Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

Monday, September 12, 2022

After Lambana

After Lambana: Myth and Magic in Manila is a fantasy graphic novel that explores the world of Filipino myths.  It was published on June 7, 2022 by Tuttle Publishing. The author, Eliza Victoria, is an award winning writer in the Philippines and has published general fiction, science fiction, short stories and poetry. 

The publisher's summary:

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?


I didn't enjoy this story much. While beautifully illustrated with bright colors, the story itself lacked suspense. The characters were not fleshed out at all. I did not either like them or dislike them. It was difficult to figure out what was going on and while I was reading I wondered why  I should even care about continuing it. I am not attracted to mythological stories and am completely ignorant regarding Filipino mythology so perhaps this was my problem. Still, myth stories need strong characters and plot to keep a reader interested.

No rating.

Sunday, July 10, 2022

In the Flood

Trapped and separated by an apocalyptic rainfall, Mike and Clara, devoted husband and wife, have sworn to find their way back to one another.  Rising waters are threatening the dream home that Mike built but they quickly discover that the rain, and their predicament, is not what it seems. Clara was/is a singer who does magic tricks with cards. Her singing and tricks are half of the story. The main thrust of the story is whether they can they figure out the grand trick that's being played on them and overcome it to reunite.  In the Flood is a surrealistic comic by Ray Fawkes. Comixology has collected all of the installments of the series into one volume which they published in March 2022.  I obtained a digital copy of the book from them.

I have no idea what this story is about. There didn't seem to be any purpose for the storyline, if there is one.  While I was reading, I thought that I would figure out the plot toward the end of the book. I didn't. The art was done in manga style and I liked the color scheme of bright pink and blue.  The scenes with Clara were pink and those with Mike were blue. Other than that, I cannot comment any further on the book.  No rating.

Monday, February 15, 2021

The Binding

The Binding is set in a fantasy world where binders have the power to erase bad memories from clients who want to forget.  It took me awhile before I figured this out as our protagonist began his apprenticeship working on actual book binding covers. For some, being able to forget a traumatic event is a godsend. For our protagonist Emmett Farmer, his binding caused tremendous confusion and illness.  The story is written in three parts. The first part shows Emmet's current situation. The second delves into the past and shows how he ended up being sent away by his family.  The third part takes the story forward into his future and the resolution of the plot.

The book begins with teenager Emmett Farmer working in the fields of his family's farm.  A letter arrives that summons him to an apprenticeship as a bookbinder. This vocation arouses fear and superstition in his small community.  However, his parents feel that he cannot afford to refuse the offer.  He has been ill in the past year and the illness has caused the family to be embarrassed by his symptoms.  His father has difficulty understanding how this happened to Emmett because he had kept a pure home.  

Emmett has always been attracted to books, even though they are strictly forbidden.  His bookbinding master, Seredith, tells him that bookbinding is a sacred calling and that he was born to be a binder.  Under this old woman's watchful eye, Emmett learns how to hand-craft elegant leatherbound volumes. Each volume will capture a memory.  If you want to forget something, a binder can help you erase it.  The binders then place the memory inside a book, which the binders always store in a vault owned by the binder.  After Emmett has settled in his new occupation he discovers that one of the books in the vault has his name on it.  He has no idea that he was ever bound or what memory could have been erased from his mind.

This book was amazing.  It has parts of magic and gay coming-of-age that I normally don't like reading about but I could not stop reading this book.  The imaginary past of an alternate England in the 1700s was somewhat difficult for me to grasp.  Fantasy is not a genre that I read and it took some getting used to.  The idea that you can have someone erase a traumatic memory is appealing to me.  If binders were real, I might visit one.  To be technical, The Binding seemed sort of the "don't ask, don't tell" scenario currently playing out in the U. S.  When parents have their kid's memories erased, they leave their children with a sense that they have done something wrong but cannot be absolved of their wrong-doing. This cannot be comfortable for those who have been bound.

4 out of 5 stars.