Talking Animals? Worth a Look
Written: Apr 26 '00 (Updated Apr 26 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent story, good characters
Cons: Drags at the end
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| atara's Full Review: |
Talking animals, an alternate reality, a rich theological background and lots of action keep this book by Michael Payne interesting. I could easily compare this book to Watership Down (another book with animals in "speaking" roles) if the two were not so fundamentally different.
Where Watership Down deals with rabbits living in a natural setting, The Blood Jaguar stars anthropomorphic animals. Our reluctant hero, Bobcat, walks on two or four legs interchangeably, talks and wears clothes. He has a rabbit girlfriend and he loves water polo. He is also a drug user (catnip) and a vegetarian.
(A feline vegetarian?)
One day, while strolling through the bracken near his home, Bobcat encounters the incarnation of Death - the Blood Jaguar. This horrific vision inflicts actual wounds on Bobcat, and he runs for his life. Shortly after that, he discovers that his encounter is a portent of the Plague Year. And since his friend Skink lost his luck (another omen) that can only mean one thing... He is one of three animals destined to save the world. Bobcat, understandably, is a little upset by all of this, but he follows Fisher and Skink on the quest to stop the Plague Year anyway.
It's actually an old plot - a group of mismatched characters set out to save the world. But Payne uses his deft characterization to create interest and added conflict. The characters' personality conflicts (Bobcat vs. Fisher and Skink, usually), layered on the quest story, make this book complex and fun to read. Throw in the philosophical discussions that Skink and Fisher have, the debates about the nature of the divine Curials, the riddle wars with the Buffalo King, and the conversations concerning the cyclical nature of history... Well, you've got a book that most people can enjoy.
Like most fantasy novels, the book includes a map of this world. It looks exactly like the United States, sans cities. Bobcat and company live where St. Louis would be, and their quest takes them southwest to the Gulf of California. Where are the humans? Why does the continent look exactly like North America? The book doesn't answer these questions. (Does it have to?)
Also, I felt that the book should have ended about fifteen pages before it actually did. While the end of the book contained a very interesting description of otter-driven transportation (and it sounds like fun, too!), I got the feeling that the author was just treading water, uncertain of how to end his tale. If he had just summarized the last few days of the characters' trip home, I would not have felt that I'd missed anything.
If you fondly remember reading Redwall or Watership Down, I suggest that you give The Blood Jaguar a look. The "talking animal" genre tends to attract kids rather than adults, but this book is suitable for anyone interested in a good story.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
atara
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Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 13 members
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