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Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths
224 pages, Paperback
Published May 27, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 18, 2025
I've been looking forward to reading this collection of eight short stories by Douglas Candano, published by Penguin, no less, and serendipitously handed it to him for a dedication moments after purchase. The book checks most of the boxes of adjectives I seek in a collection like this: it's generally surreal, sometimes horrific and mind-bending, but ultimately, as eerie as some stories play out, still oddly familiar.
All stories in the collection are compelling reads, but most arrestingly familiar and captivating are the last two stories, The Way of Those Who Stayed Behind and The Lament of Philip Reyes. With the former you get snippets of a childhood narrated in retrospect, of the stifling, pervading atmosphere of a multi-generational house/fortress/compound, the superstitious mantras owed to tradition, the constant undercurrents and culture of fear--of displeasing the dead, the elders, the escalating possibilities of kidnappings, and finally, the matriarchal arc of the typical upper middle class Filipino-Chinese family of the seventies and eighties. The latter story is an episode straight out of The Twilight Zone of the sixties, albeit with an R rating with no hint of redemption, and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Gritty, dreamlike, yet disgustingly familiar, it's a simple story of a day in the life of a guy who can't seem to get a break. Yet Candano tells it so vividly, you'll need a long, hot shower to take away the smell of sex and stale tobacco that has adhered to your hair, and scrub off the mix of grime and cheap, likely expired massage lotion that has calcified on your skin.
All stories in the collection are compelling reads, but most arrestingly familiar and captivating are the last two stories, The Way of Those Who Stayed Behind and The Lament of Philip Reyes. With the former you get snippets of a childhood narrated in retrospect, of the stifling, pervading atmosphere of a multi-generational house/fortress/compound, the superstitious mantras owed to tradition, the constant undercurrents and culture of fear--of displeasing the dead, the elders, the escalating possibilities of kidnappings, and finally, the matriarchal arc of the typical upper middle class Filipino-Chinese family of the seventies and eighties. The latter story is an episode straight out of The Twilight Zone of the sixties, albeit with an R rating with no hint of redemption, and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Gritty, dreamlike, yet disgustingly familiar, it's a simple story of a day in the life of a guy who can't seem to get a break. Yet Candano tells it so vividly, you'll need a long, hot shower to take away the smell of sex and stale tobacco that has adhered to your hair, and scrub off the mix of grime and cheap, likely expired massage lotion that has calcified on your skin.
July 19, 2024
3.5 / 5 ⭐️
April 19, 2024
Book 16 of Year 2024: Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths by Douglas Candano
✯✯✯✯✯
Collection of stories with the genres of horror, magic realism, metafiction, and scientific fiction. These tales with elements from mythology, folklore, Philippine history, and the Chinese-Filipino experience form a nightmarish version of Manila.
As a person whose part of growing up was to listen to stories about 𝘢𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘯𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰, and other folklore stories from my own parents, this book has made me feel nostalgic. But it doesn’t change the fact that the stories here are literally scary and creepy. Also, the writing style of the author is really engaging and easy to read. And the way he described all the elements involved here is really specific and easy to imagine for the readers.
All in all, this book is a great read for me. It’s just so refreshing to read this kind of genre. This is the kind of book I really can’t put down!
Thank you @penguinbookssea for the copy. What a great read!
✯✯✯✯✯
Collection of stories with the genres of horror, magic realism, metafiction, and scientific fiction. These tales with elements from mythology, folklore, Philippine history, and the Chinese-Filipino experience form a nightmarish version of Manila.
As a person whose part of growing up was to listen to stories about 𝘢𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘯𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰, and other folklore stories from my own parents, this book has made me feel nostalgic. But it doesn’t change the fact that the stories here are literally scary and creepy. Also, the writing style of the author is really engaging and easy to read. And the way he described all the elements involved here is really specific and easy to imagine for the readers.
All in all, this book is a great read for me. It’s just so refreshing to read this kind of genre. This is the kind of book I really can’t put down!
Thank you @penguinbookssea for the copy. What a great read!
May 12, 2024
Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths is a collection of 8 short stories by Douglas Candano. These stories explore genres such as horror, magical realism, folklore, mythology, metafiction, science fiction, all of them set in a nightmarish version of Manila. They somehow remind of me Camilla Grudova or Mariana Enriquez's stories where they focus a lot on elements of horror / body horror and absurdism. Through these genres, Douglas Candano explored the historical aspects of Philippines, the state of the marginalized, and the Chinese-Filipino experience. In certain stories, Candano created a somewhat dream-like or hallucinatory atmosphere through his straightforward prose.
My favourite stories would be "Where Old Whores Go to Die" (a grant application assessment which set out the context and procedures that govern a concentration camp for aged prostitutes so that they can become more productive citizens), "Dreaming Valhalla" (a family's noodle restaurant is converted into Norse-themed girly bar), "A Visit to the Exhibition of the International Committee on Children's Rights" (a group of children takes a field trip to see an exhibition on children's rights which ended up being traumatized by the trip), "The Lament of Philip Reyes" (a failed doctor magically sees all different possibilities of his life). These stories are different, unique and a fresh take on Filipino literature. A 3.8/5 star read to me. Thanks to Penguin SEA for sending a review copy of this book to me!
My favourite stories would be "Where Old Whores Go to Die" (a grant application assessment which set out the context and procedures that govern a concentration camp for aged prostitutes so that they can become more productive citizens), "Dreaming Valhalla" (a family's noodle restaurant is converted into Norse-themed girly bar), "A Visit to the Exhibition of the International Committee on Children's Rights" (a group of children takes a field trip to see an exhibition on children's rights which ended up being traumatized by the trip), "The Lament of Philip Reyes" (a failed doctor magically sees all different possibilities of his life). These stories are different, unique and a fresh take on Filipino literature. A 3.8/5 star read to me. Thanks to Penguin SEA for sending a review copy of this book to me!
September 5, 2024
I actually finished this before I started Auster’s “Sunset Park” but had failed to log it at the time. A thoroughly enjoyable collection of stories that I will surely revisit.
I especially liked that he didn’t fall into the Atenean trap of overcomplicating his writing. The stories are easy to follow while still being impactful - a testament to the author’s brilliance.
I especially liked that he didn’t fall into the Atenean trap of overcomplicating his writing. The stories are easy to follow while still being impactful - a testament to the author’s brilliance.
November 13, 2024
Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. I read a few stories and thought they weren’t interesting. No development, no twist or punch… Like someone told me (thanks, Jerome): life is too short to read bad books.
December 24, 2025
sometimes, a girl only ever needs a collection of surreal short stories to get her out of a rut. this book called to me from my shelf and was the perfect choice. infinite lives, infinite deaths filled me with a renewed curiosity for the brgys i've called home and the streets i've gotten lost in here in manila—all the chismis both known and unknown.
the palanca award-winning " dreaming valhalla" was an early favorite. it tells the success story of a family-owned pansitan in binondo, its ruin, and its baffling transformation into a norse-themed men's night club almost overnight. i thought this was a brilliant intro into candano's work—unsettling, joyless yet playful, and so hungry—and made me crave for more, an insatiety that stays true to the themes of this collection.
"a visit to the exhibition of children's rights" aka "field trip sa may pagawaan ng trauma" was not subtle at all. it unfolds like a house of horrors rollercoaster as i was being led from one hall to the next. emphasis on felt: the imagery is so vivid that at one point i thought i might have a panic attack, like i was also in the room, also unable to look away.
i can recall 2 particular reads that have stayed with me for the worst reasons, the kind of graphic that demanded a smoke break. that's akutagawa's "hell screen" and the better murakami's "in the miso soup". now there's a third: "an epistle and testimony from 13 june 1604". really ate with that religious trauma i need a lobotomy 🤩
i love how fresh and cohesive these stories feel with references scattered across narratives—some a bit on the nose but it only contributed to the thrilling reader experience, strong reminders that all of this is contained in one nightmarish version of manila.
also love the academic stylings of each story. writing a plot through letters and emails is one thing; but a whole story within a grant application, one that is bold and reveals a new layer with each section? i was taking notes in my head.
5 whole stars for the experience this book gave. thoroughly enjoyed it in as much as i'm also very deeply disturbed.
[4TH STORY CHECK-IN]
everything feels so vivid and almost perfectly drawn out in my head as i inhale these stories. i could've sworn the drug store was THEE socorro drugstore in calle real iloilo that just got replaced by a watsons.
also it's like when you go to an eerie restaurant or mall and you don't know why it gives you the creeps but it's giving ✨"dito nila ako pin@tay"✨ so you start making up stories to your friends about the snake that appears in the fitting rooms or the siopao that doesn't taste like pork or beef or chicken 😬
think that and a sprinkle of academic — these stories are the heights of fiction you can reach when you really lock in with your research. loving them a lot so far! even made me crave pansit!
the palanca award-winning " dreaming valhalla" was an early favorite. it tells the success story of a family-owned pansitan in binondo, its ruin, and its baffling transformation into a norse-themed men's night club almost overnight. i thought this was a brilliant intro into candano's work—unsettling, joyless yet playful, and so hungry—and made me crave for more, an insatiety that stays true to the themes of this collection.
