Books: The Hollow Kingdom By Kira Jane Buxton (2019)

"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 (those idiots); and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer-Cheetos®. Then Big Jim's eyeball falls out of his head, and S.T. starts to feel like something isn't quite right.  His most tried-and-true remedies - from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim's loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis - fail to cure Big Jim's 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 discovers that the neighbors are devouring each other and the local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of dangerous new predators roaming Seattle.  Humanity's extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a foulmouthed crow whose knowledge of the world around him comes from his TV-watching education." 

The HOLLOW KINGDOM is a welcome, and utterly brilliant addition to the end of the world novels, often laugh-out loud funny, with ST (aka Shit Turd) narrating on his love of all things human, especially Cheetos®. It’s a weird tale as well, as author Kira Jane Buxton gives us a birds-eye-view (bad pun, I know) of what happens when things go sideways for the humans who run the planet. We really don’t get a reason for the apocalypse that turns people into mindless zombies, but it’s still a great thriller and exciting romp for ST and Dennis, the best bloodhound around.

While the book is far from original (it’s just the Walking Dead set in Seattle and told by protagonist who happens to be a crow), it offers just enough snark, just enough adventure, just enough daring dos to keep the reader occupied. It does slack towards the end when you get the sense that Buxton is setting up sequels and needs to slow the pace down and just adds a ton more exposition (which was fine in the beginning, but grows tedious as the page count closes down).

The books metaphors are fine, but, again, you get the sense Buxton was more concerned with them, then setting up could’ve been a one and done story.