What do you think?
Rate this book
Stranger Fiction Series
Diaspora Ad Astra: An Anthology of Science Fiction from the Philippines
The anthology Diaspora Ad Astra: An Anthology of Science Fiction from the Philippines represents science fiction made by Filipinos for Filipinos. This collection of stories looks at the future of Filipinos as we ask and wonder: will we be exporting human workers to Mars or will we be ruling a new Empire of Humanity? Or will we be running a guerrilla war against mad robots as the rest of homo sapiens flee into space in derelict battleships?
Because of this, we’ve collected these Filipino stories that look into a multitude of possible futures. Moreover, with these stories, we offer you hope that there will be a future where Filipinos will still—whether we attain greatness or not—play a role on the stage of humanity.
Welcome to the future of Filipinos shaped by Filipino dreams.
Because of this, we’ve collected these Filipino stories that look into a multitude of possible futures. Moreover, with these stories, we offer you hope that there will be a future where Filipinos will still—whether we attain greatness or not—play a role on the stage of humanity.
Welcome to the future of Filipinos shaped by Filipino dreams.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
10 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Emil M. Flores
3 books2 followersHe is an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines where he has taught Anglo-American Science Fiction. His memoir, Virginia Tech Memories, published by the UST Publishing House, includes reflections on science fiction and comics. His science fiction and fantasy stories have appeared in collections such as Nine Supernatural Stories (UP Press), Pinoy Amazing Adventures (PsiCom), and Tales Of Enchantment And Fantasy (Milflores). He currently writes the indie espionage comic, CADRE, produced by Polyhedron Comics.
....
....
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 23, 2014
The last installment for the Stranger Fiction anthology trilogy is composed of fifteen stories on the genre of speculative science fiction and this is a collection that is personally the most polarizing of the three. I'm fairly new to sci-fi myself since I only started actively reading from it two years ago but I know enough to both enjoy and criticize a literary work in this genre. Unlike the horror and fantasy collections that I previously read(Demons of the New Year and The Farthest Shore respectively), Diaspora Ad Astra has been quite dissonant in scope especially since I don't think a lot of Filipino authors write sci-fi and there isn't exactly a market or demographic in my country that also reads, let alone celebrates, this genre.
As stated in the Foreword of this book, Filipinos don't exactly have our eyes set on the stars or any futuristic landscape when it comes to our fiction as well as in our lives and priorities in general. We are a culture steeped in superstition and spiritual reflection which is why we thrive with our myth-making when it comes to monsters and paranormal entities. But tales and parables on scientific discovery and space travel? We just don't care much for it. Some of us have formed a perplexing association between science fiction and Western influence considering we are also a developing third-world country whose ambitions have usually more to do with pragmatic desires and needs as oppose to those that go beyond what we can readily perceive, what is most tangible.
Simply put, science fiction stories are inaccessible to Filipinos because we don't exactly have a strong space program or a very present scientific community that could inform or encourage us to look up at the skies and dare ourselves to imagine other alien civilizations that could exist.
But perhaps that feeling is only dormant. Everyone, after all, at some point in their lives questioned whether or not we are alone in the universe, or if we could ever leave this planet and build a new home in another. This anthology had encompassed such stories. I think this is why Diaspora Ad Astra will prove a mighty challenge as a reading exercise for people who are not familiar with the genre itself and may have negative pre-conceived notions about Filipinos writing sci-fi stories in the first place. Luckily, I'm neither, and that is why this anthology was vibrant and challenging, a puzzling literary specimen that exhausted and thrilled me in varying degrees. Not all of the stories appealed to me, however, but those that two were maddeningly memorable and deliciously insightful.
I thoroughly loved to pieces the following six stories: Oplan Sanction by Alexander Marcos Osias, The Cost of Living by Vince Torres, the satirical A List of Things We Know by Isabel Yap, The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Invaded Our Brains by Carljoe Javier (that was unexpectedly comedic and quirky); and the endlessly fascinating oneshots Ashes////Embers by Dannah Ruth S. Ballesteros, Gene RX by Katya Oliva-Llego and Robots and a Slice of Pizza by Raydon L. Reyes.
Some stories were more personal oneshots that contemplate the standing of a Filipino or the entire nation in space exploration/colonization like Ina Dolor's Last Stand by Raymond P. Reyes, Taking Gaia by Celestine Trinidad, and Space and Enough Time by Anne Lagamayo; or or how to generally cope with the gradual loss of individual expression as presented in Eliza Victoria's Rizal.
