Tag: Southeast Asian authors

Here is a sneak-peak! Read an exclusive excerpt from The Power Above Us All by Ronaldo S. Vivo Jr, translated by Karl R. de Mesa. A novel of ordinary decent criminals and extraordinarily brutal cops weaving together and colliding inside the giant slum of ‘Dreamland’, within the megalopolis of Metro Manila, Philippines.

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In this moment three things remain bright in my memory. Three things only: Che’s smile, my final reminder to my friend Buldan, and the scent and taste of the soup of a disgusting toilet mixed with, hell, the taste of someone’s hotdog-shaped shit—some pig cop from precinct nine.

Past midnight. Outside the San Joaquin 7-Eleven, Buldan and I were hanging steady. Smoking, watching. Across the street two uniformed pigs were walking to where we stood. We kept conversing calmly but we were nervous at their approach. Both police officers walked past us and straight into the 7-Eleven. We exhaled, relieved. Both of us also concurred that it was time to change locations.

That was till we noticed the commotion inside. I told Buldan to see what was up. Just the two pigs arguing loudly with two teen boys, he said, and that the young men both looked way too smooth-skinned to be any good if a fight went down.

Well, I thought, it’s good timing these two teenage dirt bags showed up. We wouldn’t need to move at all now.

Seconds later, another young man exited the convenience store. He looked no older than nineteen to me, if a day. Quick tap on Buldan’s shoulder. He returned my gesture with a nod. Before we walked on, I handed him another stick of Fortune Lights. Buldan slotted the cigarette behind his right earlobe, then he pushed off in the same direction our third teen went. I remained at the 7-Eleven, continuing to surveil the two police officers inside.

When I finished my cigarette—still waiting for Buldan’s text message—I stepped into the convenience store. Time to cool myself with the air-conditioning and also get closer to see what was what.

I sat on one of the dining area’s chairs and eavesdropped on the exchange. Ah, the teens were being hassled for IDs. The stylishly bearded youths already had curly-haired legs despite their smooth appearance and yet they were still being asked for IDs for the beer they wanted to buy. Clever pigs. Whatever happened next, the two police would come away with some extra cash for their meth-buying money.

Not ten minutes in I got a text from Buldan saying to meet back at the room.

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To find out what happens next, pre-order The Power Above Us All.