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Jaguars
Lonely and dissatisfied with eternity, Zaki Raxa Palo is an immortal seer from the golden age of the Toltecs, the time during the emergence of the great Lord Quitzalcuat. He is alive today because of the arcane secrets he learned. He describes the first twelve days of his instruction in the esoteric as they occurred thousands of years ago, when the tight knot of immortality was unraveled before him and he was taught to wrap it around himself.
Although he is a prince with a questionable birthright, once he hits puberty the learned seers and sorcerers around him seize upon the moment as they groom him for kingship. Suddenly, Zaki is forced to learn and take notice of the world around him; no longer can he be the isolated and lazy boy he was. Accompanied by his pet, Chahel, an orphaned jaguar, he is led into the reality of myth. The lead instructor of wisdom, the Cabicacmotz, introduces him to the frightening practices of the Toltecs. Who knew that awareness could dwell in one’s shadow?
Zaki has seen a few games of Bateh, the deadly ball-game, but he has never seen it as it is meant to be played, where intent can propel the ball towards the goal and defeat can be complete. On the day of the Festival of Adults, a private affair within the tribe, he sees the royal team upon the grand ball court. The Cabicacmotz leads him around the festival to receive omens from different groups he must learn from. The Chuchmox will teach him gazing, the sneaky Etamanel Evan will make him smoke a spiky plant, the Balam Ch’Ab will show him how to transform himself into a jaguar, he will learn to play Bateh with The Jaguars, and the strange Ahtoobalvar will show him how to fly over mountains in a new body.
Fate has conspired against little Zaki. His instructor, the Cabicacmotz has the ability to set Zaki’s hair on fire and he just might become his brother-in-law. Worst of all, the Cabicacmotz can read his mind and rifle through it at ease. How does one only think good thoughts? It’s a trick worth learning when one’s hair is on the line.
Being a boy was a luxury, no one paid any attention to Zaki. Now he is counted as a man, it seems, and all of the tribe knows his business. Disappear once while trying to gaze at one’s shadow and everyone hears about it. They even think he might have been transported away by the Xibalbans, the denizens of the underworld. Zaki can’t understand what all the fuss is about. He doesn’t understand that it’s best never to be noticed by those beings. Now he is under constant observation.
The only good thing that has happened is that Zaki now has friends. Only the noble-born children get to learn the arts or those who have been pointed out by omens. Two brothers, Hac and Cham, of the lowest caste are chosen to learn alongside Zaki. Quiet Hac and the cocky Cham are the only boys who are confident or stupid enough to befriend the prince. At least Zaki no longer feels invisible and unworthy. Friends can make all the difference.
Not everything is going well in the tribe, however. Spies have delivered devastating news to the Toltecs. Once, long ago, the Toltecs rebelled against false gods and their followers within the tribe. They thought they had destroyed them all, but now they know that is not so. The idolaters have thrived and they are forcing the tribes around them into subjugation. Do their gods still exist? No one knows. They only know that they must be stopped and war is in the air.
No matter what, though, he is still going to have to learn all that his teachers demand. He’ll have to wear a navel stone, practice dreaming, smoke things that make him think oddly, learn where his sense of self is at all times, live with purpose, and discover that the childhood stories of his tribe contain incomprehensible and esoteric truths. The world is much more mysterious than he ever imagined…
Although he is a prince with a questionable birthright, once he hits puberty the learned seers and sorcerers around him seize upon the moment as they groom him for kingship. Suddenly, Zaki is forced to learn and take notice of the world around him; no longer can he be the isolated and lazy boy he was. Accompanied by his pet, Chahel, an orphaned jaguar, he is led into the reality of myth. The lead instructor of wisdom, the Cabicacmotz, introduces him to the frightening practices of the Toltecs. Who knew that awareness could dwell in one’s shadow?
Zaki has seen a few games of Bateh, the deadly ball-game, but he has never seen it as it is meant to be played, where intent can propel the ball towards the goal and defeat can be complete. On the day of the Festival of Adults, a private affair within the tribe, he sees the royal team upon the grand ball court. The Cabicacmotz leads him around the festival to receive omens from different groups he must learn from. The Chuchmox will teach him gazing, the sneaky Etamanel Evan will make him smoke a spiky plant, the Balam Ch’Ab will show him how to transform himself into a jaguar, he will learn to play Bateh with The Jaguars, and the strange Ahtoobalvar will show him how to fly over mountains in a new body.
Fate has conspired against little Zaki. His instructor, the Cabicacmotz has the ability to set Zaki’s hair on fire and he just might become his brother-in-law. Worst of all, the Cabicacmotz can read his mind and rifle through it at ease. How does one only think good thoughts? It’s a trick worth learning when one’s hair is on the line.
