A Girl in the Himalayas

by David Jesus Vignolli

A young girl's presence threatens the peace of a magical sanctuary high in the Himalayas.

Beyond the peaks and valleys of the Himalaya Mountains lies a magical sanctuary. Protected from the chaos of man, it is home to immortal beings and mystical creatures. When Vijaya, a young human girl, is brought to the sanctuary for her protection, the immortals welcome her, but fear she will lead to their ruin. As mankind draws closer to the sanctuary's borders, Vijaya must protect her new friends and prove what humans are capable of.

Explore the wonders and beauty of A Girl in the Himalayas , David Jesus Vignolli’s debut graphic novel, as it examines the astonishing potential of the human spirit.

"A Girl in the Himalayas is a wonderful fable about learning the value of this incredibly magical world we live in, which we can so easily forget, and how sometimes we must protect this world from the dangerous illusions we create and come to believe.” -Fábio Moon ( Two Brothers, Daytripper )

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Young Adult, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Bande Dessinée

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2018

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Girl in the Himalayas is the story, a debut graphic novel, of a young girl, Vijaya, who is transported after her parents’s death to a sanctuary in the Himalayas. Like Shang-ri-la? The Himalayas have for centuries been the site of fantasy about holiness and magic, and this story, too, features magic and fantasy creatures. It exists as a kind of state of purity and harmony with nature. It’s also a kind of allegory about growing up amidst the possibility of impending planet catastrophe. What can we do about it?

The presence of Vijaya, a young human girl, is welcomed in the sanctuary—which is mainly a Buddhist enclave with mystical creatures, but some of them are worried she will bring corruption and destruction (as is happening with the planet). Some folks from the human world discover finds the sanctuary, and they want to (rapaciously) “develop” it for profit, so Vijaya must help to protect it and prove that not all humans are selfish and driven by illusion.

This is a graphic novel, simply illustrated, with tan and brown washes, with cute characters, especially Vijaya (and some cute spirit creatures). I think because it has that Little Prince/Giving Tree dimension to it, it might appeal to all ages. It is pretty long, at 180 pages, so may be ideal for middle grades. Strong girl main character supported by an older, wise man who appreciates her spirit and goodness. I'll rate this 3.5 (partly lower because I am not such a huge fantasy or even allegory guy), but round up because it is a debut novel and so cute.

A preview:

https://www.cbr.com/a-girl-in-the-him...

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something a little different, but I can't say it spoke to me. Then again, I did pull it out of the to-read stack in the middle of the night after concluding that, for whatever reason, I wasn't going to fall back asleep any time soon.

I'm generally pretty open to mythologies ... so I'm not sure why this didn't resonate. Still, it was easy enough to turn the pages.

Absurdist side note: early on, my mind immediately went to Lone Wolf and Cub, but that didn't last long. As the title indicates, the "girl" drives the train and animates the whole....

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suppose I could approach this review from a more mature, nuanced perspective and invoke cultural appropriation and misrepresentation, etc., but screw all that. A Girl in the Himalayas just sucks from start to finish and isn’t worth the time I spent reading it, let alone any extra time thinking about it and putting in the effort to write something more elegant.

Let’s just say you took a crappy artist with no previous graphic novel experience and absolutely no knowledge of life in the Himalaya, added whatever shitty, watered-down understanding he gleaned of Hinduism and Buddhism from watching Bill Murray in The Razor’s Edge or maybe reading Ironfist comics, and you wrapped it all up in some kind of faux children’s parable about home or desire or the environment or who gives a fuck, and only then would you have something close to this awful kids’ version of Lost Horizon.

From the very first pages where young Vijaya wakes up in her burning house calling out for “Mom?!” and “Dad?!” I knew this was going to be just terrible, and it didn’t fail to meet expectations. Young Vijaya wandering alone in the mountains is rescued by some self-styled “Warrior of Ganpati” (and if that doesn’t make you sit up and scratch your head right there, well, it gets even dumber) who looks like an elderly version of a bearded Daniel Rand wearing a parka come from his mystical Himalayan abode to sacrifice his immortality and offer the girl sanctuary.

And then it just gets dumber and dumber and dumber...I felt like hurting myself more than once.

Unfortunately the author has already had a second work published recently, so some dummies must have enjoyed A Girl in the Himalayas, but please do yourself a favor and don’t even think about reading this waste of time.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not fully sure what to make of this story- I guess it didn't quite land with me, though the artwork is very nice. The story begins in when a young girl, Vijaya, is orphaned when attackers burn down her home village. She sets out into the snow alone and collapses. A mysterious figure sees her, and collects her into his arms. He speaks into the sky that he will trade his immortality for this child's life, and carries her into a hidden sanctuary in the mountains. In this valley the temperature is always warm and the forests and fields are full of elemental spirits. These spirits act as a kind of purifying force in the world, siphoning way fear and pain. Most of this bad energy is produced by humans whose hearts are clouded with illusion, causing them to become out of step with the natural world. The elementals are being overwhelmed by human pollution and greed, and come to the sanctuary to rest. Some of them think that the safety of the sanctuary is threatened by the presence of a human child. A huge amount of my ambivalence about this story was based on the author's decision to set it in a real part of the world, the Himalayas, rather than in a fantasy world. Did he do any research about this region, are the elementals based on actual myths from that area or are they completely made up...? Should my enjoyment of the story be based on the author having thoughtfully portrayed a region rather than just filling a "far away" part of the world with a fictional story? IDK, I don't really have answers, only questions.

[trestitia ⵊⵊⵊ deamorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prasad, a devine warrior, was an immortal until he sees the human child Vijiya whose house is burned down, and gives up his immortality in order to protect her with his friend Vasu who is a god with horns and patched eye (oh I love it). They bring her into their Sanctuary, and as a child she just tries to have fun but in there, expect of the little ones, other beings either terrified or resented of humans. Prasad -her new dad- is sure about her but Vasu -her new uncle- has doubts (mostly about the humanity) yet still cares. And while 'bad men' get close their Sanctuary and bring 'illusion' with them.

This is where I started to cry.
I’m grown ass woman with daddy issues and very fucking well aware of that but still...

As much as it's a simple and optimistic story, I really love it. I'm not a fan of Hinduism, actually completely opposite, so I didn't know dad and uncle are mythical figures. I see in other reviews ppl are upset about the lack of myth or culture -which is a plus for me- but IMO that is not the point, it’s just a device.

Portraying Prasad and Vasu,,, don't want to spoil it but it was usual yet ingeniously beautiful.

The art is black and white tinged with light yellowish sand in watercolor style. b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.



can I have Vasu pls
;;;
deamorski

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading through A Girl in the Himalayas. The drawings have a strong style and the black/white with one sepia color throughout, is attractive. The story loosely uses concepts germane to both Hindu and Buddhist understanding of the world. Essentially, illusion clouds human hearts and without acknowledging this destructive force humanity is doomed to destroy each other and the earth. The main character is a little girl (Vijaya) that is saved and educated by divine figures (Prasad and Vasu) in the hope of transforming humanity through her in the future. The story moves quickly and there are some funny points where Vijaya get mixed up with various “Elementals”. The graphic novel ends with a little drama and steps up for a potential volume 2.

[Imran Mahmud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice artwork with a beautiful philosophical story.

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un roman graphique vraiment très très beau avec des illustrations aux tons orangés en aquarelle.

Vijaya jeune humaine est sauvée d’un incendie par un immortel. Il la conduit dans un sanctuaire où il vit en harmonie avec la nature et les êtres mystiques qui la compose. Mais les hommes qui ont détruit la maison de Vijaya et tué ses parents, sont pas loin et sont prêts à tout détruire sur leur passage pour se faire de l’argent.
Cette bande dessinée a vraiment des airs de conte. Elle dénonce, à sa manière, les travers de l’Homme qui nuit à la nature et à l’humanité en elle même. Et à la fois, elle est porteuse d’espoir : la jeune fille Vijaya prouve, de par ses actes, que tous les êtres humains ne sont pas mauvais.

Je vous recommande cette lecture poétique aux couleurs automnales

[Hailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations but something in the story was lacking for me. I also thought certain parts got a bit too philosophical for the target audience.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art work is beautiful. The story is complex on the spiritual/nature side with some good depth, but the humans are oversimplified, just evil, period. I wasn't sure why the girl had to take lessons in learning to dress and behave from the lady who only really care about cleanliness (OK, good thing, but standards should be different for living out in nature) and clothes (not necessary) and acting proper (maybe in terms of learning boundaries and paying attention to the important things in life, but not really how to behave like a lady, right?!) Her lessons from Dr. Algae were much more interesting!

Recommended for those who like forest creatures, hiking, and being chased by giant monsters.

[Thaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring as hell…I stayed around for the art style but the story was average at best. I just know there are some bad guys invading their territory…yeah…literally was not rooting for them at all cos I was bored.

[Tatyana Naumova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Агнии понравилось, а мне что-то не очень

[Natasha Kareeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

И не так важно, что ты не похож на других. У тебя своя миссия и свои ценности.

[luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 stars

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute

[Loz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating fairy tale with striking art. Pretty, clear, and touching. I liked it a lot.

[tchaikovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing visuals but the story was a little lacking.

[siddhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huh?

[Fae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated graphic novel about a human girl who is adopted by an immortal being to live in a place called "sanctuary". She causes all sorts of trouble and goes on many adventures, but the permeating fear of more humans finding this sacred place looms.

[J Kuria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little graphic novel about a hidden magical sanctuary for immortal beings in the Himalayas. The sanctuary being necessary because (of course) human beings in the wider world are busy f*cking things up and the world has become inhabitable to them. I liked the art style and the synopsis when I saw it so I gave it a chance.

It was a good read but at times I did find myself getting irritated with the girl, Vijaya. I understand that she’s just a child but a little empathy towards these beings for what they’d been through would have been nice, instead of always loudly proclaiming how she’s not like those other bad humans.

Overall though, not a bad way to spend an hour or so.

[Mouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m gonna be honest, this book is frikkin weird! It’s sort of beautiful, thought provoking, and poignant though. The art is sort of cartoony, but it adds a bit of whimsy to it. It’s hard to know when things are getting serious, because at no point do you really feel anything bad is going to happen. Even the bad guys are just lame. It has a message though and I like the use of the word “illusion” in this. A strange, not entirely great, but definitely original and fun read.
Archaia is an interesting independent comic company that puts out some cool stuff:
http://www.archaia.com

[Sharlene Robertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like the book at all. I couldn’t get into it no matter how hard I tried.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the ills of humanity bleed into the beneficence of nature, the consequences are too obvious to ignore. All the clearcutting, the pollution, and the poaching come at a price, not the least of which is a degradation of human empathy. In A GIRL IN THE HIMALAYAS, readers encounter a finely tuned and not at all improbable variation of this theme, wherein a self-sustaining paradise of beauty and wonder comes under threat of corruption and ill-intention.

A pair of immortal beings, Prasad and Vasu, have built for themselves and others a utopia, hidden away in the Himalayan range. Lush waterfalls, curious animal creatures of mysterious origin, non-human researchers full of insight, and much more populate this warm, otherworldly sanctum. Vijaya, a human child, makes her way to this refuge by accident.

Prasad and Vasu know, having watched from afar for generations, that humanity's industry, greed, and selfishness have wrought untold damage upon the natural world (and upon other humans). But when Vijaya's home is burned to the ground, her family murdered, and she is left to wander the snowy mountains on her own, the hearts of these infinite beings crack open, and they vow to intervene.

One of the two immortals gives up his station as protector of the sanctum to save the girl, effectively trading his everlasting life to lend this lost and wandering child one more shot at a life of her own. And as A GIRL IN THE HIMALAYAS continues, what follows is a humorous and endearing journey for all three: Vijaya acclimates to a world of fantastical beauty and compassion, having experienced the worst of humanity first-hand; Prasad confesses his exhaustion, but refuses any regret for sacrificing his post in favor of becoming an aged father-figure; and Vasu, initially unemotional, evolves, and grows to care for the sprightly and troublesome human's penchant for injecting spontaneity into just about everything they do.

A GIRL IN THE HIMALAYAS is a morality tale, but it does not aggrandize its efforts. Nature is miraculous, yes, but it is also quite hostile. Humans can be ambitious, yes, but they are often misguided and ignorant of the consequences of their actions. Guardians are necessary for the protection and preservation of the intuition required to govern the intersection of nature and humanity, yes, but flaws of capacity permeate even the best of them.

Vignolli's art is generous and attractive. Simple and effective lines lend Vijaya's childish expressions of worry and enthusiasm ever more charm, while extravagant details are reserved for more complex characters, like Vasu, a man with the head of a goat, possesses gnarly horns, and is missing one eye. Further, the story's antagonist is not a character at all, but rather a manifestation of bad character itself -- illusion -- visualized, intriguingly, as an enduring cloud of black smoke.

"Even in the name of equality," Vasu states, "[humans] always try to dominate each other."

[MechaComicReviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like the many myths around hidden utopias and sacred monasteries in the mountains, A Girl in the Himalayas by David Jesus Vignolli is slow, methodical, and almost meditative. One downside is that not much happens over the course of its nearly 200 pages, and when the big climax plays out, the entire pacing changes violently. Nevertheless, the book achieves Vignolli’s singular vision at crafting a beautiful book about humanity’s greatest strengths and weaknesses through a story about love, care, and childhood.

Vignolli writes a story about human corruptness through the lens of a sanctuary where invisible creatures (to those who aren’t looking) live in harmony away from the dark human world. The darkness of mankind is tearing up the world, and this is the last refuge for many of these creatures. The girl, Vijaya, joins her adoptive father and uncle in the sanctuary as they try to keep humans out. The plot is simple and familiar, but tightly constructed.

The art itself is absolutely stunning. Vignolli focuses on black, white, and a muted but light orange. The orange itself sets the stage for the book showing a careful balance of tone and warmth. The black and whites feel very controlled while the orange lets the art breathe with its delicate watercolor layers. Vignolli also creates very memorable character designs, with Dr. Algae being my favorite. The creatures in the sanctuary are very simple shapes which adds to the utopian appeal of a place separated from the greed and darkness of the human world. Overall, if you’re going to remember anything from your readthrough, it’s going to be the art.

The book is definitely worth a read, but it’s probably better from the library or used. Not my favorite thing all year, but it is an interesting book with memorable artwork.

[Nazım · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çok benim kalemim bir hikaye değil. Akıcı, okunması kolay, çizerin yarattığı karakterlerin isimlerini saymazsak dili oldukça basit.

Genel itibari ile ailesini kaybetmiş küçük bir kızı, ormanın derinlerinde yaşayan insanüstü varlıklar sahipleniyorlar. Öyle bir sahipleniş ki bu varlıklardan biri, Vijaya adlı küçük kızı korumak ve kurtarmak adına kendi ölümsüzlüğünden dahi vazgeçiyor.

Bu insanüstü varlıklar insanlardan bağımsız ama bi noktada onları koruyan/kollayan ve uzak duran bir anlayış içindeler. Anadolu kültüründe vesvese dediğimiz, kitabın yanılsama olarak adlandırdığı bir kavramı insanın basit/zayıf yönü olarak görüyorlar ve bu küçük kızı “insanlığın dönüşümü” için bir araç olarak yetiştiriyorlar.

Doğu mistisizminde sıklıkla dile getirilen insanın yarım, yanlış ve eksik olması ama bundan kurtulabileceği üzerine bir anlatı. Yoga, meditasyon ve spiritüel kavramlar çokça.

Yer yer komik ve klişe anlatılar karşımıza çıkabiliyor. Örneğin Vijaya bir noktada çıkan arbede esnasında kötü adamların ayakkabılarını çalıyor ve onların toprağa basarak kötü enerjilerinden kurtulmalarını sağlıyor. Bu toprağa basarak enerjiyi atma olayı, batı için bizim kültürümüzdeki kadar bilinen bir mit değil. Onlar için ilginç olabilir ama bizim için biraz komik hatta absürt kalıyor.

Başta da dediğim gibi, çok benim kalemim bir hikaye değil. Çizgilerin sade ve güzel oluşu, anlatımın da bu sadeliğe eşlik etmesi keyifli bir okuma sağlıyor.
Gerçek anlamda alıcısına hitap edecek bir iş. İlginizi çekerse muhakkak göz atın.

[Deviki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this randomly while browsing the internet. I must admit, I thought the story was quite interesting—heavy on morals, deep thoughts, and strong messages about humans. The illustration is kept very simple, with a minimal color scheme, and somehow it works.

Vijaya is a good human girl growing up in a magical sanctuary high in the Himalayas. She was adopted by Prasad and Vasu, who decided to help her after bad people destroyed her home and killed her parents. I guess Vijaya’s character is a proxy for how a human child grows up in a positive environment. She could turn out either way, but if she is taught positive and good things about life, she will naturally portray the same in her own actions.

But I must admit though… humans are not the most convincing good-mannered creatures on this planet. One is enough to start chaos, and I feel like we have seen this happen so many times in the past. Oh well…

Enjoyed this one.

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel was a mix of fairy tale and spirituality and criticism on how we humans are treating our planet and each other (=badly). At first it reminded me a bit of Nagabe's The Girl From the Other Side but it's more straightforward with its story and message and less atmospheric, although there are many panels/pages without text (there's no long passages of text anyway) which create a feel of an ethereal place.

Sparse text lets the pictures speak for themselves and that's certainly strength of this book. Art is stylized but manages to picture fantastical creatures quite nicely. Use of light orange as an accent colour is a nice touch.

Some of the dialogue maybe promises more thinky story than it actually is; in the end it's a simple one. A Girl in the Himalayas was okay, I wasn't blown away by it but I liked it.

[Sirah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl's home is burned by cruel men, but a supernatural gives up his immortality in exchange for being given permission to take the child back to the sanctuary in the mountains. There, the child meets elementals and other spiritual beings and learns how humans have destroyed the earth, knowledge that comes in handy when certain elementals want to boot her out and when greedy men find the sanctuary and threaten to destroy it.

i was a little disappointed at the way this book dumbed down the concept of "industry bad" as if that's the only thing wrong with the planet. It tries to make a defense that if a child grows up in nature, she will understand how to work in harmony with the earth. But the antagonists in this book are just too simple. I like the characters a lot, and I wish that we'd gotten more time to explore the sanctuary and the elemental powers hidden there.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vijaya loses her family in a fire and almost loses her life as well, but a kindly immortal (Prasad) sacrifices his own immortality to save her. He brings her to a hidden sanctuary for elementals deep in the mountains. Prasad's immortal companion Vasu does not approve of Prasad's decision - it will be harder to safeguard the sanctuary. Humans are bound to discover it, and they will pollute it with "illusion." Both Prasad and Vasu come to care for Vijaya however, and she manages to befriend a number of the elementals as well. Soon their sanctuary faces exposure and destruction when a group of human men stumble upon it. Vijaya uses her friendship with the elementals to help protect the others.