2 out of 4 stars
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"Terror in Manila" by Frank Q. Aurillo, Jr. is a short book that combines the genres of science fiction and historical fiction. In this work, Aurillo uses time travel to explore his speculations about what might have happened if the Philippines didn't gain independence from the United States in 1946.
In the modern-day Philippines, Nick and Francis build a time machine. After a successful test run, they plan a mission to the past with the intent to stop the annunciation of Philippine independence from the United States. Nick travels back in time to 1946 to carry out this mission. Looking back on the decades that followed independence, Nick believes the Philippines would have been able to modernize and industrialize quicker and more successfully if it had remained a United States territory. While he planned carefully for his mission to the past, he quickly runs into unanticipated challenges. Nick is brilliant and courageous and believes his mission is in the best interests of his country, but can he successfully alter the course of history? Would it have truly been for the best?
This book provided a fascinating look into the history and culture of the Philippines. I enjoyed learning many new things and hearing those things I had studied told from the Filipino perspective. A great deal of background information is given regarding the history of the events in the book which helps the reader understand how the Philippines developed in the 20th century, as well as explain Nick's reasons for believing that changing history would help his country ultimately be better in the present day. While I frequently disagreed with Nick's philosophy, his perspective provided a great deal of food for thought.
While this book is educational and the plot is exciting, it is not an easy read with regards to flow. Mr. Aurillo does not appear to be a native English speaker, so I hesitate to be too critical as this work is a tremendous accomplishment for someone working in a second language. That said, there are a number of errors and awkward sentences. I believe this work could be made excellent with the help of a native English speaking editor. I personally found some of the dialogue regarding the "science" of time travel a bit tedious as well. Additionally, the copy I received was rather difficult to read as it was a PDF document that appeared to be a scanned copy of a printed copy. While it did not really bother me that the text was sometimes a little crooked on the page, a few words were blurred here and there and the text was extremely small when reading on a mobile device.
I am giving this book a 2 out of 4 because I did not get a user-friendly or professionally made ebook copy and because it needs some editorial work. This is a wonderful story from which I gained valuable insight into the history and culture of the Philippines. I just wish the book could have been a little bit more polished.
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"Terror In Manila"
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