The Book of the Jaguar by Victor Ladis Schultz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Full disclosure: I met the author, talked with him about his book, and asked for a copy to blurb if I liked it, and I did. My blurb:
An addictive read. Story by story, a fascinating world is revealed, at times heartbreaking, comic, or terrifying, but always compassionate and original. A fantasy has never felt so real, its people so true.
After a massacre, a soldier must return the bodies of the dead members of his company to their families. As he does, Álbaro Ceynos struggles to understand his own guilt and innocence in the massacre, as well as what came before and after it. He does so with utter candor as he tries to empathize with the families’ varied reactions. He also gains a deeper understanding of his world as he encounters its poverty, wealth, politics, faith, and folly.
Some books tell the story of changes to the characters in it. This book manages to change the reader a little, too. Álbaro is a soul laid bare, and while he never asks, the reader may wonder: Who am I to judge — not only him but everyone who must face loss, falsehood, and truth?
Semiosis 