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Lower Myths
Lower Myths features two compelling novelettes of contemporary fantasy from Eliza Victoria, one of the most talented young writers in Asian speculative fiction today. In "Trust Fund Babies," children of two warring witch and fairy families face off in the final round to a centuries-old vendetta.
In "The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol," an aristocrat and his daughter consult a famous lawyer-sibling pair about a mysterious crime. But in the lawyers' hilltop mansion by the sea, they uncover sinister hints that their reality may not be what it seems.
Eliza Victoria's fiction and poetry have appeared in various publications including High Chair, The Pedestal Magazine, Expanded Horizons, Usok, and the Philippine Speculative Fiction series.
In "The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol," an aristocrat and his daughter consult a famous lawyer-sibling pair about a mysterious crime. But in the lawyers' hilltop mansion by the sea, they uncover sinister hints that their reality may not be what it seems.
Eliza Victoria's fiction and poetry have appeared in various publications including High Chair, The Pedestal Magazine, Expanded Horizons, Usok, and the Philippine Speculative Fiction series.
87 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2012
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84 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Victoria
40 books339 followersEliza Victoria is the author of several books including the Philippine National Book Award-winning Dwellers, the novel Wounded Little Gods, the graphic novel After Lambana (a collaboration with Mervin Malonzo), and the science fiction novel-in-stories, Nightfall. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in several publications, most recently in LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction, The Best Asian Speculative Fiction, The Dark Magazine, The Apex Book of World SF Volume 5, Fireside Fiction, and Future SF. She has won prizes in the Philippines’ top literary awards, including the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Her one-act plays (written in Filipino) have been staged at the Virgin LabFest at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 11, 2012
Originally posted on The Girl Who Read and Other Stories
I’ve stopped wondering some time ago why Eliza Victoria keeps winning all these different awards for her fiction and poetry. And with Lower Myths, she has definitely earned a place in my list of favorite Filipino authors.
Trust Fund Babies is my favorite of the two stories in Lower Myths. I love the whole The Godfather feel, and the mythology that Victoria re-imagined for this particular world. The story is pretty straightforward, sometimes even predictable, but it was engaging and entertaining from beginning to end. I also admire Victoria’s ability to build a detailed world and solid characters even for such a short story.
The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol: Attorneys-at-Law is a little more complicated in terms of structure, but it’s no less engaging. If the first story had a The Godfather feel to it, this one has some Inception undertones. The transition between the different “realities” can be confusing in the beginning, but it’s easy enough to follow after the first few glimpses.
Lower Myths is a must for those who love Philippine speculative fiction. I just wish that there were more stories in this book.
…
Disclosure: This review is based on a review copy provided by Flipside Publishing.
I’ve stopped wondering some time ago why Eliza Victoria keeps winning all these different awards for her fiction and poetry. And with Lower Myths, she has definitely earned a place in my list of favorite Filipino authors.
Trust Fund Babies is my favorite of the two stories in Lower Myths. I love the whole The Godfather feel, and the mythology that Victoria re-imagined for this particular world. The story is pretty straightforward, sometimes even predictable, but it was engaging and entertaining from beginning to end. I also admire Victoria’s ability to build a detailed world and solid characters even for such a short story.
The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol: Attorneys-at-Law is a little more complicated in terms of structure, but it’s no less engaging. If the first story had a The Godfather feel to it, this one has some Inception undertones. The transition between the different “realities” can be confusing in the beginning, but it’s easy enough to follow after the first few glimpses.
Lower Myths is a must for those who love Philippine speculative fiction. I just wish that there were more stories in this book.
…
Disclosure: This review is based on a review copy provided by Flipside Publishing.
April 15, 2012
Lower Myths is Eliza Victoria's splendid two-story debut collection. I like the second novella better than the first one. "The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol, Attorneys-at-Law" unfolds at an Elmore Leonard pace - brute, concise, confident. There's a combination of boldness and grace in Lower Myths, making it an enjoyable romp into the macabre. I imagined the two stories, with their distinct Philippine flavor and genre trappings culled straight from the vernacular, would have made excellent graphic novels.
