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Taiping Tales of Terror
The stories in this collection are works of personal gratification, nostalgia, and reverence. They serve as homage to the author’s hometown and her favorite horror writers. They take place in various timelines and are written as stories within stories ranging from a headless ghost that returns as a grim reaper, a bird-like creature on the loose, a were-tiger out to seek vengeance, a vampire that decimated an entire village and other restless paranormal entities that walk among us.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 19, 2020
Listen to an interview with Julya Ooi herself on the Two Book Nerds Talking podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/user/renegad...
December 16, 2020
I picked up this book because I was quite tired of the mainstream pontianak novels I used to read when I was younger; I wanted to see what other Malaysian horror writers had to offer (keep in mind that I'm quite a junkie for the horror genre!).
This did not disappoint. From orang minyaks to penanggalans, I loved the variety of ghosts used in the short stories narrated by the boys seated around the campfire. I also loved how the landscape of Taiping (particularly, the Lake Gardens) was used to further bring out the eerieness, creepiness or thrill of the short stories. The author also managed to evoke a great sense of nostalgia by having young teenage boys narrate each of their stories around the campfire: for me, it brought back memories from my Pengakap days. The short stories are also sprinkled with tons of Malaysian culture: think Nyonya houses, trishaws, Buddhist temples and toto-gambling uncles.
If you're looking for a light, local read, I would recommend this. Who says local literature can't be good?
This did not disappoint. From orang minyaks to penanggalans, I loved the variety of ghosts used in the short stories narrated by the boys seated around the campfire. I also loved how the landscape of Taiping (particularly, the Lake Gardens) was used to further bring out the eerieness, creepiness or thrill of the short stories. The author also managed to evoke a great sense of nostalgia by having young teenage boys narrate each of their stories around the campfire: for me, it brought back memories from my Pengakap days. The short stories are also sprinkled with tons of Malaysian culture: think Nyonya houses, trishaws, Buddhist temples and toto-gambling uncles.
If you're looking for a light, local read, I would recommend this. Who says local literature can't be good?
October 28, 2023
Yeah, this needs to be more widely known. I mean first of all what a gorgeous production this physical book is from penguin. Flipping through reviews, most of the small numbers of readers seem to have some background/ ties to Malaysia and even to Taiping. Me, who has none of that, still enjoyed this immensely. And for me one of the great aspects was the cultural component: history, traditions, believes, food, a sense of place. All sprinkled into these tales. A few times I consulted google but honestly I love that, these stories shouldn't over-explain their culture to me, the white, Western readers. It's not so hard to pull up the phone and look up a few things I am uninformed about. I mean how ridiculous would it be if an American book explains the civil war once it's mention or what biscuits and gravy are? Same here, I either understood from context or looked it up and now have a better understand of this part of the world, all from reading a bunch of creepy stories.
I would say that the "Terror" from the title is a bit dramatic and not quite correct but I agree, it makes the better alliteration. These tales are rather creepy and unsettling than terrifying, they have some intense moments here or there but it's more about atmosphere and there is a actually a large number of ghost stories with feelings closer to dread than fear. I often don't enjoy ghost stories but these were often interesting, likely due to the cultural component. There is always a bit more to take away from each tale than the scare factor and I relished that.
My favorite thing about this collection was the structure though. It is told within the framework of a group of kids sitting around a campfire sharing ghost stories. But that's not simply the introduction, no, at the beginning and end of these stories the boys make comments, ask questions, point out things that don't add up about the urban legend they just heard. All of these get introduced with the "this happened to someone I know" trope but it so fits the vibe, it kind of makes the vibe. The overall ending is fantastic in that regard. These stories are not just scary tales of Taiping, they are stories of Taiping. But they also pay homage to the concept of storytelling particularly within the Horror genre.
