THE BOOK OF THE JAGUAR
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VICTOR LADIS SCHULTZ
The legions of New Serraña have a sacred custom: when a legionnaire falls in battle, a member of their company must bear the body home to the dead soldier’s family. Álbaro Ceynos is the only surviving member of his company. He’d been garrisoned at Presidio Los Primos, known as the realm’s safest assignment, until a fabled monster emerged from legend, crept down from the mountains, and laid waste to the old fortress.
Now, with one horse, one wagon, one sword, and all his slain brethren, Álbaro the bonebearer roams a decaying empire, bringing home his comrades' remains. As he meets an array of mourners who move him to question past choices and future commitments, he’ll reveal how the tragedy unfolded, death by death, and how it is that he yet lives.
- August, 2026 978-1-958880-42-5
- trade paperback, 5.5 x 8.5
- cover art by Anato Finnstark
- Pre-order copies below; or buy print or ebooks of this title from these dealers (more to come).
The legions of New Serraña have a sacred custom: when a legionnaire falls in battle, a member of their company must bear the body home to the dead soldier’s family. Álbaro Ceynos is the only surviving member of his company. He’d been garrisoned at Presidio Los Primos, known as the realm’s safest assignment, until a fabled monster emerged from legend, crept down from the mountains, and laid waste to the old fortress.
Now, with one horse, one wagon, one sword, and all his slain brethren, Álbaro the bonebearer roams a decaying empire, bringing home his comrades' remains. As he meets an array of mourners who move him to question past choices and future commitments, he’ll reveal how the tragedy unfolded, death by death, and how it is that he yet lives.
"A deeply-imagined and beautifully-written blend of travelogue, memorial, and fantastical history amid an unfolding mystery of what really happened to the tale-teller’s comrades. A story to savor."
— Kate Elliott, author of The Witch Roads
"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."
— Sue Burke, author of Semiosis
"The Book of the Jaguar is literary magic, weaving together the crushing weight of colonial history, the pure inventiveness of Victor Ladis Schultz’s fantastical world, and the full emotional range of grief and the life that continues despite it all. This debut is a truly revolutionary work of memory and imagination."
— Michael Welch, editor of On an Inland Sea
— Kate Elliott, author of The Witch Roads
"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."
— Sue Burke, author of Semiosis
"The Book of the Jaguar is literary magic, weaving together the crushing weight of colonial history, the pure inventiveness of Victor Ladis Schultz’s fantastical world, and the full emotional range of grief and the life that continues despite it all. This debut is a truly revolutionary work of memory and imagination."
— Michael Welch, editor of On an Inland Sea
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR