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by Raissa Claire R. Falgui (Author)
WELCOME TO VIRTUAL CENTRE, WHERE THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE CONVERGE.
A collection of science fiction that borders on science possible, Virtual Centre and Other Science Fiction Stories brings to you some brilliant, adventurous possibilities of our tech-dominant lives. "Virtual Centre," the first in this collection, is the 2002 Palanca Awards first-prize winner for Futuristic Fiction. It tells the story of rich people who have chosen to live the rest of their lives virtually while poor people care for them--until a young anarchist attempts to disrupt the system. "Hatchling" refers to the monster tiyanak of Philippine supernatural lore. "The Creator Defends His Creation" is the testimony of a man standing trial for fraud for building an android and getting him elected as president. "By the Light of the Moon" introduces an alien figure from Venus who revels in being hailed as the goddess Haliya, protector of the timid moon god. "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" is the story of a girl who maintains a lifelong resentment against her younger sister, a clone of her grandmother. "The Beautiful and the Whole" is a post-apocalyptic story in which a nation, in an attempt to rejuvenate its population after a devastating world war, has instituted restrictive laws regarding marriage and reproduction.Author Biography
Raissa Falgui's fiction has been published in various anthologies: "The Sorceress Queen" in Alternative Alamat, "Dreaming of the Sea" in Of Words and Water 2014, and "Light in the Water" in Likhaan 8. Her stories have also appeared in The Philippine Graphic, including "In the Dark Zone" which was a third prize winner of their 1999 contest. She has also published a young adult historical novel, Woman in a Frame, which was a finalist for the 2015 Philippine National Book Awards and winner of the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Award for fiction. Her other published books are children's picture books: Hating Kapatid, Bilangan sa Karagatan, and A Boy of Buhi. She is a graduate of the University of the Philippines with a BA in Art Studies and an MA in Creative Writing.