One thing to criticize for me it the writing a bit. From what I can tell these were not translated but written in English. The English sometimes sounded a bit stilted, a tiny bit overwritten, the flow a bit off. I myself am not native to English but now it's the language I live, dream and write in. Still, my background sometimes come through in choosing a word that is maybe not straight up wrong but odd in the context or my sentences occasionally pop up in weird structure. When I look over my older writings I often find strange constructions and word choices. That's exactly how some of the idiosyncrasies read to me. But I'm guessing at that for the reason, maybe Oui's style is just a bit too eccentric for me? But it did not hinder my enjoyment, I just occasionally stumbled over a word or a sentence and when I think about it, it actually added a particular charm to these, and it doesn't happen as often as I might make it sound here.
So, if you are looking to diversify your Horror reading a bit and branch into other cultures, this is a great choice. If you are already familiar and connected to Malaysia this might be nostalgic and personal for you. And if you simply crave a solid assemblage of spook, this should suffice!
My top 5:
5) The Haunting of the Headless Thrishaw Man
4) Hunt for the Were Tiger
3) The Thirteenth Ghost
2) The Man Who Wouldn't Die
1) Chap Gore Mare
The one I'd skip:
I wouldn't skip any because the way they are connected by their structure create a beautiful flow. But my least favorite story was "Curse of the Papaya Tree".
I would say that the "Terror" from the title is a bit dramatic and not quite correct but I agree, it makes the better alliteration. These tales are rather creepy and unsettling than terrifying, they have some intense moments here or there but it's more about atmosphere and there is a actually a large number of ghost stories with feelings closer to dread than fear. I often don't enjoy ghost stories but these were often interesting, likely due to the cultural component. There is always a bit more to take away from each tale than the scare factor and I relished that.
My favorite thing about this collection was the structure though. It is told within the framework of a group of kids sitting around a campfire sharing ghost stories. But that's not simply the introduction, no, at the beginning and end of these stories the boys make comments, ask questions, point out things that don't add up about the urban legend they just heard. All of these get introduced with the "this happened to someone I know" trope but it so fits the vibe, it kind of makes the vibe. The overall ending is fantastic in that regard. These stories are not just scary tales of Taiping, they are stories of Taiping. But they also pay homage to the concept of storytelling particularly within the Horror genre.
One thing to criticize for me it the writing a bit. From what I can tell these were not translated but written in English. The English sometimes sounded a bit stilted, a tiny bit overwritten, the flow a bit off. I myself am not native to English but now it's the language I live, dream and write in. Still, my background sometimes come through in choosing a word that is maybe not straight up wrong but odd in the context or my sentences occasionally pop up in weird structure. When I look over my older writings I often find strange constructions and word choices. That's exactly how some of the idiosyncrasies read to me. But I'm guessing at that for the reason, maybe Oui's style is just a bit too eccentric for me? But it did not hinder my enjoyment, I just occasionally stumbled over a word or a sentence and when I think about it, it actually added a particular charm to these, and it doesn't happen as often as I might make it sound here.
So, if you are looking to diversify your Horror reading a bit and branch into other cultures, this is a great choice. If you are already familiar and connected to Malaysia this might be nostalgic and personal for you. And if you simply crave a solid assemblage of spook, this should suffice!
My top 5:
5) The Haunting of the Headless Thrishaw Man
4) Hunt for the Were Tiger
3) The Thirteenth Ghost
2) The Man Who Wouldn't Die
1) Chap Gore Mare
The one I'd skip:
I wouldn't skip any because the way they are connected by their structure create a beautiful flow. But my least favorite story was "Curse of the Papaya Tree".
April 12, 2022
“He wanted to tell someone so badly about the hanged man who was sitting on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. Only when he was about to run out of air did the thing drag itself off his chest and was about to scream for help, the hanged man hopped back on to his chest and lay there like a security blanket. Although it has no form or face the shadows on the folds of the blanket anthropomorphized into a being that only alfie could see. Something that had a wicked grin and eyes so dark that there was no end to the abyss from whence it came”.
- The boy who cried hangman (Taiping Tales of terror by Julya Oui)
.
