We’re excited to offer an exclusive cover reveal of Chicago Review of Books Daily Editor Victor Ladis Schultz’s forthcoming debut novel, The Book of the Jaguar (Fairwood Press, August 18, 2026). With a style recalling the literary fantasies of Sofia Samatar and Marlon James, Schultz gives us a memorable story of grief, camaraderie, and the mother of all apex predators, in a world inspired by colonial Mexico.
Here’s how Fairwood Press describes the book:
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.
The cover features artwork by Anato Finnstark. The book’s publisher, Patrick Swenson, shared some thoughts about the art:
“Victor and I started thinking about concepts for the cover art early on, a joint effort deep-diving for possible images and artists. I knew we’d want a representation of a jaguar in an ‘is it really there?’ state. But what would we pair with it? The presidio? Craggy mountain ranges? A solitary figure alone, on a near impossible task? We found Anato’s piece and it was the perfect blend of what we’d been searching for. Even the subtitle of the artwork seemed to fit: Mist Whisperer.”
Schultz had the following to say about the cover’s significance:
“It’s the mist that really got me. The Book of the Jaguar is soaked in memory, a lone survivor piecing through his past, trying to understand why he’s still alive where so many others fell. The mist in Anato Finnstark’s image somehow suggests that mental process, the mystery of memory, the painful parts you maybe don’t want to bump into as you stumble through the fog. What appears to be a great atmospheric feline looming over the scene adds the perfect note of menace.
“I confess I’ve always been a sucker for fantasy art portraying an insignificant human figure in an awesome, unearthly setting, and there’s a little bit of that here. In this case I think it calls to mind the vastness of both the task before Álbaro and the hurt weighing him down. His is an uphill journey indeed. And the trees in the foreground? They’re shelter for the viewer, the reader. If you open the book, you’re stepping out of the safety of the trees—and into the mist.”
FICTION
The Book of the Jaguar
By Victor Ladis Schultz
Fairwood Press
August 18, 2026