Others managed to only confuse me because of their brevity and vagueness (The Keeper by Audrey Rose Villacorta, Lucky by Raven Guerrero and War Zone Angel by Emil M. Flores) while one story was something I couldn't figure out (or maybe I did but I just couldn't be sure) even though I re-read it thrice now (The Malaya by Dean Francis Alfar).
It took me a whole month to finish this collection but I also felt that I became a better reader after doing so. I'm very pleased that there are Filipino authors who do strive to write in the science fiction genre, and I certainly hope there will be more in the not-so-distant future.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
As stated in the Foreword of this book, Filipinos don't exactly have our eyes set on the stars or any futuristic landscape when it comes to our fiction as well as in our lives and priorities in general. We are a culture steeped in superstition and spiritual reflection which is why we thrive with our myth-making when it comes to monsters and paranormal entities. But tales and parables on scientific discovery and space travel? We just don't care much for it. Some of us have formed a perplexing association between science fiction and Western influence considering we are also a developing third-world country whose ambitions have usually more to do with pragmatic desires and needs as oppose to those that go beyond what we can readily perceive, what is most tangible.
Simply put, science fiction stories are inaccessible to Filipinos because we don't exactly have a strong space program or a very present scientific community that could inform or encourage us to look up at the skies and dare ourselves to imagine other alien civilizations that could exist.
But perhaps that feeling is only dormant. Everyone, after all, at some point in their lives questioned whether or not we are alone in the universe, or if we could ever leave this planet and build a new home in another. This anthology had encompassed such stories. I think this is why Diaspora Ad Astra will prove a mighty challenge as a reading exercise for people who are not familiar with the genre itself and may have negative pre-conceived notions about Filipinos writing sci-fi stories in the first place. Luckily, I'm neither, and that is why this anthology was vibrant and challenging, a puzzling literary specimen that exhausted and thrilled me in varying degrees. Not all of the stories appealed to me, however, but those that two were maddeningly memorable and deliciously insightful.
I thoroughly loved to pieces the following six stories: Oplan Sanction by Alexander Marcos Osias, The Cost of Living by Vince Torres, the satirical A List of Things We Know by Isabel Yap, The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Invaded Our Brains by Carljoe Javier (that was unexpectedly comedic and quirky); and the endlessly fascinating oneshots Ashes////Embers by Dannah Ruth S. Ballesteros, Gene RX by Katya Oliva-Llego and Robots and a Slice of Pizza by Raydon L. Reyes.
Some stories were more personal oneshots that contemplate the standing of a Filipino or the entire nation in space exploration/colonization like Ina Dolor's Last Stand by Raymond P. Reyes, Taking Gaia by Celestine Trinidad, and Space and Enough Time by Anne Lagamayo; or or how to generally cope with the gradual loss of individual expression as presented in Eliza Victoria's Rizal.
Others managed to only confuse me because of their brevity and vagueness (The Keeper by Audrey Rose Villacorta, Lucky by Raven Guerrero and War Zone Angel by Emil M. Flores) while one story was something I couldn't figure out (or maybe I did but I just couldn't be sure) even though I re-read it thrice now (The Malaya by Dean Francis Alfar).
It took me a whole month to finish this collection but I also felt that I became a better reader after doing so. I'm very pleased that there are Filipino authors who do strive to write in the science fiction genre, and I certainly hope there will be more in the not-so-distant future.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
January 16, 2022
How fun, I especially liked the second to the last story 😌
March 16, 2020
I think I lean more towards fantasy and/or romance, so I have never read a whole novel or anthology of science fiction before reading this anthology which first appealed to me because it promises readers a Filipino taste of the genre.
The book deals with imaginings of the future, of space hotels and ships, reorganized cities and provinces, alien invasions and visitations, planetary occupation, technological warfare. But these stories are not just of the future, of the Filipino people’s future. Where will Filipinos be in these futures? There are many predictions: overseas contractual workers (“Taking Gaia”), tricked by aliens when wanting to have fairer skin (“Gene Rx”), TNTs in a foreign land (“Ashes Ember”), stubborn but firm and headstrong elders (“Ina Dolor’s Last Stand”), desperate in keeping ourselves alive in poverty (“The Cost of Living”).
Some of the stories are almost incoherent, especially “The Malaya” and “Oplan Sanction,” but most are straightforward. Three stories stand out to me: Anne Lagamayo’s “Space Enough and Time” where a hospitable woman working as the head of a space travel cruise sends her guests to a planet to stave off the problem of overpopulation (I think I like how the story subtly drops hints all over the place, and the revelation at the end with just a single question, “They won’t starve, will they?”); Eliza Victoria’s “Rizal” where an undergraduate student discovers the truth about the history of a city and of her own family; and, Celestine Trinidad’s “Taking Gaia” which is a take on the running joke that Filipinos can take over the world through our OFWs (and I laughed when I thought of this joke when I finished this story).
However, one thing is sure. Filipinos will continue to be Filipinos: hospitable (“Space Enough and Time”), family-oriented (“The Keeper”), firm, unwavering, courageous (“War Zone Angel”), and, of course, romantic (“Lucky,” “Robots and a Slice of Pizza”). I think there is some comfort in the idea that despite the many inventions, innovations, technological advances possible in the future, we remain Filipinos (“A List of Things We Know”).
But I feel conflicted regarding this. I know that these are only possibilities, but I can’t help but think that is this how we see ourselves in the future? Still underdogs in the global scene, class disparity and inequality still existing, still subservient to other stronger powers (mostly USA)? There seems to only be bad things in the future, even in a generational ship looking for a planet (“The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Came” which is also a good one). I’m not insinuating that we should just “be positive” ( I hate that phrase). I know that bleak futures (dystopia?) is a common trope in science fiction stories, and that these are the source of conflict in many of them, but I also want a little hope. Still, I think there are also possible conflicts in a utopia, and I would have liked to see a couple of stories in this anthology that deal with it.
Still, with how things are going right now, I do see these bleak futures happening. I read this in 2019, half a decade from its publication, when the current president of the Philippines refuses to address the basic problems that will possibly lead us to these undesirable futures imagined in this anthology. All I can say is, these futures are becoming more and more possible by the minute.
The book deals with imaginings of the future, of space hotels and ships, reorganized cities and provinces, alien invasions and visitations, planetary occupation, technological warfare. But these stories are not just of the future, of the Filipino people’s future. Where will Filipinos be in these futures? There are many predictions: overseas contractual workers (“Taking Gaia”), tricked by aliens when wanting to have fairer skin (“Gene Rx”), TNTs in a foreign land (“Ashes Ember”), stubborn but firm and headstrong elders (“Ina Dolor’s Last Stand”), desperate in keeping ourselves alive in poverty (“The Cost of Living”).
Some of the stories are almost incoherent, especially “The Malaya” and “Oplan Sanction,” but most are straightforward. Three stories stand out to me: Anne Lagamayo’s “Space Enough and Time” where a hospitable woman working as the head of a space travel cruise sends her guests to a planet to stave off the problem of overpopulation (I think I like how the story subtly drops hints all over the place, and the revelation at the end with just a single question, “They won’t starve, will they?”); Eliza Victoria’s “Rizal” where an undergraduate student discovers the truth about the history of a city and of her own family; and, Celestine Trinidad’s “Taking Gaia” which is a take on the running joke that Filipinos can take over the world through our OFWs (and I laughed when I thought of this joke when I finished this story).
However, one thing is sure. Filipinos will continue to be Filipinos: hospitable (“Space Enough and Time”), family-oriented (“The Keeper”), firm, unwavering, courageous (“War Zone Angel”), and, of course, romantic (“Lucky,” “Robots and a Slice of Pizza”). I think there is some comfort in the idea that despite the many inventions, innovations, technological advances possible in the future, we remain Filipinos (“A List of Things We Know”).
But I feel conflicted regarding this. I know that these are only possibilities, but I can’t help but think that is this how we see ourselves in the future? Still underdogs in the global scene, class disparity and inequality still existing, still subservient to other stronger powers (mostly USA)? There seems to only be bad things in the future, even in a generational ship looking for a planet (“The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Came” which is also a good one). I’m not insinuating that we should just “be positive” ( I hate that phrase). I know that bleak futures (dystopia?) is a common trope in science fiction stories, and that these are the source of conflict in many of them, but I also want a little hope. Still, I think there are also possible conflicts in a utopia, and I would have liked to see a couple of stories in this anthology that deal with it.
Still, with how things are going right now, I do see these bleak futures happening. I read this in 2019, half a decade from its publication, when the current president of the Philippines refuses to address the basic problems that will possibly lead us to these undesirable futures imagined in this anthology. All I can say is, these futures are becoming more and more possible by the minute.