Being a boy was a luxury, no one paid any attention to Zaki. Now he is counted as a man, it seems, and all of the tribe knows his business. Disappear once while trying to gaze at one’s shadow and everyone hears about it. They even think he might have been transported away by the Xibalbans, the denizens of the underworld. Zaki can’t understand what all the fuss is about. He doesn’t understand that it’s best never to be noticed by those beings. Now he is under constant observation.
The only good thing that has happened is that Zaki now has friends. Only the noble-born children get to learn the arts or those who have been pointed out by omens. Two brothers, Hac and Cham, of the lowest caste are chosen to learn alongside Zaki. Quiet Hac and the cocky Cham are the only boys who are confident or stupid enough to befriend the prince. At least Zaki no longer feels invisible and unworthy. Friends can make all the difference.
Not everything is going well in the tribe, however. Spies have delivered devastating news to the Toltecs. Once, long ago, the Toltecs rebelled against false gods and their followers within the tribe. They thought they had destroyed them all, but now they know that is not so. The idolaters have thrived and they are forcing the tribes around them into subjugation. Do their gods still exist? No one knows. They only know that they must be stopped and war is in the air.
No matter what, though, he is still going to have to learn all that his teachers demand. He’ll have to wear a navel stone, practice dreaming, smoke things that make him think oddly, learn where his sense of self is at all times, live with purpose, and discover that the childhood stories of his tribe contain incomprehensible and esoteric truths. The world is much more mysterious than he ever imagined…
362 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 18, 2014
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3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 31, 2015
Even as you read Amazon's description for this book, you'll know that this book is unique. However, this description is also a double-edged sword. Five lines will not prepare you for what is to come in the 500 pages of this book. As a reader, I understood Zaki ups and downs up to about half the book. After that, even after rereading the book, I was still confused. This is where I think a few things can be improved on - a far longer description than five lines, a reader's guide which includes maps, symbolisms, places and characters in the book. This way instead of rereading sections of the book, a reader can refer to the guide to better understand and appreciate the story.
For the basic story itself, I loved it. It's culture, history with a bit of fairy dust. Zaki's story is very interesting and I recommend it for anyone who likes fantasy and adventure. I appreciate the author's hard work in making sure her research was accurate. Despite my points stated above, this is no way a bad book or badly written one. The story needs to communicate (for the lack of a better word) with the reader. I'll definitely read other books by this author.
Reviewer Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
For the basic story itself, I loved it. It's culture, history with a bit of fairy dust. Zaki's story is very interesting and I recommend it for anyone who likes fantasy and adventure. I appreciate the author's hard work in making sure her research was accurate. Despite my points stated above, this is no way a bad book or badly written one. The story needs to communicate (for the lack of a better word) with the reader. I'll definitely read other books by this author.
Reviewer Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
August 12, 2016
I'll let you go to Amazon for the book description.
http://www.amazon.com/Jaguars-Georgin...
My impressions of the book...I found the story fascinating in many respects. A prince who has just reached manhood is making his first friends (it turns out that royalty can be very lonely) and having his eyes opened to the world around him in so many ways. The beginning of his formal education and the descriptions of the people, their customs, etc. are all fascinating. I appreciated the parts about women warriors, the roles of women in the society, etc. There was so much about the book I enjoyed that I'm sad to have to say anything that isn't complimentary.
Unfortunately, at a certain point in his education, I started having a difficult time understanding exactly the concepts that Zaki, the young prince, was learning. From that point on, I read in a bit of a state of confusion.
It was implied that there was something very special about Chahal and I was hoping to learn what that was.
In spite of being confused by part of the book, I enjoyed the book overall and would read this author again. Meanwhile, give this one a try. Even if it doesn't fall within your normal comfort zone (as for me), I think it is a very interesting book.
http://www.amazon.com/Jaguars-Georgin...
My impressions of the book...I found the story fascinating in many respects. A prince who has just reached manhood is making his first friends (it turns out that royalty can be very lonely) and having his eyes opened to the world around him in so many ways. The beginning of his formal education and the descriptions of the people, their customs, etc. are all fascinating. I appreciated the parts about women warriors, the roles of women in the society, etc. There was so much about the book I enjoyed that I'm sad to have to say anything that isn't complimentary.
Unfortunately, at a certain point in his education, I started having a difficult time understanding exactly the concepts that Zaki, the young prince, was learning. From that point on, I read in a bit of a state of confusion.
It was implied that there was something very special about Chahal and I was hoping to learn what that was.
In spite of being confused by part of the book, I enjoyed the book overall and would read this author again. Meanwhile, give this one a try. Even if it doesn't fall within your normal comfort zone (as for me), I think it is a very interesting book.
September 21, 2014
The making of a good book is one where days, even years later, you can conjure up the images the author created... this will be one of those books for me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews