Song of the Mango and Other New Myths by Vida Cruz-Borja
I would like to thank the author for a copy of this collection in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Bughaw
Published - Out Now
Price - £4.04 Kindle eBook
A diwata brings a grieving slave’s brother back to life as a mango tree. Two writers write their ideal lovers into existence
with ink from a mangkukulam. A kapre and a farmgirl play out a tale as old as time in Spanish colonial Philippines. A girl with a magical heritage must rescue a bumbling cartographer from the hidden city of Biringan. Maria Makiling opens a
pop-up café with human heartbreak on the menu.
In Song of the Mango and Other New Myths, Vida Cruz-Borja brings stories woven from elements of classical myths and folklore from the Philippines and other parts of the world, as well as from visions of the modern and of the future. In worlds richly reimagined and reinvented, these “new myths”
explore hidden depths from flawed characters who strive to search for a just and equal world, whether that may be in the realm of ordinary humans or the realm of magical creatures.
The world is ever more connected and we in the UK are increasingly aware of other types of stories. We are also in an age where we are used to retellings but more interesting to me is when authors use the building blocks of myth in new and exciting ways to give us a wholly 21st century perspective. In Vida Cruz-Borja’s very enjoyable short fiction collection Song of the Mango and Other New Myths we get to experience a host of fantasy and SF tales using Filipino myth and culture as a starting point for a rich and varied range of stories that make each story ready to surprise the reader.
Among the stories that I enjoyed were: -
The opening tale Song of the Mango is an impressive tale that goes in various unexpected direction doomed love; rivalry of women and rather than a simple tale of revenge covers grief, friendship and learning to move on - as well as how the Mango came into being. The depth that this is a story using a lot of existing myth, culture and history really makes it come alive.
With the next tale To Megan, With Half My Heart we move from what feels a classic folk tale to the present day(ish) and a heart-wrenching letter from a mother to their daughter explaining their disappearance. Its a powerful hook to draw us in but we also get a tale of young love; loss and deciding to follow head or heart as well as an unusual magical mythic set of creatures to experience
Cruz-Borja is not afraid to experiment with story format and this is found in one of my favourite tales First Play For And By Tikbalang Triggers Uproar on Opening Night - a tale that supposedly is a newspaper article on a famous director’s latest epic creation at the stage. But what follows is a tale where a human director is using myth and the races from those myths to actually be in the production. It is funny, surreal, informative on these myths and keeps the reader occupied thoughout. Really unusual.
Another favourite moving in a shadowy border of horror ad dark fantasy is The Museum of Incomplete Statues. A woman nursing a broken heart imagines falling for one of the silent statues. It manages to be weird, emotionally powerful and where the story goes is unsettling especially in it’s final lines. The illustration for this is incredibly apt.
Another thoughtful tale again using the reporting framework is In The Shadow of the Typhoon, Humans and Mahiwaga Co-operate for Survival. This story explores how two powerful entities help the country after a natural disaster in the form of a typhoon. As well as the interesting idea of can magical beings help in disasters Cruz-Borja uses the story to explores government corruption and societal attitudes to helping people as well as even the battle between ancient belief and new religions such as Catholicism. Its a story telling both its narrative focus and being a broader and enlightening look into the whole culture too. Very impressive.
Ink A Love Story is another more modern story with a very smart and well delivered shift in perspectives. Two lonely hearts arrive at the same time to get magical ink. This story explores what happens if desires come to life and I was impressed how our sympathies undergo a huge shift the more we understand the two human character’s natures and we also get an insight into their creations which makes the end of the tale very open-ended as to what we want to happen next.
I also must praise the gorgeous artwork illustrating each story from Krasnoyarsk Magtira, Andie Lugtu, Jermaine Dayo, Bianca Morelos, John Kaizen, Naje, Hansel Dimapilis, Allaine B Leoncio, Isa Enriquez, Nicholas ‘Kulas’ Jalea, Mazielina C Mayo and Miguel Co.
Overall a very enjoyable and surprising collection demonstrating the author’s range and versatility as well as a opening my eyes up to myths and cultures I was very unfamiliar with. On top of that prepare for tales of love, science fiction, horror and most of all good characters and a sense of voice that pulls you along. Well worth a look!