December 21, 2012
Original post at One More Page
I got this one as a sample first, and this was one of the cases where I loved the sample so much that I had to get the book soon after.To be quite honest, I was not sure what Lower Myths was all about, except that it contains two short stories/novellas and the sample just made me want to read on.Trust Fund Babies is a fun, with and fairy story that totally had that mafia feel. It's violent and can be quite gory, but all done in a tasteful way. I liked the relationship of the families and the idea of the glamour. I can imagine this as a short film with all the effects and the mystery.
The second story, The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol is kind of confusing because of the shifting realities, but the world building is superb. There's a certain disconnect at first, but when things start falling into place, I found it so engaging that I just have to find out what happened next. While it's not really as fun as Trust Fund Babies (for me, anyway), I liked how this one played out. This is the kind of world that I cannot imagine writing on my own, but I love reading. :)
Lower Myths is a good starter for Eliza's works, if you're into quick, fantasy reads with a local flavor. Of course, it could also be too short for you, but that's why you'd end up looking for her other works just to satisfy that craving. :)
I got this one as a sample first, and this was one of the cases where I loved the sample so much that I had to get the book soon after.To be quite honest, I was not sure what Lower Myths was all about, except that it contains two short stories/novellas and the sample just made me want to read on.Trust Fund Babies is a fun, with and fairy story that totally had that mafia feel. It's violent and can be quite gory, but all done in a tasteful way. I liked the relationship of the families and the idea of the glamour. I can imagine this as a short film with all the effects and the mystery.
The second story, The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol is kind of confusing because of the shifting realities, but the world building is superb. There's a certain disconnect at first, but when things start falling into place, I found it so engaging that I just have to find out what happened next. While it's not really as fun as Trust Fund Babies (for me, anyway), I liked how this one played out. This is the kind of world that I cannot imagine writing on my own, but I love reading. :)
Lower Myths is a good starter for Eliza's works, if you're into quick, fantasy reads with a local flavor. Of course, it could also be too short for you, but that's why you'd end up looking for her other works just to satisfy that craving. :)
February 6, 2018
Trust Fund Babies was a great and engaging story that was an enjoyable read. The Last Case, however, was somewhat confusing because of the alternate realities which was a challenge to follow. I’m still giving this 4 stars due to the excellent 1st story.
February 4, 2017
This has been in my to-read shelves for a while and after I finally downloaded the Kobo reading app (because a friend was talking about it and I was intrigued) I decided this, along with a couple other novellas by the same author, would be my first purchase.
Very much worth it. Lower Myths comprises two novellas; 'Trust Fund Babies' which is (as every other reviewer has mentioned, a mafia-like story of hella rich families trying to off each other. The twist is that these people are actually not human at all and can put glamour upon themselves and speak diwata. In retrospect the fact that these two families are connected to the Philippine lower mythology creatures is the most obvious detail that grounds it as Filipino, but also there is that 'mata sa mata' attitude combined with the 'ubusan ng lahi' idea that while not particular to the Philippines is also very much a part of our culture. (I also wondered if the brothers are related to the ones from Dwellers but I guess not?
'The Very Last Case' is longer and is more layered than the first story. I like this one best because on one hand you see 'Oh hm, fantastic story with elements of Filipino and Western ideas in it? This one character is wearing a corset.' which is all very well and good, but the layers slowly get peeled back and you realise what the novella really wants to say.
Defo both good reads and I can't wait to read my other purchases!
Very much worth it. Lower Myths comprises two novellas; 'Trust Fund Babies' which is (as every other reviewer has mentioned, a mafia-like story of hella rich families trying to off each other. The twist is that these people are actually not human at all and can put glamour upon themselves and speak diwata. In retrospect the fact that these two families are connected to the Philippine lower mythology creatures is the most obvious detail that grounds it as Filipino, but also there is that 'mata sa mata' attitude combined with the 'ubusan ng lahi' idea that while not particular to the Philippines is also very much a part of our culture. (I also wondered if the brothers are related to the ones from Dwellers but I guess not?
'The Very Last Case' is longer and is more layered than the first story. I like this one best because on one hand you see 'Oh hm, fantastic story with elements of Filipino and Western ideas in it? This one character is wearing a corset.' which is all very well and good, but the layers slowly get peeled back and you realise what the novella really wants to say.
Defo both good reads and I can't wait to read my other purchases!
April 18, 2012
LOWER MYTHS is no ordinary fantasy despite the presence of supernatural characters popular in Philippine folklore: mambabarang(witches), diwata(fairies), kapre(a tobacco-smoking giant who lives in trees). Award-winning author Eliza Victoria offers two equally riveting novellas that are sure to surprise readers already hooked on her thought-provoking, mysterious, magical stories. Rare is the fictionist who can make a successful transition to a longer form, but Victoria effortlessly leapfrogged into it.
TRUST FUND BABIES is a chair-keeping, innovative portrayal of the deplorable life of the landed gentry.
THE LAST CASE OF MESSRS. ARISTOTEL AND ARKIMEDES MAGTANGGOL: ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW is filled with mesmerizing magic and comedy in an insane world encumbered by wars, crime, violence.
TRUST FUND BABIES is a chair-keeping, innovative portrayal of the deplorable life of the landed gentry.
THE LAST CASE OF MESSRS. ARISTOTEL AND ARKIMEDES MAGTANGGOL: ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW is filled with mesmerizing magic and comedy in an insane world encumbered by wars, crime, violence.
January 14, 2015
Speculative fiction at its finest. I'm beginning to become a fan of Eliza Victoria because she never runs out of something new to give to her readers. Lower Myths is a "collection" of two short stories that are so different, you won't think at first that they were written by the same author. I love the action, mafia-like vibe of "Trust Fund Babies", which is about two warring families of diwatas and barangs. It reminded me of The Godfather, with all those angst, guns, and gore of a family drama. "The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol" is a bit complicated to read, as it shifts not only from past to present, but also from fantasy to reality. Still, I love all the drama thrown over it, mixed with a bit of suspense and gore.
November 11, 2014
Complete marginalia for this and two other Eliza Victoria books here .
"Why can't life just be like this, as simple as this?"
May 27, 2013
Wow! Dark... and above all different... *****
May 7, 2022
Trust Fund Babies one was a good story. Although I think it lacked nuance compared to the second one or I just completely missed it so I don't have a lot to say.
Two Case, i loved. Its fun reading about filipino children who have similar experiences like me in terms of what myths we grew up to genuinely believe in. I especially loved the part where the author explored how: when there are things that we have no easy answer for, we depend on lores, paniniwala or pamanhiin to put the blame on, hence unknowingly dismissing what might be the truth which made me think a lot about my own culture. That said, I am pushing myself to read more filipino authors in the future!
Two Case, i loved. Its fun reading about filipino children who have similar experiences like me in terms of what myths we grew up to genuinely believe in. I especially loved the part where the author explored how: when there are things that we have no easy answer for, we depend on lores, paniniwala or pamanhiin to put the blame on, hence unknowingly dismissing what might be the truth which made me think a lot about my own culture. That said, I am pushing myself to read more filipino authors in the future!
August 19, 2018
Trust Fund Babies is a short but fascinating story about two (supernatural) families and their war for power. Also the "ubusan ng lahi" (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth) is really what distinguishes it as filipino-made.
The Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol is a bit confusing due to the alternate realities. However, this is the case where your confusion propels you towards the end to know which reality was which. I like this better than the first.
The Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol is a bit confusing due to the alternate realities. However, this is the case where your confusion propels you towards the end to know which reality was which. I like this better than the first.
August 5, 2022
I particularly like the first story, Trust Fund Babies. Just two powerful families trying to kill each other off. The animosity between them went on for so long that they don't even know why the family war started in the first place.
I can actually see the story being turned into a fantasy TV series. I strive to have Beatrice's f*ck-you attitude. She went the extra mile just so she can party in peace. 😅
The second, The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol, can be quite confusing at first but you'll soon get a good grasp on what's happening as you progress.
Both stories were well-written. No wonder Eliza Victoria is winning all of those awards. 🤣
I can actually see the story being turned into a fantasy TV series. I strive to have Beatrice's f*ck-you attitude. She went the extra mile just so she can party in peace. 😅
The second, The Very Last Case of Messrs. Aristotel and Arkimedes Magtanggol, can be quite confusing at first but you'll soon get a good grasp on what's happening as you progress.
Both stories were well-written. No wonder Eliza Victoria is winning all of those awards. 🤣
April 7, 2025
i liked the first story better because of its mafia family vibe and i also liked how gory it is buuut i also liked how mind-boggling (at least for me cause hina compre minsan) the second story is. still a good read!
October 21, 2021
Eto gagamitin namin for our Video Outputs sa 21st CL
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews