In a quiet neighbourhood in Singapore, a body is found inside a locked apartment.
Tasked with identifying the deceased, Inspector Ibrahim has his work cut out for him. With no identity documents at the scene, and no neighbours who remember the resident, his only clue is a set of diaries written in English, Malay and Arabic.
Partnering with Station Inspector Jafri, Ibrahim translates the diaries. They discover the story of a bomoh, a traditional Malay shaman. It is a story of sorcery and occultism, vice and sin, madness and damnation.
But the diaries won't give up their secrets so easily. A terrible evil lurks within their pages.
And now, it is awake.
DIARY OF A BOMOH is my first foray into the supernatural horror genre. True to the title, it is an epistolary novel, with the story told entirely through diary entries and emails.
Horror in the Western tradition is at heart a morality tale. So too is DIARY OF A BOMOH. The titular bomoh is a villain protagonist. Through pacts with dark forces and the spells he casts, he imposes his will on the world, and leaves behind a string of broken souls. In the first chapter, we see the fruits of such a path. The story explores how he got there, and how with every choice he makes, he heads down the road to damnation.
The story is a radical departure from my previous writing—and yet, it also retains the same signatures of my writing style. There's plenty of martial arts action and character drama to go around. There's discussions of philosophy, religion, spirituality and morality. There's even insight into Singaporean culture—complete with glossary.
But make no mistake: this story is a cautionary tale.
A powerful evil stalks the bomoh through his life—and beyond. Though the bomoh strikes bargains with dark spirits, he cannot escape their influence. Ibrahim and Jafri come face-to-face with the ruinous powers he unleashed on the world. And the diaries themselves are not immune from harm.
What about you, dear reader?
Well, if you're the praying kind, say a prayer or two for the protection of all mankind.
And, if you dare, check out the book here.
