During her time in hospital for treatment, she decided she could not give in to despair. An English Literature graduate from International Islamic University Malaysia, Farah decided to start writing instead.
“I finished about six manuscripts in the hospital. I was being spiteful about my condition. Instead of being depressed, I was angry about it, and churned that anger into my work,” she said.
“I will say that without cancer, I wouldn’t have been so driven to finish the book. It was a reminder that life is short,” the 26-year-old told FMT Lifestyle.
The result is “Be Kind, Rewind: of Prophecies, Pusaka and Patricians”, a gripping science-fiction tale written and illustrated by Farah and published by her company, Mythologie Resources.
The story takes place in Bulan, a futuristic Nusantara-flavoured realm with major regions named after Malaysian fruits, including the urban Kuala Durian and distant Darul Cempedak. Its communities find themselves in conflict because of the existence of Anak Permata, a mysterious superior race of beings.
Protagonist Tuan Sulaiman Seroja, sister of Kuala Durian’s justice minister and descendant of Si Tanggang – he of the stone ship from Malaysian folklore – discovers a magical heirloom that allows her to change the fate of these Anak Permata and, by extension, hers as well.
This is told in an epic tale of time travel, prophecies and atonement inspired by Malaysian history and folklore. Sci-fi stalwarts such as cyborgs and androids meet bionic bullock carts and orang bunian for a truly unique tale of fantasy and adventure.
The novel draws from classic Malaysian stories such as Si Tanggang but with a twist. “Most of the time, when we tell that story, it’s about his disobedience. But my story is more about the fear of going against authority,” said Farah, who has previously published short stories and articles under a pseudonym.
“Be Kind, Rewind” is told through a variety of formats, including newspaper reports, article excerpts, and even poetry, which Farah said was inspired by John Milton but also incorporates elements of syair and pantun.
“I feel Malaysian readers are not being challenged enough in our books. We’re usually presented with very straightforward formats in a lot of our publications, and I wanted to break that format,” she shared.
According to her, the most enjoyable part of writing the book was in creating the characters, particularly Tuan Sulaiman Seroja, whom she describes as a “reluctant anti-hero”.
“Be Kind, Rewind” is the first of a trilogy: the second volume, “Don’t Shoot the Messenger”, should be out next year, followed by “Tell The Devil I’m Waiting”.
“There will be more Malaysian folklore innovations, cultural exploration, and plot twists,” Farah teased.
At the end of the day, the young author wishes for more Malaysians to be inspired to read and write science fiction, a genre that “mirrors both a community’s past and future”.
“I hope those who read my novel will be proud of their culture. Science fiction tends to be dominated by western elements; we don’t see Southeast Asian concepts very much. I think it’s high time for us to shine,” she concluded.
Get your copy of ‘Be Kind, Rewind’ here, and check out Mythologie Resources on Instagram.