A revelatory talent and collection. Usman T. Malik Usman T. Malik is a practicing rheumatologist with a deep-seated fascination for the macabre and the grotesque. That may dissuade some of us from visiting his clinic but rest assured that from all accounts he is a mild-mannered, skillful, attentive and compassionate doctor. His other side - his Mr Hyde so to speak - reveals the dark, enticing and wildly imaginative recesses of his vibrant mind. It is, therefore, no happenstance that he is a prolific and widely published writer of speculative fiction and indeed a recipient of considerable attention, praise and awards. Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan is his first anthology presenting to the reading world some of his most acclaimed stories. Published by the Pakistani publisher Kitab - and it is a slick and polished job - happily for enthusiasts of illustrated books like myself, it carries wonderful artwork from the Pakistani artists Rohama Malik, Saniya Kamal, Omar Gilani, Komal Ashfaq, Romaisa Fawad, Kehkashan Khalid, Samya Arif, Emil Hasnain and Mushba Said. Anyone familiar with Gustave Doré's illustrations for Dante's The Divine Comedy, or Harry Clarke's drawings for Edgar Alan Poe's stories, or indeed the works of the many brilliant illustrators of Arabian Nights (René Bull, Edmund Dulac, Maxfield Parrish, Charles Folkard, to name a few), the brilliant and all but forgotten Raymond Sheppard who enhanced manifold the pleasure of reading Jim Corbett, and I could go on, would very well appreciate the inextricable link between the written and the visual and how the two splendidly augment each other. This is indeed a very praiseworthy endeavor to extend the same tradition and dare I say a successful one.
It is hard to classify Malik's writing in any sub-genre - his energetically straddles many horses and jumps from one to the other, mid-gallop, with the facility of a rider of the Golden Horde merrily darting across the Steppe. He also doesn't require a hive mind; he is pretty much fully self-reliant, always abuzz and brimming with ideas and plots, and rearing to find the uninterrupted hours to pen yet another story. He has been prolific despite his strenuous day job and it is that irrepressible zeal, enthusiasm and restlessness to express that imbues all his stories. Combining American idiom with typically Lahori terms, H.P. Lovecraft-esque sense of the weird with the meandering story-telling features of the dastan, and western and local supernatural myth, lore and urban legends with his anatomical expertise as a doctor, he constructs unique stories, making them undergo his own particular alchemy. At the same time, while the essential underlying themes are those of horror, the paranormal and the supernatural, he often also incorporates social commentary and critique. One could argue that at times the mix may be too rich, the menu of ingredients and flavorings too vast, and hence, inadvertently, unrealistic coincidences may emerge or the thrust and flow of a very strong idea and narrative may occasionally get somewhat side-tracked or diffused. However, a counter-point could be that weaving the abnormal with the normal, the fantastical with the mundane, and the factual with the apocryphal, is deliberate because it characterizes the very raison d'être for Malik's writing. In other words, he has set himself the task of providing doorways between these realms - Midnight Doorways, to be more precise. This makes for longer and deeper conversations about authorial choices, tropes, politics, use and co-option of imagery and lore, etc., which it would be fascinating to have with Malik given how widely he reads and how intensely he ponders over what he reads and writes.
I am not one of those reviewers who paraphrase stories and plots. It is simply scandalous I feel to deprive readers of the thrill and surprise of discovering for themselves; it also makes them lazy and dull if you don't make them do the necessary work. This is particularly true for tiered, complexly unraveling, and cross-referencing tales that Malik writes, or 'fables' as he aptly describes them. There is tremendous variety on offer in Midnight Doorways in terms of inventive and exciting new takes on some of the most popular themes in the various sub-genres Malik traverses between. These are, however, written in a manner and with detailing that makes them uniquely South Asian as well.
Therefore, I shall only list briefly here those primary aspects of these stories, amongst others, that really struck me. For the rest you ought to order and read the book. So here goes: The sense of the sinister in the description of the old, winding, narrow and mysterious lanes of the Walled City of Lahore and the frightening sense of pursuit experienced by the main characters making their way through the deluge in 'Ishq'; the feeling of wonder and otherworldliness exuded by the entranced floating metropolis, looming over another metropolis, and the mystique of its origins as well as its purpose in 'The Wandering City'; the very palpable, grotesque and yet electrifying surgical details of the revival of what no longer breathes in 'Resurrection Points' - very Mary Shellesque in some ways; a sensation of what 'The Conference of the Birds' would look like in The Twilight Zone in 'The Fortune of Sparrows'; exploration of the horrors and the terror (as well as local myths pertaining to the same) that only the reptilian world can trigger in 'Dead Lovers on each blade hung'; the intense and frenzied co-mingling and contestation of the physical and the metaphysical in 'The vaporization enthalpy of a peculiar Pakistani family'; and, the sense of mystery built around physical space as well as the skillful development of suspense followed by sheer dread in 'In the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro.' Needless to say, these stories and their symbolism are open to multiple other interpretations and different facets will attract others. That indeed to me is the most fascinating characteristic of the written word, and even more so, of speculative fiction, when done well. It can open so many additional vistas of thought and contemplation as well as such a wide range of sensory experiences.
