Blog Tour: Enlightenment by Reno Ursal
Hey, friends! Welcome to my stop of the Enlightenment Blog Tour hosted by Your Tita Kate! I am hugely fascinated by Philippine history and mythology so when I heard about this urban fantasy novel that not only has both, I had to read it immediately. Enlightenment is rich in Philippine history, legends, mythological creatures, warriors, and folklore and I can’t wait to share it with you!
“Enlightenment” is the first book in The Bathala Series, inspired by the beautiful folklore of the Philippines. This is the coming of age journey of Filipina-American Dorothy Dizon and transfer student Adrian Rosario, who teeter between friendship and intimacy throughout the novel.
“Enlightenment” introduces Dorothy as an 18 year old high school student in the United States, learning through Adrian about the mysterious folklore that binds them to the obscure history of the Philippines. She realizes that supernatural forces are no defense for a consuming love, a love that has her lean on her best friend for support, the beautiful Stella De Guzman. Adrian is a blood-eating Danag warrior sent to protect Dorothy from unseen enemies of his secret society in the Philippines, a society that changed the course of history prior to Spanish colonization. Adrian’s doubts about Dorothy are put to the test until the final moment when he feels a connection he could never predict. Together, Dorothy and Adrian experience a metamorphosis of historic proportions, a metamorphosis that changes their souls.
“Enlightenment” is available anywhere books are sold starting on March 14, 2019!
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TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE, DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOOD AND OTHER SERIOUS INJURIES
Chapter Excerpt
“Most of the world talks about the European and Greek influences on the world. My family taught me an alternate perspective: Greek mythology was completely borrowed from Polynesian and Pacific Island folklore.”
“There is no way that’s true!”
“You share the opinion of the entire civilized world. But my father says Zeus is Bathala, the supreme god of the Philippines and Poseidon is Amanikable, the Filipino god of the sea.”
“I’ve never heard of the existence of Filipino gods.” AP Greek mythology was a requirement my junior year, but Bathala and Amanikable were from my own culture and I had never heard of them.
“When Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu in 1521 and converted tribal leader Humabon to Christianity, the eradication of these stories began. Once Spain returned in 1565 and forced Christian beliefs onto the islanders, the ancestral past was lost. Even Alibata script was replaced by Spanish and Latin writing systems.”
“What’s Alibata again?”
“Alibata was the native writing system prior to the Spanish. It’s like the Kawi script I showed you in the library the other day. It has Indian and Arabic roots.”
“Indian and Arabic?”
“Yes, there was heavy Indian and Arab influences on the islands before the Spanish.” Adrian leaned in closer. “Tell me, what’s the Visayan word for thank you?”
The answer was obvious, even if I wasn’t fluent. “Salamat.”6
“Salam is an Arabic salutation meaning peace. The suffix -at is Tagalog for the English word and.”
“And peace.”
“And peace. Salamat.” Adrian said.
“Indians and Arabs traveled all the way to the Philippines?”
“Since before the days of Christ. Only the sun and moon know the exact truth. One traveler, Ibn Mattuta traveled all over the islands in the fourteenth century. Look him up when you have a chance.”
“I will for sure.” I shifted my leg up and leaned my chin on my knee. “One of your tattoos says Bathala right?”
Adrian nodded. “Yeah! You remember!”
“You showed it to me twice already! Who is Bathala?”
“Filipino myth names Bathala as the Supreme Being of the islands. He had three beautiful daughters named Mayari, Hana and Tala. Mayari controlled moonlight, Hana the morning light and Tala the light emitted from stars. Duwendes, vampires and gods become mesmerized by the allure of Mayari’s moonlight, like Bathala himself with his fatherly love for his daughters. Together, Bathala and his daughters bring focus back on the main objective of all deities.”
The way Adrian spoke impressed me. It would be a miracle if these stories would be remembered a hundred years from now. “And what was that main objective?”
“To always protect humans.”
A shiver spiraled up my spine. “And why would humans need to be protected?”
About the Author
Reno Ursal is a Filipino American author who received an English B.A. from The University of Michigan and resides in Northern California. He is the epitome of a familiar U.S. immigrant story when his parents moved to the States from the Philippines (by way of Guyana) in 1974 in search of a better life. He grew up in a small Northern Michigan town as his parents established themselves in their new life. His summer trips to Cebu kept him connected to his Filipino family. The hikes up the mountain from his ancestral home in Catmon had his imagination swirling with ideas, especially with the legends of duwendes and other creatures of Filipino folklore.
Reno was an active reader growing up and started writing during his participation in the Huron Shores Writing Institute in high school. When he took an Asian Pacific American Literature course taught by Dr. Stephen Sumida at University of Michigan, the idea of writing a Filipino American story stuck at the back of his mind. Life moved fast after college. He met a girl named Lynette in California. They married in 2000 and became proud parents of three 2nd generation Filipino American children. He had a full-time job and less time to write, but found time burning the midnight oil. His first novel “The Three Promises” was written when his kids were babies. This novel is currently an unpublished novel, but spawned the hunger to write another novel entitled “The Last Remaining.” Many drafts later, the title changed to “Enlightenment.”
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About the Bathala Series
The Bathala Series will take readers through Dorothy and Adrian’s transformational journey in understanding their ancestral past and the roles they play in the world’s uncertain future, debunking the bias about vampires and folkloric creatures prevalent in traditional European and American literature. “Atonement: Book Two of the Bathala Series” is currently being edited with the hope of being released sometime in 2021. The prequel to “Enlightenment” will be released after “Atonement.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed this stop of the tour! I’m always looking for books by Filipino authors so feel free to send some my way!
It’s always so nice to hear about lesser-known myths and legends! Not that I’m that familiar with common ones anyway, but there are so many I’m not aware of.
I think it would be so interesting to learn about mythology from the Philippines. Great post, Shari!