Official Review: Terror In Manila by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr
Posted: 13 May 2020, 05:46
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Terror In Manila" by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr.]
With the help of a fellow aspiring Filipino scientist, Nick Aboitiz uses a time machine to go back to the year 1946. He aims to stop the Philippines’ declaration of independence from America and thus keep his country enjoying the benefits of being under such a powerful country. He is convinced that altering his country will improve the lives of the twenty-first-century Filipinos. Adamant in his belief, he will kill American High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt who is to read the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. He figures the assassination will result in retaliation and refusal of the grant of sovereignty. Will Nick succeed? And if he does succeed, will he like his country’s condition when he gets back to the present? Terror in Manila by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr. explores a “what if” scenario in this historical fiction.
Aurillo was able to present Nick’s mad-scientist attitude and warped thinking processes. I could visualize him trembling uncontrollably with excitement as he stared at his time machine. His behavior perfectly represented his family’s history of controlling the country’s leaders and remain powerful in the process. Nick’s wealth and upbringing, or the lack of it had turned him to a person who thought he could do anything and get away with murder. His arrogance was immense he did not think he could fail; his argument with Francis about his perfect escape plan from the law showed this.
Nick's killing instinct was established to convince me that he would resort to murder to achieve his goal; his violent tendencies and possession of a gun during his youth suggested a deep psychological problem. His argument about his escape from persecution seemed to be too easy and impossible, given the tight security of the event; his madness made him believe he could pull it off without being killed. Francis was the more critical, but this characteristic complemented their partnership because his fears and worries made them more meticulous with their project. Initially, Francis’ character came off as a bit submissive to Nick’s aggressive behavior. But in the latter part of the novel, his cunning mind emerged; I could imagine his eyes blazing with intent as he influenced his unsuspecting partner to respond the way he wanted Nick to respond.
Aurillo was able to narrate Nick’s country’s history without me feeling I was reading a reference book. The historical background came off as informative and yet not boring. His description of the Filipino’s peculiar characteristics was spot on. Terror in Manila was like a quick historical journey that accorded not only the past but surprising new insights as well. When you thought you knew everything about your country, Aurillo proved you wrong. His wide scope of knowledge of his country’s culture and history and his knowledge about laws and politics were apparent in this book.
Aurillo took me to the year 1946 effortlessly; I felt I was with Nick as he was transported to this period, looking at the calesa and female church-goers in their native clothing. I could feel the anticipation of the people as they waited for the momentous event to materialize; I could feel my heart beat faster as Nick set to accomplish his mission.
Concepts like the principle of cause and effect, time travel and how it worked were explained in a detailed manner. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to fully understand some of the concepts Nick and Francis discussed; they were too technical and mind-boggling for me to be able to completely comprehend them. I thought this part would appeal to those readers who probably know quantum relativity and electromagnetism. All I could think of was that Aurillo’s narrative made such concepts plausible for those who encountered the concepts for the first time. His narrative reflected his in-depth research and knowledge. Science is an amazing, broad world to study; after reading Terror in Manila I promised myself to make my research about the concepts presented in this historical fiction novel.
On the downside, numerous poorly constructed statements made them vague or awkward. I have observed an incorrect use of the verb in the statement: “And while the rest of East Asia is poised to or have become highly industrialized…” I observed a sentence on page 22 that contained a shift in verb tense. There were terms like “silencer” and “time” which I felt were unnecessarily italicized since they were unused in a different context. Moreover, there were some missing commas. I found words that should have been unhyphenated and some words that should have been hyphenated and capitalized.
I felt the ending of Terror in Manila was abrupt and vague; presumably, the author intended ending it that way. I felt there could be a more exciting outcome from the story and was disappointed that the author did not pursue it. Also, I felt that Nick’s realizations in the latter part of the novel seemed forced and unbelievable, given his arrogance and obsessive behavior. I wondered if there was a sequel; I could only hope for it where Aurillo explored other possibilities of the plot.
I give Terror in Manila by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr 2 out of 4 stars. The ubiquitous grammatical errors were distracting and prevented me from enjoying a smooth read. The book will benefit from a proper proofreading tool. The magnitude and variety of grammatical errors were such that the book’s rating suffered significantly. Despite this flaw, however, the book has an intriguing plot and the author was able to make it suspenseful so to give 1 star would be unfair.
Readers who are into time-travel stories will like Terror in Manila. Filipinos will find this novel intriguing. If you are uninterested in other countries’ cultures, economic or political matters, this is not for you.
