Review by GiselleBengochea -- Terror In Manila

[GiselleBengochea]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Terror In Manila" by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Terror In Manila by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr. is a work of historical fiction. Nick together with his accomplice Francis have managed to construct a time machine. Their objective is to revisit the past on July 4, 1946 to assassinate the High Commissioner, Paul V. Mc. Nutt, who was a representative of the post-war U.S. President Harry S. Truman, based in the Philippines. He was ordered to read a proclamation which would grant Independence to the people of the Philippines from American rulership. The Philippines had been under American dominance for 50 years, and prior to that, they were colonized by the Spaniards for 300 years. What should have been a joyous and momentous occasion in the history of the Filipinos was viewed differently by Nick. He believed that the Filipinos were not ready for self-governance and that they were better off under American rulership; hence his reason for the assassination of the High Commissioner before the proclamation of Independence could be read.

What I disliked about the book is the author’s portrayal of the protagonist Nick and his family who seem to be completely selfish and negligent to the needs of their fellow country-men. “By Filipino standards, Nick’s family was strange and in many ways different from most Filipinos. They belonged to a class or sector of society which set them apart from the rest of the people. Members of their social class didn’t have to stay in their country as a matter of patriotic necessity, and if they did, it was only to look after their vast farmlands that had been planted to sugar, and their other business such as energy production and distribution, shipping and transportation, banking and finance. Nick’s family was so wealthy that some Filipinos would say they could even be richer than some wealthy foreigners because in addition, or precisely due to the fact that, they controlled Filipino politicians and some national leaders. In any case, they had largely amassed their vast fortune from the toil and suffering of cane farmers their family had virtually enslaved through the years.” (pg.4)

What I also disliked is the lack of extensive character development in the case of Nick’s accomplice Francis. I found that more could have been said about him in the plots and sub-plots. Perhaps this may have been done intentionally by the author to emphasize the socio-economic disparity between Nick and Francis.”People would say that in the Philippines, there are only the rich and the poor. And so this day, these two factions have been so polarized against each other on account of indifference, strangely of both the leaders of this country, and the people themselves. The rich were called “filthy” and the poor, “dirty.”(pg.4)

There are a few graphic depictions of murder and violence against the Filipinos. With regard to the abuse suffered by the Filipinos at the hands of the Japanese: “Young women living in remote villages were forced to watch as their toddlers were thrown high up in the air and then bayoneted as they fell to the earth by Japanese soldiers having fun—after having finished raping the women themselves.” (pg.11)There are a few graphic depictions of murder and violence against the Americans. “The island of Samar was turned by the Americans into a ‘howling wilderness’ with the wholesale massacre of Filipino civilians in retaliation for a rebel attack launched against unsuspecting American troops at their Balangiga headquarters. “ The young American soldiers, some of whom had just arrived from Ohio and Illinois as fresh replacements, were hacked and cut in half with razor-sharp machetes which the rebels had cleverly concealed in wooden coffins in a mock funeral inside a Catholic Church as the Americans nearby were having breakfast of hardtack, coffee and ketchup over a long hard table after being roused by the bugle call at daybreak.” (pg. 11)

What I liked most about the book is the author’s vivid description of the operation of the time machine. Here the author is able to marry fiction with fact. He is also able to convince the audience that his time machine theory is real, through the use of terms from metaphysics and quantum mechanics. “In its place the oscillocapacitor(OSC)and to the center pf the dashboard sat the automatic recall system (ARS). The OSC would work to alter by the millionth of a second, the rate by which the smallest particles of matter oscillates or vibrates. On the other hand, the automatic recall system would try to ensure that both the time traveller and his vehicle would be automatically pulled back to the present time no matter what happens, exactly forty-eight hours from the start of the mission.”(pg.14)The author is also able to express sound logic throughout his narrative with regard to the operations of the time machine, time travel and the mission at hand.

The author has also been able to give a historical account of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and intertwine this reality with fiction in this narrative. This is an excellent writing style! There are no erotic scenes, although topics such as rape and sexual abuse are covered. The author was able to provide a vivid depiction without the use of the gory details. There is no profane language to detract from the narrative. There are minor typographical, spelling and grammatical errors in this manuscript which appears to be professionally edited. I rate this book as 4 out of 4 starsand I would highly recommend it to an adult audience who is interested in historical science fiction, politics, sociology intertwined with time travel and adventure. I look forward to reading future works by Frank Q .Aurillo Jr.

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Terror In Manila
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[GiselleBengochea]

I really enjoyed reading this book! I look forward to reading more works by Frank Q. Aurillo Jr.

[Melisa Jane]

Time travel is one of my favorite genres. This was a nice review.

[kdstrack]

The author has chosen a unique method of highlighting this historical event. I like the fact that he took the time to explain how the time machine worked. I was also impressed by your high rating of this book. This looks worth the time to read. Thanks for the recommendation!

[jenny delacruz]

As much as I love supporting Filipino authors (being a Filipino) I may have to pass this one. Although a fiction novel, I don't agree with the author in wanting to still be under the US' leadership and that we weren't prepared to go on our own. People sacrificed their lives because there was a collective belief that we should be an independent nation. We have come far, from the colonization of different huge and strong countries like Spain, US and Japan. I would've not wanted it any other way. The horror of those historical events were strong foundations for us. Still having flaws, nonetheless, we are resilient and we remain strong amidst any natural disasters, pandemic, etc. Thank you for your honest review.

[Phelicia Gloria]

Great book, I believe this will fit me, good review.

[Gabrielle Sigaki]

This book has an interesting premise, historical fiction with time travel is a great theme. But, I'm sad to read that one of the characters had poor development. Thanks for the review! Great job.

[kljrox]

Looks like a well written book. I enjoy reading historical fiction and I like the idea of science fiction mixed in with it. Thanks for the informative review.

[Anon_Reviewer]

Time travel is often hard to portray realistically. I am glad the author was able to merge fiction with fact as far as that is concerned. Thank you for the detailed review.

[Kanda_theGreat]

Novels whose protagonists are poorly developed often put me off due to the sense of "dryness" that they create.
Thank you for your honest review.

[GiselleBengochea]

God bless you guys. I appreciate your words of encouragement!

[Vic Chimezie]

Wow! Thank you for a very detailed and insightful review. I pray that I get the opportunity to read this book someday. This is just my kind of book.

[Honest-reviewer]

The book seems to be really good. Thanks for your review!

[GiselleBengochea]

God bless you guys! I appreciate your kind words of encouragement.

[Ngozi Onyibor]

I suppose it can be said that the protagonist's motives are questionable. I wonder how he came to the conclusion that Filipinos weren't ready to rule themselves. Thanks for your thorough review.