After Lambana: A Graphic Novel - by Victoria (Paperback)

About the Book

"On the shadowy, noir-tinged streets of Manila, two friends seek a cure for a mysterious malady. To add to their problems, the Magic Prohibition Act has been adopted, and Lambana - the supernatural realm of the Diwata - has fallen. Slinky sirenas and wraith-like spirits populate this parallel universe of lurking danger and corruption. Will Lambana spill its secrets and provide the healing balm that's needed? Or will Conrad and Ignacio fail in their quest and perish in the process?"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

**Included in the Top 50 Best New Comics for Adults in 2022 by The New York Public Library**

Immerse yourself in a fantasy world of Filipino myth, magic, and supernatural suspense!

Lambana--the realm of supernatural fairies known as Diwata--has fallen, and the Magic Prohibition Act has been enacted. To add to his troubles, there's something wrong with Conrad's heart and only magic can prolong his life. He teams up with Ignacio, a well-connected friend who promises to hook him up with the Diwata and their magical treatments--a quest that's not only risky but highly illegal!

On the shadowy, noir-tinged streets of Manila, multiple realities co-exist and intertwine as the two friends seek a cure for the magical malady. Slinky sirens and roaming wraith-like spirits populate a parallel world ruled by corruption and greed, which Conrad must enter to find the cure he seeks. He has little idea of the creatures he will encounter and the truths to be revealed along the way. Will Lambana spill its secrets and provide the healing balm Conrad needs? Or will he perish in the process?

Fans of Neil Gaiman, Emil Ferris and Charles Burns will love this new graphic novel!

Review Quotes

"After Lambana reveals a version of Manila that is both deadly and magical. The stakes are high and the twists shocking, and vivid imagination brims on every page. Brought to life through Malonzo's evocative art and coloring, and Victoria's remarkable talent for pace and dialogue, After Lambana's mixing of urban noir and Filipino myth is original, unsettling, and deeply satisfying." -- Isabel Yap, author of Never Have I Ever: Stories

"If you want to read something different and intriguing, then look no further." --Book Riot

"The art is fantastic, the writer is a well-known, award-winning writer...They're a great combination. If you like myths and fairy tales from around the world, whether you're Filippino or not, you will enjoy this a lot, for sure." --Comic News Insider

"This bittersweet urban fantasy unfolds with satisfying layers, and carries pointed echoes of the current political climate in the Philippines. Readers will welcome the diversity it brings to the graphic novel and fantasy genre landscape." --Publishers Weekly

"Victoria's contemplative story is strikingly complemented by Malonzo's illustrations. Malonzo's lines express both delicacy and disquiet, andhellip;[his] illustrations not only express the mysteries and beauties of both human and magical realms; they also effectively picture the terrors that desperate, fearful, and vengeful beings, be they human or nonhuman, can commit against others." --International Journal of Comic Art

"A compelling story about the consequences of mistakes and the difficulties of redemption. After Lambana is a fascinating and memorable graphic novel." --Foreword

"In this haunting and beautiful fantasy based on Filipino folklore, a young man and his mysterious friend search for a cure to his magical illness while roaming in the shadows of the law." --New York Public Library

"Victoria has the ability to turn genre to her own ends." --International Speculative Fiction

About the Author

Eliza Victoria is the author of several award-winning novels including the Philippine National Book Award winner Dwellers (2014), Wounded Little Gods (2016), and her science fiction collection Nightfall (2018). Her stories and poetry have appeared in online and print publications, most recently in LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction, The Best Asian Speculative Fiction, The Dark Magazine, Dark Regions Press's Strand-ed: Lone Survivor Deserted Island Horror Stories, and The Apex Book of World SF Volume 5.

Mervin Malonzo graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Philippines, Diliman with a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, majoring in Painting. He is a designer, painter, and cartoonist. He has his own design and web development team, Pepe & the Polygons, based in Paranaque, the Philippines, and is the co-founder and lead designer for The Quarterly Bathroom Companion Comics Compendium, or the QBCCC anthology. His design and animation work can be seen at www.mervinmalonzo.com and www.pepeandthepolygons.com.