The Philippine Online Chronicles

Imagine a post-apocalyptic Manila that has been taken over by the dark shadows of Philippine folklore - the Naermyth - in a novel that is part heroine's journey and part encyclopedia on everything otherworldly.

As her journey proceeds, she meets Dorian – a handsome corporate yuppie that seems to have missed the past five nears of the war while in a Naermyth-induced hibernation. Stranger than that, he seems to have been totally unaffected by his slumber, possessing strength and an ability to fight that surpasses her own.

He also seems to emit a glow of “aether” or spirit energy that does not seem to fade as time passes, leading Athena and techno-blacksmith River to suspect that Dorian may be another Naermyth - the very beings she swore to kill on sight for taking over her world.

To defeat the otherworldly beings, Athena must dig deep into both her and Dorian's past and discover the true property of the Naermyth's aether, which the ancient Greeks described to be the fifth element or god element. Although missing from humans, aether is ever-present in the Naermyth's system, encoded in their DNA as their source of power.

Heroine's journey

The novel makes for an intriguing net of origin stories, imposed over a race to solve the conspiracies that hound whatever remains of human society. What's left of the population is herded like cattle to safe houses or camps all over the world by Shepherds, the human army that fought and lost the battle which spelled the near-end of the human race.

But even in post-apocalyptic Manila there lingers the suspicion of corruption, in unpleasant sight of overbearing leaders keeping in line a weakened and scared populace. In the novel's recent events, the number of Shepherds in the Philippines have been dwindling - either they're getting killed too fast or not enough brave souls are signing up to do battle - and the quality of new recruits has gone south as quick as Athena is to lose her temper.

The narrative is initially jarring and a little clunky with its constant commentary on the remains of Manila and the surrounding provinces, as well as the surly tone adopted by the heroine on describing the creatures and her own feelings towards them.

Once the language and Athena grows on you though, the pace picks up, giving way to a flurry of action and mysteries that crop up throughout the book.

The novel is a hero's tale reminiscent of the Greek goddess Athena's own champions in their quests for redemption and glory. The heroine herself is a strange cross of several female warriors on print and on screen: she has something of the surly Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games Series, with the otherworldly slaying skills of Joss Whedon's Buffy, and she operates in a dark abandoned Manila reminiscent of the one patrolled by Alexandra Trese.

The author's reference to Aegis, the legendary shield mentioned in greek mythology (and not the band or the Philippine RPG enthusiasts group) also characterizes Athena herself, who shields herself from any attachment or emotion to her past, or an uncertain future with River.

The only attachment Athena ever had is to the cause - to protect what's left of the world she knew - and her band of brothers-in-arms. Yet she can't deny her pull to protect Dorian, which confuses her. Add to this River's growing affections, and this push and pull between them makes her surlier than usual, only wanting to plunge headlong into battle again.

Also see:

The official Naermyth website

Book cover taken from Naermyth website, used here for purposes of reivew. Copyright is believed to belong to the artist or publisher.