Philippine Mysteries
Book Details
Author(s)Ruth Hersey
PublisherRAKM
ISBN / ASINB009QM8N98
ISBN-13978B009QM8N92
Sales Rank955,741
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
Delve into a Book of Mysteries!
How do legends begin? Why do some endure and some fade into the mists of time? The tradition of oral story telling has been lost by many societies, replaced by the printed page and increasingly the video screen, yet in some societies the oral tradition still exists and new tales surface and those of the supernatural, unlike tales of romance and humour, cross boarders and cultures and stimulate the imagination. “Philippine Mysteries” is one such book, drawing on the traditions of ghosts and demons that are said to occupy the cities, beaches and forests of the islands that form the Philippines.
The story is semi autobiographical and Ruth is able to bring through some of the harsh realities of life in a country that was struggling to stop its decent into the third world, where the gaps between the richest and poorest were vast and the political system was descending into a swamp of corruption and nepotism. While the social commentary is in itself compelling, the focus of the book are the stories about the supernatural. The style of storytelling is not that of the modern horror, the pages are not soaked with blood and gore and the violence is not glorified, neither are the monsters always victorious, or for that matter always defeated; rather the picture that is painted is that of the monster that can exist in the middle of a community, the community can be aware of its existence and yet be almost powerless to react. Each episode brings a greater insight into the “monsters” as the story develops the understanding of their situation grows and the reader is presented with the dilemma of starting to feel sorry for the “monster” a feeling that is reinforced when the chain of events that leads to creation of some of the “fiends” are revealed. The development of the children who form the core of the story provides the continuity between the individual episodes within the book, which spans the period between the 1960’s to the present day, while the descriptions of the different locations that they inhabit and the situations in which they encounter the creatures helps to bring the story alive; the writer has balanced the narrative well and the supporting illustrations provides a strong enough canvas for the readers own imagination to fill in the detail.
The book is well written and is unique in its approach to what can be an overtaxed subject matter the characters are not shallow nor are the monsters unbelievable, each episode brings a new insight into the myths and legends of the Philippines a region whose mythology has been ignored until recently. Overall,the English a compromise to support the colloquialisms that help to bring story to life, but the story is strong, enthralling and powerful enough to make you wonder if there could be something more frightening than a Cobra lurking in the palm trees that fringe that idyllic tropical beach! If you are looking for something different to read this is the book for you.
How do legends begin? Why do some endure and some fade into the mists of time? The tradition of oral story telling has been lost by many societies, replaced by the printed page and increasingly the video screen, yet in some societies the oral tradition still exists and new tales surface and those of the supernatural, unlike tales of romance and humour, cross boarders and cultures and stimulate the imagination. “Philippine Mysteries” is one such book, drawing on the traditions of ghosts and demons that are said to occupy the cities, beaches and forests of the islands that form the Philippines.
The story is semi autobiographical and Ruth is able to bring through some of the harsh realities of life in a country that was struggling to stop its decent into the third world, where the gaps between the richest and poorest were vast and the political system was descending into a swamp of corruption and nepotism. While the social commentary is in itself compelling, the focus of the book are the stories about the supernatural. The style of storytelling is not that of the modern horror, the pages are not soaked with blood and gore and the violence is not glorified, neither are the monsters always victorious, or for that matter always defeated; rather the picture that is painted is that of the monster that can exist in the middle of a community, the community can be aware of its existence and yet be almost powerless to react. Each episode brings a greater insight into the “monsters” as the story develops the understanding of their situation grows and the reader is presented with the dilemma of starting to feel sorry for the “monster” a feeling that is reinforced when the chain of events that leads to creation of some of the “fiends” are revealed. The development of the children who form the core of the story provides the continuity between the individual episodes within the book, which spans the period between the 1960’s to the present day, while the descriptions of the different locations that they inhabit and the situations in which they encounter the creatures helps to bring the story alive; the writer has balanced the narrative well and the supporting illustrations provides a strong enough canvas for the readers own imagination to fill in the detail.
The book is well written and is unique in its approach to what can be an overtaxed subject matter the characters are not shallow nor are the monsters unbelievable, each episode brings a new insight into the myths and legends of the Philippines a region whose mythology has been ignored until recently. Overall,the English a compromise to support the colloquialisms that help to bring story to life, but the story is strong, enthralling and powerful enough to make you wonder if there could be something more frightening than a Cobra lurking in the palm trees that fringe that idyllic tropical beach! If you are looking for something different to read this is the book for you.
