Book launch: Author’s debut collection under Paradox imprint launched

MAKATI CITY, MAY 17, 2025: If Serpents Could Soar and Other Stories, the latest speculative fiction collection from Vibal Foundation’s Paradox imprint, is set to take flight today, 4:00 PM, during an official launch program at Cruxbl Event Space, Comuna Building, 238 Pablo Ocampo Sr. Extension in Makati City. 

If Serpents Could Soar and Other Stories includes the chronicles of two notable sellswords—beneath a city wrought from bone; atop a ship, soaring through the clouds; and below the shadowed boughs of the leather-winged birdfolk’s fallen homeland. Beyond these tales, stories of turmoil and mystery await. Scholars record the bizarre tale of a city that no longer exists; a sacred grove gasps its last as a blight ravages the land; a terror from beyond the mists advances upon the last bastion of a dwindling people; and a nation of mercenaries is forced to join a century-spanning war as their city burns to the ground.

In his debut collection, author L.L. Martinez serves up fantastic tales that delve deep into the choices that shape heroes—and the prices they pay. An excerpt from the back cover states: “Whether bound by coin, cause, or something far more profound and complicated, the characters—amid ruins and revelry, betrayal and brotherhood—face hair-raising adventures and spine-tingling missions that test more than just their swordsmanship and combat skills, in a world where magic can be both a curse and a lifeline.” 

L.L. Martinez describes himself as a “closeted skim-reader, distractible audiobook enjoyer, hermit-in-progress, and obsessive hobbyist.” His stories tend to revolve around fantasy, though they readily veer into other genres and disciplines, whenever the interest strikes. As a longtime admirer of authors such as Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as RPGs, his dream is to craft an escapist experience that can immerse, entertain, and inspire, not necessarily in that order, and in any combination of the three.

If Serpents Could Soar and Other Stories is part of Paradox, Vibal’s imprint for speculative fiction, which offers readers “the fruits of unfettered imagination.” Fantasy, science fiction, and horror tales will celebrate Filipino creativity, simultaneously anchored in the here and now while soaring to far-flung futures and diving deep into the mythic past. Serving as editor–at-large of this collection is Dean Francis Alfar, an award-winning author and pioneer of Philippine speculative fiction and Chairman of the Filipino Critics Circle. 

Alfar praises the work of author L.L. Martinez, stating: “From the fresh imagination of L.L. Martinez comes a captivating collection of secondary world fantasy, centered on a pair of unlikely adventurers who must learn to survive and thrive together.” He goes on to describe the new collection as “a wild ride.”

On the other hand, author Nikki Alfar says that “Martinez brings a fresh voice and perspective to traditional fantasy adventure. From rollicking romps to mournful elegies, these stories are engaging, enjoyable, emotionally satisfying, and compulsively readable, even for non-fantasy readers or non-readers. If you ever wanted to drag someone along with you to another world, this is the gateway you’ve been looking for!”