“The Secret Life of Pets meets The Walking Dead” in this big-hearted, boundlessly beautiful romp through the Apocalypse, where a foul-mouthed crow is humanity’s only chance to survive Seattle’s zombie problem (Karen Joy Fowler, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning 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 … his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle’s wild crows (i.e. “those idiots”), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®.
But when Big Jim’s eyeball falls out of his head, S.T. starts to think something’s not quite right. His 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 suddenly discovers that the neighbors are devouring one other. Local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of Seattle’s dangerous new predators.
Humanity’s extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a cowardly crow whose only knowledge of the world comes from TV.
For irreverent animal lovers and fans of well-written fiction:
Hollow Kingdom is a wonderfully heartfelt and hilarious glimpse into humanity’s impending demise, as told by the natural world. S.T. was the perfect narrator, at once tender and foul-mouthed, with a vocabulary that any bibliophile or word-nerd will appreciate. I’ve never read anything like this book—a blend of dystopian horror and incredible literary prowess. Buxton has managed to pull off a deeply meaningful story. I laughed, I cried, I cheered—three things that determined HK to be one of the best books I’ve read all year. Highly recommended.
And another note: I “read” the audiobook version and loved the narration. The narrator captured the emotion, humor, and poetic rhythms of Buxton’s writing beautifully.
When the end of the world is here, turn to a crow.
The Hollow Kingdom tells the story of a zombie apocalypse (think The Walking Dead, or, perhaps more aptly, 28 Days Later) from the perspective of those left behind—this time not of human survivors, but of animals—wild and domesticated alike—who once again have the chance to thrive…if they can survive the wake of what humanity has left behind. Narrated primary by S.T., a domesticated crow who’s simultaneously naïve about humans and in possession of a brutal sense of humor about them, in Kira Jane Buxton’s debut novel it is animals who are left to remind us about the beauty of a world without the (often disastrous) impact of mankind.
Set in Seattle, S.T. and his canine companion—a dosey bloodhound by the name of Dennis—must venture out into the wild unknown when their owner, Big Jim, succumbs to the technology-induced plague that has wiped out humans. Along the way, S.T. must accept and come to know the part of himself that he has long ignored—the fact that he is a wild-thing himself—and shake free the “clipped wings” of his life as a pet to find his place in a very different new world. Along the way, S.T., Dennis, and a series of pawed, clawed, and tentacled companions come to rediscover a much-changed Seattle, one where the natural order of things has broken free of humanity’s shackles: zoo animals bring the wild to pets who’ve escaped alive; the trees speak with renewed voices (“Life is not the same once you’ve learned just how deeply a tree can feel.”); and we witness firsthand both the glorious and the gory of what happens when Mother Nature is free to flourish without interference. “When the spirit of a species leaves us, it doesn’t go easily.” (The story is also speckled with Seattle landmarks, pop culture references, and some really interesting animal biases. Sorry, penguins.)
Buxton’s story about the collapse of mankind—a consequence of our ongoing and generally unhealthy love affair with technology—though based around the extinction of man is not your average zombie story. It’s less a story about the end of the world as we know it, as it is a call to liberate ourselves from our own domestication, much like that which S.T. and his companions face. It’s a critical look at the impact the human ego has had on the environment and the cost we’ll leave to future inhabitants, human or otherwise, to pay. And, it’s told from the perspective of a life force we’ve caged as wholly as we’ve caged ourselves, making it a poignant portrayal of the beauty we fail to see around us on an everyday basis as well as a stark glimpse of the future we are already carving out for ourselves.
For all its sharp edges and gritty no-punches-pulled humor, Hollow Kingdom is a remarkably tender story that manages to make you feel just a tiny jealous of the resilient cast of characters that have survived humanities apocalypse. It’s a magnum opus on environmental degradation, an expose on the impact of technological dependency, and—above all else—a testament to the bizarre and indelicate beauty of rewilding. (And, I would be remiss without adding, it is the single most beautiful ode to the infallible and unconditional companionship of dog I might have ever read.)
HOLLOW KINGDOM is a hoot… or should I say, a caw!
Hilarious apocalyptic tale told from the POV of S.T. (that’s Shit Turd) the crow. It takes place in my old stomping grounds of Seattle.
The writing is absolutely gorgeous. This isn’t just an entertaining frolic, but a reminder to all MoFos (re: humans) of what it means to connect with nature, animals, and life off-screen.
Fun, creative, clever, and unforgettable.
5 Cheetos!
Best book I’ve read this year (June, at this writing.) It had me barking laughter and getting teary. I hated putting it down, and only did when I had to. So different from the everyday, and yet touched upon the most basic of human emotions and situations and realities. Beautiful. Funny. Clever. I could go on all day. I won’t forget this title, its author, or the characters. Long live S.T.!
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own
Hollow Kingdom
By: Kira Jane Buxton
*REVIEW*
Define bizarre. Hollow Kingdom is the very embodiment of the word. I debated reading this, but curiosity won. The mofos(humans-I laughed so hard) have turned zombie. S.T., a crow, is the narrator of this apocalypse, and this is his story of the animals left behind. It’s the end of the world as the crow flies, and swears, a lot. He’s foul mouthed by example but surprisingly knowledgeable with a wicked sense of humor. I have no idea how the author imagined this world and these characters, but they are spectacular and horrific. The story is everything you never thought you would actually read, but you are reading it right now. I loved it for the originality and unforgettable characters. In all likelihood, this story sounds ridiculous to you, but read it anyway. Hollow Kingdom is an experience not to be missed.
Hollow Kingdom is one great read. Kira Jane Buxton has written a true gem that stands with some of the best I have read in many years. Reminiscent of Watership Down, The Redwall Collection, and Animal Farm, Hollow Kingdom continues in the grand tradition of telling a metaphorical story with anthropomorphic animals. This is an excellent take and it works on multiple levels beautifully.
Hollow Kingdom is set in an apocalyptic world and this world is described by the animal survivors. Deftly bouncing between the main story and glimpses of other parts of the world, the reader is given the full story of what happened. The little side steps provide an enriching set of details that gives the larger body gravitas.
The protagonist is S.T., a sardonic crow and its a brilliant choice. The crow’s humor carries the story so it does not become morose even when there is terrible things happening. There is also a large cast of characters that fill this wonderful world with both magical reality as well as personality archetypes.
Kira Jane Buxton works her magic in an easy to read style that moves the tale along quickly and lightly. However, there is much underlying the story that it needs to be read deeply to understand what is really happening. As with the best writing, there is plenty of undercurrent to the main story. Hollow Kingdom is a study of the fall of man, the nature of wild versus civilized, the nature of family, war, and what it means to be a hero. There is a brilliant discussion between how man understands nature and how the animals understand the world. It is not one is better, but that they are both very different. As great as the action flows, it is also a very contemplative story. Man may have fallen, but he does have his defenders and mankind’s contributions really did matter. Ultimately, this is a story about family and acceptance. How do you define your family and how far will you go for them. There is also a great discussion of accepting ones fate while trying to preserve the best of what once was.
Kira Jane Buxton is oozing a boatload of talent and Hollow Kingdom is an amazing read. This is not one you will want to miss. This wonderful writer left me wanting much more with this tale. I can only hope there is more to come in the future. I was truly saddened to finish Hollow Kingdom because I enjoyed it so much.
HOLLOW KINGDOM is simply sublime!
S.T. is a domesticated crow living with his mofo, Big Jim. (S.T. calls all humans mofos, because that’s what Jim calls them.) He spends his days learning tricks, caching objects and avoiding Dennis, Big Jim’s bloodhound. Then, Jim’s eyeball falls out. What happens next? You’ll have to read this to find out!
I read the reviews of a few of my friends and decided to give this one a go. I’m so glad I did. There is really no way to describe this book, or to even shelve it at Goodreads because it doesn’t fit into any neat category, genre or sub-genre. This is mostly because HOLLOW KINGDOM is from the crow’s point of view. And a cat’s. And a whale’s. It’s beautifully written, with prose so carefully crafted-it’s both inspiring and heartfelt. For example, (keep in mind this is from the crow’s point of view):
“I cannot recommend this to you enough: find something that you believe in, right down deep in the depths of your silvery plumage, and then throw your heart at it, blood and valves and veins and all. Because I did this, the world, though brambled and frothing at the mouth, looked more vibrant; blues were bluer, and even the fetid puddles that collected under rusting cars tasted as sweet as summer wine.”
The other reason I liked this book so much is the humor; it’s hilarious! I won’t tell you what S.T. is short for, or his pet names for certain mofo items. I found myself laughing aloud on the second page and that continued throughout. S.T.’s hopefulness and his love of humanity kept me going through this past week or so, despite the seemingly endless violence we hear about all the time.
“Watching the sunrise…..what an act of beauty, of unwavering faith, something to look forward to each and every day.”
I am very much simplifying for this review, but be aware, this is a bit more than your average zombie apocalypse. The cause of it was sobering when I thought more deeply about it. Also, I don’t see how anyone could not take away a love for our environment, our animals, and our very earth. We need to care for her, because she takes care of us.
HOLLOW KINGDOM is a unique, hilarious, thought-provoking, and beautifully written novel and I’m giving it my highest recommendation.
ALL THE STARS!
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2Z6B7Fv
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
**Also, if you could hook me up with every book by this author in the future, that’d be great.** (less)
I requested this book for three reasons. First, the cover is gorgeous and immediately caught my attention. Secondly, it’s written from a myriad of animal’s points of views. I have a novel coming out in April from a dog’s point of view, so I couldn’t wait to finally put my writing cap aside and enjoy a good read. And in my opinion, living/seeing through the eyes of anything non-human makes for the best storytelling. And finally, I used to live in Seattle, Washington, and I saw crows do some crazy and brilliant things. They never forget. Remember this: Crows never forget.
Shit Turd, a crow who fancies himself more human than a bird, did not let me down. He is rude, crude, doesn’t hold back, and I loved him. He loves humans (aka Mo-Fos, especially his Pabst beer guzzling man, Big Jim) despite their flaws. I laughed out loud throughout this book, even though I should have been upset because humankind had stopped evolving (too true, right now) and were taken over by the black plague (Good riddance!).
Shit Turd and the crew of friends he collected as he journeyed out of his cozy mo-fo home were so hysterical (and humbling), that they tricked me into reading my first zombie-esque, apocalyptic fiction book. I’m not kidding. My first zombie book.
And most importantly, this book is about saving the world and the amazing animals in it. I’m all for the message in this book, and I won’t spoil the ending, but Shit Turd’s love of humans and his quest for belonging come to a very satisfying conclusion. Or beginning. Depends on how you look at it.
Well done, Kira Jane Buxton.
A fun adventure that probably didn’t need to include zombies but definitely needed to be told by a crow.
I first learned of Hollow Kingdom, authored by Kira Jane Buxton, by the author herself in a Twitter thread created just for that purpose, to let authors elevate their works. I borrowed my copy from my local library, but as most of those go for me, I intend to purchase a copy. What follows below is my honest review, freely given.
I rated this novel 5 stars. The premise sounded so unique, an end of humanity event told from the viewpoint of animals, how was I to resist. I was thrilled to learn that a sequel will be coming out Aug. 24th 2021, titled Feral Creatures, so I wanted to mention it here to help spread the word, I know I can’t wait.
I had to pause reading this several times due to making sure reviews for books with release dates coming up were completed on time, not because the book was in any way dis-interesting. Luckily, falling back into the narrative was as easy as opening to my bookmarked page.
It sounds wrong to say this was a feel-good read, but there were whole chapters that I felt quite chuffed. The author made a brilliant (and successful) effort to give each creature a wholly recognizable species traits and separate personality; I would sit there thinking, spot on – seagulls really be vibing that way- how astute. In typical animal lover fashion, humanity dying off was on the back burner for me most of the novel; sad face but tell me more about Aura, why do some animals get cool titles, and did I just stan two fictional crows from one interaction (I really really did). Until the author reminded me this is a post-apocalyptic novel, with humans being a little slow getting the message about dying off quickly, which sounds like something we would do, selfish pricks. She brought the dread, I had moments where I would say she dipped her toes into horror, dark fiction at the very least. I did cry, I’m an emotional reader. My husband came into the room where I was reading at the moment I was crying, his first reaction is never to check if I am holding a book, bless him.
This novel was a perfect read for me, and I think for people who enjoy fantasy, and a little bit of comedy in their reading, this may be perfect for you too. I eagerly look forward to the sequel Feral Creatures out this summer.
A new take on an apocalyptic world as seen through the eyes of the animals that remain behind.
