The literary world witnessed a significant new release as Cebuano authors Kevin and Kyle Ferraren, popularly known as The Brothers K, unveiled their latest collaborative work. The launch took place at the 2025 Manila International Book Fair on December 18, 2025, marking a major milestone for the writing duo.
A Novel Born from Philippine Waters and Memory
Their third novel, titled "The Dreaming at the Drowned Town," plunges readers into a uniquely Filipino realm of gothic mystery. The story is set in a Philippines that feels both eerily haunting and intimately familiar, where the past refuses to stay buried. The book's powerful atmosphere is drawn from real drowned towns and isolated islets across the archipelago.
The fictional landscape, rich with old houses submerged in water and quietly shifting coastlines, serves as a central character. With meticulous detail, the authors recreate the Philippines in the 1920s, a period rife with tension, superstition, and profound change.
A Descent into a Sunken Psyche
At the heart of the narrative is Enrique, a man besieged by inexplicable visions and unreliable memories. His terrifying nightmares guide him to a town long ago consumed by the sea. As he explores these sunken ruins, the line between his unraveling sanity and the eerie reality of the landscape begins to blur completely.
The Brothers K explained that the novel grapples with deep, enduring questions about the nature of perception and power. "Who gets to define sanity? Whose visions are prophecy and whose are delusion?" they ask. The book also examines layers of exploitation, from the imperial to the personal.
The Culmination of a Decades-Long Partnership
While the brothers have previously published "Answering the Human Question" and "Shadow of the Basilisk," they consider this new work their most ambitious project to date. The manuscript was crafted during the 8Letters’ NaNoWriMo Challenge, but its roots go much deeper.
The authors describe the novel as the fruit of decades of collaborative storytelling that began in their shared childhood. Kevin's talent for intricate world-building combines with Kyle's focus on psychological depth to create a horror that aims to make readers feel, not just fear.
"We hope readers see the layers of imperialism operating at every scale," the brothers shared. "Not just nations dominating nations, but individuals exploiting individuals." The launch at the book fair, where they were joined by fellow author Josue Magpadalita, signifies their growing prominence in the landscape of contemporary Filipino literature.
