Micro Malaysians!

by Anwar Hadi (editor), Anusha V.R., Afif Zakaria

Contains 100 very short stories. No story has more than 150 words.
The stories feature accidental cannibals and amorous couples, malevolent ghosts and mirthful gags. In short, it is a smorgasbord of the Malaysian experience, bite sized and biting. Chosen from over 1100 entries, this volume might be the beginning of something big - or maybe even something small.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

148 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2017

Reviews

[Anis Suhaila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt like there were a lot of missed opportunities, stories could have had more punch than it had. But it is hard to write a story of less than 150 words.

Favourites: Gone Datin, For Sale, Foreplay.

[Regina Ibrahim · Rating 2 out of 5]

100 stories out of 1,100 enteries. Each one not more than 150 words. some of the stories are really good, some are meaningless... biasalah kerja kombinasi. Caryn Koh illustrations are gorgeous. Story no 80 about wifi code is not original...some stories are personal. Worth reading easy to carry. handbag size.

2.5 rate given (kerana buku ini harus lebih menarik di waktu yang akan datang).

[Syaihan Syafiq · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 100 (yes, you read it correctly) micro short stories from various writers. Some names I know of personally, some I have met before at book gatherings, and some I haven't heard of.

But what makes this anthology differs from other collection of short stories is that it manages to cater to almost everybody's needs and interests. There's a gut-wrenching drama, a psychedelic story of aliens, ghosts or the supernatural, clever observation of extraordinary occurrences happen to regular folks and much more.

It's so hard to tell which are my favorite because each and every micro short story have their very own uniqueness. Kudos to the editor who have managed to curate such a comprehensive collection of short stories within this small pocket-sized book. Also, the accompanying illustrations done by Caryn Koh are sometimes minimalist but manage to successfully tie-in with the story perfectly.

I hope Micro Malaysians! will be an annual thing by Buku Fixi (Fixi Novo), just like Little Basket. This collection fall short of a perfect 5-star rating only because it's too thin.

PEOPLE NEED TO READ MOAR SHORT STORIES!!!!

[Fadillah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But i am not the past they molded. I do not tell the tales they require. To believe in me is to first un-believe. So i remain drowned. But i am here. I am here”.
- Drowning Majapahit by Sharmilla Ganesan (9)
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Maybe because i read some review (how people are leaving it between 2 or 3 stars and it did reduce my expectation) but once i finished it, i thoroughly enjoyed the book. Maybe just ‘The Malaysian’ in me which i could be biased but i let you decide if you wanted to pick up this book. How do people write a story that only has 150 words? Sometimes, 150 pages novel also will not be able to have a proper Introduction, absent of monologue, lack of character development and sometimes, an inconclusive ending. Hence, dont expect all of these elements in these short stories. Anwar Hadi did mentioned in the introduction that they received 1163 stories for this book but they can only choose 100 stories and ultimately this book came to fruition. I have to applaud Caryn Koh as the illustrations in this book is amazing. The cover itself already stole my heart (Muslim Girl in High school Uniform with a Dog - you will be surprised that the extremist muslims will chanting ‘Haram’ like theres no tomorrow). I recognized few names among those authors. Glad to know that they have written a novel and managed to expand their career in writing. Some are new to me but their short story got potential. I really hope they persevere and keep on writing. Overall, i would say that this is a solid collection of short stories. Some tales are relatable , funny and some were quite unapologetic in it. Some can be a bit gory, explicit and violent. The themes are diverse : Malaysian timing vs Standard Timing, Pets, Revenge, Spirit / Ghost, Death, Games and many more (i cant list them all). I have about 10 stories that really stood out.
1. Beyond Gray by Flawlove (31)
2. Brothers wished to the mirror by Sufi Khirul Bhari (45)
3. Malaysian Timing by Candice Lim (76)
4. Natural Causes by Subashini Navaratnam (68)
5. Crimson Against Wrinkled Flesh by Tilon Sagulu (35)
6. Bad Date by Au Tang Lin (52)
7. Ramadan Mistake by Hani Mat Yassi (29)
8. Food Lover by Zack Wong (61)
9. You raise me up by Azrie Idzmeer (81)
10. Eat first by Saodah Haji Lasim (80)

[Ain Ashura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of 100, I enjoyed less than 10 stories, okay, maybe around 5.

[Jim Hesnen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels like taking a walk through the city and you passes by all these people and you can hear their little stories. Sweet and honest.

[Rehan Abd Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling completely baffled..the good ones can count by fingers..the rest slightly hit the spot..but totally loved the illustrations..

[Pie Mesnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Micro is great!!!