"a visit to the exhibition of children's rights" aka "field trip sa may pagawaan ng trauma" was not subtle at all. it unfolds like a house of horrors rollercoaster as i was being led from one hall to the next. emphasis on felt: the imagery is so vivid that at one point i thought i might have a panic attack, like i was also in the room, also unable to look away.
i can recall 2 particular reads that have stayed with me for the worst reasons, the kind of graphic that demanded a smoke break. that's akutagawa's "hell screen" and the better murakami's "in the miso soup". now there's a third: "an epistle and testimony from 13 june 1604". really ate with that religious trauma i need a lobotomy 🤩
i love how fresh and cohesive these stories feel with references scattered across narratives—some a bit on the nose but it only contributed to the thrilling reader experience, strong reminders that all of this is contained in one nightmarish version of manila.
also love the academic stylings of each story. writing a plot through letters and emails is one thing; but a whole story within a grant application, one that is bold and reveals a new layer with each section? i was taking notes in my head.
5 whole stars for the experience this book gave. thoroughly enjoyed it in as much as i'm also very deeply disturbed.
[4TH STORY CHECK-IN]
everything feels so vivid and almost perfectly drawn out in my head as i inhale these stories. i could've sworn the drug store was THEE socorro drugstore in calle real iloilo that just got replaced by a watsons.
also it's like when you go to an eerie restaurant or mall and you don't know why it gives you the creeps but it's giving ✨"dito nila ako pin@tay"✨ so you start making up stories to your friends about the snake that appears in the fitting rooms or the siopao that doesn't taste like pork or beef or chicken 😬
think that and a sprinkle of academic — these stories are the heights of fiction you can reach when you really lock in with your research. loving them a lot so far! even made me crave pansit!
August 14, 2024
The world around us, the place we live in, and the people we surround with, how much are you aware of them? Yourself in fragments, how familiar are you to it?
Depicted in this collection of eight short stories entitled “Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths” by Douglas Candano are masterfully crafted horrors that slumber deep within ourselves and stumble on their presence way before realizing their existence. Set in between the histories of the Philippines magnified in the daily lives mostly of the Chinese-Filipino community, this series of different disturbing, horrifying, and traumatizing stories focus on the vast probabilities of life and death beyond our control and perception that only the realism of magic, science fiction, mythology, and folklore can materialize and disturb the undisturbed minds of ours.
As a person who slowly devours and deeply internalizes every story in this book, I must admit that it was hard to recover after every finished story where I wanted to escape from what I had just empathized and sympathized for it felt torture yet my mind was blown at how these were conceptualized and if these are truly hidden and still exists in the depths of our community, blinding the border of fiction and nonfiction. Yet, these are not just as it is but each lies a profound life lesson that humanity sometimes forgets. Such praise is also given as one moves along the pages of the book because even though each story is different to tell when given much attention, their time and place have an invisible string that stitches them all. The stories are not typical horrors that we hear and experience but things that will haunt our minds and fill our nightmares. It is yours, dear readers, to unravel them within the comforts of your ratiocination.
Though challenged in belief systems, I must say that I have died and lived, mourned and lashed out, demanded to be out of my mind, and managed to retain my sanity in every story of it yet it is a recommendation to read and a fascination to encounter a world of, especially for those who dwell in stories of the macabre world.
Depicted in this collection of eight short stories entitled “Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths” by Douglas Candano are masterfully crafted horrors that slumber deep within ourselves and stumble on their presence way before realizing their existence. Set in between the histories of the Philippines magnified in the daily lives mostly of the Chinese-Filipino community, this series of different disturbing, horrifying, and traumatizing stories focus on the vast probabilities of life and death beyond our control and perception that only the realism of magic, science fiction, mythology, and folklore can materialize and disturb the undisturbed minds of ours.
As a person who slowly devours and deeply internalizes every story in this book, I must admit that it was hard to recover after every finished story where I wanted to escape from what I had just empathized and sympathized for it felt torture yet my mind was blown at how these were conceptualized and if these are truly hidden and still exists in the depths of our community, blinding the border of fiction and nonfiction. Yet, these are not just as it is but each lies a profound life lesson that humanity sometimes forgets. Such praise is also given as one moves along the pages of the book because even though each story is different to tell when given much attention, their time and place have an invisible string that stitches them all. The stories are not typical horrors that we hear and experience but things that will haunt our minds and fill our nightmares. It is yours, dear readers, to unravel them within the comforts of your ratiocination.
Though challenged in belief systems, I must say that I have died and lived, mourned and lashed out, demanded to be out of my mind, and managed to retain my sanity in every story of it yet it is a recommendation to read and a fascination to encounter a world of, especially for those who dwell in stories of the macabre world.
November 10, 2025
Finishing this book at exactly 3pm (the time of Christ’s death), as the gloomy sky indicates a raging typhoon, feels appropriate to the theme of this book.
