An Alternate-Reality Steampunk Manila Gets Even Darker in This YA Sequel

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(SPOT.ph) When we last left Alinam, the alternate-reality Manila was reeling from a terrorist attack on the governor-general’s palace… all engineered by a shadowy figure looking to stoke the flames of conflict between humans and “Natives”—what this parallel universe calls Pinoy folklore figures like diwatas, dwendes, kapres, and the like.

Caught in the middle was a young boy from our world, Diego Domingo.

Also read: Dive Into a Steampunk-Colonial Manila in This New YA Novel By a Pinoy Author

Filipino YA novel Alinam amps up the action in sequel

At the end of Alinam, he was yeeted back to the comfort of our world. But now, Diego desperately wants to go back.

So did author Mickey Ingles, who created the world of Alinam whole-cloth while pursuing his law studies. “I just like being there in my head,” said Ingles, who, in his day job, is a sports lawyer who counts some of the country’s most famous athletes in his client list. “When writing it, I like walking down the plazas in my head, walking down the main road of the Monserrat.”

But how does one get back to a parallel universe? And when you do return, how do you deal with all the things that have changed? That’s a question Mickey Ingles set out to answer in Alinam 2: Diego Domingo and the Three Thieves.

Also read: Spot Shelf: English Translation of It’s A Mens World Is Still Funny and Comforting

What is Alinam?

Alinam is Manila if it were stuck in the tail end of the 19th Century. A governor-general rules from Dracundok Palace, ferries ply the Gisap river, Natives are herded into ghettos like the Concession, and an elemental magic called salamangka takes the place of firearms. But when we go back to Alinam in the sequel, Diego’s journey takes him down to the seedy underbelly of the city he thought he already knew. Together with a charming, charismatic, and downright dangerous trio of thieves, Diego tours an underground “ratting” pit, a camp packed with desperate refugees, and a house that holds multiversal secrets.

Plus, he also pops up in many, many different taverns. “Because for me, that’s a classic setting when it comes to fantasy, right?” said Ingles.

Fantasy novel callbacks aside, Ingles also wanted Alinam to better reflect the complexities and conflicts of the real world. “You have institutional changes that are cracking down on the Natives, to further discriminate and further prejudice and further push down the Natives who were there in Alinam in the first place,” he explained. “These are all inspired by Philippine history, American history, and segregation laws. And there’s also some stuff in there inspired by what the Nazis did when it comes to trying to figure out like what percentage Aryan you are.”

It’s not all gloomy storm clouds, however. The titular three thieves balance out Alinam 2’s weighty themes, giving Diego even more swashbuckling adventures and Diego’s trademark fish-out-of-water antics. Plus, “It’s always fun to write about heists,” teased Ingles.

Then there’s the surprise reveal of a historical figure from our world. It wouldn’t be an Alinam book without one. But even here, Ingles took special care in subverting expectations. “It’s not necessarily what you’re expecting,” he said.

As for who it is? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Alinam 2: Diego Domingo and the Three Thieves (Summit Books, 2023) is at P375. You can preorder the book now from the Summit Books Shop on Lazada and Shopee. Get the first book on Lazada and Shopee. 

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