Singa-Pura-Pura: Malay Speculative Fiction from Singapore, edited by Nazry Bahrawi (2021)

Speculative fiction by Malaysian authors in Singapore—talk about a niche genre! Yet here I am, a Christian American dad reading it, because I’m truly curious what I might learn about this region from authors like this. And that’s the glory of books.

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What to Expect from Singa-Pura-Pura

I was drawn to this book for two reasons. First, it’s Singaporean, and since I’m trying to read more books from my new home country, the more unique the better. Second, it’s a collection of short stories, which I’m always interested in reading.

Two other things drew me to the book, though, that I wouldn’t normally pursue, and both are found in the subtitle.

“Malay…from Singapore”

I’ve only visited Malaysia twice in my life, so my knowledge of the country is limited. What I get from first impressions as a foreigner myself, though, is “Muslim” and “multicultural.”

For this reason, I shouldn’t have been surprised (though I was) with many stories’ heavy emphasis on Islamic culture and folklore, not to mention large swaths of conversation in Bahasa—or in English but with Malay slang. Both are entirely new, uncomfortable territories for me, so my negative reaction to some entries is more personal then technical in that these stories just aren’t for me!

“Speculative Fiction”

To my knowledge, I’ve never actually read any speculative fiction, unless that’s a synonym for “plausible Sci-fi.” I love Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, for example, both of whose stories contain elements of plausibility.

In fact, the first time I heard the term “speculative fiction” was recently, after my dad read some of my own angel /demon short stories and said, “I’m not really a fan of speculative fiction.” Apparently, neither is anyone else!

But the editor of this volume shares Margaret Atwood’s helpful description of “spec-fic”:

Works that assume ”things could really happen, but hadn’t completely happened when the authors wrote the books”. Hers is a definition, the positions spec-fic as a genre distinct from sci-fi, a genre that imagines possible futures, rooted in the view that our current material reality could lead to such wild possibilities. (177)

Such an explanation definitely makes me want to explore it further—though honestly, by this definition, I don’t think very many of the entries in this book qualify.

Reviewing the Book, Story by Story

PART 1: SPECTRES OF SIHIR

1. “Beginning” by nor — This first story provides a take on Creation that pollutes minor biblical elements with fanciful, blasphemous hogwash. This creator god is an idiot. Gabriel is his both creature and his teacher. It’s a story about a snake and evolution and s-s-s-sadness. It’s probably a fine way to start a book of fantasy, but it’s not spec-fic according to the definition above, and it’s completely unappealing to a Christian Anglophone like me.

2. “Transgression” by Diana Rahim — This second story is a far more coherent and readable piece about loss, loneliness, and abuse. It includes Muslim-spiritual roots of demonic torment for sure, all under the guise of a girl who notices her shadow rebelling. It ends less coherently than it begins.

3. “Prayers for a Guitar” by Nuralish Norasid — I am not sure I understand the sentiment in this story, whether it is pro-Islam or against. It’s certainly pro-music, so perhaps it’s about a Muslim’s longing for an out into the real, more beautiful world. I just don’t get how the wife in this story could ever have been conned into leaving her life of comparative freedom to become this submissive, voiceless, lifeless, doting wife of a man with eyes for a second woman. How could the freedom-lover exchange music and beauty for that?

As a Christian, I naturally want to contrast this to one’s conversion to Christianity—while “conversion” involves putting off the old and putting on the new, the new of Christianity is so much better and more beautiful than the old we leave behind! The old sinful life might be fun for a season, but it only leads to misery and emptiness (see the entire book of Ecclesiastes). The new life in Christ, however, is one of love, joy, peace and belonging. Oh, and also monogamy!

Does Christianity involve submission? Of course, because Jesus came as a Servant to be our example; and He’s the Head to our body whom we gladly love to serve.

Does Christianity involve modesty? Sure, but not in a way that strips women of their dignity and identity. It doesn’t shame women about their bodies, their skin, their hair, or—goodness—their very beauty!

Does Christianity involve music? Yes! And psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with voices and instruments and worship for the edification of the saints. And for all eternity, we’ll sing with the angels praises to the God of life and joy!

I get that this is just a story, but it’s one I cannot understand if it means that the submission of Islam is the end-all joy of human existence.

PART 2: TECH BARU

4. “Doa.com” by Hassan Hasaa’Ree Ali — This story is definitely written in favor of Islam. In this particular future, humans have become so dependent upon robots that some have even forgotten how to “supplicate” or pray. That’s the case for this guy, until he meets an old janitor who still likes to get his hands dirty with both work and worship.