All of these stories exist in a nightmarish, Twilight Zone version of Manila. The mysteries they present are enough to make you keep reading, even when they don’t offer any satisfying endings.
Candano’s writing style is dry, slow, and painfully detailed, which some may interpret as boring, but speaking as an academic who reads academic papers for fun, this was truly a treat.
I especially love how Candano experimented with academic forms to tell bizarre yet grounded stories—a folklorist’s field notes, a grant application, archived and translated manuscripts, etc.
My rating lacks a star because these stories felt very much like a “share ko lang,” as though the author wanted to explore premises, but not really attempt to untangle the themes at their core. We’re left with hints about the liminality of cultural identity, and a lingering frustration very similar to the kind you’d have when trying to remember a fast-fleeting dream upon waking.
All of these stories exist in a nightmarish, Twilight Zone version of Manila. The mysteries they present are enough to make you keep reading, even when they don’t offer any satisfying endings.
Candano’s writing style is dry, slow, and painfully detailed, which some may interpret as boring, but speaking as an academic who reads academic papers for fun, this was truly a treat.
I especially love how Candano experimented with academic forms to tell bizarre yet grounded stories—a folklorist’s field notes, a grant application, archived and translated manuscripts, etc.
My rating lacks a star because these stories felt very much like a “share ko lang,” as though the author wanted to explore premises, but not really attempt to untangle the themes at their core. We’re left with hints about the liminality of cultural identity, and a lingering frustration very similar to the kind you’d have when trying to remember a fast-fleeting dream upon waking.
December 19, 2024
"A passive eavesdropper to the girl’s conversation as they went through topics." - The Lament of Philip Reyes, Infinite Lives, Infinite Deaths
I’ll admit it, I’m a bit of an eavesdropper when it comes to conversations. With my time in Human Resources, I’ve spent a lot of it focusing on people… how they act, their behavior, the infractions they make, and sitting in on admin hearings, listening to their reasons for it all. My HRBPs are great at getting those reasons out of them. Even in the hallways, the pantry, or the restroom, everything seems to be driven by conversation. And this book? It’s just like one of those talks you can’t help but listen in on. Even in bookstores, I find myself drawn to it from a distant vantage point, unable to resist looking at it while browsing other titles. It simply grabs your attention.
Continue reading... https://www.anthonyshieh.com/infinite...
September 15, 2024
"These fictional horror stories disturb, not only for their subject matter, but because they have the feel of nonfiction. Candano’s world feels all too real, its darkness and evils only highlighted by its supernatural and fantasy elements. All is black, and all is blight. Visit his world at your peril."
Read the rest of the review at https://exlibrisphilippines.com/2024/...
Read the rest of the review at https://exlibrisphilippines.com/2024/...
March 17, 2025
Final rating: 3.5
These stories are a bit of a slow burn, but when things pick up, they get intense fast. This narrative style is personally not for me, though I still found some enjoyment in the stories. Sadly, this didn't click too much with me. However, I loved the concepts, especially of the first and last stories.
These stories are a bit of a slow burn, but when things pick up, they get intense fast. This narrative style is personally not for me, though I still found some enjoyment in the stories. Sadly, this didn't click too much with me. However, I loved the concepts, especially of the first and last stories.
June 5, 2025
the kind of book that has you checking google if the stories here were real lmao
anw the writing is amazing!! it easily transports you into the world. it’s just that…. i don’t know, the same all throughout. i wanted the storytelling to be different?? since this is a collection of stories?? but they all end up the same idk if im explaining myself right HAHA that’s jus how i feel
anw the writing is amazing!! it easily transports you into the world. it’s just that…. i don’t know, the same all throughout. i wanted the storytelling to be different?? since this is a collection of stories?? but they all end up the same idk if im explaining myself right HAHA that’s jus how i feel
October 6, 2025
This one felt like reading a history book about some part of Binondo and although there were some disturbing scenes in the 8 short stories, it was monotonous and didn't have much development. But each plot of the short stories piqued my interest, it was still interesting how he was able to weave reality and magic realism into this version of Manila.
December 2, 2024
3.5 🌟 A collection of modern folklore. The stories felt real but subtlety strange.
I like how the stories were in the same universe with bits of another story mentioned. That said, I think I was expecting the tales to be a bit more spooky.
I like how the stories were in the same universe with bits of another story mentioned. That said, I think I was expecting the tales to be a bit more spooky.
November 16, 2025
Some of the stories were nightmarishly boring… Still an interesting read, had me wondering whether the stories were real most of the time. I liked how disturbingly odd the stories were but some had such a slooooow pace.
January 23, 2025
Kinda surreal, kind of you would wonder if it really happens.
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