The Blood Jaguar

By Michael H. Payne

Book Overview

Legend speaks of a time when The Blood Jaguar, bringer of death, comes to claim the lives of millions in one sweep of her fiery claws. It is said that a solitary champion will arise to stand against her, willing to lay down his life to preserve the lives of others. This brave, selfless individual will be a bobcat.

Unfortunately, the bobcat who finds himself unwillingly entangled in the matter is none of the above. All he wants from life is a leisurely day of doing anything he pleases, a roll of good catnip in the evening, and plenty of time to sleep if off before starting all over again. His preferred solution to being saddled with terrifying visions of death incarnate is to increase the quantity of the last two and hope to forget all about it.

Driven to action by Fisher, the local shaman, and Skink, a lizard intellectual, Bobcat must face mythical forces he's never believed in and accept a destiny he's convinced is a mistake, all to save a world he's certain thinks less of him than he does of himself. After all, he's failed at everything in life so far: how could this possibly turn out different?

The Blood Jaguar is a high fantasy story where the grand events so common to the genre take a back seat to the main character's evolution as an individual. At each new turn of the road or obstacle Bobcat faces, the most significant battles he fights are with his own perceptions of himself and the world around him. While the plotline has novel twists and turns of its own, readers expecting a traditional fantasy epic are liable to be a little surprised. Bobcat's journey has more in common with Thomas Covenant than with Frodo Baggins; but, for all his flaws, his heart is always ultimately in the right place.

Originally published by Tor Fantasy in 1998, The Blood Jaguar was Michael H. Payne's first published novel. It has been re-released with all new cover and interior art by Lauren Henderson (aka: "Louvelex") to accompany his second novel in the Around About Ottersgate series, Rat's Reputation, also published by Sofawolf Press.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1936689146
• ISBN13: 9781936689149
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Sofawolf Press, Inc
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Finally, talking animals that seem real!

When I bought "The Blood Jaguar" I was not sure what to expect (paperback ed.) The cover was enough to hook my interest, and as soon as I opened the book I couldn't put it down. The moral, psychological, theological and fantastical situations that Bobcat, Skink, and Fisher find themselves in are thought-provoking. The 'gods' in the story have many burdens which have been layed out before them, especially the Blood Jaguar. Bobcat's confrontation with her is poignant and ironic. I hope that you'll find the ending satisfying, and I relate to another reviewer in saying that the book ended too quickly. I want more! Thanks, Michael H. Payne.

This book deserves to succeed

One of the best books I've read this year - I'll be disappointed if this book goes out of print too soon. As other reviewers here have said, it is the characters that make this book - they are flawed, quirky, and mismatched, yet so likeable and such a joy to read about. Anyone old enough to read the Redwall books or The Chronicles of Narnia should be able to enjoy "The Blood Jaguar", but there is plenty here that adult readers will appreciate. For example, while not overtly comedic, there are some humorous twists on a few cliches from the fantasy genre.Payne has very good writing style. Some books pile on the colorful, descriptive phraesology until it's like trying to eat a dessert so rich it's hard to finish, but "The Blood Jaguar" provides just the right amount (or perhaps the right type) to enhance the reading experience.My biggest complaint about the book is that it was too short. Maybe the author has more stories forthcoming to address that situation. I hope so!

The wonderful characters make this engrossing story a gem.

Have you ever looked at an animal and known what it was thinking? Then a moment later you shrug and laugh at yourself for anthropomorphizing? Suppose you're not. Suppose your cat really is an irreverant catnip junky snoozing through his potential.In Michael Payne's debut novel "The Blood Jaguar", Bobcat is exactly that. Bobcat's cohorts are equally real and equally flawed in their own ways. And, just like your house cat, Bobcat and his companions are precious and dear.I found Mr. Payne's book to be involving, his world to be clever and original, but what I liked best about this book is the characters. They are willing to do what they must if only they knew just what that was. They shine...pretty impressive for fuzzy animals.I can strongly recommend The Blood Jaguar. It is a gem. I hope to see a lot more of Michael Payne's work in the future.

Encore! Encore!

This is a wonderful telling of the classic mythic quest. Like all great journeys, it is as much about self-discovery as acheivement of the ultimate goal. The Blood Jaguar is a book that appeals to a wide range of people, from parents to kids. The characterizations are fantastic; the Bobcat and Skink and friends were more "real" to me than many human-type characters I've encountered elsewhere. I eagerly await Mr. Payne's next work.

A wonderful first novel from a new fantasy author.

Every so often you find a rare surprise. That first novel that captures the imagination and holds it from cover to cover. Michael H. Payne's _The Blood Jaguar_ is just such a book. He's created a rich world of possibilities, a North America on an Earth where man never arose and the other animals did, with their lives guided by the twelve Curials. The trio of heroes, Bobcat, Skink and Fisher, are all fully realized characters whom you really feel for as they take a remarkable journey to stop the thirteeth Curial, the Blood Jaguar, from unleasing her Plague Year. Here's hoping Payne takes us back to their world for further stories.