Taylor's Reviews > Hollow Kingdom

"Change is inevitable, dear crow. We must adapt. You cannot stop the tide, S.T. You must be more like the log that bobs along the surface."

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I picked up Hollow Kingdom completely on a whim. I've been on a mission to broaden my reading horizons this year, and Kira Jane Buxton's strange debut endeared me with its out-there premise.

S.T. (which stands for Shit Turd) is a domesticated crow, who lives with his owner, Big Jim, and a goofy bloodhound named Dennis in Seattle. This shit-talking crow enjoys simple pleasures: eating cheetos, watching nature documentaries, and enjoying the company of his human owner. Things take a turn for the weird, however, when Big Jim's eyeballs fall out, and S.T.'s attempts to cure his friend are in vain. Desperate, S.T. is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and set out with his trusty steed, Dennis, to find a cure.

What he discovers in the grimy streets of Seattle is evidence of humanity's imminent extinction.

I can't deny that this book was enjoyable. The first third of Hollow Kingdom was incredibly funny, due mostly to S.T.'s biting inner monologue. His observations of the world are shaped by the old life he shared with Dennis and Big Jim, and his inability to accept his crow-ness was pretty hilarious. He just wants to be a human so badly. The admiration he has for our flawed, complicated species was very endearing.

I knew, based on the synopsis, what I was probably getting myself into. Throughout this book, I couldn't help but wonder: how on Earth could a bloodhound and a crow stop the beginning tides of a zombie apocalypse? The concept was incredibly interesting, and I enjoyed some elements of the story overall. Namely S.T. and Dennis' bond, the cats, and the wider themes concerning the natural world.

However, I can't deny that the pacing wore this story down.

I think that Buxton's debut would have been a wonderful novella. The story lends itself a lot to voice-overs of S.T. narrating what he and Dennis are doing, and the extreme lack of dialogue, paired with the repetitive nature of the plot, made me pretty bored. The writing was gorgeous, but beautiful prose can only carry a book for so long.

The themes of the story were very vague up until its conclusion, and I couldn't help but feel like the ending was...underwhelming. There was a beautiful, hopeful scene at the book's close that lifted my heart, but Buxton's themes surrounding humanity's demise were over-done and a little absurd, if I'm being honest. I would've liked a little more nuance. She had wonderful vision concerning the mystical, all-knowing presence of the natural world, though.

I really do admire Buxton's bold choices with this book, and I'm all for strange stories. I don't think I've ever read a book where every main character is an animal, so this was definitely different.

Was Hollow Kingdom enjoyable? Yes. But could it have been better? Also yes. I'm interested to see what this author writes next, all things considered.

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“Every singe one of us, from amoeba to blue whale to the tenacious bloom that dares to dream of tomorrow, have their own destiny-fulfilling journey as long as their minds and hearts are open.”