My thoughts were published on my blogs and the link to that review will be given to the publisher in the next round of this process.

After an insidious and deadly virus strikes humankind, S.T., a domesticated crow, strikes out with his best bloodhound friend in an attempt to discover what can be done about the virus so he can save his beloved MoFo's (that's S.T. talk for humans.) 

Do not be fooled by the wacky premise into believing that this book is just that - wacky. Yes, there is quite a bit of humor. I laughed out loud several times reading about S.T. and Dennis's shenanigans throughout the story. But there is also so much heart here. S.T. is fiercely loyal to his canine and human friends, to the point he struggles to find a place with members of his own species once the human population is decimated. He is frustrated with his own limitations and is incredibly hard on himself anytime something goes wrong. He is also compassionate of the plight of all domestics, who unlike wild animals are in a position of having to fend for themselves while grieving their former carers.

What's more, Buxton displays some excellent writing chops in her prose, specifically when describing the way nature responds to the absence of humans to control her. The author's love for nature, specifically crows and dogs, shines through in every part of this book. And I'll warn you, if you didn't want a pet crow before, you might find yourself wishing you had one.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.*

While not without faults, I really liked this book. A zombie apocalypse story told through the animals, domesticated and wild, watching it all happen and coping with the aftermath is an approach that keeps familiar ground without having been done to death. Overall, it is intriguing, clever, and very funny. I loved S.T. and he made me laugh out loud many times (Genghis Cat was another personal favorite). I know some people may be put off by the vulgarity, but I thought it was in line with S.T.'s backstory of being raised by a workaday regular Joe and the limited understanding a crow would have of human etiquette. I also thought the crass turns-of-phrase were more than made up for by the amount of tenderness, innocence, and vulnerability S.T. displays. There are some truly touching meditations on grief and loss, as well as hope, perseverance, and family. In a few parts the plot meandered, there were a couple of side stories told from the perspective of other animals that didn't end up adding much, and the editor probably could have knocked off at least 20 pages, but I enjoyed the experience of exploring Seattle with a crow and a bloodhound, and I learned a bit about bird anatomy along the way.

I found this book to be so very clever! I loved that it took place in Seattle. I was recently there, and have spent quite a lot of time there, so it was really fun to have first hand knowledge of the setting! I loved the overall sarcastic tone of the writing, I truly laughed out loud many times for this book, and shared passages that I knew would make friends and family laugh. I can think of 4 people off the top of my head I will recommend it to. The thing is, for me, this is a 3 star book. There was a lot of crass language, and I get how that worked for the tone of the book itself, but it was unbearable at times, along with some of the content, funny, but not always necessary to the story. Again, I understand how that worked for the overall tone of the story, but it was off putting to me. Beware that this is a dystopian story and there’s some gore involved if that is something that bothers you.

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.)

4.5 Stars bumped to 5 Stars because of the creativity

Kira Jane Buxton's debut offers a funny but often poignant look at the plight of pets left behind by owners after an apocalypse. Told largely through the eyes of a pet crow named S.T. (short for Shit Turd), who is struggling to deal with the zombification of his beloved owner Big Jim, we see animals domestic and wild around the globe adjusting to a post-human world. S.T., aka The One Who Keeps, an impressively bright corvid, tries to safeguard his dog, a bloodhound by the name of Dennis, and eventually a bright and perky Pomeranian named Cinnamon, as they navigate a world in which the humans, called MoFos (thank you, Big Jim), are either ravenously seeking connectivity, I mean grisly sustenance, or busy mutating into... well, I'll leave that for you to discover. The release of animals from the Seattle Zoo by The One Who Opens Doors (can't give their identity away, sorry) further complicates their perils, as does a terrible encounter with The One Who Spits (ditto). Set in Seattle, we meet a wise female octopus named Onida (The One Searched For), a murder of crows leader named Kraai, an African Gray named Ghubari, a tabby called Genghis Cat, and a flock of eagles, as S.T, The One Who Keeps, tries to find answers to what caused the MoFos to become ill, to release trapped domestic pets, and to make his peace with an apocalypse that will change the earth and the Aura (the animal communication network) forever.

The idea of this novel is so wildly creative. Loaded with humor, it did occasionally drag a wee bit due to some repetitiveness in S.T.'s struggles, but it's such a minor quibble overall. The astute reader can early on figure out the origins of the zombification of the human race, but Buxton's exploration through S.T.'s and his companions' eyes is well-rendered and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

I was fortunate to have received an Advance Review Audiobook from Hachette Audio, via Libro.fm. The audiobook is not to be missed. While a few mispronunciations (satiety, etc) are momentary distractions, narrator Robert Petkoff's voicing of the huge number of characters in this tale is a delight for the listener.

I received a Digital Review Copy, along with a paper copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 but rounding up because I think many people may appreciate this book far more than I did. Perhaps the word apocalypse should have been a signal; I usually do not like. Clever and often laugh out loud but ultimately not for me. Dark humor. Original. Admirable, but.

Told in the voice of S.T. [Shit Turd}, a domesticated crow, who travels with his friend Dennis, a bloodhound, who both belong to BIg Jim. At the onset of the novel, Big JIm loses an eyeball. And we're off as they navigate the world of MoFos [yep!] seeking solutions. Many other animals come across the pages---cat, armadillo, snow leopard, flamingo, and more [there is a zoo]. And Hollows--crows--hence Hollow Kingdom.

I laughed heartily and often at the images Buxton conjured, but it was just not enough. 

e.g.:
 "...hindsight spectacles that Big Jim yearns for after every Tinder date."
"
I could hear the near-silent screams of bustling termites devouring the bones of the place."

"MoFo expressions meant to confuse, like when I wasted an entire afternoon searching the yeard for an ax and a body because Big Jim said he'd buried the hatched with his friend Mike."

and so on and on and on...

In fact, sometimes I thought too much.  In the end--just too much and seemingly repetitive; it wore me down. I wanted more substance.

I'd recommend as long as one knows what awaits. I'm in the minority.

Buxton’s debut novel kept twitter buzzing this summer after the late spring book events brought this novel to the attention of booksellers and librarians.  Published in August, this novel fits better right here in the depths of October.  Narrated by a crow named Shit Turd (or S.T. for short), this irreverent horror story (think Grady Hendrix but with a sailor’s vocabulary) tells about what happens to the planet when the MoFo’s (ST’s word for humans) turn into “Hollows” due to a virus related to the technology they seem to be unable to do without.  Although there is a lot of campiness here, there are some very deep truths and ideas that ground this novel and take it from smartass to just plain smart.  For example, ST encounters a wise tree that laments, “If you are alive – whether of blood or bark – you will be struck by pain, love, longing, fear, anger, and the particular ache of sadness.  There will be joys that quiver your leaves and betrayals that will sever your roots, poisoning the water you pull. These are the varying notes in the music of living. Look up, to close your eyes is to stagnate. To rot and stop the song.”  (NOTE: I will check this quote with final version before publication of this review on my blog as part of a Halloween reads feature in October)

I received an ARC of Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton.
Unfortunately I did not like this book. Had it not been an ARC, I would've DNF'd it.

The premise is a zombie apocalypse has wiped out humanity and we see the events through the eyes of several animals, most living in Seattle. Our main protagonist is a crow named Shit Turd. While I do not mind some vulgarity, this book reads as if an immature boy wrote it. There were many fart and poop jokes, lots of profanity, and a general a juvenile sense of humor. I'll give you some examples:

"as awkward as an elevator fart."
"Thanks, dick-wad"
calling humans "Mofos"
"douche canoe"
"yarfed"
"F*** off, you douche flute!"
"You could have heard a dust mite queef in there."

The crow would often describe other birds in extremely negative and immature ways. Some things he said included:

"turd waffle"
"...a bunch of poop terrorists"
"a giant troupe of swamp donkeys...elitist toot cabbages"
"...their faces, those dildo-nosed potatoes."
"And I definitely wouldn't tell those a** trumpets."
"F***ing newspaper-colored, ice-balled dick goblins, yeah, that's who you want as your brand ambassador."
I hated these inky fools, these lentil-brained a** noodles."

I felt like maybe the author was trying to go for a South Park type humor; but unfortunately it was just vulgar with very little humor. I will admit a few entries did make me laugh.

Sometimes the tone of the book changed and the author used several big words, some I had to look up the definition. But with two, she repetitively used the same phrases "glaucous-winged gulls" and "nictitating membranes." The inconsistency between vulgar language and more sophisticated wording was distracting.

While my largest problem with the book was the writing, I also had problems with the lack of an  overarching plot. Most of the time, I didn't know what the characters were supposed to be doing. It seemed more a series of random adventures. The concept was inventive, but the author had too many ideas and was not able to pull them together. Overall, I found the book to be disorganized, crude, and ultimately, a big waste of time. I gave it 1 star.


The book will be released August 6, 2019.

If I were to survive an apocalyptic world-changing event, there is no one I would rather have by my side than S.T. (Shit Turd), a brilliant, belligerent, and loyal crow. Of course, being human, I would be one of the Hollows whose feckless disregard for the natural world led to our extinction event in Hollow Kingdom.

Hollow Kingdom combines the buddy book with the endearing friendship between Dennis, the bloodhound, and S.T., the crow, a road trip story with their relatively short journeys around Seattle, and the epic science fiction apocalypse novel with some sort of zombifying tech virus infecting humans. And it’s hilarious.

S.T. and Dennis start out looking for MoFos (humans) hoping to find someone to fix things. They adapt their quest to saving domestics, animals trapped behind doors and windows and starving to death. The ally with an impressive variety of animals and birds with the help of supportive trees.



I loved Hollow Kingdom. I loved it so much, I read portions of it aloud over coffee and donuts to a friend who loved it and is eagerly waiting for its publication. I passed my kindle over so she could read a few examples of how beautifully Kira Jane Buxton could imagine a taxonomy for each different species. The cat chapters are hilarious, so hilarious they should have a warning that reading in a waiting room could lead to embarrassing eruptions of laughter. These short interstitial chapters featuring a polar bear, a camel, an elephant, and other various animals are genius. They each have their own vernacular and I love it.

The story is compelling and full of risks and revelations. There are daring break-ins to homes where domestics are trapped and battles against impossible odds. There are sacrifices that will break your heart. Hollow Kingdom is both hilarious and heart-breaking and I loved every bit of it.

Hollow Kingdom will be released August 6h. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Hollow Kingdom at Grand Central Publishing
Kira Jane Buxton author site and on Twitter

What a trip, this read was. It had all the drama, intense action, death, love, hope and despair you expect in a zombie apocalypse read but it wasn't from the human viewpoint. This was the world as seen by animals, domestic, wild, captured, and other. They have personalities, and voice their beliefs all while trying to figure out this new world without the old humans. There is so much going on, so many things to consider.  Animals trapped in homes, cages, zoos, aquariums, domestic meeting wild, territories, and food sources, all asked all answered in unique ways. The personalities, from cute adorable to hideous drool faces, all captured attention, some left me in tears. The twists never stop and nothing happens that is expected, it's a ride. E ticket all the way. Winner !

This would be one fantastic movie.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this ARC early! I was pretty excited to read a new spin on the old zombie apocalypse novel. S.T. is definitely an interesting narrator. I really enjoyed reading from his point of view and seeing all about who he feel the worlds greatest MoFo poet was and how he thinks we tell time. It’s safe to say that our animals, if they could talk, see our actions way differently!

Though I really enjoyed this book, it didn’t seem to have a clear focus on where it was going. It seemed like S.T.’s end goal changed constantly. Plus, the tone of the book changed so much it was hard to follow. We went from being serious, to being goofy, and straight back into being serious within just a few pages. It made it hard to follow, especially when events that you’d think would be more detailed... weren’t. Overall, I liked this book and I really enjoyed S.T.

In "Hallow Kingdom" by Kira Jane Buxton, a whitty talking Crow named S.T. takes to the Seattle sky for a birds eye view of the apocalypse. As S T. searches for a way to save his already turned to zombie human, Big Jim, he befriends a dog, learns the way of the "aurora", fights angry mobs of zombies, among other adventures.

Buxton's quirky genre bending apocalyptic novel is funny, insightful, and poetic.  Equal parts melodic, haunting, and sardonic, "Hallow Kingdom" is a unique look into a world where people become lured by electronics to the point of their demise and where animals learn to utilize their domesticity to fight for and make a better world.

"Hallow Kingdom" was refreshing and engaging.  I found myself connecting with S.T. and rooting for him.  Laughing out loud at S.T.''s observations and crying at his failures and heartbreaks.  As a self proclaimed lover of mostly contemporary and historical fiction, I genuinely liked this book and would recommend it to others.  It is fun, creative, and an original story that can't be forgotten.

Smart, funny and dark, a call to environmental action and a cautionary tale that may be too late in coming.  Kira Buxton steps firmly outside of her human self to see our species through the eyes of those we are surrounded by and rarely notice.  I heartily enjoyed her writing and the adventure.

This book was absolutely nothing that I expected, which made it just about perfect. If you think there is nothing new under the post-apocalyptic sun, definitely give this one a try..

Such a strange and unique book. I'm still not sure if I fully enjoyed it, but it was definitely not a terrible read.

You know that something is wrong when your mo-fo’s (aka human’s) eye falls out of his head and he isn’t concerned. So begins the totally original post-apocalyptic tale of the Hollow Kingdom.

S.T. is a pet crow. His mo-fo, Big Jim, is sick and won’t stop poking his finger at the wall. Eventually, Big Jim gets hungry for a live dinner forcing S.T. to leave home with Dennis, his none-to-smart bloodhound brother. As S.T. and Dennis search for a cure for Big Jim’s illness, they encounter both domestic animals and zoo escapees.

Filled with both humor and pathos, Hollow Kingdom is a unique post-apocalyptic tale. This must be the only book written from the point of view of a domesticated crow. It is strongly recommended for anyone looking for something different to read. 4 stars!

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The apocalypse has come at last and S.T. the crow tells his survivor's tale. I loved this book! It was hilarious and different and heartwarming.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an eARC.
This was definitely a unique book to me.  I'd never read anything like this.  If you like animals, especially ravens crows big black birds, you should pick up this book.  It was a very interesting read.

Hollow Kingdom
Kira Jane Buxton

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) 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.