Engr. Jesus Mikhail Catain donated his self-published medieval fantasy series, I, Nameless, to the Puerto Princesa City Library this May as a way of giving back to the local reading community and encouraging others to rediscover the joy of reading in print.
I, Nameless is Catain’s debut novel series, self-published through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and available to read via Kindle Unlimited.
The story follows a protagonist who is a non-magical person navigating a magical world, embarking on an adventure with his halberd across a richly imagined medieval fantasy realm.
Despite the high-octane journey that the central character, Khaim, takes across his universe, Catain wrote the series during a period of extreme isolation and limited mobility.
Catain, formerly an engineer for Coral Bay Nickel Corp. and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff, said he began writing Khaim’s story in September 2020, after a series of personal hardships.
“Noong nagkaroon ng COVID, bale, matanda kasi yung mga parents ko, di ko na afford maglabas-labas pa ng bahay, di ko na kayang mag-risk ng ganoon. Kaya sabi ko sa kaibigan ko, di na ako makakatrabaho,” he said.
With no professional obligations at the time, Catain took a break from job hunting and turned to writing—a hobby he had set aside to focus on his studies as a petroleum engineering student at Palawan State University.
Catain had always aspired to become an engineer, but like many of his peers, he grew up immersed in anime and video games.
Even in his recreational interests, storytelling stood out. While most of his friends preferred online multiplayer games like World of Warcraft, first-person shooters like Call of Duty, or rogue-likes like Dishonored, Catain was drawn to games with heavy role-playing elements.
“Nung nasa college pa ako, nagsusulat na ako ng mga short stories. Love stories pa nga. Nung sinulat ko kasi yung libro, heavily inspired yan ng paborito kong laro sa Playstation, yung Final Fantasy Tactics,” Catain recalled.
Final Fantasy Tactics, a 1990s video game, was inspired by real-life conflicts over royal succession—most notably England’s War of the Roses—and also heavily influenced George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones.
I, Nameless was similarly inspired, though it evolved into something more than a character surviving in a historical-fantasy setting. What started as a simple idea during lockdown turned into a four-year writing journey, culminating in a three-book series.
“Akala ko yung novel ko na magagawa ko within 30-40,000 words, isang section lang ng buhay niya halos 300-410,000 words na pala. Nung natapos ko yung tatlong libro, napaisip ako na madami pa akong pwedeng ikwento.”
Khaim—a maverick, halberd-wielding, non-magical soldier—was envisioned from the outset as a kind of audience insert, mirroring the narrative immersion of role-playing games such as Dark Souls or tabletop adventures like Dungeons & Dragons.
The title I, The Nameless was inspired by a blank WordPress page Catain used to begin writing. The placeholder font text led to the novel’s eventual name.
The new age writer
Catain is among the many new-age writers creating fiction inspired by the very fiction they consumed. Though traditional in his storytelling approach, he used modern online tools to publish his work. Yet, the self-publishing landscape, especially through platforms like KDP, is increasingly crowded and complex.
In recent years, KDP has come under scrutiny after a surge of AI-generated books—scraped from online writing forums—flooded the platform due to search engine optimization (SEO) tactics and Amazon’s advertising algorithms.
While some self-published authors manage to break through the clutter, these are often prolific fanfiction writers with existing fan bases that attract traditional publishers.
One such example is The Atlas Six by Filipino-American author Olivie Blake, who rose to popularity through Harry Potter fanfiction. She self-published her book via KDP in 2020 before it was picked up by a major publishing house.
Catain’s effort to connect with in-person readers, such as those at the Puerto Princesa City Library, is a deliberate move to rise above the “slop” that saturates the digital marketplace.
Though he appreciates that technology made self-publishing accessible, Catain believes AI-generated stories lack the heart that makes creative work resonate.
“Sa akin lang, okay lang gamitin yung AI pang check nung nuances na baka ma-overlook. Kasi paminsan nagpo-proofread ka na, sa sobrang dami ng sinulat… minsan ginagamit ko siya [for grammar checking]. (…) Pero di ako naniniwala na kaya ng AI magsulat ng kwento kasi hindi na siya organic, parang nawawala yung passion na nagbibigay buhay sa kanila,” he pointed out.
While Catain’s novels were a personal form of expression, they could not have come to life without the support of his friends—who acted as creative consultants—and his mother, who served as his final editor.
His donation to the city library may have been a modest gesture, but it was deeply meaningful. The place that once nurtured him as a student and writer is now home to his own work.
Looking forward, Catain hopes to see more books written by Palaweños, inspired by the things they love—and encourages others to value their local libraries.
“Magsulat lang sila, tapos kahit na maliit na bagay lang ay dapat seryosohin nila yung gawa nila. Bigyan talaga ng time and effort iyan, kasi minsan, katulad ko, six hours yan. Tapos yung breakdown ko lang ng magagawa ko sa isang araw na medyo maayos-ayos 500 [words] lang, underwhelming, pero yung 500 words na iyon, step forward yun siya,” he advised.
“I, Nameless” can be borrowed by those with a library card at Puerto Princesa City Library. It can also be found online at https://www.amazon.com/Nameless-Jesus-Mikhail-Baaco-Catain/dp/B0D7D3KTK9
