BATALLA, FREYA 1LIT DECEMBER 14, 2018

Book Review: “Naermyth” by Karen Francisco

 About the author

According to a brief biography on the back of the book, Karen Francisco is a graduate of

Political Science from Ateneo de Manila University with a second degree of Visual

Communications at the University of the Philippines. She came up with the idea of Naermyth

while interning in a government office and started writing as a past-time.

 Background of the book

The author did not exclusively state her personal purpose for writing the book but based

on my own conclusions, I believe that she was influenced by Rick Riordan’s middle-grade

works and attempted to make her own retelling of local myths to suit younger and modern

tastes. She probably wanted to shed light on our own collection of traditional tales and make

people more interested in the genre. She could also be intending to make a statement by

portraying these mythological monsters as metaphors for real-life issues that are destroying

our society today, or how we need not look into dark, remote places for monsters for they may

be just among us, running government positions and stealing money off people’s taxes.

 Why did you choose this book and how does it help you on your potential research?

As I have mentioned before in my previous book review proposal essay, I came across this

book when I was scrounging Goodreads for a list of must-read and highly-recommended

Philippine literature and this was among the top picks with an average rating of 3.91 stars. The

strange title caught my attention and I got intrigued because of its unique and never-before-

seen premise. When I skimmed through the existing positive reviews left by people on the site,
I was convinced that I must read and decide for myself if the book indeed deserves the praises

it was receiving. Prior to that, I have never tried reading any book written by a local author and

certainly not one that involves native stories in an anti-utopian setting, incorporating archaic

lower-supernatural characters and old superstitions with modern concepts and contemporary

elements. Since I’m an avid fan of western mythology, having already familiarized myself with

known Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian tales, I thought that it is, perhaps, time that I delve

into the rich and vast world of Philippine urban legends. Most of us, including myself, have

little difficulty naming the 12 Olympian deities or narrating the fable of how the Battle of Troy

unfolds in detail, but ironically cannot recount one of Philippine origin, mainly because they

are never really discussed in schools or popularized in media. I think this current situation is

rather sad and unfortunate, considering that our own culture’s mythology has so much

remarkable content to offer. And so, in relation to my potential research topic, I have decided

that I would like to study about the cultural impact and significance of these folklore and how

they constitute an important part of our social heritage and historical identity. Myths aren’t just

mere stories to be dismissed as baseless nonsense, overly-imaginative and illogically-

constructed explanations for natural phenomenon before the discovery of science, for they are

a reflection of how a certain group of people used to perceive the world they are part of and

how they choose to relate these to their own way of living. They contain pieces of cultures

long forgotten in them, intricately weaved into each narrative. And I think it is time that we

start from our own roots and first try to understand how our own local myths have played vital

roles in shaping and defining the reality of our ancestors and contemporary Filipinos in ways

that we have not noticed before.

 Why should others read it and why are you recommending it?

After reading the book myself, I see no reason why others should not indulge themselves

in this world and these characters. The premise is high-key promising, and the plot a refreshing

change from the usual themes in local literature nowadays. The language used can be easily

understood by most and does not contain highfalutin words that will confuse readers. The

characters are well-written and three-dimensional: Athena, the main character, is strong and

determined yet still flawed and vulnerable as to not be a Mary Sue. The world-building is

detailed and realistic as the author incorporated familiar places and settings in the plot. The

dialogue may not be convincing enough at times, the storyline’s pacing slow and dragging,

and the first-person point-of-view somehow limited the readers’ connection with other

characters and perception of events as a whole but overall, I think the book is a quite impressive

debut for the author. It is evident that she did her background research on local mythology very

intensively.

 Synopsis

Some years ago, all creatures from every mythology ever created rose up from their dark

hiding places, where they have remained out of sight for thousands of years, and declared war

on human civilization. The humans lost, and along with them existing societies and nations,

while those who survived are now the ones being hunted into captivity and barely continuing

to exist. In the Philippines, the only resisting organization left against the Naermyth is the

Shepherd, a group of people with the task to rescue and give refuge to the few remaining

survivors still living in this post-apocalyptic world. One of them is Athena, nicknamed Aegis,

who is among the best skilled fighters in the group. During one rescue mission, she is able to

save a man named Dorian from dwende imprisonment but after a near-death encounter with a
 batibat, she discovers that he is no ordinary mortal and is probably the most dangerous threat

to have around, or their only chance at salvation. However, after uncovering a huge secret

about his background, she finds herself being drawn to protect him and going against her nature

and principle as a Shepherd and a Naermyth killer.

 Target audience

Since the genre of the book centers on urban fantasy and dystopian themes and features

young adult protagonists, the novel is catered towards people who are mostly in their late teens

or early twenties to mid-thirties who fancy stories that contain magic, unrealistic settings,

supernatural beings, distorted realities, and action-packed battle scenes. It also serves as a good

introductory read for people who are interested in learning more about Philippine myths and

folklores.

 Is it good or bad literature?

What makes a certain story a notable piece of literature? To be considered one, most claim

that it takes more than just flowery language, a compelling plot, and interesting yet authentic

characters. A good literature is timeless. It does not matter whether it is written hundreds of

years ago or just yesterday. It should be conveying an important message that can be

understood by people from different cultures, generations and places. A good literature should

have a purpose for why it was written, whether it is to make people aware of the common ills

faced by society at a particular time or to provide entertainment. It should be able to take the

reader in a journey of a lifetime, one that they will not easily forget. Lastly, it should be able

to touch lives. A good literature creates such a huge impact that it can influence people’s way

of thinking and view of the world even without them noticing it. And I strongly believe that

Naermyth has the potential to be exactly that. Therefore, I consider it to be good literature.