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A review by alphabetseeds
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a unique take on the classic mindless infected apocalypse stories around. ST guides us through a horror-stricken Seattle, desperate to find remnants of humanity with his trusty bloodhound companion, Dennis. This is an apocalypse fueled by the upheaval of humanity in favor of unbridled nature, determined to right itself.
The emotional core of this book is identity - how we identify ourselves and how others identify us. ST, a domesticated crow, struggles with his dual identity as a MoFo and a crow, especially as he and Dennis encounter increasingly disturbing groups of infected humans and need to rely more on the natural world for guidance and protection.
The plot takes a while to get going. I struggled with the slower pace of the first half, when ST and Dennis aren't sure what to do with their zombiified owner, Big Jim, and ultimately need to escape when ST finds Big Jim's iPhone. Their initial exploration of Seattle is slow but the MoFo encounters are definitely freaky.
The second half picks up a lot once ST and Dennis join up with the college crows, the stakes raise, and ST is more comfortable with himself. I enjoyed the other animal characters as well, especially Genghis Cat and Migisi the adventure eagle. ST's ingenuity in freeing trapped domesticated animals is enjoyable and heart-pounding, and the payoff of his perseverance was heartwarming.
The source of the MoFos' sudden transformation into mindless infected blobs of blood and horribleness isn't fully explored, but this is the first in an alleged trilogy, so I do wonder where it's all headed.
Could this have been a little shorter? At just over 300 pages, this does drag at times, but it's also due to ST's narration and distraction, especially in the first half of the book. But throughout the book, Buxton's prose is insightful, mournful, and hopeful, and I found myself lingering on sentences that spoke to a bigger truth about the world around us.
The emotional core of this book is identity - how we identify ourselves and how others identify us. ST, a domesticated crow, struggles with his dual identity as a MoFo and a crow, especially as he and Dennis encounter increasingly disturbing groups of infected humans and need to rely more on the natural world for guidance and protection.
The plot takes a while to get going. I struggled with the slower pace of the first half, when ST and Dennis aren't sure what to do with their zombiified owner, Big Jim, and ultimately need to escape when ST finds Big Jim's iPhone. Their initial exploration of Seattle is slow but the MoFo encounters are definitely freaky.
The second half picks up a lot once ST and Dennis join up with the college crows, the stakes raise, and ST is more comfortable with himself. I enjoyed the other animal characters as well, especially Genghis Cat and Migisi the adventure eagle. ST's ingenuity in freeing trapped domesticated animals is enjoyable and heart-pounding, and the payoff of his perseverance was heartwarming.
The source of the MoFos' sudden transformation into mindless infected blobs of blood and horribleness isn't fully explored, but this is the first in an alleged trilogy, so I do wonder where it's all headed.
Could this have been a little shorter? At just over 300 pages, this does drag at times, but it's also due to ST's narration and distraction, especially in the first half of the book. But throughout the book, Buxton's prose is insightful, mournful, and hopeful, and I found myself lingering on sentences that spoke to a bigger truth about the world around us.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Violence