The publication of this volume is very welcome at several levels - for speculative fiction from non-western perspectives in general, for speculative fiction from and now made available in Pakistan, for works that highlight and promote illustrations and visual art, for works that combine the speculative with the political and the wondrous with the sociological, and indeed for publication of well produced and aesthetically imagined books. I am sure it will find many keen readers and fans. Usman T. Malik it started off pretty mediocre in my opinion. i was unsure of whether i liked it or if it was trying too hard by the end of the first two stories. but Resurrection Points definitely changed my mind. that, along with several other twisted, delightfully grotesque tales such as Dead Lovers On Each Blade, Hung and In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro (which are among my two other favourite stories from the collection), were a step up from how the book was looking to be in the beginning. i shivered with disgust, delight, and suspense at many moments. also, the references to Pakistan started seeming more seamless, melding into the background and lending shape to the stories rather than sticking out awkwardly as intentionally-placed boxes to be checked off, as they had seemed to me in the beginning. i'm no critic, but these were my humble thoughts on the book. i was thinking of giving it three stars initially, but, as i mentioned before, the later stories definitely changed my mind and upped my rating to a four. and it goes without saying that as a Pakistani myself i am very proud of Malik's literary prowess, and of the fact that this brilliant book came out of my country. *wipes patriotic tears* Usman T. Malik STAR review in the January 2021 issue of Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?revie...
Three Words That Describe This Book: dark magic, unsettling, beautiful
Draft Review:
Malik, a dual Pakistani and American citizen, was a name found most often on library shelves spread throughout the table of contents of Ellen Datlow’s award winning anthologies, but now readers can get seven of his stories collected into one beautiful volume, accompanied by original illustrations by Pakistani artists. While these thought provoking tales range from slightly askew to unsettling to all out frightening, all are imbued with a dark magic that captivates as they unsettle. Whether readers are introduced to a city that appears out of nowhere and the very real consequences of its arrival, a haunted orphanage filled with bird cages, or a mystical story attempting to find peace for the victims of terrorism, these character centered tales with engaging narrators provide an eerie and entertaining window to a whole new world of horror. Verdict: This collection by a rising star in horror, harkens back to classic anthologies by the likes of Poe or Doyle but with a voice that represents the rich storytelling traditions of Pakistan. For fans of dark fantasy and horror while framed and informed by the author’s identity resonates universal fears such as Stephen Graham Jones, S. A. Chakraborty, and Marlon James.
Usman T. Malik This is such a delicious and haunting set of stories. Each one is so layered and powerful. I am glad Pakistani fiction finally has speculative fiction authors who can do justice to the untold stories that our culture holds. Usman T. Malik
From the winner of The British Fantasy Award
From the winner of The Bram Stoker Award
* A Lahori orphanage for girls is haunted by birds and eerie visions.
* Two lovers are set adrift amidst rising floodwaters in 1960s Old Lahore
* A woman chaperoning a school trip to the ruins of a pre-Islamic city in Sind faces ancient horrors as boys go missing and the fog rolls in.
With a meticulously designed cover and beautiful black-and-white illustrations by seven different Pakistani artists, Midnight Doorways is a unique community project highlighting the scope of speculative art and literature in Pakistan. Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan
Dark and mystifying, this collection of short stories was uniquely beautiful for me. Rooted in mythology and folklore, these 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 possess the dual qualities of beauty and terror, wonder and anticipation, nerve-wracking yet marvelous.
I wouldn't call these horror stories there aren't jump scare-y type of elements here, instead we have slow-cooking, mystifying scenes that enchant you and sweep you in, you're immersed in their surroundings, left shivering with chills running down your spine.
Set across Pakistan, be it in the narrow by-lanes of Lahore or the vast desert land of rural Sindh, I love how the stories are crafted on a formation of rural myth and folklore, beautifully interspersed with the culture of the land it belongs to.
South-Asian nations are a land rich in folklore, we have a strong tradition of storytelling, be it stories of demons to scare children into being obidient or tales of mythology from the Mahabharata or the Quran or even Buddhist and Jain traditions.
The author has done an extraordinarily intricate job in weaving these seven stories that are so enchanting and provocative, vivid and seductive, yet so compassionately human, surprisingly introspective. These are stories that are gorgeous in their imagery yet so painful and heartbreaking. The darkest of nightmares that tread almost gently, poetic in their devastating beauty.
Honestly, I was in awe of the magic in Usman Malik's writing.
I think my favourite story would be 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨- the hauntingly beautiful descriptions in this story were simply unparalleled. Take this description of heroinchis-
“The children of the true white queen lurk in shadow and live in rumor. A secret whispered from 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴
A species seamed into the skin of a puny civilization, they crawl forth only at the call of their mistress.”
Even the eerily suspenseful prose in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 -
“In physics, she learned what electrons were. Little flickering ghosts that vanished and reappeared as they pleased. Her flesh was empty, she discovered, or most of it. 6So were human bones and solid buildings and the incessantly agitated world and the universe. All that immense loneliness and darkness, with only a hint that we existed. The idea awed her. Did we exist only as a possibility?”
Let me also include an excerpt from 𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘲, a tragic tale of lovers and their ominous unification-
“𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘲. It means the state of a lover's heart during separation, contemplation or annihilation unto the lover. The point where the lover becomes the beloved. Sometimes it also means nostalgia for a love forever gone, a love that never was and love that remains after death.”
As someone who doesn't generally read either fantasy nor horror, to read this unique genre of South-Asian dark fantasy was a unique and immersive experience. This was an impulse buy, Harshad Marathe's stunning cover, enticing me.
I'd definitely recommend ya'll to read this and explore a fresh type of literary horror and speculative fiction.
As mentioned by the author, this is a book of love, ghosts and wonders. Usman T. Malik
Dreamily she smiled at me, this marble-skinned woman, showing her fangs, and the terror in my heart was great. Deranged thoughts raced through my mind: this is the queen the true white queen and up till now whatever we imagined about the world, our world, their world was a mote of dust licking its own tail in the tiniest sliver of light unaware of the dark wrought endless around it.
I have read a couple of Usman T Malik's stories online so I just had to request a review copy on finding out that a long-deserved solo collection was finally getting published even though these stories have all previously appeared elsewhere. Malik is a brilliant writer with a good eye for the macabre. All the stories, even ones that don't have heavy SFF elements, are embued with the feel for the uncanny, displaying an imagination that is inventive and dark. All of them are set in Pakistan and bring to life alternative visions of the country, tinged with fabulism, dystopia, and horror. The lyrical prose coheres all these elements.
My favourite story by far, and the longest in the collection, was In the Ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. A Lovecraftian story set in the aforementioned place on an ominous night, it really creeped me out and was actually bone-chilling. The second-longest story, Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung, is also plenty spooky and engages with nagmani lore. The Wandering City can be seen as a riff on Borges with a magical, deadly city. Ishq is about tragic love in the time of a flood. There are three more exceptional stories that round out this fantastic speculative fiction collection that I can't recommend enough. Go read it now!
(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.) Usman T. Malik Such sins that our daydreams are made of.
You think if you don't talk about it, it will happen painlessly, but it won't. I am hurting everyday. I am hurting, Ammi, and I don't know how long the pain will last. Don't leave me, Ammi.
A collection of seven fables from Pakistan that are the most beautiful, disturbing, creepy and authentic horror stories. OH MY GOD!! I haven't read anything like this book and I'm quite sure it's hard to find something like this gem.
This book possesses the ability to give the chills that a Bram Stoker or Mary Shelley's work gives. Malik's hauntingly beautiful and lyrical, rich writing that's blends natural with the unnatural, the familiar settings with the creepiest of descriptions. The stories talk of love, pain, grief, loss and fear.
An epic collection of stories with the darkest themes one could imagine, my favourite two stories being Ishq and Resurrection Points, because these were so damn disturbing that I wanted to put the book aside for a while yet I could not put it down. I had to finish it in one night!
And don't even get me started on this cover - I mean, how gorgeous can it be? It's a book that I detest for making me lose my sleep yet I love it to the core! Full of quotable lines to the brim, I'm sure that Midnight Doorways will leave a lasting impression and I'm certainly going to re-read this beauty sometime soon.
May has just begun and I'm confident this book leaves behind any other book that I would like to call my favourite read of the month! Usman T. Malik After hearing the author speak at StokerCon this year, I couldn't resist ordering his collection. And although you'll likely have to go to the trouble of ordering it directly from the author's own website, I hope you will...because this collection is one of the best single-author collections of speculative fiction (horror or otherwise) that I've ever read. Many of the stories felt Le Guin-esque, and I adored the fact that plenty of them were long enough to really fall into and live with for a while. My favorite was actually one of the longer stories in the collection--Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung--but every one of these stories sucked me in, and it's rare for me to be able to say that.
Malik's talent for creating whole worlds in only a few characters and pages is incredible, and the heartbreak involved in some of these monstrous tales is nothing short of breathtaking. I'll read anything he writes from here on out.
Absolutely recommended. Usman T. Malik Wonderfully curated. Loved how Usman incorporated so much 'youth' in his structuring. Every story has a tale to tell, i loved Imagining a Lahore that floats. Usman T. Malik
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