| Title | : | KL Noir: Blue |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 9670374839 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9789670374833 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 296 |
| Publication | : | First published April 21, 2014 |
| Awards | : | POPULAR-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards Fiction (2015) |
KL Noir: Blue Reviews
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Amir Muhammad has probably made more money from a year in publishing than ten years in filmmaking. For someone barely into his forties, he's travelled the awards circuit more than most home-grown filmmakers and his name is pretty much synonymous with the Malaysian independent scene. However, this is a man who isn't much of a commercial draw; his movies are small-budgeted endeavours in the craft of cinema. Limited local appeal and government backlash on some of his works often took their toll on how far he could go with his voice.
Despite that, three years into the business of publishing with his brainchild BUKU FIXI has yielded him an almost permanent residency at the top of Malaysian fiction charts. It's hard to imagine a past without FIXI books dominating the MPH Bestsellers List. KL NOIR, FIXI's short story compilation set in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and sourced from the rakyat, was originally planned as a 2-book series. KL NOIR: BLUE is the fourth book in the series. It went straight to number one and is already in its second printing. Bear in mind all this happened less than a week after it was launched.
So what is the fuss all about? Here are the basics: the stories are meant to be in the noir genre, and they are set in KL. Sounds simple enough. A read through KL NOIR: BLUE proves that this fairly simple premise can be a great playground to the often skilled writers. At close to 300 pages, the book is a surprisingly light and entertaining read. From the amusing manifesto to the quirky biographies of the authors, nothing within its pages is truly ever dull or unexciting.
Not that it's all plain sailing throughout, of course. As noble or grand the intentions of everyone involved were, the stories featured can be grouped into four categories. The worst of the lot are the ones that play up to the noir and suspense element in a shameless, calculated or tacky manner. Pumped up on melodrama and bursting with some cerekarama realness, we have "Ballerina In Pink", written by Rozlan Mohd Noor. Now, according to his biography Rozlan is an ex-police officer, so the less said about his work the safer. Also unimpressive were Chua Kok Yee's cartoonish sketch of a heist in "The Banker", and Marco Ferrarese's "Bathroom Wall" which seems titilating for the sake of being titilating and not much else. Damyanti Ghosh's "An Orchestrated Ending" meanwhile doesn't commit any of the crimes of the aforementioned stories but as a whole suffers from a strong lack in personality and likeability.
Then there are stories with entertainment value but don't provide any long-lasting impact. These are the predictable, high drama sort of stories that keep you on the edge of your seat while they last, but you see every twist and turn coming from a mile away. "Monster" by Xeus is a classic example. It is based on that threat all parents tell misbehaving children, and while gratifying, it doesn't attempt anything new. The same goes for Elizabeth Tai's "Bag". Mamu Vies's "Whose Blood Was It, Anyway" comes off preachy at times although its position in the book helps redeem it to some extent. "Gangsters in Retirement" has some very nicely thought up characters despite its shortcomings and Balan Moses shows much promise as a writer of fiction.
When the writing is good, it really stands out. Some of the great pieces in this anthology include Joelyn Alexandra's short but powerful "Unwanted Utopia II: Deviant". The political sci-fi piece runs at a mere 14 pages but gets the job done nicely enough. Ling Low's "Smoke Flowers" is also similarly concise at twelve pages; an efficient display of storytelling. Even better are "Sinful Saints" and "Ah Beng's Wedding". Iqbal Abu Bakar's "Saints" is wonderful; it is exhillirating, clever and witty and a truly enjoyable read from start to finish. "Wedding" frustrates me greatly. If only William Thai had spent more time refining the delivery he sought for his protagonist. Had his character's manner of communication been consistent, "Wedding" could have been one of the best features in BLUE.
