The Jaguar Prophecies by Phyllis Gunderson tells a story about Dr. Matt Howard who is charged with a very important job, warning "her people" of the world's upcoming changes. She is faced with challenges from herself, her personal life and the outside world.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. At first look the topic might seem loaded, hard to understand, or even boring but it's surprisingly face paced and gripping. While some things of the science nature might go over some people's head, it does not take away from the story. I enjoyed the amount of research put into this book and really liked the fact that I could search the internet and find more information about it. For those who think this book might be a one-note "doom and gloom" story I can assure you it's not. The character's developments throughout the story has a "natural reaction" feel to the things she is faced with and slowly finds out. Overall I would recommend this book to other interested in the subject.

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I won this book through the First-reads program on Goodreads ( )

This was a really interesting and fascinating story. The author used this novel to bring together the warning of astronomers, Hopi prophets, geologists, etc to explain why 2010 is the end date of ancient Mayan and I Ching Chinese calenders. The main character, Matt Howard was a very likeable character. Her sarcastic humor left me grinning through out the story. She travels to the Yucatan Peninsula where she receives a Jaguar tattoo. From this point on, Matt is marked and has become the chosen one to warn the world of the coming catastrophies. Along the way she befriends a fellow professor and they work to find a way to inform people without inciting fear. Also in the book, is friction between Matt and her Chinese adopted daughter. Although I did not understand a lot of the astrological information, I still found the story full of suspense and interesting prophecies from ancient cultures. ( )

This was an amazing book. First of all, it was refreshing to read a book written by a contemporary author who can use proper grammar and has a strong vocabulary. Writing style excluded, even if you do not believe the whole 2012 thing, The Jaguar Prophecies gives you a lot of extremely interesting information - with a bibliography to support it. The plot is great and keeps moving while being incorporated with information from anthropology, mythology, astronomy, and geology. It is a great read for any type of reader.
I received the book through the Goodreads First Look program. ( )

Author Phyllis Gunderson's fictional "The Jaguar Prophecies" explores the Mayan 2012 mythology in an uneven, but at times extremely well written and enjoyable short novel.

The story takes place in the mid 2000s where Dr. Mathilda Howard, known as Matt, is mistakenly invited to a special event at the Mayan temple complex at Chichen Itza. Matt soon meets a mystical Mayan "Old One" and launches into a series of discoveries that expose how closely the Mayans tracked time as defined by the rotation of the stars in the skies. This awareness of time wasn't just for its own sake, but tragic world events could be mapped to this star-based time telling. And all indications point to another significant world event coming soon.

Matt's told that she's been chosen to warn people of the coming event. She learns along the way that not only was this an obsession for the Mayans, but also the Aztecs, Chinese and ancient Sumerians. When you toss in an international governmental conspiracy and Matt's adopted daughter's pre-teen angst, you have the makings of a pretty interesting tale.

Gunderson strongly captures Matt's unbelieving and sarcastic attitude to her circumstance and world around her. While dialogue sometimes lacked, Matt's caustic asides helped shaped the character and drew out a couple of laugh-out-louds.

Gunderson's biggest miss is her lack of nuanced storytelling. Matt is a little too accepting of the absurdity of the events in which she finds herself immersed. Things progress just a little bit too quickly. An additional hundred pages would've helped flesh out the story and enhance its flow.

This is a good book and a fun read. The story is interesting and the writing is excellent. If you're looking for a light-weight read during this boom of Mayan prophecy writing, then I'd recommend "The Jaguar Prophecies."

I received "The Jaguar Prophecies" as part of the Goodreads First Read program. ( )