.
Okay, let me be honest by saying that i have high expectation towards this book. I mean you can never go wrong with Southeast Asian / Malaysian horror stories. Unfortunately, i was being let down by the scary factor. These stories were okay-ish. It was not that terrifying that it could send chill to my spines. However, i have my reasons why i still give this book 4 stars. First, it captured Taiping in its entirety. You want headless ghost in Burmese Pool, you got it. You want a gruesome pile of dead bodies floating in Taiping Lake Gardens, here you go. You want restless spirit wandering in Maxwell hill (Bukit Larut), this is the one. Second, the diverse community that lived in Taiping is cemented well in these tales. You came across Malay, Chinese, Indian in these stories that truly believe in superstition and ghosts but you also met those who are skeptical and mocking it by saying it did not exist. Different races has a different names for these ghosts such as Siloban which is referring to Penanggal and or-eu-lang which is referring to Orang Minyak added a nice touch to it. Third, Karma is really the main focus for majority of these stories. You may escape and not being punished by law after committing the crime, but dont ever think that these vengeful spirits will let you go. You will pay the price and it will be much worse than going to jail. Fourth, some of these stories is quite nostalgic actually. For example, the story of “Jaga-jaga”, we often heard the story of the guard who did his duty at night either in school or dormitory but what we dont know is that guard is already passed away 10 years ago. Then, who is the one who came last night? Or 13 people went for a camping but in the name list, theres only 12 people - then who is the ghost among these 13? Fifth is the lesson you learned from these stories is that you dont tempt or summon something that you dont know or quite sure of it. Hollywood horror movie always depicted someone saying hello whenever they hear something unusual but the Malaysian in me will say, nope. Lets get the fuck out of there 😂. Overall, if you are fan of horror stories, this is not for you. It is not that scary. However, if you have never read any southeast asian horror stories and would like to get away from vampire or valak for a change of scenery, this would be a great option.
.
.
Individual Rating for each story :
1. The haunting of the headless trishaw man (4/5)
2. Siloban aka the jamban accident (4/5)
3. Curse of the papaya tree (3/5)
4. Jaga-Jaga (3.5/5)
5. In a locked room in Maxwell hill (3/5)
6. Chap Gore Mare (3.5/5)
7. When the nightbird call your name (3.5/5)
8. The confessions of a gambling man (3.5/5)
9. The boy who cried hanged man (4/5)
10. That oily thing (4/5)
11. Hunt for the were tiger (3/5)
12. The old man who wouldnt die (3/5)
13. The thirteenths ghosts (4/5)
.
- The boy who cried hangman (Taiping Tales of terror by Julya Oui)
.
.
Okay, let me be honest by saying that i have high expectation towards this book. I mean you can never go wrong with Southeast Asian / Malaysian horror stories. Unfortunately, i was being let down by the scary factor. These stories were okay-ish. It was not that terrifying that it could send chill to my spines. However, i have my reasons why i still give this book 4 stars. First, it captured Taiping in its entirety. You want headless ghost in Burmese Pool, you got it. You want a gruesome pile of dead bodies floating in Taiping Lake Gardens, here you go. You want restless spirit wandering in Maxwell hill (Bukit Larut), this is the one. Second, the diverse community that lived in Taiping is cemented well in these tales. You came across Malay, Chinese, Indian in these stories that truly believe in superstition and ghosts but you also met those who are skeptical and mocking it by saying it did not exist. Different races has a different names for these ghosts such as Siloban which is referring to Penanggal and or-eu-lang which is referring to Orang Minyak added a nice touch to it. Third, Karma is really the main focus for majority of these stories. You may escape and not being punished by law after committing the crime, but dont ever think that these vengeful spirits will let you go. You will pay the price and it will be much worse than going to jail. Fourth, some of these stories is quite nostalgic actually. For example, the story of “Jaga-jaga”, we often heard the story of the guard who did his duty at night either in school or dormitory but what we dont know is that guard is already passed away 10 years ago. Then, who is the one who came last night? Or 13 people went for a camping but in the name list, theres only 12 people - then who is the ghost among these 13? Fifth is the lesson you learned from these stories is that you dont tempt or summon something that you dont know or quite sure of it. Hollywood horror movie always depicted someone saying hello whenever they hear something unusual but the Malaysian in me will say, nope. Lets get the fuck out of there 😂. Overall, if you are fan of horror stories, this is not for you. It is not that scary. However, if you have never read any southeast asian horror stories and would like to get away from vampire or valak for a change of scenery, this would be a great option.
