Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology

by Charles Tan (Editor), Andrew Drilon (Contributor), Yvette Tan (Contributor), Margaret Kawsek (Contributor), Crystal Koo (Contributor), Kenneth Yu (Contributor), Douglas Candano (Contributor), Rin Chupeco (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) , more…

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 9 ratings · 5 reviews

Filipinos and Chinese have a rich, vibrant literature when it comes to speculative fiction. But what about the fiction of the Filipino-Chinese, who draw their roots from both cultures? This is what this anthology attempts to answer. Featuring stories that deal with voyeur ghosts, taboo lovers, a town that cannot sleep, the Chinese zodiac, and an exile that finally comes ho...more

Paperback, 234 pages

Published August 1st 2012 by Lethe Press

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 54)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Aug 09, 2012 Francesca Forrest rated it 5 of 5 stars

(copied from my LJ review)

Charles Tan, a Philippines-based member of the speculative fiction writing and blogging community, has brought together a wonderful buffet of spec-fic stories in this collection, the third that he’s compiled (the earlier two are The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction 2009 and Philippine Speculative Sampler ).

This time, he’s focused on stories by Filipino-Chinese writers. As is true throughout Southeast Asia, people of Chinese ethnic origins are integral to the hist...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2012 Anthony rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy, short-story-collections

The back cover of LAURIAT proclaims that "Filipinos and Chinese have a rich, vibrant literature when it comes to speculative fiction." I have to admit: other than some familiar folk-tales (and reiterations of such by modern authors), I am woefully ignorant of the history of either nation's speculative fiction. So when the back cover goes on to ask "What about the fiction of the Filipino-Chinese, who draw their roots from both cultures," I find myself wondering if I'll be lost in attempting to un...more The back cover of LAURIAT proclaims that "Filipinos and Chinese have a rich, vibrant literature when it comes to speculative fiction." I have to admit: other than some familiar folk-tales (and reiterations of such by modern authors), I am woefully ignorant of the history of either nation's speculative fiction. So when the back cover goes on to ask "What about the fiction of the Filipino-Chinese, who draw their roots from both cultures," I find myself wondering if I'll be lost in attempting to understand the cross-cultural, or combi-cultural, nuances of the stories written to answer that question.

I needn't have been worried. Charles A. Tan has put together a wonderful collection of short speculative fiction that manages to feel both familiar and new to this particular American reader. The characters in these stories deal with the same issues of family history, interpersonal relationships and societal expectations that most of us deal with, but the stories also allow a glimpse into the way those concerns play out on what seems a potentially volatile field. And of course because we're dealing with speculative fiction, nothing is quite what it seems.

The focal character of Isabel Yap's "Pure" watches a friend end up in the situation she's in because of the lingering familial view that those of pure Chinese descent should only marry others of Chinese descent. You feel for both women: the one doing anything to become "pure" for her beloved and the one watching it all go wrong. In Erin Chupeco's "Ho-We," family approval of a girl's intended is also a road-block, although this family has bigger concerns than just "Chinese or Mixed." The daughter dates a number of supernatural types, including a dinner date with a zombie. Paolo Chikiamco's "The Captain's Nephew" brings war into the mix and deals with issues of servitude and mastery, slavery and free will that should ring true to anyone regardless of culture. Fidelis Tan's "The Stranger At My Grandmother's Wake" is a heart-breaking look at being alone at the end of a long life; Yvette Tan's "Fold Up Boy" gives a different view of the ravages of war (both physical war and emotional); Crystal Koo's "The Perpetual Day" shows us how the extraordinary can become commonplace (and the problems associated with becoming numb); and Kenneth Yu's "Cricket" is a disturbing take on household spirits.