******
Terror In Manila
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
With the help of a fellow aspiring Filipino scientist, Nick Aboitiz uses a time machine to go back to the year 1946. He aims to stop the Philippines’ declaration of independence from America and thus keep his country enjoying the benefits of being under such a powerful country. He is convinced that altering his country will improve the lives of the twenty-first-century Filipinos. Adamant in his belief, he will kill American High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt who is to read the Proclamation of Philippine Independence. He figures the assassination will result in retaliation and refusal of the grant of sovereignty. Will Nick succeed? And if he does succeed, will he like his country’s condition when he gets back to the present? Terror in Manila by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr. explores a “what if” scenario in this historical fiction.
Aurillo was able to present Nick’s mad-scientist attitude and warped thinking processes. I could visualize him trembling uncontrollably with excitement as he stared at his time machine. His behavior perfectly represented his family’s history of controlling the country’s leaders and remain powerful in the process. Nick’s wealth and upbringing, or the lack of it had turned him to a person who thought he could do anything and get away with murder. His arrogance was immense he did not think he could fail; his argument with Francis about his perfect escape plan from the law showed this.
Nick's killing instinct was established to convince me that he would resort to murder to achieve his goal; his violent tendencies and possession of a gun during his youth suggested a deep psychological problem. His argument about his escape from persecution seemed to be too easy and impossible, given the tight security of the event; his madness made him believe he could pull it off without being killed. Francis was the more critical, but this characteristic complemented their partnership because his fears and worries made them more meticulous with their project. Initially, Francis’ character came off as a bit submissive to Nick’s aggressive behavior. But in the latter part of the novel, his cunning mind emerged; I could imagine his eyes blazing with intent as he influenced his unsuspecting partner to respond the way he wanted Nick to respond.
Aurillo was able to narrate Nick’s country’s history without me feeling I was reading a reference book. The historical background came off as informative and yet not boring. His description of the Filipino’s peculiar characteristics was spot on. Terror in Manila was like a quick historical journey that accorded not only the past but surprising new insights as well. When you thought you knew everything about your country, Aurillo proved you wrong. His wide scope of knowledge of his country’s culture and history and his knowledge about laws and politics were apparent in this book.
Aurillo took me to the year 1946 effortlessly; I felt I was with Nick as he was transported to this period, looking at the calesa and female church-goers in their native clothing. I could feel the anticipation of the people as they waited for the momentous event to materialize; I could feel my heart beat faster as Nick set to accomplish his mission.
Concepts like the principle of cause and effect, time travel and how it worked were explained in a detailed manner. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to fully understand some of the concepts Nick and Francis discussed; they were too technical and mind-boggling for me to be able to completely comprehend them. I thought this part would appeal to those readers who probably know quantum relativity and electromagnetism. All I could think of was that Aurillo’s narrative made such concepts plausible for those who encountered the concepts for the first time. His narrative reflected his in-depth research and knowledge. Science is an amazing, broad world to study; after reading Terror in Manila I promised myself to make my research about the concepts presented in this historical fiction novel.
On the downside, numerous poorly constructed statements made them vague or awkward. I have observed an incorrect use of the verb in the statement: “And while the rest of East Asia is poised to or have become highly industrialized…” I observed a sentence on page 22 that contained a shift in verb tense. There were terms like “silencer” and “time” which I felt were unnecessarily italicized since they were unused in a different context. Moreover, there were some missing commas. I found words that should have been unhyphenated and some words that should have been hyphenated and capitalized.
I felt the ending of Terror in Manila was abrupt and vague; presumably, the author intended ending it that way. I felt there could be a more exciting outcome from the story and was disappointed that the author did not pursue it. Also, I felt that Nick’s realizations in the latter part of the novel seemed forced and unbelievable, given his arrogance and obsessive behavior. I wondered if there was a sequel; I could only hope for it where Aurillo explored other possibilities of the plot.
I give Terror in Manila by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr 2 out of 4 stars. The ubiquitous grammatical errors were distracting and prevented me from enjoying a smooth read. The book will benefit from a proper proofreading tool. The magnitude and variety of grammatical errors were such that the book’s rating suffered significantly. Despite this flaw, however, the book has an intriguing plot and the author was able to make it suspenseful so to give 1 star would be unfair.
Readers who are into time-travel stories will like Terror in Manila. Filipinos will find this novel intriguing. If you are uninterested in other countries’ cultures, economic or political matters, this is not for you.
******
Terror In Manila
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon