This book caught my attention the very first time I learned about it—one of the reasons is that my lolo is from Isabela which makes him Ilocano and Lam-ang is based on the Ilocano epic Biag ni Lam-ang.

Also, I feel like this is the perfect book to kickstart my reading year because I love fantasy and mythology and I’ve been meaning to get back into this genre after hyperfixating on thriller and horror in the past two years! And, not only that, but I also adore the “Chosen One” trope in fantasy, so you can definitely say that this book ticked off all of the things I am looking for in a fantasy book.In this Filipino epic story, we follow Lam-ang’s quests and adventures as he discovers the truth about his role in the war between Kaluwalhatian and Kasanaan. Through his journey, he realized that this journey also helped him understand more about himself, his powers, and the three realms.

I loved how this book opens up with the back story of the spirit world and how the three realms came to be. To be honest, I am not very familiar with Biag ni Lam-ang, so the first part of this book really helped me understand Lam-ang’s history. I love how it was all perfectly laid out in the beginning which is definitely the main reason why I easily got hooked to the story and attached to the characters—especially Namongan, her character is easy to love because she perfectly resembles a Filipino mother. 🥹

I also love how Sir Herbert incorporated well-loved Filipino viands and dishes (e.g., pinakbet and longganisa) which was mentioned every once in a while throughout the book. I’m a huge longganisa girlie, kaya I definitely craved for some Vigan longganisa after that!

Overall, I really enjoyed this! It has very accessible writing-style and easy to get into. I recommend this for Filo readers who are looking to dive into Philippine literature and mythology.