[Lily Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yusuf Taiyoob.... 😂

[Ashley Chai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I'm so surprised I found this book in Goodreads. The stories here are brilliant, true to its words, short and charming. The key device here is on obviously plot twist. I don't know if there is a reason behind how the stories are arranged. The hardcore fares seem to start first and the light hearted ones at the end. True to the theme, they are all Malaysians and very current to our culture though I think a few stories seem to cling to bygone world. So good I finished this within an hour but no surprise since it's a very small book

[RJ Eszura RJ Ibrahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love love love it! short and sweet.. straight to the point. Not very easy to write too..

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book of 100 short stories containing 150 words each, I'm surprised I took so long to complete this although partly it's because it's been jumping from bag to bag so I could pick up a story for whenever I'm in between things. It's also small enough to do that.

I'm pretty amazed at most of the stories in here. Like wow, they can really mess with your mind in 150 words because it's in the things unsaid?? And there're a few formats the writers play with which is also pretty cool. I also like that some of them came with illustrations; I always felt that they enhance the story.

Some stories are not so fantastic as I feel that they contain too much telling but I guess it's the potential that counts. I also felt a little bit bored that quite a number followed the format of putting the plot twist at the end but er, that is precisely why they make for a good story in such a few words.

This book is good for a quick read or several quick reads when you're commuting or waiting for people to show up or if you get distracted easily.

[Athirah Salleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4/5 ⭐️

Firstly, I love the illustration so much. Some of the stories are really good, some are okay and some are mehh. I feel like the stories have their own potential, i wish the stories are a bit longer but these are short stories. I love how this book has all sort of genres. This is Malaysians.

this book had me thinking of, our regular plain daily routine could bring something big and meaningful if we appreciate life. Anyway, the editor, author and illustrator did a wonderful job into creating this piece.

[Mohd Afiq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories are really good (especially those with plot twists), some make you think about Malaysia and its people and cultures, some are comedic (18SX included), some are just okay. Stories writren with just 150 words can be hard to be written though, so I applaud all contributors here.

Not suitable for those under 18... though now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure many Fixi Novo books are not suitable for juveniles. Oh, and Caryn Koh created really good illustrations.

[H S. A · Rating 4 out of 5]

150 words are not that many and to be able to deliver such moving stories in such a limited space (for some of the stories) are a great talent in itself!

A great effort and it would be superb if there is another anthology of micro stories like this as I will definitely add them to my collection. 😊😊😊

[Nur Husna Ateera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, straight-to-the-point stories with less than 150 words. Of all the 1,163 stories, 100 chose by Anwar Hadi.

Some of them are funny, some could be triggering. But overall, I enjoyed every single one. The ratings are 3.5 stars of 5 stars. These stories revolve around the theme of being a Malaysian.

[Farhira Farudin · Rating 2 out of 5]

some are not even short stories, more like an author’s personal reflections je pun. the ones that are good are mostly horror/thriller. a few are not even original stories, like the mak cik kuih and wifi password stories, i found myself eye rolling so hard. out of 1000+ entries, i just don’t understand why some of these unoriginal stories were selected?

[Nurliyanaas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good quick read.

Apparently 150 words are too short for a story; even for a short story.

Nevertheless some writers managed to deliver gripping stories, left you felt somehow satisfied. Some were lack of originality, more of personal thought and loss the idea they tried to comprehend.

[Hikaoru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it me or fixi's a huge fan of psychotic stories? Love the plot twists. The only downside is there's two unoriginal stories: Makcik Karipap and that wifi password. Recycling hostels/lepak stories is a no for me.

[Melissa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love many stories in this book, but I did not love most of the stories like I did in PJ Confidential or the KL Noir set. I definitely love how each story shows a snippet into Malaysian life or pop culture, but some of the stories have themes/tropes that are repetitive.

[Aifa Radzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think it was a good idea to have the stories limited to 150 words. Some authors did manage to pull through given the word limit. I just felt majority of the stories were massively underdeveloped. However, the aesthetics were pleasing to eyes and the reason why I picked up the book.

[Meor Cavalera · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is cute adorable malaysian

[Plainqoma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished in one seating. Free reading at Kinokuniya. A very short stories not more than 150 words? Kudos guys.

[Siti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing take of all things malaysian stripped naked of cultural taboos and political-correctness. Each story has an unexpected twist but relates to all nonetheless

[Dils AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute snippets of little stories.

Some are entertaining, some ok. But nice to read in between books

[Nadira · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like at least 45% of the stories. Anthologies are anthologies. You can’t really love them all. Some you love more, some you don’t love at all.

[Introvert Insane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading vlog of this book-
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fmkI...

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToaKh...

But brief review:

This is my second time reading this. I bought this a few years ago out of curiosity. I love it. It is a fast roller-coaster read with various bite-sized story on Malaysians. Although I'm surprised at the amount of horror story in here.

[Cammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

the short stories in here are not for kids. nope. just nope.

[SITI NURBAITI MOHAMED · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended to those who really enjoy reading bit-sized stories and this one will do the charm! Introduced this to my students and they really loved it. I also included this in my thesis paper and into my teaching practical and I think it helped me so much.