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Penumbra Novellas
Parman
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October 20, 2014
Seriously the weakest of Penumbra novels--although I didn't really have a problem with the idea of it. It's the execution that makes me want to smash my head against the wall.
Instead of just giving us some name to hold on to at the very beginning of the narrative, the author chose to be all epic and mysterious and just referred to the hero as 'the man'. Which is all well and good until other men appear in the story and suddenly it's 'the man grabbed the other man's arm' and like? What? Who's doing what again?
I liked Nihilo. Didn't like the use of the term 'saitan' for the bad guys (yeah yeah, I know the culture is a mix of Western and local myths, but come on. 'Saitan'?)
Not sure what Mangilala wants to do here. And I'm not sure either what Magbabaya's objective is. Hey, I honestly don't know enough shit about the mythology to judge, but I had the impression that the Creation myth with Magbabaya and Mangilala was a story about the fallibility of man (yeah, blame it all on the gods, why don't you). Man isn't perfectly good because he is equal parts Mangilala and Magbabaya's creation. That's all very well and good, but I feel some doubts about the whole Christian dichotomy sledgehammered into this.
Even Mangilala's actions in the novel veer more towards the Trickster god rather than the evil one. And at least he's there, right? Magbabaya can't even be arsed.
Another one of those novellas that feel hurried and I feel like would make for a good novel.
Instead of just giving us some name to hold on to at the very beginning of the narrative, the author chose to be all epic and mysterious and just referred to the hero as 'the man'. Which is all well and good until other men appear in the story and suddenly it's 'the man grabbed the other man's arm' and like? What? Who's doing what again?
I liked Nihilo. Didn't like the use of the term 'saitan' for the bad guys (yeah yeah, I know the culture is a mix of Western and local myths, but come on. 'Saitan'?)
Not sure what Mangilala wants to do here. And I'm not sure either what Magbabaya's objective is. Hey, I honestly don't know enough shit about the mythology to judge, but I had the impression that the Creation myth with Magbabaya and Mangilala was a story about the fallibility of man (yeah, blame it all on the gods, why don't you). Man isn't perfectly good because he is equal parts Mangilala and Magbabaya's creation. That's all very well and good, but I feel some doubts about the whole Christian dichotomy sledgehammered into this.
Even Mangilala's actions in the novel veer more towards the Trickster god rather than the evil one. And at least he's there, right? Magbabaya can't even be arsed.
Another one of those novellas that feel hurried and I feel like would make for a good novel.
Displaying 1 of 1 review