One pet crow fights to save humanity from an apocalypse in this uniquely hilarious debut from a genre-bending literary author.
S.T., a domesticated crow, is a bird of simple pleasures: hanging out with his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle’s wild crows (those idiots), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®.
Then Big Jim’s eyeball falls out of his head, and S.T. starts to feel like something isn’t quite right. His most tried-and-true remedies–from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim’s loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis–fail to cure Big Jim’s debilitating malady. S.T. is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and venture out into a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, where he discovers that the neighbors are devouring each other and the local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of dangerous new predators roaming Seattle. Humanity’s extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a foul-mouthed crow whose knowledge of the world around him comes from his TV-watching education.
Hollow Kingdom is a humorous, big-hearted, and boundlessly beautiful romp through the apocalypse and the world that comes after, where even a cowardly crow can become a hero.
|| Goodreads || Netgalley || Grand Central || Amazon || B&N ||
My Review
Oh my goodness! What a book! The best speculative fiction I have possible read…ever.
It’s the apocalypse, told from the POV of a domesticated crow named ST. You read that right, our protagonist is a crow who gets his knowledge and understanding of the world from cable TV. You can imagine how colorful ST is! I have read someone describe this book as The Secret Life of Pets meets The Walking Dead, and I couldn’t agree more.
After deciding that his human is completely un-savable he heads out with the bloodhound Dennis to try and figurer out what the heck happened. On there adventures, they meet up with all kinds of different animals, communicating through the Aura, think the animal kingdom equivalent of texting. As they make their way around Seattle.
This books was so unique and absolutely unforgettable. There is a period of adjusting as you begin to suspend your disbelief. ST is so human like that in the beginning I was thrown out of the story any time it mentions that he is a crow. Once I got used to it, it was definitely easy to follow along, and I was once again immersed.
I highly recommend this book. A stellar and unique foray into the apocalypse from a perspective we have never had before. 5 Stars!
**Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.**
Kira Jane Buxton
Kira Jane Buxton’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, NewYorker.com, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Huffington Post, and more. She calls the tropical utopia of Seattle home and spends her time with three cats, a dog, two crows, a charm of hummingbirds, and a husband.
Follow her:
adventuresofabibliophile 