Highly entertaining post-apocalyptic novel from the perspective of a pet crow and the other animals he meets. Can’t wait for the next book!
This book had a really interesting mix of elements. There was an animal main character, but it was not a young adult book. It was funny, but also gory and serious. The humor was sometimes crude, but the language was often somewhat poetic. I did find it was funniest in the first few chapters, then the language and plot got a little repetitive somewhere in the middle. However, if you are familiar with Seattle, you will have fun recognizing the locations that pop up in Hollow Kingdom. If not, there is plenty of quirkiness to enjoy in this book!
Kira Jane Buxton has definitely delivered on this original, unique glimpse into her zombie world where animals are the saviors and humans are the ones in need of saving. They can’t do it as individuals, it takes a murder to save a village. Hollow Kingdom is filled with every emotion I can think of, terror and fear, sadness and happiness, lost and found, tears and smiles, despair and hope.
See more at http://www.fundinmental.com
Has my favorite non human narrator describe the zombie apocalypse!
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton is an absolutely hilarious apocalyptic tale about a crow and a beagle. These two are are on a mission to save the other domesticated animals who are stuck indoors after all of the humans turned.
When the story begins, our main character, a crow named Shit Turd (or S.T. for short) is beating himself up for not realizing that something was wrong sooner than he did… S.T. then lays out the day where it all started, he informs the reader that he’s here to explain everything, and then we’re off and running!
The story line definitely kept me engaged. The plot followed an apocalyptic focus, but it had such an original twist! I mean… what does happen to the poor animals that are left inside when the world turns and their humans don’t come back for them? Seems like there’s an obvious answer there, huh? Thank goodness for S.T. and Dennis!
I loved that we got to see things from the perspectives of the animals throughout the story. The bond that S.T. had with Dennis was so wonderfully heartwarming.
The writing style was amazing. It’s definitely the most lighthearted and fun novel that I have read in quite some time. I loved all of the quick little chapters that we got from other animal’s perspectives! The cat was hilariously cocky, as was the poodle. The polar bear broke my heart!
I couldn’t wait to see what other creature S.T. would run into next on his journey! It was so fun to see which creatures were dangerous, helpful, or other such things. It was also wicked fun to learn the dialects and tones of each creature!
My goodness. You need to go pick this one up. It’s such a hoot! Or should I say… a caw?
While hilarious, this novel also has a whole lot of heart! I teared up so many times. This book was a home run for me!
I highly recommend this one to any reader that enjoys stories told from the perspectives of animals and for those that are looking for a read that will keep you laughing.
This is one of the most unusual books I’ve read. It reminded me of The Walking Dead with the domesticated animals as the survivors. The main protagonist is ST, a snarky, darkly comic domesticated crow who longs to be human. We follow ST and his sidekick, the dimwitted bloodhound, Dennis, as they set off on a quest to save the world from apocolypse. This book is a bit graphic and the dark humor involving eyeballs popping out and rotting flesh won’t be up everyone’s alley. But if you’re in the mood for something clever, smart and completely unique, this is definitely one to try.
This is one of those books I feel so fortunate to have found. Everything about it was unexpected, from the points of view (it’s not just the crow), the narrative voice (don’t get me started on S.T. and his, shall we say, “colorful” language), the insight into humanity, and the love of what is good even when it’s messy. Simply wonderful in a weird, off-beat, Apocalyptic way.
Hollow Kingdom starts out in a dark time where humans have really wrecked things,though at the beginning, it is not clear how. S.T. is a domesticated crow in Seattle. He knows he has to take the trusty bloodhound, Dennis and find help.
The adventures of S.T. and Dennis are comical and terrifying at the same time. They meet many characters along the way and learn how to trust each other and other creatures.
The fight scene brings the creatures together against a common enemy and show us why things have changed.
The ending is a bit different than I imagined and gave hope for the future. I think it’s a telling tale and humans should pay attention.
I liked the unique story line and the various characters we meet along the way. I do think it could have been a bit shorter and a few less details. It got a bit heavy at times. I would recommend trying it, as the adventure is new, funny and very smart.
A plucky hero, a boisterous tale, startling prose, and eerie events combine for a thoroughly enjoyable account of the end of the world as we know it. The Secret Life of Pets meets The Walking Dead.