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Report From the Abyss
"This book is a collection of non-fiction and reportage on fringe cultures and phenomena from 1998 to 2011. In the course of writing for magazines, newspapers, and other print publications, space constraints have often necessitated that articles be edited down to fit their page allotment. I have since restored those pieces to their previous length, tone, and scope -- as they were originally written.
In the interest of historicity, I have endeavored to find updates on as many of the stories as possible."
--From the Author’s Preface
In the interest of historicity, I have endeavored to find updates on as many of the stories as possible."
--From the Author’s Preface
145 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 2, 2014
My process for choosing a book to purchase and read is quite simple: I check online if Michiko Kakutani has reviewed it, and if she hasn't, I'll turn to the Huffington Post or Flavorwire for guidance, all the while keeping tabs on book award shortlists and winners. Rarely do I pick up a book that I haven't researched because most of them tend to be too expensive for my frugality.
One copy of Karl De Mesa's Report From the Abyss was standing on a shelf near the local books section, flanked by Kikomachine Komix and Lourd de Veyra's This is a Crazy Planets 2, in one of the smaller National Bookstore branches in Taytay. Walk by too fast, and you'd miss it. I held it for a long time, thinking the cover a little objectionable and the blurb too vague for a non-fiction book. This might be one of those guys na pa-cool, I thought, with useless typography, 90s garage band rock playlists, and a lot of nonsense about college chicks and masturbating. I bought it anyway, hoping for something good since it was non-fiction.
I'm happy to report that this impulse purchase is worth the pretty penny. Although the book cover might say otherwise, Karl De Mesa wasn't playing around with this collection of essays. Though each article can be read on its own, De Mesa's intelligent, crisp, and masculine writing makes everything flow seamlessly from cover to cover, as if he truly was writing concise, direct-to-the-point reports.
The title is an accurate metaphor for De Mesa's reportage on an assortment of topics--from the paranormal to the political--which conjure images of literal darkness and spectres to a more figurative one to describe the rot in our government. This book is highly engrossing due to its prose and scope, far from being considered a daunting or disjointed read. This is how I want to write about my life.
Find this one if you can and bring it home. Join us in the Dark Side.
One copy of Karl De Mesa's Report From the Abyss was standing on a shelf near the local books section, flanked by Kikomachine Komix and Lourd de Veyra's This is a Crazy Planets 2, in one of the smaller National Bookstore branches in Taytay. Walk by too fast, and you'd miss it. I held it for a long time, thinking the cover a little objectionable and the blurb too vague for a non-fiction book. This might be one of those guys na pa-cool, I thought, with useless typography, 90s garage band rock playlists, and a lot of nonsense about college chicks and masturbating. I bought it anyway, hoping for something good since it was non-fiction.
I'm happy to report that this impulse purchase is worth the pretty penny. Although the book cover might say otherwise, Karl De Mesa wasn't playing around with this collection of essays. Though each article can be read on its own, De Mesa's intelligent, crisp, and masculine writing makes everything flow seamlessly from cover to cover, as if he truly was writing concise, direct-to-the-point reports.
The title is an accurate metaphor for De Mesa's reportage on an assortment of topics--from the paranormal to the political--which conjure images of literal darkness and spectres to a more figurative one to describe the rot in our government. This book is highly engrossing due to its prose and scope, far from being considered a daunting or disjointed read. This is how I want to write about my life.
Find this one if you can and bring it home. Join us in the Dark Side.
March 27, 2025
the intro is terrible, but the rest of the book is great. sharp witty prose, sometimes a little too pretentious for my taste but whatever
August 3, 2016
Left me wanting for something that wasn't there- some essays were better than the others. Interesting perspective on the supernatural, communism, familial relationship and being a writer to capture them on paper.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews