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Ascian and the Portal of The Tribes Realm
He knows about Harry Potter and Percy Jackson as well. They are his inspiration in writing his own story. He’s never been to the UK or America and sometimes he dreams about going there one day and meet the two guys who inspire him.
His name is Ascian of the Tribes Realm. His story is originated from South East Asia – Philippines to be exact. From the southernmost region of the country where the Tribal people lives as of today.
This is his story.
The Matigsalog Tribe is on the brink of defeat by the Brigands. This is the last scene lingers in Malachi’s head before he escape in a secret portal to the human world. Cradling a baby in his arms, Ascian is the last heir from the union of the Matigsalog Chief’s daughter and the Baylan’s eldest son. A Baylan is the village Priest and a powerful healer who also has the ability to enter the Realm of the Gods and speak to them in a form of a lyrical poem called Limbag. They have the Fourth Eye gift, bestowed upon them by the Great God himself. This is one of the reasons why the boy Ascian has to be save. He is the Tribes Realm only hope. Malachi is the messenger warrior and Ascian’s protector. His mission is to protect the boy and bring him back to the Tribes Realm when the time comes. He swears to keep Ascian safe at all cost. It’s Malachi’s responsibility to teach Ascian everything about the tribal world but he needs to wait until Ascian is of the right age.
Ascian grew up in a normal family. He is a son that a parents can only dream of, a big brother to look up to and a friend to depend on. But when the reality of his Tribal roots start knocking at his door and the weirdness starts coming along with the mythical monsters he only read in comics, his regular teenage life turns upside down.
He just wants to be a regular boy but Malachi told him the truth that he’s more than just a regular boy but a Baylan Warrior. As the reality sunk in, Ascian and Malachi try their best to find the Portal to the Tribes Realm. But then they realize that the problem was bigger than they anticipate. They need help. As they went along, they find out that they are not alone in the fight.
Warriors from other tribes come to the rescue.
But the greater problem for Ascian lie ahead. Finding the Portal means leaving the life that he has in the human world. He loves his family and friends and leaving them requires a great sacrifice for him. But the Tribes Realm needs him. He wants to know where he came from – solving the mystery that is his life once and for all.
Will he ever make the sacrifice?
This is a story about great love for family which is one of the beautiful traits of Filipino people. A story about friendship and loyalty. But most of all, it is a story about self-acceptance – that knowing your true self and embracing your true identity will leads you to a greater adventure in life.
His name is Ascian of the Tribes Realm. His story is originated from South East Asia – Philippines to be exact. From the southernmost region of the country where the Tribal people lives as of today.
This is his story.
The Matigsalog Tribe is on the brink of defeat by the Brigands. This is the last scene lingers in Malachi’s head before he escape in a secret portal to the human world. Cradling a baby in his arms, Ascian is the last heir from the union of the Matigsalog Chief’s daughter and the Baylan’s eldest son. A Baylan is the village Priest and a powerful healer who also has the ability to enter the Realm of the Gods and speak to them in a form of a lyrical poem called Limbag. They have the Fourth Eye gift, bestowed upon them by the Great God himself. This is one of the reasons why the boy Ascian has to be save. He is the Tribes Realm only hope. Malachi is the messenger warrior and Ascian’s protector. His mission is to protect the boy and bring him back to the Tribes Realm when the time comes. He swears to keep Ascian safe at all cost. It’s Malachi’s responsibility to teach Ascian everything about the tribal world but he needs to wait until Ascian is of the right age.
Ascian grew up in a normal family. He is a son that a parents can only dream of, a big brother to look up to and a friend to depend on. But when the reality of his Tribal roots start knocking at his door and the weirdness starts coming along with the mythical monsters he only read in comics, his regular teenage life turns upside down.
He just wants to be a regular boy but Malachi told him the truth that he’s more than just a regular boy but a Baylan Warrior. As the reality sunk in, Ascian and Malachi try their best to find the Portal to the Tribes Realm. But then they realize that the problem was bigger than they anticipate. They need help. As they went along, they find out that they are not alone in the fight.
Warriors from other tribes come to the rescue.
But the greater problem for Ascian lie ahead. Finding the Portal means leaving the life that he has in the human world. He loves his family and friends and leaving them requires a great sacrifice for him. But the Tribes Realm needs him. He wants to know where he came from – solving the mystery that is his life once and for all.
Will he ever make the sacrifice?
This is a story about great love for family which is one of the beautiful traits of Filipino people. A story about friendship and loyalty. But most of all, it is a story about self-acceptance – that knowing your true self and embracing your true identity will leads you to a greater adventure in life.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 18, 2013
1 person is currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Ronnan Bangis
2 books7 followersRonnan Tristan is a first time author. He is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Xavier University (Ateneo Cagayan de Oro). Eldest of Three siblings. He grew up in the Northern Mindanao region, in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines.
When he was a kid, he enjoyed the long trips with families along the winding highways of Mindanao which gave him the panoramic scenery of the Mountainous province and the pineapple plantation. He is an avid fan of the New York Times Bestselling author Anne Rice, who inspired him to become a novelist in the fantasy fiction genre.
When he was a kid, he enjoyed the long trips with families along the winding highways of Mindanao which gave him the panoramic scenery of the Mountainous province and the pineapple plantation. He is an avid fan of the New York Times Bestselling author Anne Rice, who inspired him to become a novelist in the fantasy fiction genre.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 3, 2014
The pride of Bukidnon. The pride of every aspiring writers to write based upon the legends and myths of his/her land. Truly to be proud of.
ASCIAN! warrior, protector, healer, friend,and a son.. it's more to him that meets the eye. Recommend you guys to read this. *2 thumbs up*
ASCIAN! warrior, protector, healer, friend,and a son.. it's more to him that meets the eye. Recommend you guys to read this. *2 thumbs up*
August 4, 2015
Although I enjoyed this first novel by Mr.Tristan, there is room for growth.I should preface my review by admitting that I don't read much fantasy fiction, nor am I active in video game culture, so there may be references to that that I did not get. I am also 20 years out of my teens, which I believe was the target audience of the novel.
The story is based upon actual existing Filipino tribes. I would love to know how much of the story is based upon their mythology and how much is pure fiction. Some of the monsters are fixtures of traditional Filipino mythology. It is great to know that there is so much diversity in the Philippines, it would be a fascinating place to visit someday (but perhaps not some night as that is when all of the creature come out)!
My brother is a gamer, and reading this novel was in some points reminiscent of watching him play video games. Ascian picks his powers from visualized icons in the sky and loses power when he uses them, regaining his power with special techniques later. Gamers may find this appealing, for me it sometimes felt a little cliche.
In reading the book, I wondered whether the author speaks Tagalog primarily and English is his second language, or alternatively if the language represented is a Filipino slang? Personal pronouns are often mixed up with he/she used alternatively in the passage when the action refers to a single person. I notice that the Filipino nurses I work with often mix these up as well, perhaps that is something difficult for Filipino's learning English? Also other words are used oddly, i.e. 'he stood on the parking lot' or 'in the step'. I don't know the rules, but generally I am accustomed to people standing 'in' parking lots and 'on' steps. Some words seems to have been looked up in a translation dictionary and used without a real grasp of the feeling that they convey in the English that I am accustomed to anyway, i.e. a 'florid' silence, an 'eccentric' mountain. Overall, I was able to ascertain the meaning of the story, but the language oddities were distracting. I applaud the author for taking on the challenge of writing in 2nd language, but if he wants to be taken seriously as an author it might be better to write in the language that he is most comfortable in and then hire a translator - or alternatively, to hire a good editor. Still, that would be expensive, and writing in English does cheaply get his story out to a huge worldwide audience that would otherwise miss it.
As is true with many first time authors, Mr.Tristan needs to work on slowing down the action and building descriptions of people and places to more thoroughly immerse readers and to make his settings vibrant and unique. Mr. Tristan used this phrase in location 2661 to describe Bert's perception of Ascian's powers: "He thought his best friend was awesome and cool for having superpowers." Although this kind of informal speech may appeal to the target teenage audience, I felt like it was really lazy. Although I am not an author, even I understand that 'awesome' and 'cool' are some of the most overused expressions in the English language and the author could have strived for a more inspired description to make this moment more powerful.
The story does get better towards the end and it feels like the author spent more time developing this section. I was baffled by Ascian's refusal to use his special powers to defeat his main enemy after all the time spent honing them. What was the point? The ending is a good cliff hanger and ripe for the sequel.
Overall, Ascian creates a unique realm with interesting characters that have ties to the real world. Keep honing your craft Mr.Tristan! Any news on when the sequel will be out?
The story is based upon actual existing Filipino tribes. I would love to know how much of the story is based upon their mythology and how much is pure fiction. Some of the monsters are fixtures of traditional Filipino mythology. It is great to know that there is so much diversity in the Philippines, it would be a fascinating place to visit someday (but perhaps not some night as that is when all of the creature come out)!
My brother is a gamer, and reading this novel was in some points reminiscent of watching him play video games. Ascian picks his powers from visualized icons in the sky and loses power when he uses them, regaining his power with special techniques later. Gamers may find this appealing, for me it sometimes felt a little cliche.
In reading the book, I wondered whether the author speaks Tagalog primarily and English is his second language, or alternatively if the language represented is a Filipino slang? Personal pronouns are often mixed up with he/she used alternatively in the passage when the action refers to a single person. I notice that the Filipino nurses I work with often mix these up as well, perhaps that is something difficult for Filipino's learning English? Also other words are used oddly, i.e. 'he stood on the parking lot' or 'in the step'. I don't know the rules, but generally I am accustomed to people standing 'in' parking lots and 'on' steps. Some words seems to have been looked up in a translation dictionary and used without a real grasp of the feeling that they convey in the English that I am accustomed to anyway, i.e. a 'florid' silence, an 'eccentric' mountain. Overall, I was able to ascertain the meaning of the story, but the language oddities were distracting. I applaud the author for taking on the challenge of writing in 2nd language, but if he wants to be taken seriously as an author it might be better to write in the language that he is most comfortable in and then hire a translator - or alternatively, to hire a good editor. Still, that would be expensive, and writing in English does cheaply get his story out to a huge worldwide audience that would otherwise miss it.
As is true with many first time authors, Mr.Tristan needs to work on slowing down the action and building descriptions of people and places to more thoroughly immerse readers and to make his settings vibrant and unique. Mr. Tristan used this phrase in location 2661 to describe Bert's perception of Ascian's powers: "He thought his best friend was awesome and cool for having superpowers." Although this kind of informal speech may appeal to the target teenage audience, I felt like it was really lazy. Although I am not an author, even I understand that 'awesome' and 'cool' are some of the most overused expressions in the English language and the author could have strived for a more inspired description to make this moment more powerful.
The story does get better towards the end and it feels like the author spent more time developing this section. I was baffled by Ascian's refusal to use his special powers to defeat his main enemy after all the time spent honing them. What was the point? The ending is a good cliff hanger and ripe for the sequel.
Overall, Ascian creates a unique realm with interesting characters that have ties to the real world. Keep honing your craft Mr.Tristan! Any news on when the sequel will be out?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews