Hollow Kingdom
Ratings82
Average rating3.6
This book sounds like it is written for me; zombies, talking animals, general hijinks. Unfortunately, I could not get into it! I just didn't care about any of the characters or what they were doing. It was also trying very hard to be funny and the humor just didn't land for me. The premise behind the zombies was very silly, although not very important to the plot so not a big deal.
My other issue was the writing itself. I felt like half of this book was just a list of different animals and the names for groups of animals. That combined with all the adjectives, similes, and metaphors, made this read like a high school English paper that had a very specific science prompt.
I really thought I was going to love this book, but it just didn't work for me.
I liked this, and I was rooting for S.T. and laughing at his blunt comments and colorful descriptions. However, I felt like I continuously lost momentum as the story went on, due to a few factors.
First, Buxton attempts the incredibly difficult maneuver of combining silly, lowbrow humor with deep sadness and loss. Two authors I've seen pull this off are Douglas Adams and David Wong (Jason Pargin), and they definitely went far heavier on the goofy humor, allowing the background pathos to exist quietly, only occasionally coming to the fore. Buxton showcases grief and heartache much more heavily, and that made this more difficult for me to read.
Second, S.T. lacks a coherent quest. He and Dennis sort of wander around wondering what to do, which takes all the wind out of the narrative sails. The establishment of a Purpose and a Big Bad comes very late. I can see that this may be a choice - S.T.'s disillusionment with the world serving up possible quests like Lucy holding the football is definitely meant as part of his psychological development. I just personally didn't feel invested in following that journey.
Finally, the whole driver for the plot and source of the Big Bad (zombie virus-ish thing) fell really flat for me. The social commentary was both tired (hello 1978's Dawn of the Dead) and insultingly reminiscent of “kids these days” grumbling about Millennials. Plus when the mechanism is explained and further impact realized, it just doesn't make any sense. I feel like this honestly would have been a better story if the zombie plague remained totally mysterious and just set up the need for S.T. to rebuild a life outside of being a pet.
One of the more original takes on zombie and xenofiction that I've read. I laughed out loud at many things and felt deep sadness at others. At times it does get preachy, as some reviews said, but that's part of the dystopian genre at this point. Genuinely loved this despite its faults. It's so rare for me to enjoy a more modern book but it gives me hope that there are still good books being written, you just have to find them in all the overhyped trash.
As humans everywhere start dying in a zombie apocalypse a different kind of narrator steps up to tell us what happened. Say "Hello" to S.T. the pet crow. His master is dead and with the pet bloodhound he goes exploring.
The premise was engaging for a while but the writing let it down. The zombie thing was caused by some kind of virus that was animated by 'too much screen time' as if this was a cautionary tale. Ho hum. Then there was the constant use of the word, 'murder'. OK, so a group of crows is called a murder but the constant use of the word became tiresome. The humour tends to the juvenile end of things, such as S.T. stands for Shit Turd, which is a pity as the sadder parts of the story need a more adult balance.
There was also a sense of aimlessness through the book. S.T. didn't have any goal, he just wandered through most of the story and refused help until it was forced upon him. Even to write it as a hero's journey trope would have given the book more focus and direction and allowed S.T. to mature in a meaningful way.
And a hint to those wanting to write. It's OK to kill off your next to main character, but make sure it's for a good reason. Don't do it for something stupid.
An amazing book, not just the plot and characters, but also the ample local references, both creative and just perfectly on point, down to the street corners and hyperlocal avian idiosyncrasies.
If you like Seattle, you'll love this book.
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
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This is a very oddball zombie book. A strange affliction has turned the human race into the walking dead. The human population - the “MoFo's” as the book denominates us - has been turned into mindless flesh-hungry shambling beasts.
Worse, they aren't feeding their pets.
This novel is set in Seattle and features the life of a crow named S.T. after his owner loses an eyeball and reduces himself to a lifetime of walking into the basement walls.
ST is a very clever crow and realizes that domestic pets are in trouble. The gist of the story involves ST getting acquainted with the natural world, including college crows, released zoo animals, and evolved mindless humans that nature is trying to reset.
The story is probably overlong as ST moves from point A to point B to point C, etc., etc., as he tries to solve his problems. Likewise, the story plays around with some environmentalist tropes about human beings constituting a cancer on the world and the animals are too self-aware. However, the story redeems itself with the humor of ST's running commentary and not a few very funny observations. There is a chapter from a house cat's perspective that is spot on and absolutely hilarious.
This is a lightweight book, but it was not a bad read.
Really enjoyed this “fowl” mouth crow fighting the zombie apocalypse. Favourite characters aside from our feathered protagonist were Angus and Genghis
This was an Extraordinary disappointment. I had Very high hopes for this one because the synopsis sounded Delightful and fun. Instead, this was a complete disaster. For one, the writing style is much like what you would expect a middle schooler to write like, not an Adult Woman with a husband.
Example: “If there's something to be learned from Big Jim's horror films, it's that you should never insert yourself into a precarious situation, especially if you're a scantily clad blonde with breast implants or a MoFo with black skin.”
Not only is this childish, but that last part was Completely unnecessary and, quite frankly, offensive. I could find more but I don't feel like wasting my time on it.
Another thing was that the character, S.T. (which, by the way, stood for “Shit Turd”, because this wasn't obnoxious enough), was a horrible representation for crows. All he was concerned with for the majority of the book was humans, to the point where, in some parts, he Actively attacked other crows instead of working with them. Now, I will say, in the end he was able to put aside his differences to work with one murder of crows, but for the majority of the book all he cared about were humans, or animals who had lived with humans.
This does get 2 stars instead of 1 because the plot was pretty original, and S.T. did grow up a little in the end, but for the majority of the book, I was incredibly annoyed both by the writing and by S.T.'s actions. I had been so looking forward to this too -_-
Unfortunately, not for me. Loved the concept. Loved some of the situations and even loved some of S.T.'s perspective and voice but I never invested and, for this concept to work, that investment was needed.
This is an unusual tale told by a pet crow named S.T. He and his fellow house pet, a bloodhound named Dennis, get out of the house shortly after noticing something very wrong with their human owner, Big Jim. The eyeball falling out of Big Jim's head was their first clue something wasn't right. What follows is S.T.'s view of the zombie apocalypse currently happening in Seattle. It's only affecting the humans, or Mofo's as S.T. calls them. And although S.T. describes Dennis's intellect to be on par with boiled pudding, the two of them stick together because they are family (or as S.T. puts it: murder). It can get pretty funny and pretty weird. I thought the story was fairly interesting although it tended to go on a bit in places. S.T. is quite a character, though.
At least some is this is probably just 2020 talking, but this is a deeply weird book that I really really dug. 4.5 in a more granular system.
Robert Petkoff slays this audio, especially the insanely funny first half (I had to keep repeating parts to play them for Liz because they were so funny) and all the various side character voices. A thoughtful and surprisingly charming tale considering it's about the zombification and extinction of humankind. A unique and delightfully weird way to read about caring for each other, animals, and our environment. Good book to end 2019!
Quite a delight. Always been a secret corvid admirer, and that mixed with a bloodhound and human's total demise (go Team Thanos) makes for a funny and thoughtful novel. Plot is loose and sometimes a bit confusing, but the writing is primarily fun with its wider message in tow rather than front and center. I did enjoy the side chapters from the Poodle, Genghis Cat, and others.
I loved this. Ironically, I could only get an ebook from the library and tried reading it on my phone but got frustrated trying to read the small print, so I waited until I could get a physical copy. This is hilarious considering what happened to the Mofo's.
I loved S.T., Dennis, and all of the bird champions in the story and have a true admiration for Genghis Cat (I really looked forward to her chapters). I was never into animal books when I was a kid (I skipped Homeward Bound and the like). Come to think of it, I did read the Jack London stuff...
anyway, it's an adventure to me to have an animal as a protagonist. I certainly developed a stronger respect for the animal world and their survival traits.
It was a wild ride.
I liked S.T's narration mostly.... but the plot got so repetitive, I skimmed through the end.
Hollow Kingdom is about a domesticated crow narrating a zombie apocalypse mid identity crisis.Our crow narrator, S.T., admires and identifies with humans—or rather, his understanding of humans based on the opinions of his owner, Big Jim. In light of society's violent collapse, S.T. struggles to see where he fits in. This is an absurd premise, and it follows, an absurd book. The humor is startling and irreverent, but there are poignant moments. Hollow Kingdom is about adapting and belonging and rebuilding. At times, it's oddly beautiful. The rest of the time, S.T. is reminding us just how much he loves Cheetos.I didn't care for the heavy-handed Black Mirror-y technology takes. I'd rather things be left ambiguous than tied up so predictably. Also, it took me forever to get through this. I think it may be the writing style. Buxton has a way with words, to be sure, but often by using a lot of them. I was into it some of the time, but other times I got bogged down in flowery descriptions. In that sense, it reminds me of [b:We Cast a Shadow 40163362 We Cast a Shadow Maurice Carlos Ruffin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533657073l/40163362.SY75.jpg 62303738]. Check out Hollow Kingdom if you like [b:The Humans 16130537 The Humans Matt Haig https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353739654l/16130537.SY75.jpg 21955852], [b:Reincarnation Blues 33571217 Reincarnation Blues Michael Poore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500555996l/33571217.SY75.jpg 54372404], [b:Severance 36348525 Severance Ling Ma https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507060524l/36348525.SY75.jpg 58029884], Shaun of the Dead, or Zombieland. Or check it out regardless. It's a book narrated by a crow.
5 STARS! See my full thoughts here: https://youtu.be/7utPaMjuFsY
One of my favorite books of 2019. I laughed a LOT, even shed a tear, and came out of it all loving nature and humanity and the toxic relationship they have to one another.
I don't know why I've read two post-apocalyptic novels set from the point-of-view of a crow in the past couple years but they were both amazing so I'm not complaining, just, this is an oddly specific genre. This is like [b:Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr 34466930 Ka Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr John Crowley https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508662187l/34466930.SX50.jpg 55587006] but by way of [b:Station Eleven 20170404 Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404.SY75.jpg 28098716]. Starts out a little gruesome, but like Station Eleven it's more of an elegy than a horror novel – oddly hopeful, at times funny, and with some surprisingly deep things to say about cross-cultural identity and the meaning of life and our (humanity's) relationship to the natural world.
Wow, this book really knocked my socks off! Don't be thrown by the premise sounding silly or childish. While young adults might also enjoy this book, it is for any adult.
I hate to write too much so as not to wreck others' enjoyment. I look forward to more from this new author.