak (or actually not really about pontianak *thinking*) out for revenge making two kampung women needed to travel to KL to deliver a shocking news. Though quite haunting, the storytelling was my favourite. This could be an idea for a novel.
The collection echoes through stages of life with colors and twists-- some are relatable while some are memorable, and few I wish could be a bit longer because I wanna read it more. A fairly enjoyable read to me. 3.7 stars to be exact!
"KL, city of contrasts and diversity; a black hole for talent and potential. The city so distracted, so on brand. The city that's still deciding on how to tell its story."
The collection represents on how 'magic' could exist in various forms; language, setting, characters, flaws-- unexpected yet whimsically surprising.
Having few as my favourite:
The Radio (Lily Jamaludin)-- a story of a boy that could speak to his dead father through an old radio. A magical realism and mysteriously wicked. Love everything about this story, great idea indeed.
Art (Bissme S.)-- tells a story on a painting of a suicide victim. So gory and dark, well written and as much as I find the character is too spooky still I think it was well narrated. Love the ending!
Tooth and Consequences (Terence Toh)-- a story of an unlicensed dentist with illegal operating business. Love that it highlighted the views from both the fake dentist and the patient. Quite witty too.
Dastar (Sukhbir Cheema)-- a story of a Sikh man who once tried to cut his hair, on finding back his root and self healing. Deep and profound.
Pontianak, Risen (Nadia Mikael)-- a story of pontianak (or actually not really about pontianak *thinking*) out for revenge making two kampung women needed to travel to KL to deliver a shocking news. Though quite haunting, the storytelling was my favourite. This could be an idea for a novel.
The collection echoes through stages of life with colors and twists-- some are relatable while some are memorable, and few I wish could be a bit longer because I wanna read it more. A fairly enjoyable read to me. 3.7 stars to be exact!
giralka's review
3.0
For some reason, I can never fully vibe with any KL Noir books. I think it has a lot to do with my expectations. This wasn't magical enough for me. I do like the ones with gods and goddesses. But other than those, most fell flat for me, and many of them aren't anything new either. Below are my three favourites:
-Art by Bissme. S
-Tooth and Consequences by Terence Toh
-Shucked by Masami Mustaza
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