Si Rey Atalia ay komiks script writer, nagsulat ng istorya at skrip na pampelikula: Galit sa Mundo; Boy Life; Maglulupa Man Ako atbp; dating editor ng ilang tabloid at author ng mga aklat na Walang Hagdan Patungong Langit; Karayom at Just Call Me Lucky.
Why? Rey Atalia's works come to me as more sincere and down-to-earth. Besides, as far as I know, Simula ng Wakas is rare in Philippine literature. It is a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel about people living on earth when the ozone layer is totally destroyed and so it is extremely hot that the people and animals are dying of heat stroke (dehydration), skin cancer and sun blisters. Then it has a touch of spirituality On the other hand, Walang Daan Patungong Langit is about dirt-poor people in the slum who are trying to make ends meet and it reminded me of the short stories of the stories that I really loved in the panitikan ng mga anak pawis (literature of the poor) anthology Mga Agos Sa Disyerto (4 stars). The touch of spirituality is still there because the female lead character is sick and since she is too poor to hope that advances in medical field can extend her life, she turns to religion. I guess the huge difference of these two novels has proven that Rey Atalia has a broader scope in terms of storytelling and creativity. Also, since he is probably more religious or spiritual than his son, he injects these not-really-popular ingredients in his work. So, not minding whether these works of him will make money or not, he chose to defend his work and convinced the PSICOM to publish it. In one of his son's works, he mentioned that his father was a charismatic born-again Christian. In this two-novella book, it seems that the religion is that of Iglesia ni Cristo but of course, I can be wrong. But standing up to one's faith is something I admire on people.
Overall, I liked this book. I am glad to know that the father is better than the son. It reaffirmed my belief that more experiences in life the author has, the richer his non-fiction works tend to become. Age means more experience, more pain, more successes, more emotions. Nothing beats sincerity when it comes to writing.
Walang Hagdan Patungong Langit, ang storyang walang kabanata kaya hindi ko mahinto ang pagbabasa.. I saw the story very good. Heavy drama? Not much for me I don't know for others..
Simula ng Wakas, this is quite a religious story although on W.H.P.L. has a part of it but here it focus more on Judgment Day.. This is a sensitive story for me.. I also imagine about EDSA when it is Judgment day.. :)
Mas gusto ko yung "Walang Hagdan Patungong Langit" than "Simula ng Wakas"