The Best of Noir

Comforter of the Afflicted By F.H. Batacan
 CSIS: Lagro. It was written in a fast- paced, clever, detective style, where the clues were uncovered and the pieces of the puzzle were put together for the final revelation. The unfolding of the crime was really captivating. The victim was not a weakling at all but a brave, inspiring heroine. She died, but it was a battle well fought. From the moment she decided to become a comforter of the afflicted until her inescapable demise; it was truly a life worth telling.

The Professor’s Wife By Jose Dalisay
 The intriguing relationship between the venerated professor and her young, “probinsyana” wife is a love story destined to be doomed. It’s fascinating to imagine the interaction between a couple that is a total opposite. There were no long dialogs between them. They were described separately through the storyteller’s viewpoint. Reading between the lines will be necessary for the readers to have their own conclusion on what transpired between them and what were the events that eventually culminated the fate of the professor; and if the wife was the one who sealed it.

Broken Glass By Sabina Murray
In the eyes of an innocent child, adults can really be scary sometimes. Especially if they would tell jokes which are half-meant, if they possess wisdom that can only be gained through age, if they assumed that a child’s innocence was stupidity; and most especially, if they know where the dead man’s body lies.

Aviary By Lysley Tenorio
The opening salvo was the best story in the anthology to illustrate the first chapter of the book entitled Us Against Them. It was an honest opinion of the grudge and hatred of the two spectrum of the society against each other. The unjust division between the society classes had been exposed. The friction of envy and loath would result to the destructive collision of the two distant worlds.

Norma from Norman By Jonas Vitman
What would one do if death is staring him on his face? He would probably think what is the motive of his aggressor. He would cry as his life in the past and future reels. He would shake his head profusely to awaken from a brutal blow. He would activate his senses to know if he is still alive. He will seize any momentarily strength to fight for his life. He will pray for salvation if there is really heaven. Norman to Norma to Charmaine. Who will survive, who will perish, who will resurrect?