Hollow Kingdom

June 1, 2019
When a deadly virus changes humankind forever, S.T., a domesticated crow with a mouth like a sailor, and his dog, Dennis, teach the animal kingdom how to survive the apocalypse. After their owner becomes a slobbering, zombielike creature with a deadly cellphone obsession, unflappable crow S.T. and loyal canine Dennis venture out into Seattle. They soon realize other domesticated animals aren't as lucky and are trapped in their locked homes. With his innate knowledge of the MoFo (human) world, S.T. uses his corvid intelligence and Dennis' high-powered sniffer to come to the rescue. When old and new predators emerge in a city quickly returning to nature, S.T. and Dennis join forces with wild crows and other animals to keep their territory safe. It's an intriguing and fun premise that starts with a strong and saucy voice, but this debut novel gets very muddled very quickly. In lieu of giving her lively animal characters a rich narrative arc, the author focuses too heavily on not-so-subtle morality tales about every injustice and environmental crisis in the world today. The science is messy, wins feel too easy, and losses don't cut as deeply as they're meant to, though it's possibly saved by witty one-liners and the author's sharp take on a bird's eye-view of Seattle. A heavy-handed zombie apocalypse-meets-nature documentary meant to inspire humans to do better, but it loses its way.

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June 24, 2019
Buxton spins a fresh, alarming apocalypse from the perspectives of intelligent, communicative animals in her hilarious debut. S.T., short for Shit Turd, is an irreverent domesticated crow in Seattle who loves human things—he likes to watch TV and his favorite food is Cheetos. When S.T.’s owner, Big Jim, contracts the illness that’s turning humans into unthinking zombies fixated on technological devices, S.T. lures bloodhound Dennis outside. He relies on the information network of birdsongs known as Aura to seek guidance from the oracular octopus Onida while dodging a murder of wild crows he detests. Onida tasks S.T. with rescuing other pets, but he knows he needs help opening windows and doors. A rumor about One Who Opens Doors takes S.T. to the zoo in search of what he assumes is a healthy human. As wildness takes over the world, S.T. relies on his creativity to navigate mounting dangers, displaced zoo creatures, and unimaginable new life caught in epic battles for dominance. Amid S.T.’s adventure, a variety of animals both tame and wild share moving ruminations on the end of humanity. S.T.’s complicated personality and the masterful blend of humorous and tragic make this novel an eloquent, emotional exploration of survival during an unthinkable cataclysm. Agent: Bill Clegg, the Clegg Agency.

Robert Petkoff spends most of this audiobook narrating from the point of view of a sentient talking crow called "Shit Turd," who has survived the zombie apocalypse. Even though his human owner, Big Jim, named him such an absurd and insulting name, he loves humans and wishes to find a cure. With passion and longing, Petkoff recounts ST's adventures across the Pacific Northwest with a stupid but loyal bloodhound called Dennis. Their goal is to try to save all surviving creatures. Petkoff's earnestness is crosscut when he reads vignettes from the perspectives of a whale, a cow and a house cat. Listeners who want a new take on an old story should get this audiobook right away. A.R.F. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 1, 2019
When a wise-cracking, curse-spewing narrator identifies himself as a Seattle-born talking crow named S.T. who's just witnessed an eyeball popping out of his MoFo owner's head, readers willing to get on board this bizarrely captivating debut novel will know they're in for a bumpy ride, seat belts not included. Unfortunately, the eyeball incident is just the beginning of S.T.'s troubles as Big Jim, his master and trainer, explodes into a zombie-like rage, forcing S.T. to flee the house on the hirsute back of Dennis, the floppy-eared family bloodhound, and into an unexpectedly frightening outside world. It seems every square mile of Seattle's streets and parks is now teeming with frenzied undead MoFos, Big Jim's contemptuous label for humankind, all of whom get especially crazed by beeping smartphones. Eager to find one or two disease-free humans to save the day, S.T. narrowly escapes gnashing zombie jaws and inexplicably uncaged zoo animals until he crosses paths with a wise fellow crow named Kraii, and realizes his true mission in life: to free other domesticated animals from their housebound prisons before it's too late. While S.T.'s floridly descriptive, expletive-laden narration sometimes feels self-indulgent, Buxton's quirky ideas and compelling nonhuman characters will satisfy literary fiction and zombie genre enthusiasts alike who are looking for something beguilingly different.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2019

DEBUT In the heart of Seattle, a domesticated crow named Shit Turd (S.T.) with a fondness for human culture notices something isn't quite right with his owner, Big Jim, whose eyeball suddenly falls out of his head. In the coming days, S.T. realizes that Big Jim isn't just sick; he's been plagued by a zombielike illness spreading across civilization. Can S.T., accompanied by his aloof but lovable pet bloodhound Dennis, save the small shreds of humanity left in the world, or is it already too late? In this play on a zombie uprising tale, Buxton's dark humor takes center stage. The Seattle references and stereotypes will especially amuse Pacific Northwesterners. VERDICT Though some aspects of the plot, including a divinatory octopus, present as colorless, the overall fresh, quirky tone and content will interest animal lovers and fans of regional books featuring sardonic wit, such as Lish McBride's Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, and anthropomorphized characters � la W. Bruce Cameron's A Dog's Purpose. Suitable as a YA/adult crossover. [See Prepub Alert, 2/4/19.]--Marian Mays, Washington Talking Book & Braille Lib., Seattle

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