The anthology starts and ends strong. It opens with Andrew Drilon's "Two Women Worth Watching," which gives a unique spin on the pervasiveness of reality television, and ends with Douglas Candano's "The Way of Those Who Stayed Behind," which addresses emigration for the sake of a 'better life' and not realizing what you've lost / left behind. (In fact, and I mean this as a compliment to Candano, the story reminded me quite a bit of Hugh Leonard's play "Da," which also deals with the ghosts of a life left behind in the 'old country' although Candano's first-person narration feels far more gothic than Leonard's play.)

I was fortunate to read an ARC of LAURIAT. I highly recommend spec-fic fans seeking the book out from publisher Lethe Press when it releases on August 15th.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 A.C. Wise rated it 3 of 5 stars

An enjoyable collection overall, with a few truly stand-out stories. The stories I particularly enjoyed (in ToC) order, were: Two Women Worth Watching by Andrew Drilon, Ho-We by Erin Chupeco, Dimsum by Christine V. Lao, The Stranger at My Grandmother's Wake by Fidelis Tan, Fold Up Boy by Yvette Tan, and the Tiger Lady by Margaret Kawsek.

like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Eliza Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the stories in this anthology, with Kristine Ong Muslim's "Chinese Zodiac" (a series of flash fiction pieces directly or indirectly connected to each sign of the Chinese Zodiac) and Crystal Koo's "The Perpetual Day" (a story of a Binondo that literally cannot sleep) as my definite favorites. These are the stories that I wanted to discuss with everyone immediately after I read them.

There are a lot of weird/horror tales in this collection. Other stories that I liked: Andrew Drilon's "Tw...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Rrain rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculative-fiction, short-stories

I ought to have reviewed this as soon as I finished because now I've forgotten the names of the stories I liked best, but overall I found the anthology really haunting, with a very mythic sensibility about the whole thing.

like · see review

May 23, 2013 Jack marked it as to-read

May 08, 2013 Eleanor Chupeco added it

Shelves: nissie

May 01, 2013 Sharon marked it as to-read

Shelves: asia, filipino, fiction, philippines

Mar 17, 2013 Susan Morris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feb 15, 2013 Erin marked it as to-read

Jan 27, 2013 Kendall marked it as to-read

Shelves: race

Jan 10, 2013 Nathan Carlson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jan 07, 2013 Kathryn marked it as to-read

Jan 06, 2013 Andrea marked it as to-read

Shelves: the-rejectionist-rec

Jan 19, 2013 Jenny Barber rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jan 01, 2013 Krysty marked it as to-read

Feb 14, 2013 Viel added it

Shelves: international-inspiration, books-on-my-kindle

Dec 23, 2012 Alysia marked it as to-read

Shelves: own-ebook, short-stories

Dec 17, 2012 Abra SW marked it as to-read

Dec 04, 2012 Darwin Mumar marked it as to-read

Nov 23, 2012 Zigforas marked it as to-read-fiction

Shelves: filipino

Nov 21, 2012 Annika Pohjolainen marked it as to-read

Nov 19, 2012 Ann marked it as to-read

Nov 19, 2012 Erin Boyington marked it as to-read

Nov 08, 2012 anonymous marked it as to-read

Oct 15, 2012 Amy Sherman marked it as to-read

Oct 15, 2012 Afton Siao marked it as to-read

Oct 11, 2012 Bravo Alpha marked it as to-read

Oct 03, 2012 Brandon marked it as to-read

Sep 17, 2012 Valerie Warner Danin marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Librari...: Adding a Book Contributor	4	23	Apr 17, 2013 04:31pm

Genres

Short Stories

3 users

Fantasy

2 users

Speculative Fiction

2 users

See top shelves...

About Charles Tan

Charles Tan is a Filipino author and editor of speculative fiction.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

More about Charles Tan...

Books by Charles Tan

Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction 2009

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Lauriat: A Filipi...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology
avg rating	preview: Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology Goodreads rating: 4.33 (9 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15035286-lauriat?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355068893l/15035286.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15035286-lauriat?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology by Charles Tan[/url]

Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Genres

About Charles Tan

Books by Charles Tan

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Lauriat: A Filipi...

new topic
Discuss This Book