# Hollow Kingdom

By Kira Jane Buxton · Hollow Kingdom, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/hollow-kingdom-eae5be34/

S.T. has built a comfortable life as a pet crow in Seattle, with television, Cheetos and his owner Big Jim. Then Jim becomes ill, and the humans around them begin turning into zombies. S.T. and Dennis, a bloodhound, head outside and discover how many other animals need help in a world their owners can no longer run.

## What makes it funny?

S.T. loves human junk food and looks down on wild crows, which makes him an awkward ambassador for the animal world. His rescue work runs into a problem human heroes rarely have to consider: someone needs to open the doors. Readers in book groups enjoy his foul-mouthed viewpoint and describe laughing and crying within the same story.

### The comedy at work

Buxton lets a bird explain the collapse of human civilization using habits and knowledge picked up from people and TV. S.T.'s confidence repeatedly meets the limits of what a crow can do.

### Try this if…

A choice for readers who want an animal adventure with ecological concerns and a narrator who swears. Publishers Weekly emphasizes the mixture of comedy and tragedy, so expect emotional stakes alongside the crow's opinions.

### Good to know

Profanity and zombie gore accompany the humor. One reader liked S.T. but found some descriptions excessive and other animal viewpoints slow; Kirkus also found the environmental lessons too insistent. Read this before the sequel, Feral Creatures.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · Horror · Science fiction
- On the shelf: Post-apocalyptic · Zombie
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2019

## A few distinguishing details

- A Cheetos-loving crow faces the collapse of human life
- Animal rescue complicated by locked doors

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Series order](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/kira-jane-buxton/hollow-kingdom)
- Publisher: [Publisher: editions and synopsis](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kira-jane-buxton/hollow-kingdom/9781538745823)
- Reader discussion: [Readers in book groups (Muse report)](https://facebook.com/groups/133072126767609/permalink/26879084311739694)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781538745823)
- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kira-jane-buxton/hollow-kingdom)