.
.
Individual Rating for each story :
1. The haunting of the headless trishaw man (4/5)
2. Siloban aka the jamban accident (4/5)
3. Curse of the papaya tree (3/5)
4. Jaga-Jaga (3.5/5)
5. In a locked room in Maxwell hill (3/5)
6. Chap Gore Mare (3.5/5)
7. When the nightbird call your name (3.5/5)
8. The confessions of a gambling man (3.5/5)
9. The boy who cried hanged man (4/5)
10. That oily thing (4/5)
11. Hunt for the were tiger (3/5)
12. The old man who wouldnt die (3/5)
13. The thirteenths ghosts (4/5)
.
August 28, 2020
Plot twist. Worth every ringgit I spent.
February 16, 2021
This year, Penguin Random House have been publishing works of Malay horror. After glancing at the titles that were scheduled for publication, I quickly selected Julya Oui’s Taiping Tales of Terror for my stack. Its campfire tale summary captivated my interest. After all, what was primal horror at its core if not the stories we tell each other around the campfire?
For the most part, Oui’s collection hit all the right spots, but it still had its faults.
Read the rest of the review here.
For the most part, Oui’s collection hit all the right spots, but it still had its faults.
Read the rest of the review here.
June 3, 2023
Good old fashioned spooky tales with Taiping town twists make for a nice read. To anyone familiar with Taiping-isms, more so. I especially liked the overall format of the content, which was an interesting choice and helped carry the narrative forward in a riveting way. That the stories touch on very real horrors among us serves as a reminder of who the real monsters are. But with retribution on the table, each read is satisfying and never gratuitous for the sake of a scare. If Ms. Oui writes another compilation in the same vein, I would definitely check it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2020
4.3 stars for me. I just love Taiping so much and it’s such a fun read on the local folklore on the tales. Love the scenery and details on food as well as the local customs of Malaysia. It’s such a good depiction of how it is living in Taiping.
January 3, 2024
I really liked the plot twist at the end!
August 3, 2020
Brings back lots of memories. I am reading this to my wife before we go to bed for some hair raising dreams.
September 4, 2020
THIS BOOK IS THE MOST FANTASTIC HORROR. EVER. PERIODT. No other words best describe how great, brilliant it has written. I enjoy it to the fullest! Love it.
First and foremost, my father was born and live for a few years in Taiping. When I saw the title, I immediately show the book to him and he said that this is so cool. Told me to read them now and share with him the details of the story. Exciting!
I love the setting of the story where a group of friends; 12 figures; sat around camp-fire and taking their turn to share their storytelling on ghost stories. Who doesn't do this when they were kids? Am I right? I did and I still do it now. It was fun except not around camp-fire instead of around the dining table lah. In this book, there are 13 stories and boom! an unexpected thing happened that I wasn't prepared for. Nonetheless, that makes me love this book even more.
If you ask me, am I not afraid while reading the book? I do but rather than afraid, I was more excited and too sayang to finish it too soon. I love Julya Oui's writing. It was crafted beautifully. It started off with the person introduction of the story and then, the POV of the characters from the tales itself. oufff, I'm not sure how to really explain but I hope you get the picture with what I mean. Anyway, it does make my hair on neck and hands stand here and there throughout the story and some part it was a bit intense some part was so cruel.
Overall, this is the best, wonderful, exciting horror read this year and it is a local Malaysian folklore horror story. I love it and very much enjoying it. Definitely going to read it next month again. You know, October? Get it? Anyway, Taiping tales of Terror by Julya Oui is available at all good bookstores. Very recommended.
Rating: 10/5 stars
Thank you Time sRead for the review copy in return for an honest review
First and foremost, my father was born and live for a few years in Taiping. When I saw the title, I immediately show the book to him and he said that this is so cool. Told me to read them now and share with him the details of the story. Exciting!
I love the setting of the story where a group of friends; 12 figures; sat around camp-fire and taking their turn to share their storytelling on ghost stories. Who doesn't do this when they were kids? Am I right? I did and I still do it now. It was fun except not around camp-fire instead of around the dining table lah. In this book, there are 13 stories and boom! an unexpected thing happened that I wasn't prepared for. Nonetheless, that makes me love this book even more.
If you ask me, am I not afraid while reading the book? I do but rather than afraid, I was more excited and too sayang to finish it too soon. I love Julya Oui's writing. It was crafted beautifully. It started off with the person introduction of the story and then, the POV of the characters from the tales itself. oufff, I'm not sure how to really explain but I hope you get the picture with what I mean. Anyway, it does make my hair on neck and hands stand here and there throughout the story and some part it was a bit intense some part was so cruel.
Overall, this is the best, wonderful, exciting horror read this year and it is a local Malaysian folklore horror story. I love it and very much enjoying it. Definitely going to read it next month again. You know, October? Get it? Anyway, Taiping tales of Terror by Julya Oui is available at all good bookstores. Very recommended.
Rating: 10/5 stars
Thank you Time sRead for the review copy in return for an honest review
October 22, 2020
0️⃣1️⃣The Haunting of the Headless Trishaw Man ⭐⭐⭐.5 .
0️⃣2️⃣Siloban aka the Jamban Incident ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣3️⃣Curse of the Papaya Tree ⭐⭐⭐.5 .
0️⃣4️⃣Jaga Jaga ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣5️⃣In a Locked Room in Maxwell Hill ⭐⭐⭐⭐
0️⃣6️⃣Chap Gore Mare ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 .
0️⃣7️⃣When the Nightbird Calls Your Name ⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣8️⃣The Confession of a Gambling Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣9️⃣The Boy Who Cried Hanged Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2 .
1️⃣0️⃣That Oily Thing ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
1️⃣1️⃣Hunt for the Were Tiger ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2 .
1️⃣2️⃣The Old Man Who Wouldn't Die ⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 .
1️⃣3️⃣The Thirteenth Ghost ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
.
💬That epilogue definitely puts the twist into the whole story! The last story was not as creepy as some others, but the implications in it, followed by the epilogue, definitely puts the creep in the stories as a whole.
.
Total Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
.
.
Originally posted at ReadingDyad as Miracchin.
0️⃣2️⃣Siloban aka the Jamban Incident ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣3️⃣Curse of the Papaya Tree ⭐⭐⭐.5 .
0️⃣4️⃣Jaga Jaga ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣5️⃣In a Locked Room in Maxwell Hill ⭐⭐⭐⭐
0️⃣6️⃣Chap Gore Mare ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 .
0️⃣7️⃣When the Nightbird Calls Your Name ⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣8️⃣The Confession of a Gambling Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
0️⃣9️⃣The Boy Who Cried Hanged Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2 .
1️⃣0️⃣That Oily Thing ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
1️⃣1️⃣Hunt for the Were Tiger ⭐⭐⭐⭐.2 .
1️⃣2️⃣The Old Man Who Wouldn't Die ⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 .
1️⃣3️⃣The Thirteenth Ghost ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
.
💬That epilogue definitely puts the twist into the whole story! The last story was not as creepy as some others, but the implications in it, followed by the epilogue, definitely puts the creep in the stories as a whole.
.
Total Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
.
.
Originally posted at ReadingDyad as Miracchin.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews