This book covers the first half of the life of Lam-ang, derived from the Ilocano epic Biag ni Lam-ang. The story follows the adventures of our hero as he uncovers the truth about himself as well as the truth about his role in the war between the forces of good and evil that threatens not just the fate of the world of men but all the realms of the spirit world as well.

THOUGHTS
Wow, I definitely did not expect to enjoy this one so much to the point that I am now convinced to read the rest of the series!

To be clear, I am familiar with the Biag ni Lam-ang because it has been part of Filipino subjects as early as elementary but this retelling from Herbert de Leon put the renowned Filipino hero into a higher level.

Adventure fantasy is an automatic selling point to me, pair it with an amazing writing style that highlights the main character's unforced development adds Lam-ang in my highly-recommended shelf.

I always enjoy a good fantasy that follows the hero or the chosen one into an adventure to achieve the goal or save the princess but what makes Lam-ang take the cake is the relatable references scattered all over the book. Biag ni Lam-ang is an epic story of the Ilocano people and Herbert de Leon stayed true to the origin by adding words, foods, and cultural references pertaining to the people of Ilocos region and I enjoyed learning those especially some that sounds familiar to me.

The world built in this book is easy to follow since the fictional setting is inspired by the ancient Philippines in its pre-colonial era. Bonus that there are map sketches in every starting point of Lam-ang's adventure.

There are so many things to highlight about this book but one that truly stood out is how undeniably Filipino this book is. The tight-knit people of Namongan, the way most occupation mentioned is either related to fishery or agriculture, and the all-star cast of local monsters that you'll definitely know if you're a Filipino