A Fiery Flesh and Other Stories is a collection of stories that expose the flimsy nature of the human heart and the frailty of the human body in various ways. A man who drowns in an emotional shower after encountering a merman who resembles his deceased childhood friend. An all-consuming passion that turns a man into a bat, and lecherously, some woman, into bakawali. A medical assistant narrates how a lost placenta of a premature infant triggers a chain of curses. A love triangle between sisters leaves a mother with no choice but to replace her daughter as the bride. A potted plant enlightens a timid woman about a sassy way to escape from her control freak mother-in-law. A burned-out housewife finds a haven where the sensual rituals of traditional massage are practised. An arsonist uses a tangle of red string to draw her husband’s fiery qi into herself.
Catagory: Fiction
Juveniles and Other Stories
JUVENILES AND OTHER STORIES is a collection of seven short fictions under the theme of ‘youth’—a tattered, confusing period of trials-and-errors, and the last taste of refreshing bliss before the vast blue sky we see yonder would turn into a suffocating ceiling once we learn of our limits. Regardless, we’re still ever searching for a safe haven under that concrete boundary.
‘Coming of age’ is translated to —to take a step beyond one’s youth—in Thai literature. When, in truth, shedding one’s youth is an act far more difficult than simply taking a step further, oftentimes by weathering through one’s surroundings and stimulation, oftentimes from relying on the innermost driving force within us. Anger, sadness, and insecurities that have been bottled up are a ticking time bomb. Time after time, a character would go with the choice that only worsens everything, making us readers wonder if all of us would make it through the end. This book is a collection of stories with most of their protagonists being a young child, while the stories themselves are meant for the adult, with each of them detailing a different way of processing and dealing with traumas.
Seeds of Conquest
The vengeful gods of Kayumalon are at war.
The king is indisposed. Invaders have breached the northern borders. Kayumalon is ripe for the taking.
Kalem, the earth mage bound to a promise made to his dead father, finds himself the new ruler of a fallen kingdom. Now, he is forced to lead a weakened country against an army of gods, determined to uphold the duty that destiny had charged him with even if he loses his life for it.
Yin, the wind mage loyal only to her own heart, is forced to choose between love and bloodlust when her lover is bound by duty to her greatest enemy.
Dakila, a mortal man desperate to protect his love, leads the last stand of Kayumalon while they wait, probably in vain, for the forgotten gods to come to their rescue.
JinWun, the fire mage hungry for vengeance, betrays her queen and defects to the enemy, using and abusing every advantage and every tool at her disposal even if they’re not hers. After a lifetime of pain and subjugation, she would fight not for love, not for duty, but only for her fiery fury. Amid the chaos of war, the people of Kayumalon will be forced to choose loyalties and to ultimately answer the question: What is duty if it’s not born from love?
Penguin Select Classics: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
‘Man is not truly one but truly two.’
The good and evil are equal parts of a human; what happens when one loses control over their dark side, what chaos ensues then?
Set in Victorian London, Dr. Jekyll, a respected scientist, becomes consumed by the desire to understand the darker aspects of human nature. In an unchecked scientific experiment, he concocts a potion that transforms into his malicious alter ego called Mr. Hyde.
Through this experiment, Dr. Jekyll can observe why Hyde makes the choices he does and what drives the evil within him, which is also a reflection of what must drive the amoral actions of society at large.
While the experiment seems a success, the two personalities become increasingly intertwined, leading to a downward spiral of Dr. Jekyll’s morality, causing immense psychological turmoil.
In an intense psychological thriller, will Dr. Jekyll be able to regain control of his other side, and should there be any limitations to scientific ambitions?
Penguin Select Classics: Les Misérables
‘To love another person is to see the face of God.’
How crushing and dizzying the hunger must be, that you’re led to steal a bite of bread only to pay for it with your entire life.
Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who is released from prison after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread. Struggling to find redemption and live an honest life, he is constantly pursued by the relentless Inspector Javert. On this journey he meets Fantine, a woman who is forced to sell her hair and her teeth to support her daughter, Cosette. Both Valjean and a young student Maris are in love with Cosette, but their lives require bigger miracles, and this is a tiny problem.
But love is their saviour, Valjean’s love for Cosette helps him to find redemption, and Marius’s love for Cosette helps him to find courage.
Les Misérables is a complex story that displays how unequal wealth dictates lives, and the power of love.
Penguin Select Classics: Hound of the Baskervilles
‘It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.’
On the treacherous grounds of Devonshire moors, lives Sir Charles Baskerville. One fine day he is found dead on the foggy moors, and the rumour is that a monstrous hound is responsible for this event.
As Sir Henry Baskerville, the last heir of the Baskerville estate, arrives from America to claim his inheritance, Holmes and Watson begin unravelling the dark secrets around the haunting murder.
Follows the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Dr. John H. Watson though a thrilling investigation, as they the discover the supernatural and sinister curse that haunts the Baskerville family.
Their suspenseful journey highlights how the past continues to cast a dark shadow over the present, and the power of folklore and generational fears on the human mind.
Penguin Select Classics: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
‘Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.’
A collection of twelve riveting detective stories featuring the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes and his loyal friend and chronicler, Dr. Watson. Set in Victorian London, the story engages readers with Holmes’s extraordinary problem solving and observation skills as he unravels complex mysteries.
The stories take readers on a thrilling journey through the shadowy streets of London, where Holmes tackles perplexing cases, from baffling murders and thefts to shocking disappearances. Alongside Holmes’s genius, Dr. Watson’s narration allows readers to witness Holmes’s methods and mind at work, capturing the essence of their enduring friendship.
Penguin Select Classics: Kim
‘This is a brief life, but in its brevity, it offers us some splendid moments, some meaningful adventures.’
Kimball O’Hara is a young orphan detective who lives in British India in the late 19th century. A street-smart child, he is fluent in several languages and recruited by the British Secret Service to help them gather intelligence on the Russian Empire.
Little Kim begins his journey across India, and he encounters a wide variety of people and cultures. He meets a Tibetan lama, a Hindu holy man, and a Pashtun tribesman.
Through his travels in the jungles, cities and the vibrant culture of India, Kim begins to explore what home means to him, is it in the sense of belonging he finds with the Lama so far away from his birthland?
Through his coming-of-age story, Kim’s adventures pay a homage to the inclusive, vibrant, and culturally diverse land of India.
Penguin Select Classics: Treasure Island
We must go on, because we can’t turn back.’
There is nothing like a thrilling adventure transporting to wonderous lands, full of marvels showing milestone moments of life. Jim Hawkins embarks on such a voyage to find the legendary treasure buried by the infamous pirate Captain Flint.
With a treasure map in hand, he sets off to the land of pirates, dangerous ships and the angry sea. Jim and his friends fight off corrupt invaders in search of the treasure, showing how courage and bravery knows no age but just intention.
The thrill of discovery and the dream of unknown is what drives Jim, will he be able to reach his goal and accomplish his mission in this engaging and action-packed page turner? Or will the dangers serve as a reminder of why one must not blindly follow their desires?
Penguin Select Classics: The Picture Of Dorian Gray
‘Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.’
When Dorian Gray, a handsome man is made aware of his exceptional beauty, it brings out his desire to freeze his looks. Dorian Gray sees a portrait of himself made by his close friend and on seeing that he decides to trade his soul, that which differentiates between moral and immoral, for unageing beauty.
As is often said, “beauty is as beauty does”; but what happens when Dorian loses the ability to choose moral actions and leads a life of amoral choices, seeking only to fulfil his desires; ensuring that his actions hurt everyone around him.
Will he still be beautiful, or will the portrait show another picture to the world? One with every sin displayed across the canvas.
A poignant and thoughtful story which reflects the importance of actions, intentions and realigns meaningful acts which are a source of goodness for the soul.