It's Jose Rizal vs. Count Dracula in Wincy Ong's New Novel

The moment you see the cover of Wincy Ong's new historical fantasy novel, The Indio & The Impaler—with Dr. Jose Rizal and Count Dracula squaring off—you probably think you know exactly what the book is about. You're likely wrong.

"You might think, oh, it’s like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer," says Ong, referencing the 2010 blockbuster that kicked off a wave of history-meets-horror mashups. It’s a fair assumption that a Rizal versus Dracula showdown would be in the same vein. But in The Indio & The Impaler, the showdown is more than just a pulp mashup; it's a cosmic clash of ideas. And as the author puts it, "Sobrang layo."

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The novel, which runs a dense 343 pages, veers into what film director Dodo Dayao calls a "prog-rock vigor," a style that is both horrific and humorous. It’s a book about stories colliding: the story of a nation, the story of fictional characters, and the story of storytelling itself. Within its pages, you'll encounter a "Mistress of Deception" from Bacolod and monstrous supernatural tendrils that the local Guardia Civil can only describe as "The Black Palabok."

At the heart of it is a version of Rizal unlike any other. Ong has recast him as a kind of Renaissance Man-meets-Batman figure. "He has a little bit of money," Ong explains. "He goes around the world. He’s educated and trained by the best mentors in all disciplines. Then he comes back to the city, he comes back to his place of origin… to be a hero!"

To create a worthy antagonist, Ong had to write a version of Dracula that was more than just a bloodsucking monster. He saw a powerful ideological dichotomy between the two characters. "We know from his diary writings that Rizal knew he was going to die young. And he was comfortable with that premonition," Ong notes. "Then you have Dracula, who wants to live forever. So tinanong ko rin sa sarili ko: Why would someone want to live forever?"

The answer, as the novel reveals, is the vampire’s perverse love for life. The battle is a thematic masterpiece: a Filipino defined by his impending mortality against a European immortal whose zest for life has become a predatory hunger. But Ong wasn't just interested in the thematic weight; he was also eager to explore the pulpy possibilities.

"I did not want to focus on Dracula as a vampire, strangely enough," Ong says. "I wanted to focus on him as a sorcerer. I wanted that showdown: The world's smartest Filipino versus the world's greatest wizard!"

The Indio & The Impaler (P625, Summit Books) is available at the Manila International Book Fair, which runs from September 10 to 14 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.