Hollow Kingdom
Kira Jane Buxton, 2019
Grand Central Publishing
320 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781538745823
Summary
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 (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.
Big Jim's tried-and-true remedies—from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of his loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis—fail to cure his 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.
What could possibly go wrong? (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
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, Washington, home and spends her time with three cats, a dog, two crows, a charm of hummingbirds, and a husband. (From the publishers.)
Book Reviews
Buxton takes a joyfully original approach to apocalyptic fiction…. S.T. is a brilliant narrator, partially because he has reverence for human things like Cheetos and baked goods…, but also because he has only half a grasp on what certain human things mean…. But the… deep ache he feels for Big Jim and the life he used to lead read as incredibly sincere…. S.T. ultimately gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, we still have a chance to turn things around before Nature is so fed up that she really does set her sights on destroying us for good.
NPR
Pick up this delightfully weird book for a change from the usual—we promise it's like nothing you've read before.
Good Housekeeping
Literary debuts don't get much more high-concept than this.
Entertainment Weekly
[F]resh, alarming…hilarious… [A]nimals both tame and wild share moving ruminations on the end of humanity… and the masterful blend of humorous and tragic make this novel an eloquent… exploration of survival during an unthinkable cataclysm.
Publishers Weekly
Though some aspects of the plot, including a divinatory octopus, present as colorless, the overall fresh, quirky tone and content will interest animal lovers and fans of… sardonic wit. —Marian Mays, Washington Talking Book & Braille Lib., Seattle
Library Journal
Buxton's quirky ideas and compelling nonhuman characters will satisfy literary fiction and zombie genre enthusiasts alike who are looking for something beguilingly different.
Booklist
In lieu of giving her lively animal characters a rich narrative arc, the author focuses too heavily on not-so-subtle morality tales…. A heavy-handed zombie apocalypse-meets-nature documentary meant to inspire humans to do better, but it loses its way.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
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