5. “Quota” by Maisarah Abu Samah — This is the best story in the book so far. It’s a healthy mixture of both sci-fi and philosophy, and it’s reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke. I really enjoyed this well-rounded tale.

6. “The Chip” by Paducah Rahmat — This story felt way too short for this genre, and not in a good way. While every strong short-story author builds a world quickly and delivers her plot through succinct action and dialogue, this story is way too involved and tries to pack way too much in. It’s more like a plot description than a plot, full of necessary yet glossed-over scenes and background information, so that we readers can’t appreciate the story, the dilemmas, or the characters. It would be much better delivered in long form as a novella or novel, but as it stands, it reveals too many of its secrets and gives away an ending that readers should otherwise have to work for.

PART 3: SMART MAMAT CITY

7. “Second Shadow” by Noridah Kamari — Similar in plot to “Transgression”, this story about shadows is more coherent and political. I liked the twist at the end. Incidentally, I began reading this story immediately after finishing my review of 1984, George Orwell’s dystopian novel and a major element in this story. Qamal thinks his country is becoming more like Oceania, and he’s not afraid to write and speak about it—until he is.

8. “Tujuh” by Nazri Bahrawi — The detective’s crime scene and jaunty back-and-forth between him a female journalist initially reminded me of the premiere of Castle. This is the only story that the editor himself wrote, and sadly, it’s not my favorite, because it contains way too much Malay/Bahasa language and folklore for me to have any idea what’s going on.

“Shaytan. Hantu. They’re all supposed to be in lock up this month kan.”
“You might as well buka puasa now. That filthy mouth of yours won’t get you to iftar, much less syurga.” (98)

Say what?! I shouldn’t have to use a glossary of terms to get through a book designed to make Malay fiction accessible to Anglophones. And the fact that the rest of the story requires a knowledge of Indonesian Impressionism, I just didn’t get it. I’m sure in its original language, this story is a small masterpiece. It just isn’t for me.

9. “Gold, Paper, and Bare Bones” by Farihan Bahron — This one, however, I loved. It reminded me again of something  from Isaac Asimov. In a not-so-distant future, people earn points through work, punctuality, and even charity with a goal of reaching 100,000 and a well-deserved retirement status. I don’t know if that’s China‘s idea of “social credits,” but in this era of badly needed meritocracy, it really isn’t a bad idea. The story is predictably tragic, but seriously. What a concept!

PART 4: FAMILI NUCLEAR

10. “(A)nak (I)bu” by Tuty Alawaiyah Isbin — This was another Asimov-like tale, particularly with its interesting usage of robots as psychologists learning—and possibly willing to exploit—our mental health issues. It’s a little trite in its plotting, but it’s a decent story.

11. “Mother Techno” by ila — This one is a feminine story of fertility and paganism by someone who apparently cares about pronouns. “The future is female” (140) sounds like some powerful feminist declaration, yet it means less than nothing when one denies the reality of gender. This story is “progressive” hogwash, and I wasn’t a fan.

12. “Isolated Future #2: MacRitchie Treetops” by bani haykal — This story is a far more intriguing piece about AI and inter-species communication that’s based on actual research and scientific papers. To me, this story is the epitome of Spec-fic, and it’s what should have started out the collection. It reminded me of Orson Scott Card, especially A Planet Called Treason (a novel, actually, that grossed me out so much I never finished it). This story was better.

13. “The End” by nor — Although this final story (by the same author who opened the book) includes transgenderism, and although several authors in this volume specialize in gender identity, I genuinely can’t tell to what extent this particular story supports the perversion of natural gender roles. What’s really at stake in this story, when sending this transgender person off to BHUMI, after Earth’s government has already been established it’s firm commitment to keep all queer identities off the new planet? The editor later says in his notes on this story that it:

draws our attention to certain less-than-ideal human behaviors repeating itself on this new planet. That little bit of caution is enough to make me wonder if “The End” should be seen as a new beginning or just another step in humanity’s protracted road to our end, if we don’t learn from our mistakes. (181)

I don’t know about you, but that makes it sound like queerness is a “less-than-ideal human behavior” and will result in the end of the human race, if it becomes our means of propagation. Rightly so, if that’s the editor’s intent! Yet I’d be shocked if that’s actually the point he’s trying to make here. His collection of authors seems too progressive for that.

Conclusion

While I didn’t love this book in its entirety because it’s so outside my normal reading fare, several stories certainly stood out and will stick with me for quite a while. Overall, it’s provided me some insights into issues that are important to at least some of the Malay people here in Singapore, particularly the Muslims, which is not what I’d anticipated going into it.

If nothing else, this book has encouraged me to peruse other Spec-fic stories to see what I’ve been missing. That at least counts for something.

©2026 E.T.

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