Let me say this right off the bat: I hate the horror genre. I don't watch or enjoy horror movies. I don't read horror stories and novels (Aside from The Green Mile, I've done a pretty good job of avoiding Stephen King's work). I think someone must've once said that good horror is supposed to leave you sleepless for at least a day or two. I already have enough trouble sleeping as it is - I don't need the extra reason to not sleep at night.
My only ghost story indulgence is Angsana Books' True Singapore Ghost Stories (TSGS) series which is compiled by Russell Lee and his team (of ghost writers?) and from reader submitted stories. People send in stories of their personal experiences of the paranormal not just from Singapore, but also Malaysia and the rest of the world. To get people to send in their stories, there's an ongoing contest where there are usually prizes to be won, the main one being a cash prize of S$2,000 (or RM4,000). It doesn't have to be a personal experience, you could also send in an general topic essay along those lines as well. They're picked based on entertainment value.
The reader submissions are not bad, most of them entertaining but also serve as tales of caution as to what will happen when you do this or that. In every book there's usually a piece or series that's written by Russell about some supernatural topic like Hell, cults or creatures of the paranormal like werewolves, vampires, etc. Some series continue in the subsequent titles. The piece(s) he wrote about the 18 levels of hell still creep me out to this day.
The books are not entertaining, but can be a bit of an education into the world of the supernatural, which I admit I'm ignorant about. The entire spectrum of emotion was felt - I laughed, I choked, I nearly cried - reading the books over the years. It doesn't hurt that they're pretty cheap (less than RM20 each), which doesn't leave a huge hole in the pocket. They used to be RM14, but nowadays they're going for RM16 each. Oh, the inflation.
I can't believe that the first run of Book 1 was back in 1989. I bought Book 1 of the new print run and have been collecting the books ever since. I can't even remember when I bought it exactly, it has been that long. But I'm pretty sure I started reading TSGS when I was still wearing a school uniform.
I remember once, about 10 years ago, when I was staying in my uncle's place in the middle of the palm oil plantation in Muar and I happened to bring one of the books along to read. As I was in a room all to myself (my cousin brothers were in another room and my uncle's got the master bedroom, of course), I started reading it well into the night. I finally switched off the lights when my eyes can't stay open anymore and went to sleep. Or at least I tried to. The window was slightly open for air circulation and it was pitch black in the plantation beyond the compound of the house and my imagination went berserk thinking about the various creatures of the night that could be lurking and might want to attack me for reasons unknown. In retrospect, I can't remember if I had stayed up the rest of the night, wracked with paranoia, but I think the fatigue overcame that. Since that I usually read the books during the day.
Russell Lee himself is a long time mystery as he usually wears a black mask, hat and suit to signings and other public events. There has been theories as to the true identity of Russell Lee and why he's all covered up, but after all these years, I really don't need to know and I really don't care.
The first and last time I met the author Russell Lee was back in 2003 when Book 11 was out. I went to a signing in the MPH store in Subang Parade and brought along a couple other books in my collection just because. I told him that I had been collecting the books for a long time and not only did he sign the books I had on hand, he also signed a slip case (enough for the first 10 books) and gave it to me for free because I was such a long time fan. I haven't been to a book signing since because I keep missing them and I find out about them too late to do anything about it anyway. If I do remember to go to one, I'm not sure if he'll still remember l'il ol' me. Oh well.
Nowadays the only time I know a new one's out is when I see them in a bookshop.
A couple of weeks ago I was in the Popular Bookstore in 1U and I saw Book 18 and I was like, "wah, new one out ah? Damn, how did I NOT know about it? AGAIN?". Then I couldn't remember if I had already bought it or not. Got it anyway and was I glad I did - I finished it in one sitting.
Knowing me, I'll probably keep collecting them until they stop putting them out. But if you want to understand the supernatural culture, I don't think you can go wrong with the TSGS.
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