Mythspace: Humanity

by Paolo Chikiamco, Cristina R. Chua

A sci-fi reimagining of Philippine folklore! In a galazy where humans have no rights, Danny and Marta work as slaves in the mines of the Kataw. But when a legend rescues them, they must decide what freedom is really worth…

ebook

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

A lawyer by training and a writer by inclination, in 2009 Paolo resigned from one of the top law firms in the country to establish Eight Ray Sun Publishing Inc., driven to take advantage of the burgeoning ebook market to allow Filipino Speculative Fiction authors a chance, not only to reach an international audience, but to eventually make a living from writing.

Paolo’s articles have appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Online Chronicles, and Code RED Magazine. His stories have appeared in the Digest of Philippine Genre Stories, A Time for Dragons, and the Farthest Shore. He won third place in the 2009 Carlos Palanca Awards in the Short Story for Children (English) category. His greatest escapade was sneaking in to watch Total Recall when he was 12 years old. It was totally not worth it.

Reviews

[Noninuna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martha & Danny work at a mines on an asteroid, living life as slave labors and what makes them bare the horrendous work is the community of the labors. How they cheer one another and sometimes sit together to listen to old folklore stories from the elders. Then, come the massive disaster and when the folklore they've been hearing turn out to be true, Martha question herself of what freedom really consist of. Is it only about me and me alone or it involve you and us.

It's a really short graphic novel, kinda like an introduction to a new series. Enjoyed it, especially the art!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danny and Marta is the most powerful space ship.

[Vani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mythspace: Humanity is a gripping yet short tale of human miners who've been slaves to an alien race for generations. Their ancestors were taken from Earth (spelled Urt in the story) a long time ago and forced to work in underground mines, looking for a rare (mineral?) known as Qoltan.

In telling the tale of Danny and Marta, the two primary protagonists of the story, the author has brought up interesting ethical questions about humanity, procreation, hope and survival. In choosing to leave the miners behind, Danny shows a strong tendency towards self preservation and an instinct for survival. However, Marta who was also rescued chooses to return to the mines to find a way to rescue everyone. Marta's selfless act while admirable may prove to be her undoing but the tale ends with Marta hiding the truth of Danny's rescue and encouraging the miners to keep hope alive.

Ultimately, isn't that what humanity is all about? Some are survivalists while others choose to sacrifice themselves for the common good. If and when the time arrives, each of us will need to decide what our actions will be.