You know how some people like to save the best for last? Think the cherry on the cake, the ice cream on the waffle, and the cream cheese-sour cream icing for the carrot slice. These three correspond respectively to the works of Karina Bahrin, Zed Adam Idris and Zedeck Siew. And oh boy, what isn't there to say about all three of their submissions. Karina's "A Woman in Five Pieces" is an intriguing and highly visual piece that is as beautiful as it is descriptive. This is a writer capable of giving a decapitated corpse allure and vivaciousness. Zed's story is a jam-packed action thriller with a heaped spoonful of Malay mysticism spicing up the entire affair. "Mirage" is dark; it leaves the reader with a stench of hopelessness, and it is a sinister journey from start to finish and back to the start again. Zedeck's "Hearts in the City" is a masterpiece. It is bizarre, detached from the present world, and very powerful. This is a truly special entry in the collection, and one that sticks out for its otherworldliness which isn't too far from the current world we live in. His piece is akin to a tongue-in-cheek interpretation of the uncanny valley hypothesis from a writer's perspective.
Works like Zedeck's are priceless; they demand public attention and they can serve to educate the masses. All the other writers featured here are not to be belittled either for the time and effort they spent carefully crafting and putting their work forward to be judged by the rest of the world. Inspiring local writing is vital to the awakening of public interest in literature. These stories and writers have the potential to change the world as we know it, and it is crucial to maintain that opportunity for their voice to be heard. Looking at the overall picture, it would seem fair to suggest that FIXI continue to nurture and build upon the talent of local writers.
Should Amir continue making more money this way then?
We don't see why not. -
Murkier blue. Love the diversity of ideas. I like that it shows different perspectives and style of authors in expressing their narratives-- all sort of law and disorder, robbers, gangsterism, black magic, murder and suicidal. About the underworld but great presentation, gripping and really entertaining. Among my favorite:
Sinful Saints (Iqbal Abu Bakar)-- the dude get caught of stealing Animal Farm by George Orwell at a bookshop (the character is actually a struggling writer trying to find idea on his writing), quite dramatic and I love the ending.
Bag (Elizabeth Tai)-- catchy narrative, unexpected twist; to throw the corpse inside the river or pack it inside a bag and bury it deep under a tree. "After your tenth corpse, you develop a sort of technique: how deep, how shallow, whether you should bury or sink it."
Ballerina in Pink (Rozlan Mohd Noor)-- a revengeful plot, very 'tranquil' but quite horrific. I like that it pointed out about police corruption.
Bathroom Wall (Marco Ferrarese)-- this was a bit spooky, a really great lesson too. Don't go contacting the number you see on the public bathroom wall you'll never know how 'naughty' it can be. "Get the jars ready for the intestines. I'm almost done with the draining hose."
The Banker (Chua Kok Yee)-- expected hidden agenda but I really like the fast-paced narrative. A very witty Mr. Banker.
A Woman in Five Pieces (Karina Bahrin)-- I love the surreal vibe, great main character, mysterious and suspense. "You know, some believe that when a body is chopped up like that it doesn't pass over. They say the soul still wanders looking for all the pieces, until it finds them."
Ah Beng's Wedding (William Tham)-- playful story-telling, love the phrasing and the character's personalities. Quite mischievous and really entertaining.
I fancy the others as well, absolutely thrilled and crisp. Great collection of crime fiction. Giving it 4.5 stars. -
I already knew what to say about KL Noir: No Arrests for the Wicked halfway through the book:
What is up man, the writing quality in this book just shot up several bars didn't it? YES IT DID.
With KL Noir I make it a point to read introductions -- I think they execute it in a very appealing way -- and Eeleen Lee's didn't disappoint. There were lines I really liked in there, and yeaaaah I really liked the little ocean fact nugget too.
I thought this series had more consistency than the previous installation, so thankfully the stories didn't run everywhere from outrageousness to melodrama to vicious rage... well you get the point. They came together in a pleasant succession.
The little layer I liked was how it had little pinpricks of current affairs in them; mentions of Teluk Anson, politicians spewing racial and religious insults on a daily basis and men going too far in the name of religion, even the lone mention of 'Celaka' which was not in relation to current affairs at all made me do a double-take.
In 'Whose Blood Was It Anyway?' this was blown to full proportion, whereas I think most others incorporated them as a passive layer. My favourite line in that short story: "Everybody spilled blood for this country. Everybody."
Amen.
Most of the stories were great actually, there's nothing to complain about this time, but I'll list stories I thought were cool, story-wise:
1. Gangsters in Retirement
2. Monster
3. Sinful Saints
4. Smoke Flowers
5. Bag
Favourite character goes to the nameless protagonist of 'Sinful Saints' because he said Bismillah before committing a crime and was a real fox by his own motto: I always do that -- a change of plan.
P/S: There was probably a deadline crisis going on, because there were quite a number of editing and proofreading misses in this edition. Hopefully all will be remedied in the next printing? -
I really enjoyed this one despite of my on and off reading for the past few months. God, I really miss reading though.
Thumbs up for
GANGSTERS IN RETIREMENT - Balan Moses
BAG - Elizabeth Tai
MIRAGE - Zed Adam Idris
SINFUL SAINTS - Iqbal Abu Bakar
I love how this volume is pretty much on a different level than the Red and White.
Law and justice, young man, are not the same thing. Sometimes you have to break the law in order to bring about justice. -
Funny. I quite enjoyed this book.
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firstly the cover: it is interesting to note the police car is a toyota……
ballerina in pink: it was okay. the issues touched are very real and prevalent in society. i look forward reading his novel - the gods.
the banker: well, the real perpetrator is quite obvious.
whose blood was it, anyway?: well, well, huh… racism topic here.
a woman in five pieces: like it because there is a ghost.
bathroom wall: an erotica story, well sort of and it proved to good to be true for that poor lonely man…
gangsters in retirement: "yawn"
monster: thus far the most promising story in this book… be careful what you wished for…
unwanted utopia II-deviant: typical dystopia story which has the potential to be a full novel.
bag: how twisted!
Mirage: huh… what just happened?
ah beng's wedding: a triad member who tried to do the right things…
sinful saints: you have my respect for successfully getting jail time for stealing a book and it was the animal farm of all books! if you are able to develop this story into a novel, i will buy your book!
hearts in the city: a freakishly good paranormal stories… can we have more, please?
smoke flowers: a couple of jaded journalists …
an orchestrated ending: a disgrace to women …
overall: i like most of the stories. they are easy to read though mostly predictable but nevertheless enjoyable! -
This felt like a bit of a mixed bag, although I really did enjoy quite a number of the stories in here. Special mentions to:
1. The Woman in Five Pieces-Something about this piece was really quite haunting and I can't put a finger on it yet, but everything falls neatly into place in a satisfying manner.
2. Hearts in the City-Utterly, utterly demented. Very strange. Very odd. Very interesting. -
1. Ballerina in Pink
2. Whose Blood Was It, Anyway?
3. Bathroom Wall
4. Gangsters In Retirement
5. Monster
6. Bag
7. Ah Beng's Wedding
8. Sinful Saints (my favourite one)
better than KL Noir Red but White is still the best for me. -
These two deserve 5 ✨!
Unwanted Utopia II : Deviant
Sinful Saints -
I enjoy reading most of the stories because it contain dark, lust, violence, psycho. I love it.
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I picked up this book from my work library (again), they had free (donated) books for us to take, and I quickly grabbed this one. I've been wanting to read this book since last year, and I finally found a free one that was in very good condition too.
I've read similar book in the past from one of the authors (Xeus) featured in this book too. FYI, it's called "Dark City: Psychotic and Other Twisted Malaysian Tales." I loved that book and wanted everyone to read it, but I guess it was too dark for some people's taste LOL.
I'm going to go with a general review as a whole for the book and then minimal reviews for each story.
Overall, the book was really good. If it makes you uncomfortable and cringe, then it did its job. However, I would point out the obvious way men and women write their stories. It's very distinguished in how they describe the opposite sex. If you get what I mean, then I guess you noticed that fact too :) The diversity of this book is also another nice touch to emphasize Malaysianness. Odd how so many of the gangsters in this book are of Chinese origin LOL! Be it back in the day or not .....I just thought it was "erratic". LOL
Ok, enough yapping!!