July 19, 2021
I love how these stories show that there can be science fiction in the Philippine setting and that we aren't exempt from "the future" even if we don't currently have a state-of-the-art space program or anything of the sort. Many of these stories really made me think about where the Philippines would be in the future, and ngl, it's a bit terrifying. If we continue being subservient to powerful countries and corporations, if we continue chasing meaningless goals like everlasting life, we're basically fucked.
I guess that what most of these stories taught me was that the most important thing to us should be our humanity because it's what gives our life meaning. We could have all the innovations in the world, but without culture, without love, without connection, they wouldn't mean anything.
Now about the stories themselves, in my opinion, some of them kinda tried too hard to be edgy by using futuristic codes and lingo to the point where I couldn't understand them anymore. Others had a good start but didn't really have a proper ending. Still, there were some gems that really made me think about what the future of the Philippines could be.
Here are my ratings for the individual stories (my favorites are in bold):
The Malaya: 1/5
Oplan Sanction: 1/5
Ina Dolor's Last Stand: 3/5
The Cost of Living: 5/5
A List of Things We Know: 4/5
The Keeper: 2/5
The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Invaded Our Brains: 4/5
Ashes/////Embers: 3/5
Rizal: 4/5
Gene Rx: 4/5
Robots and a Slice of Pizza 🥵: 4/5
Lucky: 3/5
Space Enough and Time: 4.5/5
Talking Gaia: 4/5 I loved the plot, but I felt like the writer couldn't completely empathize with the characters
War Zone Angel: 1/5
I guess that what most of these stories taught me was that the most important thing to us should be our humanity because it's what gives our life meaning. We could have all the innovations in the world, but without culture, without love, without connection, they wouldn't mean anything.
Now about the stories themselves, in my opinion, some of them kinda tried too hard to be edgy by using futuristic codes and lingo to the point where I couldn't understand them anymore. Others had a good start but didn't really have a proper ending. Still, there were some gems that really made me think about what the future of the Philippines could be.
Here are my ratings for the individual stories (my favorites are in bold):
The Malaya: 1/5
Oplan Sanction: 1/5
Ina Dolor's Last Stand: 3/5
The Cost of Living: 5/5
A List of Things We Know: 4/5
The Keeper: 2/5
The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Invaded Our Brains: 4/5
Ashes/////Embers: 3/5
Rizal: 4/5
Gene Rx: 4/5
Robots and a Slice of Pizza 🥵: 4/5
Lucky: 3/5
Space Enough and Time: 4.5/5
Talking Gaia: 4/5 I loved the plot, but I felt like the writer couldn't completely empathize with the characters
War Zone Angel: 1/5
Read
September 26, 2025Not worth the amount of effort I had to go through to get a copy from the Philippines. Pick up the Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology instead. There were some good stories in here but none that really stuck with me.
August 5, 2017
There were several stories in this anthology that I really liked, and I'm extremely grateful this book exists. Whoever said Pinoy science fiction won't fly ought to read this book.
October 19, 2019
Good read!
August 21, 2025
No one does diaspora through time (and space) against adversities like Filipino stories— the yearning, hopefulness, and shared understanding of loss perfectly captured in these stories.
September 28, 2015
3.5 stars
The Malaya - 2/5 stars
Oplan Sanction - 2/5 stars
Ina Dolor's Last Stand - 3/5 stars
The Cost of Living - 5/5 stars
A List of Things We Know - 3/5 stars
The Keeper - 3/5 stars
The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Invaded Our Brains - 4/5 stars
Ashes////Embers - 4/5 stars
Rizal - 3/5 stars
Gene RX - 4/5 stars
Robots and a Slice of Pizza - 4/5 stars
Lucky - 3/5 stars
Space Enough and Time - 4/5 stars
Taking Gaia - 5/5 stars
War Zone Angel - 3/5 stars
* those in bold are my favorites
The Malaya - 2/5 stars
Oplan Sanction - 2/5 stars
Ina Dolor's Last Stand - 3/5 stars
The Cost of Living - 5/5 stars
A List of Things We Know - 3/5 stars
The Keeper - 3/5 stars
The Day the Sexbomb Dancers Invaded Our Brains - 4/5 stars
Ashes////Embers - 4/5 stars
Rizal - 3/5 stars
Gene RX - 4/5 stars
Robots and a Slice of Pizza - 4/5 stars
Lucky - 3/5 stars
Space Enough and Time - 4/5 stars
Taking Gaia - 5/5 stars
War Zone Angel - 3/5 stars
* those in bold are my favorites
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews