[MPOV] Spirits Abroad

My rating: 3/5

Goodreads rating: 4.20/5
Published: June 21st, 2014
Author: Zen Cho
Genre: ghost stories, magical realism, short stories, sci-fi fantasy, anthologies

"If you live near the jungle, you will realize that what is real and what is not real is not always clear. In the forest there is not a big gap between the two."

A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people. An earth spirit gets entangled in protracted negotiations with an annoying landlord, and Chang E spins off into outer space, the ultimate metaphor for the Chinese diaspora.

Straddling the worlds of the mundane and the magical, Spirits Abroad collects ten science fiction and fantasy stories with a distinctively Malaysian sensibility.

This is a collection of 10 short stories about the Malaysian spirits, folklores and the likes written by Zen Cho. There is no doubt that she writes pretty well but I just wasn't into some of the stories. I seemed to be reading this in the wrong month too LOL! Overall, it was entertaining to a point, but such spirits/ghosts' stories are just not my cup of tea.

I've listed the 10 titles here so that you know what to expect lah.

1. The First Witch of Damansara

2. First National Forum on the Position of Minorities in Malaysia

3. The House of Aunts

4. One-day Travelcard for Fairyland

5. Rising Lion - The Lion Bows

6. The Mystery of the Suet Swain

7. Prudence and the Dragon

8. The Earth Spirit's Favorite Anecdote

9. Liyana

10. The Four Generations of Chang E

I've enjoyed a few like no 2, 3 and 7. If you like stories by Tunku Halim or Ee Leen Lee, then you should give this book a try.