1. Ballerina in pink - I liked it. I felt the writing was quite cinematic, like in story flow and character development. I adore how the story touches on very real crime and issues in Malaysia, such as corruption. Vengeance is justice served cold. Go Dad!!
2. The Banker - A straight-forward, fast-paced story. I liked it, but too bad for the wife though.
3. Whose blood was it, anyway? - I liked this one too, again, the story touches on sensitive issues that sometimes go out of control, which we Malaysians have witnessed popping up here and there....sadly now more than before. Did he deserve it? Yes, so-called true friends always revert to their true colors in the end.
4. A woman in five pieces—I'm not sure I liked this one. It felt like an like an offbeat ghost story in between active crime stories. I did feel bad for the sad cop, but there isn't much happening about the actual crime. We get some pieces of information here and there. It was okay.
5. Bathroom wall - HAH, this one was very sexualized, but it is sustained by the story being told. You often hear urban legends like this and think, "How the heck did he/she get tricked into it so easily?" I guess when your brain is elsewhere in the body......logic files out the window.....LOL
6. Gangsters in retirement - If ever there is a story of a bunch of pathetic old farts sitting around with no remorse and gloating about their "badarse days" this is it. Honestly, all those murderous glory days for what? sigh...
7. Monster - I feel like I've read this story before. Also, every millennium kid probably grew up listening to similar stories like this. How many times have your parents told you this type of story when you misbehaved? Ugh, remind me of that unsolved missing case of a Chinese boy, Tin Song Sheng.
8. Unwanted utopia II-deviant - Ugh, this one should not be in a short story book. I was intrigued by this story, a virus that forces the world to operate based on DNA/Genetic outcomes!! I want to know more about this one!!
9. Bag - Oh boy....Oh gosh ....the twist ...when you realized the truth. Gosh!! That bloody Datuk!!
10. Mirage - Ugh, I did not like this one....again why the odd story of the supernatural in between normal dark side of KL stories. I liked the concept, but it felt odd to be honest.
11. Ah Beng's wedding - This one reads like real life Malaysian with broken English. I loved it!! I'm indecisive about Ah Beng, he has good intentions but still chooses to stay on that path. I think Ah Beng might be a decent guy if his life didn't take a drastic turn at such a young age.
12. Sinful saints - Not sure how you can end up in jail for stealing one book? Maybe it's because of the book choice, LOL. But honestly, I liked the concept, but they all can't be innocent la .....should have a mix of both.
13. Hearts in the city - I like this duo, Aina and Sandy!! I love that this is something accepted by Sandy that Aina was into weird dealings LOL. If there is a series about these two girls and their supernatural adventures, I want to read more !!
14. Smoke flowers - Hey! When an opportunity strikes, take the leap! Start a promising career at the expense of someone's murder :)
15. An orchestrated ending - After all that planning......you know that even if you wanted to create a "dramatic" walkout of your life, people are still going to judge you for everything else they think you've failed in life. It looks like, in the end, it's going to be sardonic after all. -
This is a very good collection of crime fiction, exploring criminology in various dimensions and perspectives. Out of 15, I enjoyed "Mirage", "Ah Beng's Wedding" and "Sinful Saints". "Mirage" was particularly interesting. I hope the author can expand it into a mystery/ sci-fi thriller novel. "Sainful Saints" can become a novel too. Lastly, the book cover is fantastic!
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Lots of nice stories & some were average. Still enjoyable & i love fixi books because the chance to encounter typo is zero. Finish the book in less than 2w eventho there's lots of distraction. Now my fixi KL Noir is complete!
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Better stories. Sadly couldn't find it anymore, had to pinjam from my close friend.
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Another good KL Noir book. I like most of the stories in this book . Notably, Monster by Zeus and The Banker by Chu Kok Yee. Memorable stories.
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The first half of this book of short stories is boring. After that, it strikes back.
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This is better than Red. Stories are darker, some left me disturbed.
Did not regret picking this up. -
3.5 ⭐️
Good stories with some meanings behind -
I thought the first story, Ballerina in Pink (Roslan Mohd Noor) was pretty okay but nothing spectacular. Also, typos. So the copy I have is the first print, so maybe they fixed this in subsequent prints, but I normally don't expect that many obvious typos in the first story. It IS right in the beginning after all, before your eyes start to cross over and your brain shuts down.
Mamu Vies' Whose Blood Was It, Anyway? was a well-crafted story which I quite enjoyed. This was followed by A Woman in Five Pieces (Karina Bahrin), which was a reprint. Reprint aside, even though it dipped into the paranormal (read: it's a ghost story!) it was interesting and there was a point to it - how to get the ghost of the murdered woman to finally rest in peace.
Actually, 5 out of the 15 stories were originally published elsewhere. Which is a little ridiculous because one of the reasons I bought this book was because a favourite writer friend of mine,
Damyanti Ghosh, had a story in it... Only to find out that I've already read her story in
Readings from Readings 2: New Writing from Malaysia, Singapore and Beyond. *sigh*
Anyway, so another notable piece was Monster (Xeus) - annoying kid was kidnapped, parents try to get him back. Some delicious justice takes place.
Unwanted Utopia II: Deviant (Joelyn Alexandra) was a rather interesting, futuristic, sci-fi type story, that I would love to see fleshed out into a full novel. It does sound like it's a snippet of something longer.
The thing I didn't like about Bag (Elizabeth Tai) was that first person/third person perspective switch. I think the story would have been stronger if it had all been written in third person. Though that's probably personal preference.
The final story that stood out to me was Zedeck Siew's Hearts in the City. It's one of those slightly mind-twisting stories that I enjoy. Also, slightly fantasy - regret-maggots, anyone?
Okay. So I guess this further concludes the fact that Noir isn't really my thing, though I thought if it was going to be more police procedurals I would like them better than
KL NOIR: RED. I mean, I do like murder mysteries (
Ian Rankin,
Jeffrey Deaver)
So overall... I guess it's okay. Maybe a 2.5-ish? -
There are some stories that felt too draggy and for me KL Noir White is better. However two of the stories worth mentioning are Monster and Bag. I was super annoyed with the boy in monster and somehow i knew it was the father who paid the scumbag to kidnap his own son. The story got me thinking how horrible can u be as parents when u cant control your only child and u should realize you are in grave danger when your kid has totally no respect for you. As for the bag, i really love the plot twist, never saw it coming. The ending got me speechless
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I must say, that this book is better than White. But Red is still the best.
These are my favorites (not in order):
- MONSTER, gosh that kid is very, VERY annoying
- BAG, there is plot twist (I think) in the middle of the story that made me go :O
- MIRAGE, really like this, mystical yet dark
- SINFUL SAINTS, I really hope this story will be made longer
- HEARTS IN THE CITY, creative, I like it.
Please ignore ALL the grammar errors =..='' -
Stories in Blue were a tad too long for my taste and in certain stories, I felt that the plot was dragged unnecessarily long. While, most of the themes in this book are something that I, as a Malaysian, can resonate with I still think they didn't quite reach the noir-ness that I've come to expect from this series.
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I dont quite understand what happen in monster,the time when the father saw the photo of the girl.When he go omg omg,i doubt it hve anything to do with his son,but cant figure the point of it.uhuu,overall awesome third book.oyeahhhh
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Better than Yellow or White- that's for sure. The sequencing and stories are better and more consistent as an anthology. But fret not- there's enough sex and violence to justify the book's pulp aspirations.
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I find this one a tad depressing. Maybe because the stories actually do reflect the real situation in this country. The imprisonment of good people, child bride, male chauvinism and misogyny, backward thinking and misunderstanding, misconception of religions and culture (Islam specifically).
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My favorite is 'Sinful Saints' by Iqbal Abu Bakar
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it's okay . some stories are so cool but no way it's a 5 starred book
